Will Your Child Follow in Your Footsteps as an Entrepreneur? |  |
- Will Your Child Follow in Your Footsteps as an Entrepreneur?
- Adrienne Graham of EmpowerME: No, You Can’t Pick My Brain
- Enjoy The Victory
- Turmoil in Greece: Could Entrepreneurs Save Europe’s Economy?
| Will Your Child Follow in Your Footsteps as an Entrepreneur? Posted: 01 Jun 2012 11:00 AM PDT Growing up, I didn’t even know what an entrepreneur was. My parents both worked hard at their respective jobs, and held them for decades. But for my son, who’s seven now, the picture is drastically different. He’s got two parents who run their own companies – from home. His understanding of the workforce is unlike mine at his age. But he’s part of a generation that takes entrepreneurship as a given possibility, simply because he sees it every day.
I often wonder if he will become an entrepreneur too. Nothing would make me prouder. A whopping 46% of kids who know an entrepreneur are more interested in becoming one themselves, according to the Kaufman Foundation’s Youth Entrepreneurship Survey 2010. That’s exciting, since there were more than 27 million small businesses in 2011. If every business inspired just one child to become an entrepreneur…well, you get my point. Teach By Example Whether your child shows interest in running his own business or not, it’s helpful to him to understand what it is you do with your own business. When I told my son that I make money on the computer, he looked around to find the printer that spit out the dollar bills! But I’ve found ways to explain that I help businesses get more customers. And Papa makes apps for phones. It may not occur you to bring your child into your business or explain it to him, but doing so can provide valuable life lessons: 1. Keep the communication open about your business with your child. Explain in terms that he’ll understand what you do, as well as why it sometimes requires more of your time than he’d like. Explain why you work from home. Or why you don’t. 2. If your child is old enough, let him spend a day with you in the office. Then he can see firsthand what you do and how business works. 3. Encourage him to start his own entrepreneurial endeavors, even if it’s just selling lemonade. Teach him about supply cost and profit, and encourage him to work to earn enough money for that special toy. 4. Show him the role creativity plays in entrepreneurship. You never know: your next great business idea might come from the second generation in your home! 5. And don’t gloss over failure. While you don’t want to scare your kids (especially younger ones) if your business is struggling, there’s a lesson to be learned in diligence and not giving up on your dreams. You never know what will resonate with kids. Even if yours doesn’t become the next Tony Hsieh, he still will have an appreciation for hard work and independence thanks to you.
From Small Business Trends |
| Adrienne Graham of EmpowerME: No, You Can’t Pick My Brain Posted: 01 Jun 2012 08:00 AM PDT Ever been invited to lunch, dinner or a cup of coffee by a friend, family member or an associate, only to find that it was an invitation for a free consultation session cloaked as a social engagement? If this has ever happened to you, listen up as Adrienne Graham of EmpowerME joins Brent Leary to give you the strength to say, “No, you can’t pick my brain, it costs too much!” * * * * *
Small Business Trends: Can you give us a little bit of information on who Adrienne Graham is? Adrienne Graham: I'm a former or retired recruiter. I guess you can call it that. Empower Me started out as a network for women of color. It has morphed over the years into this consultancy to help people grow their businesses and their careers. The final piece of that is my baby that I have developing in the Empower Me Institute, which focuses on entrepreneurial education. Small Business Trends: You wrote a book called "No, You Can’t Pick My Brain. It Costs Too Much.” Can you tell us how this came about? Adrienne Graham: One Saturday morning I woke up and a friend of mine posted something on Facebook that said, “You know, I am tired of people picking my brain and asking me, ‘Oh, can I have a few minutes of your time? Can you help me with this problem?' and it turns into this long drawn out consultancy.” So I said, “You know what I am tired of? My friends and family – I love you all – but I am tired of you and it just gets to a point where they want you to give your livelihood to them for free.” Small Business Trends: Draw the line clearly. How important is that? Adrienne Graham: That is very important because a lot of people cannot distinguish between a free assessment and a consultation. I tell some of my clients that, just by switching up those two words, instead of using free consult, use assessment. Because really what it is, it is you gauging what their needs are. How you guys can work together and if it is a good fit. You’re not there to give them everything. So you have to learn to drawn that line so that they are not reaching over the boundaries and getting more. Because if you give them more, they won't have to pay you for your services. Small Business Trends: You speak of “socializing is not consulting and vice versa.” How thin is that line? How important is it to stay on the right side of those lines? Adrienne Graham: I have had to learn to distinguish. If someone calls me and says, “Hey let's do coffee. Or, “Let's do lunch', that is what we are doing. We are doing that not to talk about business. If you want to talk about business call my assistant and set up some time or an appointment with me. A lot of people want to be courteous. I am courteous. I don't want anybody to think I am mean. But it's just that when you want to sit down socially with me lets do that. I got ambushed by a group of recruiters who had invited me out to trivia night. As soon as I sat down, they pulled out notebooks. Small Business Trends: So it was a learning session for them? Adrienne Graham: Yes, it was an ambush. It was, “Tell me what you think about diverse recruiting.” Or, “Where is the best place where I can find…?” I am sitting there like. . . huh? Yes, I am trying to be nice at first. But people do not like to be ambushed. Be very clear. If you want an information session say, “I want an information session.” On the other side of it, you have to be very clear. ”What do you need from me, because if this is something that we can hash out in five minutes, I don't need to go out to have coffee with you.” So you have to be able to learn how to draw the line between socializing and business. Small Business Trends: How important is it for people to understand what they are actually worth? And be able to say, "I am worth it, give it to me?" Adrienne Graham: That is the biggest thing that I get. I get that from women and I get if from a lot of minorities. I get it from them because they feel I am not like the big dogs, I don't have as much knowledge. Or I have only been in the game for three years. It doesn't matter if you have been in the game for three years or 30 years – your knowledge is valuable. A lot of people feel that because the Internet is so readily accessible that people will say, “Oh well, l can get that for free.” Yeah you can. But execution of that information is not free. Once you start thinking about it that way, you feel the power shift and you can leverage that. Because yeah, they may think they may find the technical details, but someone still needs to make it happen. That's you. And you have to place a premium on that. Small Business Trends: How challenging is it for people to stand their ground? Because there is a fear factor. If I do stand my ground they may walk away. How do we get over that? Adrienne Graham: Yeah, you get over that by continuing to market yourself to the right people. Because the right clients will understand that. It was hard for me because my initial thought was, “I do not want to hurt someone else's feelings or mess up my chances for repeat business.” But I had to learn that if they really value me, they would be ok with me speaking the truth. Small Business Trends: Where can people learn more and find out more information about the things you are up to on line? Adrienne Graham: They can go to EmpowerMe.org or follow me at @TalentDiva on Twitter. This interview is part of our One on One series of conversations with some of the most thought-provoking entrepreneurs, authors and experts in business today. This interview has been edited for publication. To hear audio of the full interview, click the right arrow on the gray player below. You can also see more interviews in our interview series.
From Small Business Trends This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 01 Jun 2012 05:00 AM PDT
I keep my ear to the ground for words and phrases that I can play with. It’s like this little unconscious screen you filter everything you come in contact with through. Most of the time when something sticks I jot it down on a scrap of paper and then mine those later for ideas. Recently, I ran across one with “told you so” on it and set to work on coaxing out a cartoon. There’s plenty of low hanging fruit to go with “told you so,” but the phrase has a certain smugness about it that wasn’t working for me. So I started playing with different ways to say it:
But the one that stuck was “called it!” and this arm-pumping guy came to mind almost immediately. I hope he enjoys his victory, because somehow I don’t think he’ll be working there much longer. From Small Business Trends |
| Turmoil in Greece: Could Entrepreneurs Save Europe’s Economy? Posted: 01 Jun 2012 02:30 AM PDT Ongoing problems in Greece, including a growing movement to reject massive spending cuts some see as forced upon the country in return for international aid, could further threaten economic recovery for the European Union. Meanwhile, some in Europe see entrepreneurship as one solution for getting local economies back on track. Here’s a look at what’s happening in the EU and some tips for starting and growing a business there or anywhere. EU Crisis and SolutionRecent Greek elections threaten to further unravel EU. 37-year-old Alexis Tsipras’s stunning success in last month’s elections heightens tensions between the struggling nation and the rest of the EU. With the choice between austerity and pressure to renegotiate debt, is there a third path forward for Europe’s economy? Bloomberg Businessweek UK is betting on entrepreneurs for growth? Britain hopes young entrepreneurs can help economic recovery, and is promoting a program to boost their efforts. A Startup Loans program will lend up to £82.5 million to entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 24 over the next three years. The Globe and Mail Do European regulations keep small businesses too small? At an informal summit in Brussels last week, leaders meeting over the euro crisis agreed to aid small business with increased credit from the European Investment Bank. But do tight business regulations do too much to restrict small business growth, making it difficult for entrepreneurs to flourish. The Wall Street Journal What EU Entrepreneurs Should KnowSeeking small business assets in Europe? Hong Kong-based private equity firm First Eastern Investment Group is selling small business assets at fire sale prices, thanks to the EU debt crisis. On the positive side of the financial difficulties in Europe are the opportunities they create. The time to invest in European business may be here for those positioned to make the move. CNBC How to start a business in Europe. The European Commission’s Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry maintains a Website with some guidelines for those interested in getting started in business in any of the European member states. Here is what the Website suggests for becoming a European entrepreneur. Europa.eu Starting your business from scratch. You can start small when creating a business no matter where you may be. Take Margaret Smith, a shy, stay-at-home mom from County Cork, Ireland, who transformed herself into an entrepreneur by founding UmNumNum boutique cookery school. TweakYourBiz Grow Your Business AnywhereMeeting the challenge of multicultural groups. One challenge you are likely to face, whether starting a business in the EU or elsewhere, is that success may hinge upon leading teams with multiple cultural backgrounds. Watch the video from Anne Edmondson, Harvard Business School professor, about leading a multicultural team. Catarina’s Team What the smallest businesses can learn from the largest. Some small businesses can become big businesses over time. While small companies certainly have different considerations than the Googles of this world, simple ideas like focusing on the customer and filling a need are concepts any size business can embrace. USA Today Stretching your startup funds. No matter where you’re trying to start a business, some basic rules apply. One of your greatest challenges will almost always be doing more with less. Business blogger Ben Lang has some important tips for entrepreneurs everywhere to consider for starting and growing a business. Here’s more… Forbes
From Small Business Trends |
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