Category: Entrepreneurship

Any company, big or small alike, has its own share of ebbs and flows. And like anything else in this life, some events might make you decide to sell it off. 

If you are wondering when to sell your company, below are some signs that will let you know once this time comes. 

1. Your Motivation is No Longer There

People get tired and that is just normal. A business owner is just like a traditional employee that experiences burnout. Running a business is not as glamorous as it seems outside. In fact, it can lead to lots of stress and pressure in your life. 

It is easy to be overwhelmed with having to do everything and your working hours might be longer than normal. Your business will go down the drain if you lack long-term motivation. 

This is why you need to be very honest once you lose this drive and motivation and know that it is a sign that it is time to let go. If bouncing back is already out of the question, you would be better off if you sell your business then move on from there. 

2. Your Investments Have Run Out 

There are many reasons why businesses fail. After all, life always comes with failures and you can consider a failed business a shift in direction if your plan is to pursue a different professional venture. 

Although it is a must that you give your business your all, you also need to remember that business ownership is much more than this alone. It can be a very risky move to take out loans to continue your business operations. 

If you have taken out a significant amount from your retirement fund or life savings just to make sure that your business continues to run and you are unsure if it is even worthy of the investment, this might be a telltale sign to just sell your company. 

Your business wouldn’t be able to run if you are also running out of money that you can invest to grow it further. 

3. You’ve Received the Right Offer 

This is another good reason to just sell your company. You exerted significant effort and hard work building it from the ground up but all of a sudden, you want to venture somewhere else thanks to your business that gives you a good cash flow for financial freedom. Depending on your company’s value, you can receive lots of high offers because its success is already tested and proven. When a good offer comes along, it means that it is also time for you to sell. 

4. You’ve Done Everything You Can for Your Company 

There are times when it is inevitable to experience a plateau as far as growth is concerned. It could be because you already achieved your business goals or your skillset is a bit limited.

You might be better off if you sell your company instead of rebranding or pivoting to try another business model so that you can feel fulfillment all over again. Don’t be guilty if you want to go down a new route when you find yourself stuck. Growing and getting older means you also develop different perspectives and interests. 

You are the only one who can decide if and when you want to sell your company. These signs are just red flags. At the end of the day, your decision is what matters the most. 

Everyone has been there. Some days, you just don’t feel like going to work. On other days, you cannot wait for Monday to come just so you can be at the office. 

But, what if there are no longer any good days at work? What if all you feel is dread with the mere thought of waking up to another day of working and working? 

If you want to know when to quit your job, below are some telltale signs that it is high time for you to pack your things and walk away. 

You Don’t Get to Use Your Skills

Maybe you started with an entry-level job with the hopes that you can show everyone what you’ve got in a few months or so. But, if you have been stuck in that position for so long where you don’t even get to use, much less showcase your skills, it is time for you to consider other better options. 

Chronic Boredom Has Crept In 

If your job no longer challenges you and your boss doesn’t seem to pay attention to what you are saying, it is a flashing sign that you ought to leave soon. 

While it is common to feel bored every now and then, prolonged feelings of being bored while at work is a red flag that you don’t get to do what you want and are seeking something more meaningful. 

Everything You Do is Never Enough

If your boss still expects more from you no matter how good and diligent you already are with your job, then, you know that there is a serious problem here. If you are constantly being pushed to do more, chances are it will continue to happen even if you give it you’re all. It might be about time for you to go somewhere else where your efforts and your boundaries will be better appreciated. 

You Feel Like Winning is Always Out of Your Reach 

Never, ever ignore that feeling that you couldn’t win at work in spite of all the things you do. Your job must be something that makes you feel challenged and exhilarated. It should make you feel that you succeeded in something instead of making you feel as if you are just fighting a battle where victory is nowhere in sight and you still end up losing. 

Your Personal Mission and the Goals of Your Employer are Conflicting 

People quit their job right away once they cannot stand it anymore. More and more workers now consider if the company they belong to is actually worth their time or not. if the company doesn’t jibe with your own values and goals in life, moving on is probably the best decision you can make. 

You Always Experience Physical, Mental, and Emotional Exhaustion

No work is easy and everyone feels weary after spending a long day at their job. However, if your life has turned into a chronic state of exhaustion and stress because of work, there is a big possibility that you already suffer from job burnout. 

Watch out for these top signs that will tell you that you need to quit your job sooner than later. 

The research marks the beginning of getting offers from the best venture capitalists. You will only be able to schedule a meeting with these VCs if you have listed down the firms associated with your venture. 

If you are wondering how to find a venture capitalist, there are some things you can do to ensure that you will meet these people who can offer you a lending hand. 

Attend Industry Events 

Every industry has events and venture capitalists searching for companies they can fund often come to these events. These events are among the best places where you can meet VCs who might be interested to offer to fund your venture. 

Go to Local Events 

Major cities have local technology as well as other events that often capture the attention of many venture capitalists. There are websites where you can easily lookup up such events. All you have to do is to type in the keyword venture capital in your specific city and you will see the results of all the local events that potential VCs might be attending. The smaller cities might have fewer of these events but you can still expect to attend somewhere you can hope to meet the perfect venture capitalist for your business. 

Visit Their Blogs 

Many of the best venture capitalists in various industries have their own blogs. The moment you get to the blog of the particular VC that you hope would fund your company, make sure you read and go through their blog posts. You might also want to leave your comment there. 

Your comments must offer valuable insights to these blog posts to show that you are smart and the kind of person that a VC would be interested to know. The VC is going to recognize you after you leave some comments in their posts. Once they leave a direct response to your comments, this is now the chance for you to ask them if they are interested to meet in person. 

Check Out Their LinkedIn Profile 

LinkedIn makes it easier and simpler to get in touch and reach out to venture capitalists. As your LinkedIn network grows and expands, you will also get more connections to these VCs. When your targeted VC becomes part of your network, don’t hesitate to send them a message. 

Follow Them on Twitter 

Most venture capitalists these days are active on their Twitter profiles. Take advantage of this so look for their Twitter account and make sure you follow them. Browse their posts and use these to strike a conversation with them through replying to their tweets, sending direct messaging, and others.

Send Them an Email 

The last but definitely not the least way for you to find and meet a venture capitalist is through email. Most VCs still make it a point to indicate their email addresses on their sites. In case they don’t, you can subscribe to the database offering them or just contact the venture capitalist firm and inquire about their email address. 

VCs receive lots of emails so simply send a teaser email without any attachments and outline some exciting points and details regarding your company that will catch the interest of the VC. 

These are just some of the ways to find a venture capitalist who can help you build a successful and phenomenal business. 

Did you recently land a new remote job? Did your employer finally allow you to work remotely? If yes, then, congratulations! Working remotely has become the trend, with the pandemic wreaking havoc all over the world.

But, while the idea of working remotely sounds tempting, it also comes with its own challenges. Your level of productivity, creativity, and inspiration can all be affected. How will you prepare yourself for this new kind of working lifestyle, then?

Check out the following five tips to start working remotely:

1. Set Up a Dedicated Workspace 

It is all too easy to fall into the trap of just bringing your laptop with you on your bed and work surrounded by your cozy sheets. While there is nothing wrong if this works for you, it is a wiser decision to work somewhere else instead of the spot where you usually sleep and relax. You can set up a dedicated workspace that will draw the line between office and home. You can get into work mode easier if you have a designated spot for working. 

2. Schedule Your Day 

Planning your entire day in advance is important if you want to boost your productivity since working remote means your workday doesn’t have a specific start and end time. When you structure your day, you can distinguish your free time and working hours so you don’t have to spend your whole day at work. Create a schedule you will follow through that includes all the tasks you have to do and finish for the day as well as your lunch breaks and snack time. 

3. Go on Quick Breaks

Speaking of lunch and snacks, taking breaks is also applicable for remote workers. However, when you work remotely, it can be very easy to forget taking your regular breaks since you don’t have a colleague you can grab a coffee with. It is recommended to take 5 to 10 minutes from time to time and move away from the work area. This will benefit not only your productivity level as it will also help refresh your mind and eyes. 

4. Communicate

Communication and trust are two important factors in any remote work. Your boss and colleagues trust that you will be doing your job and you also expect the same from them. Over-communication is the secret to remote success. When it comes to over-communication, you don’t need to report everything you do. This means you should communicate as often and as clearly as possible to everyone involved. Never assume that your colleagues will know right away what you will work on. Explain it to them and allow them to ask questions. 

5. Log Off

A major challenge when you work remotely, especially if you are a beginner, is knowing when you should log off. Everyone works in different schedules and some even in different time zones. It means that notifications will keep coming on the whole day. But, you don’t need to be on standby all the time. You will have to work round the clock if you never set time off. So, make sure you log off when you’re done for the day. 

Follow these five tips to start working remotely and have a fun time with this new working lifestyle! 

Relationships that are meaningful and benefit both parties can pave the way to exciting opportunities and better growth. Your professional and personal growth, your business, and your life as a whole are all about relationships.

How do you build lasting and strong relationships in the first place? Here are some ways you can try.

1. Give Without Expectations of Getting Something in Return

This timeless advice is the number one best-kept secret for building relationships and leaving a positive impact on other people. Every time you meet with someone, show and don’t just tell that person what you can and will do for them. If your goal is to make someone experience significant value, don’t hesitate to give exactly that to them and while doing so, always do it with the highest level of impact possible.

2. Identify a Common Ground and Use This to Grow Together

Who you are today is the amalgamation of who you were in the past. Ways you identify yourself, impactful moments, and connections are all formed from your past experiences. Look for a common ground you share with a person and leverage these similarities to grow together. It doesn’t matter if this common bond is something as simple as sharing the same school. As long as you know how to make the most out of this bond, you can expect that both of you will soon open up to each other.

3. Show Your Genuine Care to the Other Person

Letting people know that you care for them genuinely can go a long way. How do you show your care, you ask? Well, it is simple. Ask questions. Try to get to know them better. Know their likes and dislikes. Know their beliefs. When you are inquisitive and curious, your passion and enthusiasm show. Your best parts show and the person will see right through you.

4. Keep an Eye Out for New Opportunities and Ideas

Make it your skill to know how to read between the lines. You can never predict what you will hear. A simple meeting while looking for a job could very well lead to a new idea that will help you form the true mission and purpose of your life. Always be ready to grab opportunities. Be open-minded. Stick to your values and live by them.

5. Meet More People

There is always someone you can meet. What could seem like a trivial meeting may actually hold the secret to flourishing future relationships. There is no way for you to know who you will bump into and what that person can do to your life. But, if you want your relationships to be longer-lasting, never miss out on the chance to meet new faces because for all you know, you may change the life of that one person or the person may change your life. Either way, it is always a win-win situation for both of you.

These are just five ways to build lasting relationships that you will treasure for the rest of your life.

 

If you are the type of person who only catches up on business trends when things are too late or worse, you miss out on them completely, now is the perfect time to change your perspective. With 2019 almost over, you have to gear up for the New Year 2020 as early as you can. These days, staying ahead of the game is the best way to stay in the game.

Learning how to invest in future trends as soon as possible will give your business the edge of reaping more benefits.

Here are the top five businesses that you might want to start in 2020 to keep up with the ever-changing trends.

1. Plant Shop

This business requires a very low budget that you can start right in the comforts of your own house and neighborhood. With the improved awareness about the importance of going green, more and more people are starting to plant in their yards. Opening a plant shop will help you augment your income. All it takes is using a small part of your yard to get this business started. You can even earn more if you offer delivery services to your customers.

2. Pet Food Store

Many people all over the world have their own pets and this paves the way for the increased demand for pet food. To cater to this need, you can open a pet food shop. There is no need for you to rent or lease a place just to open this store. You can begin this business right at home with just a small space for your store. This lets you open shop even with a low budget. Before starting this business, it is important to choose a good location with the scarcity of pet food stores. After some time, you can then add pet-related accessories and other types of pet products.

3. Yoga Business or Yoga Teacher

If you have some knowledge and skills about yoga or you are a registered yoga teacher yourself, this is a business you can start anywhere and anytime. In this day and age when people have become conscious of their health, this kind of business has tons of opportunities. This is another business you can start at home. You can also look for public locations such as near temples, schools, and others.

4. Parking Business

If you are living nearby a market area with parking problems or you have an unused open space, a parking business is something you can consider. Due to the lack of open spaces and a bigger population, there is always an issue of parking, making this business profitable. If ever you don’t have your own land, you can have one under lease.

 

5. Candle Making Business

The last but definitely not the least profitable business for 2020 is none other than the candle making business. This business has an increased market demand since candles are now being used for decoration purposes.

These are the top five businesses that you can start in 2020. Which of these do you want to try yourself?

 

When people think of entrepreneurship, they instantly imagine a rewarding and lucrative career. However, being an entrepreneur is not always about flowers and clear skies. In fact, before taking the plunge, there are several important truths you should know about entrepreneurship. These truths will help you decide whether or not this career is for you.

1. Entrepreneurship Requires Hard Work

The lifestyle of an entrepreneur may seem pretty cool for an outsider. You create, you make things happen, you design your life and schedule. But, entrepreneurship isn’t all about glitz and glamor. You need tons of discipline and hard work for you to become a successful entrepreneur.

2. Wealth Doesn’t Come from Large Amounts of Revenue

Many entrepreneurs fail to realize that revenue doesn’t mean more money in their bank accounts. During the early stages of your business, you will reinvest almost all disposable cash back to your business. It means that even though your profit might be in 6 or 7 figures, it is likely that you still live your life like someone who earns less than 5 figures.

3. Progress is the Focus and Not Perfection

There is no such thing as perfection in the world of entrepreneurship. Instead, it is best for you to take simple and small strides and focus on your journey. Learn from mistakes and move forward better and stronger.

4. The Secret is Self Motivation

Self-motivation is important to succeed as an entrepreneur. You should arm yourself with tons of emotional and mental fuel to maintain enthusiasm and energy for your venture to get off the ground.

5. It’s Not Easy to Rely on Yourself

An entrepreneur is both the omega and alpha of your business. You answer only to yourself and not to anyone else. Self-reliance is both amazingly liberating and challenging at the same time.

6. Mentors are Crucial in Your Journey

Seeking out a mentor’s guidance can do wonders in giving you clarity of the steps you need to take in your entrepreneurial career. Their experience and skills offer sage wisdom to help you with your journey.

7. It Can Be Terrifying to Grow Your Business

The mere thought that you are running a business on your own is more than enough to make you feel afraid and anxious. You have lots of responsibilities that require you to step outside your comfort zone. However, everything will be more than worth it.

8. Learning is a Continuous Process

Amidst your busy schedule, you also need to set time to continue with your learning process for you to stay relevant in your field.

9. Work-Life Balance is Just a Myth

When getting started with your business, you will have a hard time balance life and work. If your goal is to make your business bigger, you need to sacrifice some areas of your life for it to become possible.

10. You Should Bid Your Emotions Goodbye

Finally, being an entrepreneur means you should stop wearing your heart on your sleeves. You have to let go of all your emotions as you make decisions best for your business based on data and logic.

Do you think you are up for these truths of entrepreneurship?

 

Founding your own nonprofit organization may be an unforgettable experience for many entrepreneurs who want to make a positive change. Building successful nonprofit needs a distinct set of competencies and skills, but the experience isn’t different from starting your own small business. Familiarizing yourself with the advantages of starting nonprofit organizations instead of traditional businesses may help you decide if this kind of opportunity is best for you.

Below are some of the reasons why you should create your nonprofit organization:

• Social Entrepreneurship

While nonprofit management varies in some ways from small business management, creating your own nonprofit organization may still be a rewarding experience. You can create something bigger than yourself, creating a productive entity with a team of experienced employees and managers, establishing a brand, creating lasting business relationships, and reaching out to the communities to offer some valuable services.

Social entrepreneurs spend many hours planning, fund-raising, and organizing, which is the same as the for-profit organizations. They still take on the matchless experience of placing something that’s valuable to motion and help it grow.

• Helping Others

Starting nonprofit organizations instead of for-profit businesses may provide you personal and deep satisfaction of knowing that you’re accomplishing something good in this world. Goals, like taking care of the family members and building a retirement, are the common considerations to start new businesses. However, a nonprofit may touch more lives while accommodating a much comfortable lifestyle for your family.

Starting nonprofit lets you use your business talent, experience, and education for the world. This type of purpose-driven experience may yield intangible rewards that you can find more valuable than any amount of wealth.

• Leaving Legacy to the World

Running high-impact nonprofit organization may earn you a place in the history not just as somebody who accumulated wealth, but somebody who effected lasting and meaningful change in the world. A successful social entrepreneur is highly active in sustaining and growing their field of impact as a whole instead of focusing on their organization solely. Having an impact on people’s lives or in the world is a legacy that is viewed by others as superior to create long-lasting profit-making companies.

• Limited Liability

Having a new nonprofit may be less risky compared to opening small businesses as a sole partner or proprietor. States are enacting legislation that enables formation of the limited liability nonprofits. The limited liability provides business owners legal protection from the lenders and stakeholders of the company.

Even if nonprofit financing is acquired through donations and grants, which don’t need to be paid back, new nonprofits can still require debt financing. It may create a dangerous situation for organizations that aren’t focused on establishing profitable business models. This new type of nonprofit promises to provide social entrepreneurs the safety they require to experiment and reach out with new services and structures.

• Tax Benefits

Tax-exempt status basically provides nonprofit an advantage to retain funds and budget for services and programs. Nonprofit may file for tax-exemption under some legal statuses. Tax deduction can also extend to organizations and people who make some contributions to the registered charities, providing nonprofits a competitive edge to raise funds.