This National Women’s Small Business Month, we talked to the femalepreneurs who learned how to effectively combine these three staples of well-being and build them into a balanced personal life. Their lessons didn’t come easy, either in life or business— either because of an initial failure or because they had to push through a wall of challenge. Yet in complete defiance, these women took their métier from scratch to thriving while fighting more than one battle. Fighting and winning.

Here’s how all of us, regardless of gender and entrepreneurial experience can celebrate the courage of women entrepreneurs and get inspired by their leap of faith.

Renee Powers: When one door closes, another opens

When we imagine our life going a certain way and think we’ve got all the details filled in — never relax. Quite unapologetically, that may be exactly the moment when the Universe gives us a kick you-know-where, and in a totally different direction than we sought. How it does this is usually brutal: snapping a door shut right in front of our face. For Renee Powers, founder of Feminist Book Club, the “aha” moment coincided precisely with a snapped door — and a window that opened into another reality.

“I didn’t start off as an entrepreneur. I was planning on finishing my Ph.D. and pursuing a career as a professor and researcher,” Powers says. “But after 8 years in grad school, I failed my dissertation proposal three times. I finally dropped out of my Ph.D. program and funnelled everything I had learned into a successful business.”

Currently, Powers runs the Feminist Book Club, one of the most popular book subscription boxes recognized by Oprah Daily, Marie Claire, the Tory Burch Foundation, and Readers Digest, among others. The club has just announced its exclusive collaboration with actress Gabrielle Union.

“I definitely think I failed up, not down”, Powers laughs. But at the heart of that statement is what she earnestly credits as rudimentary to entrepreneurial success: the patience to see through closed doors.

“I truly think that success as an entrepreneur, especially in the digital age, requires a great idea, a deep understanding of your niche, integrity, consistency, and time. There are very few overnight successes. Sometimes patience is the most necessary skill.”

Inspiration

“Dr. Brene Brown is my role model for countless reasons. Like my own background, her career began in academia and everything she does is rooted in her rigorous research. But what I admire most is her humility and generosity of spirit as she continues to build upon her success.”

Nicole Johnson: There’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all

Business is one of the greatest grounds for metamorphosis, transformation — secondary, perhaps, only to fairy tales. We know how awesome products are born out of an untapped market need and an ability to fill in that need. But sometimes, to close a market gap, you don’t need breakthrough ideas. Like Nicole, you may just have to zoom in on a problem, and the humble pumpkin will transform into a magic carriage.

Nicole Johnson was a sleep-deprived first-time mama when her business, The Baby Sleep Site sprang out of a personal quest for motherhood peace. From researching sleep methods and baby developmental needs to scheduling routines, Nicole went to extreme lengths to figure things out — just for herself. What she didn’t realize is that this would be just the “pep talk” before helping thousands of women.

“What I didn’t like about all the books out there is that they contradicted one another and didn’t fit my parenting style,” Nicole says. “So, I overcame my son’s sleeping issues in a way that matched my own parenting style, and knew it was my mission to help other tired parents ‘find their child’s sleep’”.

“I started to help other parents on a message board over 12 years ago and after enough people told me that I should write my own book, I started thinking maybe they were right. I started a blog and using my technical background as a computer programmer, a Sleep Helpdesk where I help fix other parents’ sleep problems faster than I could fix my own. I started the website in 2008 two months after the birth of my second son and it grew faster than I imagined. Now, The Baby Sleep Site gets over 500,000–1 million visitors to the website each month.”

Managing a bustling business comes with its own challenges — and in order to not be (ironically) sleep-deprived the second time around, Nicole had to learn again. This time, not just technology to delegate work effectively between her team, but psychological balance to scale back in order to go forward.

“One of my main business challenges has been not trying to help everyone I can. With so many website visitors, you want to help everyone who is having problems but that leads to long hours and burnout. I love to help families personally but also need to watch my own work/life balance. Hiring an assistant and other sleep consultants has been the best decision I’ve made. Not only can I comfortably take a vacation once or twice a year knowing the business will function well in my absence but I’ve also given other moms the ability to work from home (even before it was considered more normal) while also raising their own families. This has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done in my life: helping parents with their problems while also providing employment for other moms.”

Inspiration

“My main motto is that there is no one-size-fits-all approach that works for every baby and we need a unique approach for each unique baby. Their age, temperament, and personality will all come into play. You can use this same motto for [business and] many things in life as well. What’s right for you might not be right for me and vice versa. And, that’s OK! There’s no right or wrong, only what’s right for each individual.”

Donna Ralston: Do good to as many people as you can

When Donna Ralston opened up non-profit organization South Metro Medical Equipment Loan Closet, she dreamt of more than launching a business. She was fulfilling a personal mission to meet the needs of the most vulnerable part of her community — people in need of medical rehabilitation equipment who couldn’t afford the expenses.

However, at one point her own business needed help. In business since 2016, the Denver-based NPO faced troubling times in spring 2020 when COVID-19 forced it to close its doors for several months. Far from breaking its spirit, however, the pandemic eventually brought several adjustments to the organization’s operations.

“I was an executive director for several non-profit organizations for over 20 years and used the skills I had to establish and operate this organization,” Donna says. “So I was able to organize the activity, the paperwork, the insurance, the legal stuff, and coordinate the training of volunteers so everyone has a good idea of what they’re supposed to do.”

NPOs function differently from regular businesses since people power is literally their fuel. It was this “togetherness” and groundedness in her own faith and values that kept Donna going throughout the pandemic.

“[When running an NPO] you have to recognize volunteers for their effort, their skills, and the time and effort they put into assisting the organization. Our volunteers are very faithful and dedicated, and they really like doing the jobs they’ve chosen to do.”

Donna reminds women who aspire to open up nonprofits that business skills and innovative technologies (like the business phone system used by this NPO) run hand in hand with deep personal values. The way you make an NPO work is by “using the skills of your people and building on them” while using the networking opportunities, especially word of mouth, within your community to grow.

Inspiration

“Being a Christian, I really believe you should do good for as many people as you can, in as many ways as you can, as often as you can, for as long as you can. That’s been my motto. I’ve had a lot of mission trips overseas and mission projects locally. South Metro Medical Loan Closet evolved out of my passion and the mission to help people.”

Eden Cheng: You are who you surround yourself with

When we start a business, it’s easy to get caught up in the anticipation and enthusiasm. A first-timer entrepreneur’s vision feels unbounded and we entrust it to others hoping that everyone has our best interests at heart — often enough, without taking account of the people and circumstances. But just like hearts, business plans can get cracked with the wrong people.

Eden Cheng, co-founder of software company PeopleFinderFree, is one entrepreneur who’s learned to be selective through the tough lessons of initial failure.

“When I launched my first software company a few years ago, I just wanted to get the business up and running and I made bad decisions about who I recruited,” she says. “At the time I was so filled with over-eagerness and excitement that I wasn’t always careful to have the right people around me.

As a result, Eden faced a problem that leads to the crash of many startups: her team wasn’t a team of visionaries but just people who’ve “come along for the ride”. “It was inevitable that we suffered extended project delays, which ended up costing me a significant amount of money in the process, and ultimately, stalled the project so much that we had to shut things down permanently,” she says.

Now well into her second and successful startup, Eden holds the lessons from that initial failure as “hard but valuable”.

“Now, I make sure to take my time to hire people that are genuinely interested in my success and understand what we do here,” she says. “They have to be highly skilled at their given specialties and be able to pull their own weight, while I focus on handling on my own. Anything less than that is not acceptable. And as harsh as that may sound, I have learned to be okay with that because I can attest to the fact that the quality of your team really can make or break you.”

As a female founder who has experienced most of the struggles of femalepreneurship, Eden says she’s often battled the urge to call it quits. What helped he through was a strong support network of family, friends, partners, and coworkers in line with her company vision.

“A founder’s strength doesn’t start in the workplace, it starts at home, with your personal life. And, on the professional side of things, this also involves making sure that you always hire the right people for your business, not just based on skills and qualifications, but on personality and character, as well.”

Inspiration

“Jessica Alba is more well-known for her work in film [but] over the past few years she has transformed herself from being a Hollywood starlet … to becoming the co-founder of a billion-dollar company, whose mission of selling chemical-free diapers, wipes, cleaning products, and more placed her in business magazines and lifted her into the world of successful startups. What impresses me the most is the fact that she built a purpose-driven business that does well to deliver the eco-friendly products that their customers needed all under one roof by staying true to environmentally sound practices.”

Christina Kaye: Rule out insecurity and fear

We live in a culture that is entrepreneurship-hungry. Among the younger generation, 63% plan to start a business at some point in their lives, 99% of all businesses are SMBs, and digital businesses take as little as a few hundred dollars to launch. All this makes aspiring business owners pretty confident — until their first brush with reality.

Christina Kaye is a former trial and litigation paralegal who made a pure “leap of faith” with her digital coaching business, Write Your Best Book. In 2019, challenges kept on piling as Christina’s law firm — and with it, her steady 22-year law career — found itself on the verge of shutdown, her difficult marriage ended, and she found herself on the brink of unemployment with two teenage daughters. She was certain that her plan would find support.

“I decided to at least try to turn my 10-year side hustle as an author coach, book editor, and writing instructor into a full-on business,” Christina says. “[But] when I shared this decision with my circle of friends and family, the reaction I received in response was NOT what I had hoped for. Most stood strangely quiet and never offered much of a convincing “go get ‘em,” but more than one person made their opinions known, loud and clear.”

Instead of a warm word of encouragement she hoped for, Christina met with a wall of skepticism. “[I was told things like], “No one who ever starts a business is successful the first time around’, ‘What are you going to do when it fails and you can’t support yourself, let alone the girls?’, “You’ve never run a business before. How can you possibly expect that to work?’ And my all-time favorite, ‘Why don’t you find a nice, steady job at the grocery store?’”

Add to that a global pandemic launching almost in line with her new business, and the circumstances would’ve been enough for most people to give up, but not Christina.

“Despite the not-so-favorable circumstances under which I started what I call my ‘Act Two,’ and in direct defiance of those who couldn’t be bothered to even feign support, I had earned my first 6-figures before the end of Y1Q3! Now, year two (my second 6-figure plus revenue year) is closing soon, and to date, I’ve helped over 300 authors successfully write and launch their books, I’ve gone “viral” on Tik Tok, I’ve gathered over 100,000 followers and subscribers, and I’ve been featured almost monthly on every website for authors, as well as other media outlets, blogs, and podcasts.”

What Christina credits her uphill business success with is the strength to face, accept, and love herself. “Dig deep and find that part of you, no matter how deeply buried, that knows your worth and knows exactly what you are capable of, push past the insecurity and fear, and put yourself out there for the world to see, warts and all. […] The first time I recorded a live event and somehow stumbled into the topic of my recent divorce and subsequent trauma, the replay and repost of that video not only received hundreds of thousands of views and likes … I went “viral,” something that would never have happened to the insecure, unconfident woman I once was.”

Inspiration

“Had the two of us ever met, we’d have had hardly a thing in common. Yet I have always cited Ruth Bader Ginsburg as my role model for one simple reason. [She] is one of the most famous women in history who achieved the highest level of success possible in her chosen career path by being steadfast in her personal opinions and speaking out against opinions she firmly disagreed with. [I admire how] she voiced her opinions and her dissent quietly but powerfully and with class.”

Final thoughts

One of Christina Kaye’s favorite quotes is by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “Fight for the things you care about but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” That’s exactly what these femalepreneurs did to succeed. No matter the view people had of them, personal insecurities, lack of funding, or the circumstances life threw their way, they held their flag high. They won and they keep winning because, in business, fighting and winning is a daily endeavor.

What all of us, regardless of gender, can do to empower more women in business is to provide a safe space around their physical, mental, and professional wellbeing that we celebrate this month. Thank you to everyone who helps bring this reality closer, and to all femalepreneurs out there — Happy National Women’s Entrepreneurship Month!

The post How 5 Femalepreneurs Defied Failure to Start Their Hustle first appeared on MightyCall.

Apart from closing the self-isolation gap during COVID19, online business communities have become the safe haven where business connections are nurtured, resources are gathered, and experience is freely shared. If you’re a hands-on type of person, such experience exchange will be your best way to learn entrepreneurship. Moreover, you’ll feel that you’re not alone in the tough world of business, that your aspirations are backed, supported, and motivated by people just like you.

So if you’re still a loner in the world of business or are looking for an online entrepreneur community that’s perfect for your industry, this is the guide for you.

Bookmark these best online communities for entrepreneurs, startups, women-owned businesses, Black and minority-owned businesses, and marketing professionals —  as recommended by business owners themselves.

Navigate:

• Online communities for entrepreneurs (general)
• Online communities for startups
• Online communities for women in business
• Online communities for Black business leaders
• Online community for Asian business leaders
• Online communities for digital marketers and SEO experts

Online communities for entrepreneurs (general business resources)

BizSugar

Recommended by

Janice Wald, Founder, Mostly Blogging

Who’s it for? Entrepreneurs looking for resources and content  to grow their business, plus a community of fellow-minded business people. BizSugar includes the Mastermind Group forum for discussing business, free business resources, self-guided courses, monthly challenges, and online events.

Why join? “BizSugar is a place for serious entrepreneurs. My Top Comments get featured, BizSugar shares my posts on Twitter, SmallBizTrends picks up BizSugar articles. SmallBizTrends is a top blog, so when they include a link to my post, my SEO gets a boost. The contacts I’ve made at BizSugar led to friendships. One of my contacts interviewed me on his podcast where my brand got more exposure.”

Janice’s tip: “At BizSugar, you’ll find content about a variety of entrepreneur-related topics. Support each other. Share and upvote each other’s content.”

Guild Groups

Recommended by

Joe Friedlein, Founder and MD,  Browser Media

Who’s it for? Guild is a business messaging platform where entrepreneurs can create professional groups and communities.

Why join? “I have found Guild to be a refreshing change to the noise of LinkedIn and it has been fantastic getting to know other agency owners who are all sharing similar challenges thanks to Covid. Whilst we are all ultimately in competition with each other, the group has shown that a Dunkirk spirit can create an amazing community of like-minded individuals who are more than happy to help each other out.”

Joe’s tip: “Remember the cliche about having two ears and one mouth – it is the same online. Be sensitive to the nature of dialogue and engage only when you have something to offer that will benefit others. If you are able to help others by sharing your experiences and offering advice, you are far more likely to be welcomed and will benefit from help in return.”

Concept to Career #C2C 

Recommended by

Cory A. Rusin, Transformational Coach, Founder, The Purpose Development Accelerator

Who’s it for? Entrepreneurs looking for free resources and educational materials to grow their business. Topics include personal development, marketing, wellness, entrepreneurship, productivity, and building business.

Why join? “[C2C is] the most well-rounded group I have ever been a part of and provides the most in-depth, free value for both aspiring AND full-time entrepreneurs. #C2C actually builds community… it’s not a spammy online space where people post promotions constantly. Entrepreneurship is being done and taught from the heart in a way that, if implemented, gets you real results.”

Cory’s tip: “Show up live to trainings, engage with the community, find an accountability buddy within the group, implement what you learn, and give feedback to the group. The more feedback you give, the more personalized support you receive.”

Coworking days

Recommended by

George Chilton, co-owner and Creative Director, Hubbub Labs

Who’s it for? Freelancers and entrepreneurs working from home or leading a digital nomad lifestyle. Coworking Days is both an online group and an offline coworking community. For offline meetups, see if it’s available in your city.

Why join? “Coworking Days, the brainchild of Simon Lewis, is an international community of entrepreneurs who regularly visit coworking spaces in their cities to socialize, take part in activities and work together. People also use the online Facebook group to chat, share ideas and get to know each other. I’ve found the Barcelona Coworking Days community to be a fun way to get to know new people, network and have great conversations during the week.”

George’s tip: “If you want to get involved in an online community like this, try to find one that’s local to you. Introduce yourself (without being spammy) and do your best to give as much as you take, that way you’ll be fully integrated and will make the most out of your experience.”

Rising Tide Society

Recommended by

Meghan Cox, Owner & Creative Director, Mil Besos

Who’s it for? A community for creative entrepreneurs, from hobbyist to professional. Rising Tide Society offers free online educational resources and local chapter meetings in over 400 cities across the world.

Why join? “I enjoy taking part in this community as I can contribute to others who may benefit from my experiences, I can cheer on those celebrating accomplishments, share ideas, and I can learn from others’ accomplishments and missteps.”

Meghan’s tip: “I suggest …both sharing and soaking up knowledge where you can. If you find you are in a group that has a lot of arguments and drama, I would suggest leaving and finding a group such as Rising Tide that fosters a more supportive environment.”

MakersKitchen

Recommended by

Siddhartha Gunti,  Co-founder, Adaface

Who’s it for? A Slack Community For Makers, Product Creators, and independent developers

Why join? “The community is very warm, closely-knit, and tries to help out with product pitches, online reach outs, and feedback. Since most of the members are indie developers and do not necessarily have a team of their own, they are very active in the community and very willing to help out fellow members.”

Siddhartha’s tip: “Be active. Give more. Ask less.”

Marie Forleo

Recommended by

Maryna Shkvorets, Owner, Marsandstarsbaby

Who’s it for? A community built around entrepreneur Marie Forleo, where other business owners share in the conversation and discussions.

Why join? “As an entrepreneur, I find myself drawn to other business owners, and the one that brings me the most inspiration is Marie Forleo. Alongside each video or audio episode, there’s a forum for business owners like me to chime in with our thoughts and questions. It’s so uplifting and inspiring, and I always get good ideas from other people’s questions and responses.”

Maryna’s tip: “When you join an entrepreneur community, don’t use it as a platform to promote yourself. People are smarter than that. Use it to learn and to connect as well as to inspire others.”

Lead Marketplace

Recommended by

Dane Kolbaba, Owner, WatchdogPestControl

Who’s it for? A Facebook group for online lead generators and lead buyers.

Why join? “Lead Marketplace is an invaluable resource that hardly anyone knows about. Let’s say you were doing carpet cleaning in Pittsburgh but have a hard time getting the phones to ring. You could easily join this group and post about needing carpet cleaning leads in Pittsburgh. Within a few minutes, you would have a few messages from lead generators in Pittsburgh who either have leads already or that can get them. I happen to be in pest control and there is always someone out there in my target city that has the capability of forwarding me phone calls or contact forms. It’s been great!”

Dane’s tip: “Online entrepreneur communities can be super helpful and somewhat damaging to morale at times. Not everyone … has your best interests in mind. Before commenting in [online] groups, I find it useful to check it out first and see who you respect and [who] seems to have good advice. Maybe it might even be a good idea to message that person privately to make sure you are getting the advice you need.”

Online Communities for Startups

StartupNation

Recommended by

Michael Hammelburger, CEO, Expense Reduction Group

Who’s it for? An online community for entrepreneurs and media platform with lots of business resources for startups and entrepreneurs building their business.

Why join: “I love how community members share their expertise in marketing and personal growth in particular. The insights I’ve learned from fellow startup entrepreneurs are absolutely very informative and educational at the same time. What makes it unique is that it has created niche forums and groups so it’s easier to find like-minded entrepreneurs whether you’re a work-from-home CEO or a co-working space professional.”

StartupGrind 

Recommended by

James Pearson, CEO, eVenturing

Who’s it for? A global community for startup owners and entrepreneurs. Includes local and virtual events, networking, and exclusive resources.

Why join? “The community became my support system as I went through the trial and error phase of starting up. You will be able to learn, connect and share your wins and losses with other entrepreneurs through an online platform. Also, you will be able to access exclusive resources and virtual mentoring sessions with business experts who will guide you through your journey. However, it doesn’t stop there. For me, the best part of this community is the most anticipated conferences gathering all entrepreneurs in one event.”

James’ tip: “Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. It will be uncomfortable at the start. Since you will be mingling with other entrepreneurs who might seem to be more successful or ahead of you. It’s fine, nobody starts at the top. Instead, seize the opportunity to learn from them. Aspire to become better and you will get there.”

The Fast Lane Forum

Recommended by

Skyler Reeves, President & CEO, Ardent Growth

Who’s it for: An online discussion forum for business leaders based on the C.E.N.T.S. Framework as described in best-selling books by MJ DeMarco.

Why join? “I’ve learned so much from my peers at The Fast Lane to Millions. It’s a business forum for entrepreneurs like me where we can share our experiences in growing our respective businesses (whether good or bad, it doesn’t matter since there’s always a lesson to learn!). I’ve noticed that the participants are very eager to help one another and share their perspectives in business growth, development and even personal progress.”

Online Communities for Women in Business

Powerful Ladies Thrive Collective

Recommended by

Natasha Dressler, Founder & Publicist, Natasha Dressler PR & Marketing

Who’s it for? A platform for femalepreneurs and aspiring women in business. Includes monthly programs, weekly group coaching, workshops, courses, women in business community and networking.

Why join? “The Powerful Ladies Thrive Collective is filled with a diverse group of women entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds, different countries, and an array of skill sets. These women help me collaborate and brainstorm through different situations, and oftentimes we hire within our community when we need help!”

Natasha’s tip: “Make time for [online communities]. Block time out on your calendar and really give yourself that time to honor your continued education and commitment to yourself.”

Hera Hub

Recommended by

Tamina Madsen, Community Director, HeraHub

Who’s it for? An international co-working project for women and an online platform that supports its members by providing mentoring, education, and a strong femalepreneur community.

Why join? In addition to a host of virtual weekly events, we focus on connecting members with each other to learn, share, and collaborate. Because Hera Hub has always been community first, the organization has also been instrumental in curing the isolation caused by the pandemic that is so widespread among solopreneurs.

Tamina’s tip: “Don’t bother investing in an online community unless you are committed to taking advantage of it. Incorporate involvement or participation into your weekly routine so you can make the most of everything the community has to offer. Also, find your people. Your community should be full of people to fit the niche that you subscribe to.”

Sisters in SEO

Recommended by

Tori Reid, Owner, Shift Copy Co.

Who’s it for? Women entrepreneurs or women in SEO who’re using SEO to build their brand. The only group for women in the male-dominated field of SEO.

Why join? “I feel more supported in this group compared to larger male-dominated SEO Groups. It’s helped me find tools and resources to get the word out to a larger crowd about my business on a smaller budget. The best part is that Kari and Stephanie (the owners) are both active and happy to help you build connections in addition to skills. They highlight the members, which helps build clientele (we hire each other all the time).”

Tori’s tip: “You’ll get to know the members naturally because they’re happy to step up and answer. Before you know it, you’ll feel confident answering questions too, and through that mutual exchange, you’ll start building bonds with women in the group that are invaluable both professionally and personally.”

Digital Nomad Girls

Recommended by

Cepee Tabibian, Founder, She Hit Refresh

Who’s it for? A Facebook group for women who’ve embraced or are exploring the digital nomad lifestyle. Includes a digital nomad course to get started with a mobile lifestyle, a virtual coworking community, online socializing, and fun events.

Why join? “Stumbling upon this group of inspiring women who have taken (or want to take) the unconventional path in life was a eureka moment for me. Just by seeing an abundance of women who had quit their jobs to create their own businesses, work remotely and travel, made that dream I had to do the same feel possible.”

Cepee’s Tip: “You never know what opportunity lies behind each connection. I have used the group as a resource to ask questions and connect with other members throughout my own journey from full-time employee to freelancer to online business owner. I’ve made virtual friends in the group who have played a significant role in my success, and through the Digital Nomad Girl retreats I’ve been able to meet some of these friends in-person.”

Freelancing Females

Recommended by

Michelle Beauregard, Founder, Quietly

Who’s it for? A Facebook group for women on the freelancing and solopreneurship journey

Why join? “I used this group to get leads when I used to freelance and build websites. Now that I’ve pivoted and launched my business Quietly this year, I use this group to find and hire people for contract work that I might have, like graphic design. It’s also a good way to get feedback on your business. For example, I saw one lady post photos of a dog bed she was launching, she asked the group which colour did people prefer, and she had dozens of comments – so it can be a way to discreetly self promote, without getting kicked out of a group.”

Michelle’s tip: “Get started and participate in online communities – no matter what stage you’re at in your business. Be vulnerable, share your business idea, ask questions, and leave comments in community groups. You’ll never know who you could meet, answers you’ll find, and discoveries you’ll make if you don’t try.”

Online Communities for Black Business Leaders

Black Men Talk Tech

Recommended by

Boris Moyston, Co-Founder, Black Men Talk Tech

Who’s it for? Black entrepreneurs in the tech field who’re building “unicorn” startups. It is also the host of the Unicorn Ambition Conference.

Why join? “Black Men Talk Tech welcomes Black men, entrepreneurs, and other practitioners in the tech ecosystem to gain insights, develop and share their ideas with like-minded entrepreneurs while delivering high-quality content that benefits people of color in particular. In addition to the upcoming Unicorn Ambition Conference, Black Men Talk Tech has hosted a number of virtual events and fireside chats with leaders in the industry.”

Blackconnect

Recommended by

Angela Majette, Founder, Blackconnect

Who’s it for? An international business community for Black business leaders and aspiring entrepreneurs that promotes the socioeconomic growth and empowerment of the Black Community.

Why join? “The most comprehensive Black-owned business and social networking platform with members across the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, and the United Kingdom.”

Angela’s tip: “To provide additional resources and support to Black entrepreneurs and business owners, I also founded Black Connect, Inc., a national non-profit organization dedicated solely to eliminating the racial wealth gap in America by increasing the number and success rate of Black-owned businesses.”

Online Community for Asian Business Leaders

Asian Hustle Network Group

Recommended by

Thomas Hong, Serial Entrepreneur, Owner,  Vegky

Who’s it for? A group for Asian entrepreneurs and aspiring hustlers to share their experience and learn from each other.

Why join? “Many entrepreneurs post stories of their success and this is inspiring. Also, it is a support group for those young business owners who are looking for advice and networking contacts.”

Thomas’ tip: “Participate! Be a giver, not a taker. Trust me, it comes back to you. Answers questions in the group (even if it’s not your specialty) and even if may not know the answer and have to google. Post your story and testimony in the group. Don’t be afraid to ask for help… Asking a question could answer the question for 10 other people who were afraid to ask but if you ask, it not only helps you but helps others indirectly.”

Online Communities for Digital Marketers and SEO

Builder Society

Recommended by

James Major, Owner and Founder, Insurance Panda

Who’s it for: An internet marketing forum for digital strategy specialists and entrepreneurs. Topics include marketing, SEO, DevOps, Audio and Video production, and a digital strategy crash course.

Why join? “Unlike other popular internet marketing forums such as Warrior Forum and Black Hat World, Builder Society is very highly moderated for quality, and therefore attracts higher quality members and content. The community has helped me think of some off-beat ways to market my website when other traditional methods had failed me. There are countless threads at BS with marketing secrets you won’t find anywhere else.”

James’ tip: “Be active and outgoing, yet be humble. Be willing to take suggestions from other senior community members without challenging them, and always express gratitude whenever somebody helps you.”

Digital Point

Recommended by

Malte Scholz, CEO and Co-Founder, Airfocus

Who’s it for? An online community for digital marketing entrepreneurs and discussion forum for online marketers and SEO specialists.

Why join? “Since I run an online business, I need to invest a lot into marketing which is why I refer to Digital Point quite often for expert opinion. I appreciate everybody’s openness to sharing tips and strategies with the rest of the community online…You don’t need to be a marketing guru to understand most of the answers.”

Malte’s tip: “Be ready to interact with people in the community and offer your expertise as well. If you feel uncomfortable starting a topic on your own, you can simply comment on certain posts and engage in the conversation.”

Online Geniuses

Recommended by

Jennifer Willy, Editor, Etia.com

Who’s it for? A Slack community for SEO specialists and Digital Marketers

Why join? “A digital marketing community that was founded in 2015 by David Markovich. It is currently the largest marketing community on Slack. It is also one of the most engaged private marketing communities on the web.”

Jennifer’s tip: “Being an entrepreneur can be challenging along with the feeling of disconnect and loneliness. But there are many communities [you can join] where entrepreneurs can connect with each other.”

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Have you picked your favorite online community for entrepreneurs yet?

If that’s a yes, save and complement this guide with these Best Online Networking Tips from Entrepreneurs to establish online connections in a meaningful, lasting way.

And check out our out-of-this-world fast, mobile, and budget-friendly phone system for small business. We’ll help your team talk anytime, anywhere, and about anything, at a stunning price.

The post 22 Online Communities for Entrepreneurs You’ll Be Thrilled to Join first appeared on MightyCall.

Over two hundred years later, as we celebrate Women’s History Month, women may have no trouble getting a patent, but we are still fighting to make our voice heard in the male-dominated leadership arena. The ice is broken. But we are still fighting for the chance to propel our inventions, business ideas, and creations from a place of equal opportunity.

As women leaders and founders, what can we do today, to help one another beat the odds regardless of social, gender, and racial privilege?

I talked to seven award-winning female leaders and founders, including MightyCall’s award-winning product manager Anna Miranchuk, to find out.

1.Back yourself up with a support network

The problem with women leaders, founders, and executives, is that more often than not, they find themselves in roles and companies that make them the only woman in the room. Placed within such constraints, women leaders often miss out on the mentorship and support network allocated to their male colleagues.

Helen Norris has served as the Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Chapman University in Orange, California since June 2014. With a computer programming background and a 20-year experience in Higher Education Information Technology, Helen’s life is centered around technology. Leaning back on her own struggles, she is actively engaged in empowering women in tech through organizations like Women in Technology International and Advancing Women in Technology.

“From early in my career I have often been the only woman on the team or the only woman in the room. That can lead to a sense of isolation in the workplace. The number of women in leadership roles in technology is still pretty small, with some studies showing that while there has been some improvement, fewer than 20% of CIOs are women. One of my techniques for dealing with isolation is to build a strong network outside of my own organization. I think it is critical for women in IT to develop and maintain networks for many reasons, including career growth, support, and keeping current with trends in the industry. It’s also a great way to pay it forward – to be there for others who might need mentoring or advice in their own careers.”

Success tip: Mentorship and online communities for entrepreneurs remain the fastest and safest business propellers, regardless of gender, age, and race. Jessica Alderson, co-creator and CEO of Syncd, a dating app that matches compatible Myers-Briggs personality types and a top 10 female entrepreneur according to Yahoo Finance, says, “One of the biggest challenges I have faced as a woman is the lack of female role models in tech. The ones I have met are intelligent, supportive, and just all-around amazing people, but are few and far between. I recently took on a new role as the UK lead for Women in Tech which has opened up a whole world of amazing, supportive female role models. I would suggest finding a close-knit community of women to anyone facing a similar challenge.”

2.Get comfortable asking for help and learn to set boundaries

For women leaders, multi-tasking is a habit we quickly fall into and are reluctant to let go of. Women leaders often heap responsibilities upon themselves and feel distraught asking for help, both when it comes to “traditional” female responsibilities and work chores. Asking for help makes women leaders feel week and vulnerable but it shouldn’t, says 2021 Forbes Next 1000 nominee, Indy Maven CEO and co-founder Leslie Bailey.

“The biggest challenge I’ve faced in my career journey as a woman is getting in my own way. Sure, there were plenty of times that men underestimated me or passed me over but that really becomes a problem when you allow people to treat you a certain way. But what I mostly mean by getting in my own way is how I made sacrifices too easily sometimes. I always felt that I had to say yes to get ahead. Though my husband and I both work from home and are parents, for the longest time I took on the traditionally female tasks of making dinner, leaving work early to pick up kids, starting work late because I was doing things around the house. The moment I started looking at us as equals (despite who makes more money – shocker, it’s him) I stopped taking everything on myself and have been able to focus more on my business and career. I also learned to say no to tasks, requests, and other asks that don’t serve my needs and goals.”

Success Tip: Both at home and at work, learn to say no to things that aren’t vital at the moment. Ask for help and partnership. This act does not make you seem weak or incapable of fulfilling your task. On the contrary, dividing responsibilities is the mark of a mature and respectful leader, regardless of gender. You’d be surprised how often the people around us, from family members to colleagues would love to help and to know their input is worthy and needed!

3. Focus on hard work and soft skills

What do you think counts more on your CV — hard skills per se, or soft skills? When asked, 97% of employers said that soft skills are on a par with or even more important than hard skills. Judging by the fact that all leaders and founders display uncanny soft skills, this is barely surprising.

Crisis management, a key soft skills for any leader, is something that Toni Harrison — gold medalist in crisis management at The American Business Awards (The Stevies”), multicultural agency founder with two decades of industry experience, and CMO at fintech startup Fair — is familiar with not just in business, but in life too.

“As a young Black girl, I was frequently reminded I had to be twice as good to get half as far since I am Black. I suspect that fueled my ambition and helped me ascend to senior positions more quickly. In tech, fewer than 2% of executive leaders are Black. In marketing/PR only about 5% of the entire workforce is Black. In marketing and communication, we have to sell ideas to connect with consumers.

“My journey into tech is paved with purpose and passion. The racial disparities in health that were exposed and widely reported as the pandemic grew are equally concerning and alarming in finance. Fintech has the power to quickly transform the systems and practices that contribute to the racial inequities in finance, such the wealth gap which shows Blacks and Latinx pay more than twice the amount in bank fees, even though the average whites have 8x the wealth and far less debt. This brought me to a new path as Chief Marketing Officer for Fair, a fintech startup aimed at reducing racial wealth and opportunity gaps. As Fair CMO, I’m a crusader for closing racial wealth and opportunity gaps.”

Success Tip: We’re used to the fact that in business, it’s hard work, not only talent and brilliant ideas, that is the breadwinner. But for women leaders coming from a minority or underprivileged background, the amount of hard work, perseverance, and dedication are twice or thrice that of a standard white male from an average background. Especially in the “man’s world” of fields like fintech, women are under a lot of stress to make their achievements count. If you’re a woman who is passionate about a field that has a lot of piled-up misogyny, your best weapons are psychological preparedness (don’t underestimate the amount of challenge so you’re not crushed by it), professional growth, and investment in important soft skills like crisis management, negotiation, and communication.

4.Learn the art of funding (and crowdfunding)

Female. immigrant. tech. founder. For most people, just one of those nouns in their CV would’ve been enough to give up on their goals. But not for Elnaz Sarraf, Founder & CEO of ROYBI Robot  — the world’s first AI-powered smart toy to teach children language and STEM skills.

These days, her product has been named one of TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions in Education, on the 2019 CNBC Upstart 100 list as one of the world’s most promising startups and on Fast Company’s 2019 World-Changing Ideas. But times weren’t always happy for Elnaz, an Iranian immigrant recently named Entrepreneur of The Year in Silicon Valley.

“When I was raising funds for the Roybi seed round, I heard so many rejections that often, I thought to myself if what I am doing is right. There were plenty of people who told me I should just stop trying or try other future ideas. Some said that it is not worth losing all my money over this idea and just finding a 9-5 job and then working on something else in the future. All these comments were quite discouraging. It got even a lot more difficult when I ran out of money and had to call my friends and ask for help. However, I firmly believed in ROYBI. Fast forward, I was able to eventually raise $4.2M financing in our seed round in 2019 without even a fully functioning prototype.”

Success tip: Fundraising is one of the toughest aspects of growing a startup. Experts agree that in order to successfully raise funds, you should send the message about your product/service far and wide. Connect to all the people in your network you haven’t spoken to in a while and don’t be afraid to ask for help. You may also want to look into crowdfunding. As Sukhi Jutla, a female entrepreneur who raised £439,840 for her startup, MarketOrders, via crowdfunding says, “Don’t make assumptions about whether people have money to invest! I learned quickly that there were many people who were willing to invest large amounts but I hadn’t been telling them I was raising so I assumed they were not likely to invest.”

5.Focus on achievements. Results will follow.

As women in business, we know a lot about the infamous gender gap. Many of us either struggle with it still or have felt its burden upon us. But to paraphrase poet Robert Frost, the best way out of the gender gap is through it. This is something Anna Miranchuk, Product Manager at MightyCall and Network Products Guide IT World Awards, Women in IT silver medalist is keen to point out.

“The more varied an ecosystem is, the more stable it is. This is vital not just in biological terms, but in professional terms as well! I am confident that gender plays no ultimate role in a woman’s career as long as she is a professional in her field. Surely, there are certain aspects and management styles that vary when it comes to men and women leaders. Women are naturally good communicators, and this can be very helpful in leadership roles. But the main secret is to do work that captivates and transforms you – in that case, you can become successful in any field! At MightyCall, we have people from diverse backgrounds, both men and women, who’re passionate about what they’re doing.”

Success tip: If you’re a woman leader or founder, creating a diverse ecosystem around your team is an important aspect not just of diversity, but team productivity. The more diverse the voices representing and speaking up for your company, the more productive your mutual work will be. However, if you’re in a situation where you’re the only woman in the room, focusing on your professional skills and disregarding “well-meaning advisors”  who recommend you to go back to the kitchen counter is the safest bet when it comes to eliminating gender bias.

Final word

Society at large still has a way to go before accepting, prizing, and encouraging the full input that women leaders, founders, and inventors can make in the world. But today, as ever, our best weapon is our togetherness.

“Behind every successful woman is a tribe of other successful women who have her back.”

Time to own the battle, girls.

The post 5 Success Strategies For Women Leaders and Founders first appeared on MightyCall.

Often enough, “luck” is the collective term for the things we don’t talk about, the things we shush. The elusive “luck” is in many ways, “uncomfortable” things like privilege, background, family, connections, etc.

For Black entrepreneurs, the above kind of “luck” has been so minimal — or even nonexistent — that they went on to defy it and create their own. We can only admire the courage of the people who beat the odds of life and became not just successful entrepreneurs but role models far beyond their communities.

Today, I’d like to give an ear to their stories — the stories of the Black entrepreneurs next door who made it when all the odds were against them. They “beat the odds”. So can you.

1. Antonio Wells: “Never let someone who lacks vision stop yours”

Today, Antonio Wells is the owner of Chicago-based brand growth and marketing agency NAMYNOT Inc.

Helping businesses from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies grow their brand, Antonio is a serial entrepreneur who started a tech review company back in 2009. Back then, launching on a “shoestring budget”, Antonio was able to grow the company organically into a global leader in the app review industry, and successfully sell it.

“In 2009, I started a popular mobile app review site called AndroidTapp.com. With great content, a mastery of SEO, and good ole fashion journalism. The company never received funding and was able to grow exponentially by reinvesting,” Antonio says. “The greatest challenge I faced was lack of funding [and] lack of knowledge in finding alternative ways of gaining funding. However, I turned this lack into execution by working with what I had and continually reinvesting (oftentimes 100%) until I hit a point of profitability.”

For Antonio, the most important thing in life has been to never give in when others fail to believe in you or your business. Even such a critical aspect as lack of funding for business isn’t enough reason to give up on your goal.

Business tip

Antonio’s business journey shows that strategic financial planning is vital to any startup or growing business. But on top of that, his motto is to never let even well-meaning advisors (of which there’ll be plenty) to interfere with your vision. Whatever the financial hardship, there’s a way to adapt the means to your goals. Some of the best ways to cut back on business costs are reinvesting in the business, studying profit margins, and building a simple financial model for your business.

2. Jamie R.Wright: “It’s not that I’ve always known who I would be, it was just very clear to me who I wouldn’t be.”

Starting or growing a business during a pandemic is an immense challenge in itself. Starting a business as a victim of domestic violence in the middle of a pandemic, while fighting for your safety at a women’s shelter around Houston, TX, is something that takes unprecedented courage.

Jamie Wright is one such amazing woman. Fighting not just for her life, but for the life of women in similar circumstances as she, she became a trauma & self-love advocate, author, motivational speaker and ambassador for women subjected to domestic abuse. Jamie’s story and practical advice has already been shared on BBC News, CBS, Fox 26, 60 Minutes Quibi and more.

“As a survivor of domestic violence, I share my story of triumph in a way that inspires others,” Jamie says “I also provide practical ‘how-to’ tips and tools in an effort to help others radically transform their lives. The greatest business challenge I faced overcoming my self-doubt and disempowering thoughts by realizing that all that I needed was within me. I may have been victimized, but I AM NOT a victim. Adversity is an opportunity to remind/show myself how strong and resilient I am.”

Business tip

A survivor of domestic violence that has accomplished everything through her faith and courage, Jamie’s motto is a paraphrase of Oprah’s quote, “It’s not that I’ve always known who I would be, it was just very clear to me who I wouldn’t be.” Whatever life situation you’re currently in, Jamie reminds you to find a community that will guide and support you, like an online business community for Black entrepreneurs.  Seeking help isn’t about a lack of courage. It’s about real, hands-on courage. When we are backed by people who understand our experiences, we can move mountains — even in times of a pandemic and personal trauma.

3. Vid Lamonte’ Buggs Jr.: “To persevere and overcome the odds, have a warrior mindset and live a warrior lifestyle”

People often call Vid Buggs the “modern Renaissance man”, i.e., a man of many talents. He is owner of an entrepreneur, bestselling author, athlete, public speaker — and that’s just a part of his accomplishments.

But throughout his childhood, it seemed the odds were turned against Vid. Born with a medical condition that made doctors believe he wouldn’t be able to walk or run normally, and facing academic challenges in school, he went on to graduate with the highest honors, obtain multiple degrees, engage in sports, and find his life’s purpose in a hidden talent.

“It was 2013–2014 and I just was waived by an NBDL team,” Vid says. “My girlfriend and I were expecting a baby girl. [We were] in Florida without any family to help during one of the most challenging times in my life. However, due to this crossroads, I decided to pursue some goals I had put on the backburner. Those goals were starting a Publishing Company, starting an Enterprise, Publish a book, and Public Speak on a national level. Through basketball training and money I had saved up, I was able to publish my book, “You Ain’t Hungry Until I’m Starving”, with the help of Marci Wise. I also was able to start both of my companies.”

Business tip

As Vid says, “No matter what we want to do or who we want to be in life, we will go through challenges. People will doubt us, and tell us what odds are against us. In order, to persevere, overcome the odds and be successful, a person must have a warrior mindset and live a warrior lifestyle.”  In other words, if you want to change your life, start with changing your mindset and acquiring key business skills like communication, networking, sales negotiation, and digital skills.

4. “Michele Davis: “Take the time to discover what makes you happy and fulfilled in every aspect of your life.”

One day in 2016, Michele took the leap of faith many would’ve considered improbable. At 45 years of age, she became a first-time entrepreneur with no prior experience. Back then, she launched Marketing Gem Solutions, a website design, branding, and SMM company supporting female entrepreneurs.

Through her active learning and perseverance, Michele’s business story soon took off. But only three years later, personal tragedy struck. Michele’s son died, leaving her heartbroken after the greatest challenge a human being can face. Surprisingly, one day she found the courage and fearlessness to rise up and even reinvent her business.

“After I felt emotionally able to return to the world […] I decided to contact clients just to check in on their progress in their business. The more I spoke to the women, the more I realized they needed business mentorship. That’s when I decided to provide [them with] a step-by-step blueprint. My focus with Phenomenal Boss Academy is helping women launch a profitable and sustainable business in 90-days or less.”

Business tip

For many people, starting a business after 40, or even starting a business after 50 with no experience to boot, sounds frightening. But for Michele, it has become more than a plan B, but an unexpected support that helped her come back to life through helping others. This is why she’s an advocate of the spiritual, mindful approach to business concepts. “I always advise people to take the time to discover what makes you happy and fulfilled in every aspect of your life. Evaluate what you need spiritually, emotionally, financially, and so forth to make you feel happy and fulfilled.” When your business is about more than “work”, your success becomes a link between other people. To paraphrase Vernon Jordan, standing on the shoulders of others, you lend your own shoulder to those following you.

5. Jen Ngozi: “Cancel Perfectionism!”

Jen Ngozi grew up in a first-generation African immigrant family who came to the U.S. with nothing but $10 in their pockets. Growing up in a minority community, she had no corporate-American parents, birth privilege, or business role models to emulate.

Set on working hard and giving back, Jen fought for and forged her own path in business and went on to found NetWerk, a global woman in leadership movement and organization helping everyday women worldwide build the community, confidence, and skills needed to become leaders. Jen’s movement has met with worldwide acclaim and partnered up with brands like Teen Vogue and the United Nations Foundation. Her secret? Letting go of perfectionism in favor of lifelong learning.

“It’s important to embrace the entire process of building an organization, including mistakes,” Jen says. “Throughout my business journey, I learned how detrimental perfectionism is to growth. And I’ve decided that we never really make mistakes, we only get better aligned to our original purpose. [You could say that] mistakes made my vision clearer.”

Business tip

Cutting out perfectionism aka the “all or nothing mindset” is what Jen considers the biggest asset in business and life. If perfectionism is your roadblock, don’t stop doing what you’re doing. Keep on doing it while you learn more. Jen says that it’s been mentorship that propelled her business forward drastically. She relies on SCORE, the SBA’s volunteer mentor organization from/to small business owners where anyone can connect to a business mentor for free, or sign up to mentor others. If you’re starting a business, learning practical financial practices, strategies to cut back on business costs, and filling inevitable gaps in your business, sales, or marketing knowledge is a shortcut through mentorship.

Final word

Black History Month isn’t just a celebration of roots, courage, and overcoming. It’s also an important lesson for every single community, minority group, and underprivileged society. A lesson about creating our own “luck” — and fate.

Like African American film director Spike Lee said, “I believe in destiny. But I also believe that you can’t just sit back and let destiny happen.”

Don’t wait for destiny to happen. If that’s what you’ve been dreaming about, become an entrepreneur. Beat all the odds.

The post 5 Inspiring Stories of Black Entrepreneurs Who Started from Scratch first appeared on MightyCall.

If you’re over 50, it may feel like you’re late for the entrepreneurship party reserved for Millennials and GenZ. But there’s nothing further from the truth.

54% of America’s small business owners are over 50 years of age. Out of those, 33% are 50–59, and 17% are 60–69 years of age, according to statistics.

Moreover, business owners over 50 are also considered twice as likely to succeed in starting a business compared to 30-somethings. (All that life experience doesn’t go poof on you, right?)

If you’ve been working someone else’s American Dream for most of your life and think you’re too old to start your own business, think again. Here’s how.

Navigate the steps:

1. Figure out your retirement finances
2. Identify a need in the market
3. Reuse your life experiences
4. Get a free business mentor
5. Network before you launch
6. Ask family and friends for digital help
7. Hire out the tech stuff you don’t want to learn

1.Figure out your retirement finances

Starting a business is always about mapping your budget and evaluating costs. But when you start a business after fifty, your business startup costs will be irrevocably bound to your retirement savings.

Kathy Kristof is an entrepreneur who started her online business, SideHussl, at age 58. One of the first things she recommends in order to escape your finances going poof on you right when you need them most is comparing your retirement plan to your business plan.

“Your first order of business is to figure out if you have enough [funds] assuming that you never make another dime AND spend whatever your maximum budget is for your business.”

And what about online businesses? You may have heard about the cost-saving benefits of opening an online business compared to a local business. But like school-teacher-gone-blogger Janice Wald reminds us (and yes, you CAN become a blogger after 50), “It takes money to make money”.

Success tip: Don’t assume that just because your business is online, it will fund itself. Depending on your niche, you will need to invest in marketing, SEO, indispensable digital tools, and/or e-commerce platforms to nail those precious first and ongoing customers. Importantly, you need to figure out how much those business startup costs will draw out of your retirement fund (if anything), and how that will influence your future finances. The best way is to create a business plan or financial model of your business.

2.Identify a need in the market and go for it

Think of some famous brands and services — from Campbell’s Soup to Facebook to Macy’s. Each one became a household name because it became deeply associated with a unique service or product this brand excelled at.

Today’s market is already overflowing to the brim with generalized goods. If you plan to add to that heap, unless you’re opening a franchise, it may drain your finances and bring little results. On the other hand, niche products (think handmade goods, unique gifts, and products targeted to specific audiences and ages) are the “it” of today’s small business.

Dawn LaFontaine is a 56-year-old, former stay-at-home mom and creator of whimsical cardboard box playhouses for cats that she called “Cat in the Box”. The reason for Dawn’s success is that she had a “Eureka moment” and made the leap of faith despite gaps in business and tech experience.

“Don’t think you have to know everything first. This is an agile, ever-changing world, and the longer you wait, the more things shift around you. You’ll never be able to see mile 26 of the marathon from the starting gate, so don’t try. You’ll figure things out as you go.”

Success tip: When your product fills a niche need, it’s more likely to market organically both in SEO results and on social media — today’s ‘word of mouth’. As a result, you will need to invest less in paid ads, marketing, and promotion. Good ideas to brainstorm are products that you find lacking in the market (something you’d like to have but can’t find), products for specific age groups or categories of people (e.g.: new moms, retirees, empty nesters, etc.)

3. (Re)use and revisit your life experiences

Another great option for starting a business after 50 is to find an area that you’ve gained expertise in throughout your life. In other words, monetize your lifelong career, hobby, or skills.

When Paul A. Dillon retired from the Chicago office of the McGladrey accounting firm in 2006 on the eve of his 61st birthday, he fully “reinvented” himself by starting a business concept devoted to helping veterans who want to start their own business.

As former U.S. Army Reserve 1st Lieutenant and Vietnam War veteran, Paul went on to create the concept for a business incubator in Chicago that eventually became Bunker Labs. Surprisingly, however, drawing on his own life experience was not Paul’s first choice.

“I started out thinking that I was going to provide project management and business development services to companies in the service industry. But, that didn’t work out. I had to “pivot” several times before I found a niche that worked.”

Success tip: See how Paul started with rather a generalized business idea? It’s only when he drew on his life experiences and adjusted the business concept to address a particular category of customers (veterans) that he could relate to and vice-versa, that his idea took off.

4.Get a free business mentor

We think of mentors as someone young people get to find their way in life. Someone over 50 coaching a 20-something. In reality, a mentor is essentially your guide at any stage of life when you want to try something new and can’t afford the mistakes.

Right before turning 50, Colleen Kochannek got thrown into entrepreneurship unexpectedly and with no digital experience to boot. Today a successful online business owner coaching other “typewriter generation” aspiring entrepreneurs at The Scrappy Frontier, she knows the importance of finding early guidance.

“SCORE [is] a great organization part of the Small Business Administration offering [volunteer mentorship] services. You can also find business coaches and mentors online. Ask in Facebook Groups you participate in. Referrals are often your best bet.”

If you’re on the lookout for mentorship and networking online, check out this full list of online entrepreneur communities, recommended by small business owners of every trade.

Success tip: A business mentor can be younger than you — don’t let this intimidate you! A younger mentor will teach you a lot about modern business and share their enthusiasm balanced by your wisdom. Getting a professional business mentor doesn’t have to cost you a lot — or in fact, any — money. Organizations like SCORE and online business communities are a great way to connect, learn, and network with other business owners for free.

5.Network before you launch

The most successful startups are those that first build a network and then launch. Unfortunately, most business owners do the opposite: they get their product out and think the audience will come. When that doesn’t work out, they get frustrated.

If you’re just planning to start a business and are in the brainstorming stages, now is your best time to start reaching out to everyone you know. And yes, everyone means everyone.

Harvard graduate Kelly Christiano worked for Corporate America for most of her life before getting involved with IGI Enterprises. She knows a thing or two about not only having a large contact base but productively drawing on it.

“Don’t be afraid to reach out to former colleagues, old friends, and contacts even if you haven’t been in touch for years. Most people love to help and provide their advice. You’d also be surprised how many of these connections can lead to real business opportunities.”

New to online networking? Check out these online networking tips from entrepreneurs.

Success tip: You’ve probably heard of the 6 degrees of separation rule. The one that demonstrates how you can reach any person in the world (think literally any celebrity) through six “friends of friends”. Whenever you think of it as irrelevant or uncomfortable to contact someone you’ve been out of touch with, just remember that they can be the missing piece of the puzzle for your business.

6.Ask family and friends for digital help

Let’s be honest. As a new business owner over fifty, you’ll feel a lot more challenged in launching a business, especially an online one, than a GenZ who’s had an iPad hanging in their crib. More often than not, you’ll also feel rather embarrassed to ask your family for help in digital matters. Don’t be!

Anna Makani is a 61-year-old retired florist who recently launched her own handcrafted artistry shop on Etsy. Her secret to starting that e-commerce business and sailing around digital and tech challenges, moreover in pandemic times? Not being afraid to ask her family for help.

“My daughter runs a boutique PR firm, and she has been an amazing resource in establishing my business. My sons-in-law are great photographers, and they’ve helped me with my product shots. I was always nervous about asking for him because everyone is so busy, but I found when I made the ask, the people around me were happy to help.”

Success tip: As a small business owner over 50, you may have the privilege most younger business owners don’t: that of a supportive family. Even if your family doesn’t include professional photographers or marketers, they know things about social media that will make you go “wow”. And if your adult kids are busy, try school-age or teenage grandkids or family members! They will love helping you out with social media, and you’ll get the benefit of fun family time.

7.Hire out any ‘tech stuff’ you don’t want to learn

In running a business after 50, you’ll stumble upon some “tech stuff” that will be impossible to avoid. But that doesn’t mean you have to become a tech guru to become a successful entrepreneur.

To achieve harmony in your workday, Colleen Kochannek advises to separate essential tasks you’ll need to do yourself vs. things you can delegate.

“Learn the basics. [If needed], pay someone to teach you the tech systems you do need to know. [But] hire out any ‘tech stuff’ you don’t want to learn. Fiverr and Upwork are good places to start. You [can] also hire people from these sites to teach you how to do specific tasks.”

Here’s an example of the digital essentials you’ll need to start a business:

• Business phone number — for communicating with clients from a business number as opposed to a personal cell number, which looks unprofessional, you will need a business phone number. We suggest a business phone system like MightyCall, targeted specifically at small business needs.
• Business website — essential for getting your online business out into the world. Building a website is totally simple with DIY website builders.
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform — for managing your client base. This can be a simple platform that’s already integrated into your business phone like MightyCall’s or a bigger CRM platform like Hubspot for when you have many clients.
• Accounting and financial software —  accounting software like this will save you a lot of money on an accountant.
• Social media tools — tools like Hootsuite for instantly publishing your news on several social media platforms save time on publishing social updates to multiple platforms simultaneously and scheduling posts in advance.
• PR tools — Reaching out to journalists and getting the word out about your business is useful and free on platforms like HARO which connect small business owners to journalists and B2B blogs that can spread the word about their business.

Success tip: For a small business, things you need to do yourself are usually client communication and team communication. Also, knowing the basics of CRM tools, as well as social media will be a huge bonus. Things like PR and even getting your website set up can be outsourced to freelancers.

Last but not least…

Entrepreneurship in your 50s is not only possible — it will give new meaning to your life.

Instead of a time that may seem dull or boring, you can make your retirement a time when that American dream you once had will finally come true and bring you deep joy.

There’s only one catch. As Kathy Kristof puts it, “Be prepared to work like back in your 20s!”

Want to learn more about savings as a small business owner? Complement this guide with our out-of-this-world fast, mobile, and budget-friendly phone system for small business. We’ll help your team talk anytime, anywhere, and about anything, at a stunning price.

Take a look at MightyCall’s business phone features or learn more about how VoIP works!

The post How to Start a Business After 50 in Seven Steps first appeared on MightyCall.

While commentators continue to argue whether now is a right or wrong time to go into something as intricate as entrepreneurship, countless business owners have already taken the plunge — and won over COVID-19.  This time, driven not only by passion but by necessity.

We talked to a dozen small business owners who started their business during the pandemic and know first-hand what it’s like to become an entrepreneur at one of the most challenging times in history.

Here are their stories and the lessons they want you to know from their journey.

1. Lumen SEO

Aled Nelmes was a mid-level marketing professional before starting his digital business, Lumen SEO, in January 2020. Transitioning to his own business model, immediately, he knew he wanted to work differently — minus the 9-5 routine, corporate office politics, wasted hours, and little to no time left to experience life. As an avid traveler and musician, Aled wanted the best of both worlds:  flexibility, mobility, and a business that would be as helpful for others as it would be convenient for his lifestyle, after the pandemic ends.

“I chose search marketing specifically for 2 reasons: Search engine use is growing and expanding – the amount of searches made increases by over 30% every year and search is now extending to smart devices and voice control [so] demand is increasing. It can be done from anywhere – I currently work a few days in a coworking space and a few at home and it suits my personality perfectly. When the pandemic is over, I look forward to working from any country in the world.

The first few months were actually wonderful. I didn’t take the leap as they say as I am generally quite risk averse and I would recommend this method to any others who want to do their own thing but hate taking risks: I started as a side hustle after work, then as clients grew I went down to 2 days at my job, then after 3 months I left my job completely – it was seamless and I didn’t need to make any sacrifices financially.”

? Aled’s key lesson:

Don’t start off your business by offering a plethora of services. Do one thing but do it well. All the biggest tech companies started by doing one thing well: Facebook did it by connecting people, Google by giving information. Follow their lead: become an expert in your niche and word will soon spread.

2. Ghostreaders

As a couple, Michae and Quintell Allen have been together since college, and are what we’d call “inseparable”:  they love doing things together. So when lockdown hit and they needed for one parent to focus on homeschooling the kids, opening a mutual home-based business became their lifeline. Ghostreaders is a Black-owned husband and wife business providing narration and audiobook recording for established and emerging Black writers.

Michae was already familiar with recording, we both like reading, and we love the idea of supporting Black authors and writers. The first few months were a lot about learning the industry, requirements and how to connect with and find authors.

We are passionate about making sure that Black literature is properly rendered and represented. In addition to a love for literature, we also have background in acting and music production, so this comes to bear on the work that we do. In addition to audiobooks, we do other voice work as well – podcast support, commercials, and even voiceover templates.”

?  Michae and Quintell’s key lesson:

Business owners tend to focus on running the business without making sure they understand the customer experience. As face to face interaction is different during the pandemic, make sure that your customers are comfortable working with you in every way.

Learn more: 5 ways to encourage customer feedback, according to experts

3. pHERsonal Finance Day

Coming from an entrepreneurial background and an MBA from Harvard should make setting up any business a piece of cake, right? Not really, says Eryn Schultz, founder of pHERsonal Finance Day. Running a business is primarily lots and lots of hands-on experience and devotion. It was only when the pandemic closed down her regular engagements, that Eryn found time to follow her dream and create an online course in finance management for women.

“I used the pandemic to conduct in-depth customer interviews about what other female MBAs wanted out of an online course focused on money. Based on their input, I created a 10-week curriculum targeted to high-earning women which I have now gone through with two separate cohorts of women ranging from recent veterinarian grads to new McKinsey consultants.

The first few weeks were a lot of 70 hour+ work weeks that I would not have been able to maintain if COVID didn’t cancel most family and friend commitments. In addition, women were more likely to take and commit to an online class since the course participants also had more time at home.”

? Eryn’s key lesson:

When you put up a website, things will likely not happen overnight but if you can stick it out through weeks where you’re growing slowly and create a first-class product that you’re customers love to refer, you will grow steadily and can generate significant income. Keep your expenses as lean as possible and focus on the customer experience to avoid spending on marketing.

Learn more: Best website builders for small business that put you first

4. Time Now Hauling & Junk Removal

Many people want to start a business but lack the finances to jump-start their hustle right off the bat. Gathering finances can be especially tough when you’re going into a local, not digital business. Anders Helgeson of Time Now Hauling in San Diego, CA, faced a problem just like that. But instead of waiting or putting off his dream, he tried a whole new approach: hands-on financing.

“My friend and I … both had small pickup trucks that we had owned for several years, and I was renting a house that had a little extra storage space. On Craigslist one day in March, I saw a couch posted for free. It looked to be in good shape. The people clearly just wanted it gone. We picked it up, got it back to my house, cleaned it up, took really good pictures, and reposted for $299, with delivery to the customer included. It sold within a day!

Between March 18 and July 2, we had sold 43 couches at a total revenue of $15,870. We didn’t keep the money for ourselves [but] decided to pool it, not get excited, and start exploring business plans. We used the money to begin Time Now Hauling & Junk Removal in San Diego, CA. It paid for our business vehicle, several upgrades to the vehicle, our hauling trailer, upgrades to the trailer, our website, our first year insurance premiums, business taxes, LLC formation costs… and left us with a significant financial cushion to put into our business checking account for emergency.”

? Anders’ key lesson:

Knowing where a temporary fix is vs the business that has long-term potential is a must for first-time business owners. Instead of getting excited about the “easy” money that came to them, Anders and his business partner pooled that money towards a long-term business idea. If you’re using a similar approach to finance your passion, make sure to keep long-term goals ahead, and not waste first-time wins.

5. Alpha Pet Products

It was March 2020 when Srishti Ellson became a full-time work from home employee, fiancee, and new house owner at the same time. Being self-isolated with her German Shepherd 24/7, she quickly became aware of a problem that wasn’t evident from the office: fur. On lockdown with a beloved dog, you have fur everywhere, Srishti says, including your beloved white couch. But instead of getting frustrated, she got an idea. An idea for a new pet product line, Alpha Pet Products.

“[When starting out] I had a rough idea of the product I actually needed, but no idea how e-commerce worked.  [Luckily] I got a great tip from a mentor about how to find a manufacturer: look for manufacturers that make something similar to what you want and reach out to them. With everything shut down in the US, it actually turned out to be easier to reach manufacturers overseas, and I heard back from several quickly.

I described to each of them what I was looking for and asked for an initial sample, narrowing down to a single supplier and iterating from there. With shipping slowed and factories backlogged, it took several months longer than expected to finalize the design and then further delays in actually doing the first manufacturing run and shipping it.

Simultaneously, I needed to think about the logo, branding, storyline, and distribution for the product once it was ready. I officially launched my business 3 weeks ago…and when those [first] customers call me back and tell me that their dogs are obsessed with their new couch cover and their home is cleaner than ever, it’s the most amazing feeling.”

? Srishti’s key lesson:

Be prepared for your new business to take way longer than you expect, so budget for that in time and money. For physical products, be prepared to invest time and money in product samples and professional photography and launch your website and social media way before your product launch.

Learn more: How to develop a successful small business social media marketing strategy

6. Career Meets World

When Edward Gorbis and his wife got married in October 2019, they asked each other what their 10-year career plans looked like.  For Edward, the dream has always been to start a coaching business, since for years he’s been unofficially helping people align with their career goals. In 2020, despite all challenges, Edward’s dream finally became a full-fledged business known as Career Meets World.

“As I launched my business, I knew I need a clear plan because balancing life, a full-time leadership position, and a new business was going to require surgical execution. The first few months required long days (16+ workdays) to build a brand.

Since launching, I’ve made multiple pivots from focusing on building a purely online brand with video courses to 1 on 1 and team coaching. I knew I needed to generate revenue immediately since I am bootstrapping this business. It has been the best roller coaster of my life and the most fulfilling one in learning how to build a company from scratch.”

? Edward’s key lesson:

Test your market for product or service fit and develop a strategic plan that allows for some flexibility. If you start a business of any sort, it’s going to come with mental hurdles that you may have never anticipated and there will be moments when you may want to quit. So remember “why” you started and structure your days that create moments for micro wins so you can keep your momentum going.

Learn more: How to manage a small business from your phone

7. Stefano Navi Jewelry

It was April 2020 when Sheina Ebrani and her husband — coming from a family of jewelry manufacturers with a forty-year history  —  were starting to “lose it”. With two toddlers at home, the family had an incredibly hard time in the new pandemic-driven recession. It was then that Sheina had an “aha” moment and Stefano Navi Jewelry Home Try on Kits were born. As the saying goes, if something doesn’t come your way, you’ve got to go get it yourself.

“In April of this year […] I came up with a thought: why not recreate the engagement ring buying process from scratch?  Hundreds of websites sell engagement rings, but what if a couple isn’t sure what stone they like? And what size is best for them? and the color of the ring?

Which is why I came up with a home try-on kit. It is a complimentary service, sending 6 stones in the 6 popular shapes to couples to try-on. The replicas should help give a couple clarity of what they want, and we would love to help them custom make their special piece after they have more clarity!

We just launched [and] have ways to go, but we truly hope we can help make a couple’s getting engaged period less stressful, and more enjoyable!”

? Sheina’s key lesson:

Everyone has a chance to turn a dead-end into a new path. If you already have a business that’s facing massive losses due to the pandemic or has shut down, don’t abandon it — brainstorm. Think about how you can turn a negative situation into a positive one.

Learn more: How to grow your brand during COVID-19: 8 success stories

8. Dream Learn Do More

2020 has been the year of incredible social, health, and political upheavals. Noting the importance of proactive social activism at this troubled time, award-winning entrepreneurs Allison Parc and her business partner Samantha Lim launched Dream Learn Do More, a conscious apparel company with collections focused on key social and national issues.

““We launched on August 26th, Women’s Equality Day, in honor of women’s right to vote with our VOTE collection. It has been seen on Kenan Thomson on the season premiere of SNL, Kerry Washington & Eva Longoria, and was in GQ, BuzzFeed, StyleCaster, Poosh and more. Our 2nd and 3rd collections (around Climate Change and Mental Health) are dropping [in October].

Every product is 100% made in the USA and 100% made to order so we do not over-produce a collection, reduce waste, and make our clothes using eco-friendly practices. A portion of proceeds from each collection is donated to a cause connected to the collection’s theme and we also ship directly from our producer to our customers which cuts down on costs and also reduces the number of people who touch a product.”

? Allison’s key lesson:

Self-funding isn’t right for everyone. But if you have entrepreneurial experience behind your belt and the perk of financial security, becoming a fully self-funded business will give you carte blanche to drive all of the decisions for the business yourself.

Learn more: How to fuel your business with crowdfunding sites

9. Foy

Based in the “ground zero” of the pandemic, New York City, Astrit Bauta faced one of the pandemic’s toughest problems head-on. With lockdown in place and people instructed to stay home, Astrit saw the immense problem around the most basic of human needs: food.  With a population of over 8 million people and a limited number of food delivery services, NYC was not prepared for lockdown. Luckily, the city was still full of brilliant minds like Astrit who launched with his new food delivery business, Foy.

“As I started the business, I learned about Michelle Obama’s Move Campaign and the effort to partner with major retailers to provide access to healthy food in food deserts across the US. I was shocked to learn that an estimated 54.4 million people, or 17.7% of the U.S. population live in low-income and low-access urban areas.

Opening supermarkets is no easy feat – from the financial costs to the feasibility studies required and let alone the amount of time it would take. Thus, I figured if many folks have access to an internet connection, why not bring a healthy and affordable grocery store to the palm of their hands – digitally!

Foy provides nationwide delivery, carries products for many major dietary restrictions likekosher, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, etc. and has thousands of products available online.”

? Astrit’s key lesson:

Getting the brand out and building a customer base is one of the hardest challenges you’ll experience at the start but if you want to launch, don’t wait — get started, be patient, and be creative. Things will take longer than expected, so starting early gives you time to fine-tune.

Learn more: 10 tips for creating a successful small business brand

10. Room University

When you’re consistently out of luck with something, think of it as a sign from the Universe that you’re the one destined to change it. When Johnene McBeth, CEO and Co-Founder of Room University officially registered business in February 2020, it was with a view to save others the endless troubles she lived through when organizing mass networking events. Eventually, her understanding of the struggles behind organizing large events became the foundation of a whole new service that would eliminate those pains for others.

“I chose this specific industry because I noticed this problem could affect the way I do business and life. From messy contracts to unanswered calls on event day, I felt that this was consistently happening to me because … it was my turn to make a real difference.

Originally, we felt like our new venture was toast. Venues were afraid to sign up because this was the first time they had to consider what their next move would be all of a sudden. It was understandable. [And] I personally thought, Why would people host an event right now? Then [lockdown] restrictions loosened and our team strategized.

What we realized is that our business offers a simple, digital experience, for you to book and plan your entire event though our platform online at roomuniversity.com. From accepting payments, to signing contracts to messaging hosts prior to event day, these opportunities are endless for a simple, contactless process that can be utilized even in a pandemic.”

? Johnene’s key lesson:

Figure out how to create a business that can run digitally while you sleep. If the process can be done online from A to Z, and be accessed from anywhere, this is the quickest way to thrive in this time of a pandemic. Also, remember to monetize off of your strengths. If you can do something well, teach your process and tell your story!

Learn more: How do I automate my small business? Experts talk dos and don’ts

11. VPN Online

When Michael Miller started his digital cybersecurity business, VPN Online, he was acting out the timeless business adage: follow your passion. Feeling unsatisfied with “tedious desk jobs” and repetitive tasks that captivate his mind even less than they employed his skills, Michael dove head-on into digital entrepreneurship.

“VPN Online was started […] after I consulted with many Fortune 500 companies and saw the lack of understanding about cybersecurity many of their employees had.

I chose cybersecurity because this is where my passion is. This is what entices me to do more and seek more knowledge. [But] the first few months were very tiring. Aside from my passion, there were a lot of things I should know and learn how to do on my own. Things like registering my business, SEO, marketing, sales, accounting, payroll, and many more. As a small entrepreneur, you need to wear different hats and make sure each aspect of the business is taken care of.”

? Michael’s key lesson:

During a pandemic, there are only certain aspects of the market that thrive. To make your business grow and earn, you need something that would be beneficial to everyone, something that people will pay money for, even if they only have limited funds.

12. The Notorious ATC

On April 1, 2020, Erica Marcano and her entire staff were laid off. For Erica, this meant a hiatus from a 15+ year corporate career in management. Left with lots of managerial experience and a dream she always wanted to tackle —  a holistic fitness business of her own, Erica lost no time in building her new business. She used the time during NYC’s lockdown to launch The Notorious ATC and embark on a path that really called her.

“I took the opportunity throughout my [corporate] career to take on responsibilities that were outside of my comfort zone – I’ve done short stints in digital marketing, sales, and branding, overseen administrative operations, and gotten to see the workings of both large and small companies from a birds-eye view. I can not even express how much this experience helped me when starting my own brand from scratch.

[However] I truly believe that the forced ‘NY on Pause’ freed me to do the work I was meant to do in the world. My holistic fitness business officially launched in September, and I am feeling happier and more fulfilled than ever before!

I am now able to serve clients both in-person and virtually, while respecting my own needs, allowing me to practice what I preach and give my clients the very best I have to offer. By building my brand around my experience and philosophy, I finally feel aligned with my values and higher purpose, and am able to truly help my clients in a way I never have before.”

? Erica’s key lesson:

To understand where your business power lies, write a list of the things about your chosen industry that you love – or the best part of your workday in your current industry. Next, determine the qualities that set you apart from others in your field. You should ask friends, clients, and colleagues if you are unsure. Where the lists overlap, you’ll have a shortlist of the qualities you’ll want to build your brand on.

Learn more: How to make money selling virtual products from home

Discover more

Starting a business during a pandemic has many challenges, but for anyone who’s got a dream nagging at their heart and the right doze of perseverance, the above stories prove that right now is the only right moment to start.

If you’re ready to commit to the entrepreneurship road, don’t miss our amazing Online Communities for Entrepreneurs you’ll be thrilled to join.

And check out MightyCall’s super-fast, mobile, and budget-friendly business phone system for new entrepreneurs just like you. We’ll help your team talk anytime, anywhere, at up to 60% off regular phone costs!

Take a look below or learn more about VoIP!

The post How to Start a Business During the Pandemic: 12 Firsthand Stories first appeared on MightyCall.

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, more and more professionals are pursuing tech-related careers. Growing numbers of online computer science degree graduates end up becoming expert software developers and data analysts.

Gaining knowledge in trending specialties like artificial intelligence, software development, data science, cybersecurity, and user experience will provide businesses with that much-needed edge over their competitors.

1. Digital Payment Systems

Social distancing measures and quarantine guidelines have led to rising online sales, deliveries, and an increase in non-cash payments. Because of this, businesses should make the transition to an online retail space if they haven’t already. The pandemic has led to an acceleration in the adoption of digital payment systems, including mobile. Optimizing the checkout process and accepting a variety of payment types can expand the target market for your goods and services. The ability to order ahead or book services in advance is also a valuable asset for every business. Providing special promotions and detailed how-to guides can help customers adjust to these new systems.

Learn more: PayPal Rolls Out Contactless QR Code Feature Perfect for Small Business 

2. Contactless Delivery Systems

More than ever, taking protective measures in the food and service industry is vital to prevent the spread of the virus. Contactless deliveries enable businesses to leave a delivery at a person’s doorstep and conduct interactions electronically when possible. This prevents the need for close human contact between the delivery person and the recipient. To streamline the process, investing in an app notification system with scheduled booking times as well as electronic receipts will benefit all parties involved. Proof of delivery and cross-platform integration are also useful features to have. Training employees to maximize the potential of this technology will help businesses maintain their high level of service.

3. AI-Powered Chatbots

The quality of customer service can make or break a business’s entire reputation. If a customer’s questions and concerns aren’t addressed in a reasonable amount of time, they can get frustrated and go off and find an alternative. In-demand services like government, healthcare, and financial institutions would benefit from adopting a chatbot service to respond to basic questions during this time. However, organizations need to have a clear understanding of what is involved in this process, including what can realistically be achieved in terms of cost savings and resolution time. For instance, overly detailed concerns would still need to be coursed through a customer service representative.

Learn more: “How Do I Automate My Small Business?” Experts Talk Dos and Don’ts

4. Virtual Mobile Health Services

As consumers grow more concerned about their health during this worrying time, healthcare companies need to find new and creative ways to serve the needs of their patients and customers. Telehealth has seen a surge in popularity, with virtual mobile health services becoming more widespread. Non-urgent consultations can take place online through video calls and online questionnaires, with the option to obtain in-person care if needed. It also enables medical providers to prescribe medicine, monitor those with chronic conditions, and provide digital coaching in addition to virtual visits. After-hours consultations and self-service options can also be provided.

5. Video Conferencing Tools

No matter the industry, video conferencing tools have a significant part to play in improving the quality of communication across teams. Platforms like Zoom and Skype have seen a boost in popularity, as the rise of remote work has lead to the need for virtual meetings. However, many of these tools have varying degrees of privacy features and security in place. As a result, making use of complex passwords, using waiting rooms, and moderating channels will help ensure that meetings are limited to the intended guests. In addition, using a neutral wall or a blurred background can help users protect the privacy of their home environment.

6. Cybersecurity Tools

The advent of virtual tools is accompanied by increasing numbers of data breaches that can threaten the entire structure of a business. Examining your system for vulnerabilities can prevent hackers or unauthorized personnel from gaining access to your private records. Some of the major trends that businesses should watch out for include the return of remote desktop protocol to take control of systems. This is a consequence of having weak identity and access management and lacking two-factor authentication. Increasing adoption of the cloud will also impact the development of security models, so consulting a professional will help ensure that your remote workforce remains secure during this time.

Learn more: 7 Cybersecurity Statistics for Remote Workers

Final word

While technology does have its place in supporting businesses during the events of a pandemic, it can also function as a double-edged sword if not used correctly. Ensuring that employees familiarize themselves with these tools and services will keep everything running as smoothly as possible as we make adjustments during this period. As organizations around the world acknowledge the impact of digital transformation in driving business growth, taking advantage of these solutions can ensure continuity in the face of the new normal.

Article by Danielle Sanders

Danielle Sanders is a Wyoming-based fin tech consultant and writer. She dedicates her time to helping businesses understand and adopt emerging technologies. When she’s not in a meeting, you’ll likely find her hiking on her favorite trail with her Boxer, Molly.

The post What Technology Can Help Businesses Adjust During a Pandemic? first appeared on MightyCall.

The last months have hit small businesses in the non-digital space the hardest. From your favorite bakery next door to an event planner you hired for your kid’s graduation party, to niche lifestyle brands, the economic crisis leaves countless small business owners gasping for ways to grow their brand and scale business in the short and longterm.

What can these businesses do to keep their brand alive and keep growing during the pandemic and its economical aftermath?

We posed the question to small business owners nationwide and were overwhelmed with the creativity of these entrepreneurs and the positive changes they’ve already seen as a result of their tweaked business model.

Here’s how entrepreneurs from some of the hardest-hit industries are scaling their business and growing their brand as we speak — and how you can follow their example from home.

1. Scale, search, and deliver

You’d think growing a business in the event industry is the stuff of dreams right now. Especially if you’re living in the epicenter of COVID-19 like Michelle McKenna Shuey, Founder at The Effortless Affair.

This NJ – based mompreneur thinks differently.  For Michelle, scaling her business after having all events postponed or canceled through the summer didn’t mean giving up. Instead, she’s come up with quite a few permanent additions to her business model.

I have pivoted to a party delivery business… I drop party boxes to your door containing a local bakery cake, on theme paper plates and napkins, candles, banner, balloon, craft for birthday child as well as a birthday crown. I also include a Spotify playlist for the party and a list or virtual entertainment with pricing.

2. Go the extra mile with customer care

When challenge hits, it’s OK for people on both ends to be stressed out and in the dark about the future. But as a business, it’s also your job to provide an island of safety and certainty to your clients so they can count on your product/service.

Justin Hill, Owner of Hill Law Firm is used to dealing with client stress but has doubled down on customer care in recent times.

Often, when our clients come to us, they are already in a stressful situation. The current pandemic has only exacerbated the anxiety and uncertainty that they feel. We’ve learned that our quick responses to clients and meeting options have really helped to alleviate some of the stress that they feel.

Learn more: 5 Customer Support Tools That Work While you Sleep

3. Go international

For non-digital companies, taking your brand to international level is often a risky step. How do you know if the investment of time and costs will pay off and that you’re on the right track? Entrepreneurs like Kimberly Crisostomo Bavington, Founder of Art Classes for Kids, prove that small businesses shouldn’t be afraid to grow their brand in the international arena.

We’ve had an interesting transition moving the business from 100% in-person group classes and private lessons to 100% virtual classes and FaceTime private lessons. It hasn’t been easy…for us to digitize all of our lessons and think outside of the box to try and give kids a similar experience on the computer as they do in our studio.

Though she calls the process “extremely time-consuming”, Kimberly notes parallel “extreme success” in online classes and plans to keep them a permanent feature of her brand.

Learn more: Best Website Builders for Small Business that Put you First

4. Recruit and train non-local talent

Some sectors are more tied to locale than others.  Insurance and insurance development agencies are one such example. This often means that hiring and growth are limited to one geography. At least, until the business has no choice but to literally widen their horizons.

Tony Caldwell, CEO of One Agents Alliance (OAA), explains how a geographically constrained small business can move recruiting, training, mentoring and support services online, and while others are closing shop, go on to open new doors.

The communications methodologies and virtual teamwork tools we’ve embraced allow us to hire employees wherever we find them. This is already opening up our talent searches and we hired a new employee from 1,500 miles away in early April…At the same time we are expanding our geographic reach for the planting of agencies [and] expect to put three new agencies in California in May.

5. Become an authority to your audience

The demand for information from home is currently skyrocketing and smart businesses are already finding ways to meet that demand. Being useful to your customers through not merely sales but informative content is extremely important at the moment, notes Jasmine Young, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Southern Tax Preparation & Services, LLC.

Refocusing has allowed us to establish ourselves as an authority in the accounting/finance industry,” Jasmine says. “The amount of participation in our live videos, the overwhelming amount of direct messages to our social media accounts, the client referrals from our audience, and the increase in revenue is an obvious indication that our decision… was a step in the right direction.

6. Create your own digital media platform

When 80% of your business caters to brick and mortar shops that are indefinitely closed due to COVID-19, the math is simple: you either live on the 20% or you get creative. This is exactly what happened to Leslie Scott, owner of Walton Wood Farm.

I took Seth Godin’s advice and built my own platform, a podcast titled, Rewriting Dad, based on my family history. My personal care company, Waltonwoodfarm, is the mid-roll sponsor.

So what does a family podcast have in common with scaling a beauty business? The magic lies in connecting to your target audiences through a network of multiple channels and linking those back to your product. The result is your very own brand infrastructure.

7. Build rapport through transparency

As a marketer for your brand, should you lighten up the mood and avoid the topic of COVID-19 or confidently approach the subject? When tackling this delicate topic, Vivien Adrian, PR at UNDONE, a global personalized watch brand, says transparent engagement with your audience is a fantastic way to scale your business.

In light of the current situation, we have implemented more messaging to highlight what UNDONE is doing to keep its employees, community, and courier services safe,” Vivien says. “We are [also] working on multiple campaigns that touch base with our community being stuck at home, highlighting ‘staying safe, staying positive, and staying individual.

8. Lead your team with example

Right now is a difficult time for teams of all sizes. Employers successful in scaling their business through crisis are the ones that don’t leave their own. Extending a hand to your employees, paying salaries, and not firing those who’re in dire situation themselves can be a tough decision. Whether you believe in karma or not, in business everything that goes round comes round.

A moment of calm and peace is what Raquel Tavares, Founder of Fourth & Heart has her heart on doing during a crisis like COVID-19.

Moving with a “people first” movement, I publicly vowed to not fire any employees as well and to find any cash runway through other cuts. Additionally, I wrote a note [to] my team and my group of investors on the plan to be put in place as a response to COVID.

Final word

Growing a business during the unprecedented time of a pandemic is a heroic effort for small business. But as the above entrepreneurs prove, scaling your business and building the future of business after COVID is not only possible but critical at this time.

As actress and author Fannie Flagg once worded it:

“Don’t give up before the miracle happens”!

At MightyCall, we’d like to do our part and help you cope with handling business communications effortlessly. See how below.

The post Business in Times of COVID: 8 Success Stories of Growth During a Pandemic first appeared on MightyCall.

While the most active areas for VAs remain social media management, email marketing, and project management, the virtual assistant industry has a plethora of opportunities for freelancers turning their side gig into full income potential or corporate employees on track to become their own boss.

If you’re still wondering whether a virtual assistant business is a fit for your set of skills and trying to get a feel of the industry, it’s time to get inside the action and ask the pros who’ve been there and done it.

Without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about starting a virtual assistant business, as told by the experts — VA industry veterans who’re spilling out their secrets so you can jump right in and succeed.

Step 1: Find your virtual assistant niche

A Virtual Assistant business gives you fantastic ground to apply a variety of hard and soft skills you already own. However, the first step to landing a successful VA business is avoiding the nudge to do everything at once and instead find your sweet spot in this extremely versatile industry.

Romaine Brown Palmer, CEO and founder of The Executive Administrative Group, notes the importance of figuring out your niche early on. “What I wish I knew, in the beginning, was the importance of knowing who you want to support and who you work best with,” she notes. “Within the first year my niche became very clear…we [now] provide executive-level administrative support, event logistics, and project management services to coaches, marketing firms, and creative solo-entrepreneurs.”

Entering the VA industry following 15 years in corporate operations and administration demanded Romaine to reevaluate her strengths. “In a corporate setting, you don’t get much choice as to who you support, however as a business owner, you do. Having a niche and within that niche, knowing the personality types you work best with is GOLDEN,” she says.

The first step to becoming a successful virtual assistant is finding your niche within the wider digital services industry. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Marketing and Design

• Social media management
• Web/social media advertising
• Branding and logo design
• Website design and/or development
• SEO
• Video/podcast creation

Writing

• Copywriting
• Content management
• Email marketing
• Writing/designing social media posts
• Course creation
• Translation in your regional language pair

Communications

• Handling phone/email/web communications with client’s customers
• Sales assistance
• Customer support
• Event management
• Project management

Administration

• Building sales funnels
• Business consulting
• Business plan/strategy
• Bookkeeping and accounting
• CRM

When narrowing down your niche, make an exhaustive list of personal hard/soft skills and rate them on a 5-star basis. Tap into the skills you’re both experienced in and will have the perseverance of sticking to in the long run. Finally, select up to 5 skills you’ll be focusing on.

Learn more: Best Soft Skills to Learn From Successful Entrepreneurs

Step 2: Set up virtual assistant business essentials

One of the best things about a virtual assistant business is you get to work from any place you want — be it a home office, coffee shop, networking cafe, or a wigwam on a Caribbean island.  As long as the place has got an internet connection, you’ll be able to keep in touch with clients and do business tasks in the environment of your choice.

Such flexibility is especially important for long-time remote workers, parents, and anyone who wants to be location-independent with their business.

Here are the essential business technologies that will get you started as a virtual assistant with minimum investment.

VoIP

Voice over IP (VoIP) technology is what lets business owners communicate from any place where there’s an internet connection. A reliable and cost-saving business alternative to landlines or using your personal mobile number for business, VoIP gives fantastic output to people on both ends of the line.

Here are some of the 30+ features you get for free with MightyCall plans, perfect for virtual assistants.

• Toll-free number — give your virtual assistant business a professional image from the very first day with a toll-free number. Leads and clients won’t fail to notice your national presence and professional credibility. You may also port in an existing VoIP number or complement a toll-free number with a local or vanity number. All at no extra cost to yourself.
• Call forwarding to any device — more often than not, being a VA means working remotely. With VoIP, you can talk business from any place, on any device — mobile phone, tablet, laptop, or IP desk phone.
• Privacy protection — If you choose to forward calls to a mobile phone, you need to know whether an incoming call is personal or business-related, so you can answer accordingly. With MightyCall’s software, you’ll know this instantly.
• Built-in mini CRM —  a single place to store business contacts and keep in the loop of each client’s individual concerns. Contact Book PLUS comes free with all plans and has special Journal functionality where you can keep reminders and notes on business interactions with each client.
• Mobile app — take business communications anywhere your mobile phone goes, and always stay in touch with clients and team members.

Learn more: Why you need to stop using your personal mobile line for business

Website

Since you’re setting up an online business,  your website is the first impression customers get of your service. While you don’t want to invest hundreds of dollars into custom design and branding, you do need to project your trustworthiness and friendly service from the first moment of visual interaction.

With the many simple site builders available today, you can get a great VA site up and running in just minutes.

As you customize your online presence, here are the main pointers to look out for:

• Create custom content that addresses your audience in a friendly manner. We’ve all come across business sites that make rocket science out of figuring out their services — don’t be like that.
• Figuring out what to put on your homepage? According to WebAlive research, 86% of customers want products/services information; 64% expect to find contact information, and 52% want to know about you and your business.
• Add contact buttons, Click-to-Call widgets right to the website to help customers connect with you instantly. All it takes is several seconds.
• Add payments to your site via a service like PayPal or Stripe, so it’s easy for customers to pay for your services in a variety of ways.

Learn more: Best Website Builders for Small Business That Put You First

Step 3: Build your VA business plan

Building your business from scratch is one of the toughest hands-on activities you’ll be doing in the first months. These are also the months when you may seem desperate to get a handful of clients and may be tempted to undersell your work in order to beat the competition.

Lauren Golden, virtual assistant and founder of The Free Mama, a VA coaching site and community for mompreneurs, spoke to us about the necessity of having an actionable plan. “I don’t believe there is such a thing as a smooth road to success, mostly because we typically don’t get the clarity of seeing the entire road when we get started,” Lauren shares. “I learned a lot of lessons about self-employment the hard way, like the importance of contracts, pricing, and crystal clear communication around expectations and boundaries. ‘If you build it, they will come’ isn’t a viable marketing strategy […] Articulating and understanding client expectations is.”

Even if you don’t need an official business plan to hand investors, a personal ‘action plan’ is a must-have prior to launching a business.

Here are some essential starter questions:

• What services will you offer and how will they be different from competitors’? Check out their websites and analyze what you can do better
• What’s your target audience? Think specific industries, needs, age categories, demographics.
• How much will you charge? Will it be an hourly or flat project fee?
• Where will you find customers? (Freelancing sites, marketing, organic search, etc.) Refer to your target audience.
• How much can you afford to invest in marketing? (Social media, paid ads, etc.)
• What’s your minimum financial goal (per month/per year)? How many hours will you need to work on client tasks, minus the time for running your business, to reach that goal?
• What’s the most challenging aspect of reaching that goal? (Skills, research, networking, marketing, etc.)

Legal

As with any business, opening up a Virtual Assistant business also demands some legal permissions. The good news is that as an online business, the paperwork will be down to a minimum and will require just a few things:

• Register your business name (unless you’re a sole proprietorship using your legal name)
• Understand the type of business you’re about to open (sole proprietorship or single-person LLC)
• Get an Employer Identification Number mandatory for the IRS.
• If you’ll be working from home (as most virtual assistants do), you may need a zoning waiver based on city or county laws. Check out the SBA website for complete legal specifications for online businesses.

Step 4: Focus on your needs, not just your wants

As a virtual assistant to other entrepreneurs, you’re both providing services and running a business 24/7. As you find ways to provide for your clients while also gaining new leads, doing marketing, and keeping finances in check, the schedule can get pretty hectic. The key to keeping in focus is through targeting your own and your client’s needs, ahead of the many ‘wants’.

Melissa Smith, Founder & CEO of the Association of Virtual Assistants and best selling author of Become A Successful Virtual Assistant knows what it’s like to keep herself focused. Coming from an Executive Assistant [EA] background, a family tragedy led Melissa to leave the corporate arena and become a VA “so I can be with my children whenever they need me or I need them”.

“EAs & VAs typically work in step-by-step proven processes,” Melissa shares. “I had to reverse engineer the process. I had to give clients what they wanted and give them what they needed so it worked. What I was excited about implementing and what the client was excited about were two different things. Our common ground was the outcome we both focused on, which is any VAs selling point.”

Here are Melissa’s tips for anyone starting out as a virtual assistant:

1. Focus on earning money, not spending money on things you want but don’t need. Once you know your niche and the clients you serve, then you’ll be able to create the right branding for your business.
2. Don’t sign long-term contracts. You likely are not charging enough for your work when you’re first starting out. The wrong long-term contract can seem like a death sentence […] With a short-term contract, you can see the light at the end of the tunnel if it’s not the right fit for you.
3. If someone is willing to pay you, they believe you can do it. If you need to brush up on your skills or take a quick course to figure it out, do that and don’t charge for the time. Be transparent with the client and then only charge for the work, not the time it took to get yourself up to speed.

Step 5: Learn from and connect to other virtual assistants

There’s no business without two things: constant learning and consistent networking. As Melissa Smith points out, “No one was meant to do life or business alone.” Guiding and connecting business owners is the reason that communities like the Association of Virtual Assistants spring into life in the first place.

Rita J. Cartwright Southern, Founder of RJ’s Internet Marketing Solutions, LLC, got her Bachelor of Science business degree in Marketing as a 39-year-old adult. While higher education helped her “operate business” and “broaden [the] mind”, today business owners can ‘sit in’ on a free course in one of the nation’s best schools via a platform like Coursera, learning from the comfort of their home.

For anyone new to self-employment, networking is another important part of the learning curve. Advising aspiring online business owners, Rita recommends “to find an online VA community that you feel is a good fit for you” in order to accelerate growth. “When working from home after years of working in Corporate America, one can feel as though they are alone on an island. The VA niche offers a variety of online communities that…provide valuable tips for operating a VA business and much more.”

Final Word

As you launch your virtual assistant business, keep in mind that ultimately, success depends on that resilient “faith in yourself and your products and/or services” the importance of which seasoned entrepreneurs like Rita never underestimate. The reward? “Being made into a leader, positioned to give back to [the] community” and help others, who like you today are making their first steps in digital entrepreneurship.

The post Starting a Virtual Assistant Business in 5 Easy Steps first appeared on MightyCall.

This rapid development makes it difficult for everyone to keep up with changes. Now for your average bear, that’s no problem- if you download the latest app a bit later than everyone else, it’s no big deal. But if you are a small business owner- well, then that’s a horse of a different color. In the cutthroat, competitive world of small business, you can’t afford to be a bit behind the competitors. Being able to tell which technological paths to take—and which technological paths to avoid—is of key importance when running a business, especially when you’re starting off.

To help you out, we’ve compiled a guide to help you navigate the fast-moving rapids of technological innovation, adaptation, and change.

It’s All About the Money

So you may not be going into business because you only care about money. Hopefully you genuinely love the subject matter and you love working with people. But that said- at the end of the day, if you don’t have your finances straightened out, you aren’t going to be working with people much longer. The importance of having your finances clearly accessible to you at a moment’s notice should not be understated!

Take it from Ben Watson, a CPA and CFO with DollarSprout:

As a CPA, I highly recommend good accounting software. Having complete and accurate financial data can significantly help you navigate the ups and downs as you grow.

Right on the money (no pun intended). There are going to be times in which you need to quickly be able to get a complete picture of your funds, and your accountant might not always be available to help you paint a picture on short notice.

There is lots of different software out there that will be able to help you keep your finances in order, and lots of them specifically for small businesses. A while ago we put together another guide of the Best Accounting Software for Small Businesses– check it out!

Invest in a Good Computer

At first glance, you may think this one is obvious. After all, home computers have been a home staple since the late 1990s/early 2000s, and many are even starting to abandon the desktop—and even the laptop!—wholesale.

For what? The phone. After all, modern smartphones are said to have computers which are more powerful than the computers that took man to the moon- and they’re constantly getting better. One can’t be blamed if they think that they won’t need a computer for running their small business. After all, less is more, right?

Well, not really. As Ben Walker, CEO of Transcription Outsourcing, LLC, put it:

A computer is the single piece of technology I would recommend to any new business owner.  It is your connection the world via email, social media, VoIP systems for phone, and can connect you to everything else you need to run a business.

The fact is, a phone is definitely useful, and day-to-day you can rely on it. But at the moment, computers are necessary. For ease of saving and creating documents (try typing up an entire report on a phone keyboard instead of a normal keyboard- you can, it’s just a lot more annoying).

Plus, most companies will be operating assuming that you use a computer at least somewhat. Even companies like MightyCall, one of the VoiP systems mentioned above by Ben, which have worked to create seamless mobile experiences, still usually require you to do some set-up work on a computer. Do yourself a favor: invest in a work computer.

Drop It

As per our last point, phones are becoming more and more popular- but also as per our last point, computers are still king. This can make moving around documents and files incredibly important- and when running a small business dealing with finance and complex legal documents, you know that file size can sometimes be an issue.

Rob Stephens, the Founder of CFO Perspective, thinks he has a solution:

Dropbox is an essential tool in my business.  Dropbox is a simple way to exchange sensitive information or large files with clients and vendors.  Mail servers often block large files. Email gets lost in spam folders. Dropbox avoids those problems.

Dropbox also allows collaboration with the free online version of Microsoft and Google software.  The folders in dropbox allow grouping of files for organization that’s familiar to your clients and vendors. I use dropbox to share files securely with clients. I exchange large image files via Dropbox with my graphic designer for my website and resources I provide to clients.  I’ve been on company and agency boards that used dropbox to share the board materials.

He’s not wrong. Dropbox is an incredibly useful tool for moving around documents in an organized and clear way. Plus, it’s becoming very widely known- which makes it more likely that your clients will trust you using it to move their financial information around.

In a broader sense too, thinking about interconnectivity is key. Don’t just buy new technology because it seems fancy or makes your office seem up to date- we’ve all been in plenty of offices which look like they were a giant 1990s time capsule, and guess what? If they did what they said they’d do, no one cared if they looked like a giant time capsule from the 1990s.

Don’t get it wrong- obviously technology is important. That’s not really a question. But making it actually integrated so that it works for you—instead of you spending all day working on it—is key. And Dropbox is a tool which can help you with that.

Transition to VoIP

While reading this article, a few things have no doubt become clear to you: the importance of effectively integrating your various technologies, using technology your customers trust, and using your money efficiently.

One of the best ways you can do that is to transition to (or start with) a VoIP system. Mentioned by Ben above, VoIP systems are essentially internet-based phone systems, allowing you to purchase a telephone number (or more than one) to communicate with whoever you like (like you would with any other phone). For more on VoIP, check out our ultimate guide here.

A premier VoIP system is the aforementioned MightyCall, which is designed for small businesses. MightyCall comes packed with features designed to maximize usefulness for users (as well as the bang for the buck). One of our users, Rocky Rinker, Attorney at Law, P.A., had this to say about the benefits provided by MightyCall:

MightyCall provides crisp and clear calls which allows the user to communicate with clients and prospects without providing your personal cell number to strangers. Call flows that you create allow you to direct the caller to your cell phone, to any member of your team’s cell phone, to voice mail, even to an external number (like an answering service), which enforces a professional image in a cost effective manner.

Again- making sure you don’t have to play catch-up is one of the most important parts of running a small business in the 21^st century. Consider looking into MightyCall- with them, you’ll be at the front of the pack.

The post Let’s Get Technical: Which Technologies to Integrate into Your Financial or Legal Consulting Business first appeared on MightyCall.

1. Start at the End

At first, this may seem counterproductive- after all, you don’t start a book by reading the last page (unless you’re a psychopath). However, when it comes to starting a small business—especially one as complex as private consulting—it’s exactly the right starting move.

Brad, the owner of Colorstone Marketing, hit this point home in a particularly poignant manner:

“First, start with your goal and plan backward. This lets you establish your processes starting closest to the money-generating tasks and helps you stay organized right out of the gate. For example, in my agency we know that something that onboarding takes a tremendous amount of time but its critical to a seamless experience and retention. So we developed a process that’s as automated as possible. This means less time spent by staff with back and forth calls, finding passwords, etc.”

Brad is right: planning is key. Going into building a consulting business with a “Well we’ll see how it goes!” attitude is a one-way ticket to crashing and burning out. After all, no one starts off building a skyscraper by just starting to dig. Instead, you start off with a blueprint, an image of the final product. Once you have the blueprints of your small business, you can see what it will take to make it come to life.

2. Put Your Back Into It

The one problem with planning everything out is that sometimes folks will get overconfident once they have done so. They will see their business plan and think it looks unimpeachable, unstoppable, and unsinkable. But just like the captain of the Titanic discovered, icebergs can lie in wait.

So how do you avoid ending up on the floor of the ocean? Take it from Chane of Crediful, a personal finance company:

“If you aren’t ready to put in intensive amounts of work into your business, then you’re probably not ready for a business.”

The fact of the matter is that building a business is a ton of work. Getting the necessary capital, finding the right employees, getting the word out, convincing others to love your business as much as you do- that takes time and energy. Think long and hard about the work necessary to create a small business. Like any other large responsibility, it isn’t something to take lightly (and unlike the responsibility accrued by buying a pet bird, if your small business ends up flying south for the winter, it might take you with it).

3. Hire the Right People

This one may seem straightforward, but a lot of people make common mistakes in this department. Why? Because figuring out who the right people are is actually sort of difficult.

Let’s say you’re the old hand we mentioned earlier, striking out on your own. You have worked in the business for some time, and over the years you’ve made some good friends. When you go off on your own and you start thinking about a team, their names are the first to cross your mind.

But have you actually thought if those individuals would be right for your small financial consulting business? For your legal firm? When you worked with them in a big team, you may not have relied on them for your literal well-being. But when it comes to your own small business, there’s no one above you; if it goes down, as we discussed earlier, it might end up taking you down with it.

Maybe your friends actually will make a GREAT fit! Or maybe they’re just a great fit for a day on the links. The only way you can know is talking to them honestly, and talking to yourself honestly. If you have a formal hiring process worked out, offer them to interview like any other applicant (after all, if they are going to be working for you, they can’t expect to be treated any differently from other future employees). If they are responsible, they’ll understand.

4. Know Your Limits

Last but not least: know what you can do, and what you cannot do. You are starting a small business because you see some sort of gap in the market that others do not see. Take it from Russell, from the Law Office of Russell D. Knight:

“Trying to have everything perfect is the biggest mistake you can make. A business solves a problem. Just solve the problem and be honest about what you can and cannot do.  Customers will understand and appreciate you.”

Especially when starting off, you may find yourself trying to go overboard to please all of your new customers. After all, word of mouth is everything, right? You can’t afford to start off seeming weak. And that’s true to a degree: word of mouth is definitely important.

But you know what’s really bad? Having people hear that you overpromise and under-deliver. People are unlikely to complain to their friends that a business could not cover their specific needs while offering other services. They are much, much more likely to complain to their friends that the new business down the street promised a ton of things that they couldn’t end up doing.

Don’t waste people’s time – including your own. Be up front and proud of what you can offer.

Starting a new business is daunting. It’s tough. It can be a slog. But it is also exciting – it’s the opportunity to take control of your own life and destiny. Follow these tips, and you’ll be on your way to coming out on top in no time.

The post Tips on What To Do (And What Not To Do) When Opening Your Own Financial and Legal Consulting Practice first appeared on MightyCall.

We’re going to periodically feature an entrepreneur and their road to success. Everyone’s journey is a little different but there will be a lot of similarities. This month’s entrepreneur is 22-year-old, Emmanuel Sagan who owns a freight shipping company called Blue Line Logistics. Here is his story.

Entrepreneur Success Story

I knew I had that “business mindset” early in life. As a child, I sold candy at school. In my early teens I sold car stickers at church. In both ventures I sold them for double than I was buying them for. With an ROI of 100% that was a confirmation for me that I had a special trait that would help me in the future.

After those little gigs faded away, I didn’t think much of entrepreneurship and didn’t try investing in anything else until years later, at 17 years old. I invested a couple thousand dollars in a foreign currency because I got wind that it would multiply in value, so I figured I would put my money there. After some time it didn’t increase in value, so I sold it off for a net loss. Two years later, I invested in a marketing company which also promised quite the return and as you might have guessed, it fell through. My upline bailed, to pursue other options, so I was stuck with my entire investment in the drain.

Through the failures, I kind of had an idea of when to stop and when to keep going. There are ventures in life that you will look at and it’ll be very obvious that if you continued trying to chase it, it wouldn’t work out. Like my marketing experience, I could have gotten in touch with the company and tried again but it’s one of those things that you have to accept the loss and move on.

After getting married, I didn’t want to play around with these “get rich quick” schemes and I decided to invest into something physical, something that I had more control over. I wanted to buy a box truck because at that moment there was local work that paid well. I found one at a great price online, so my wife and I flew from Seattle to Boston to pick it up. We used everything we had saved to buy it, get it home, fix it up and pay for all the start up expenses for our local shipping company. Once everything was set up and I was ready for business, local work died out; and with the rising prices for longer distance driving, that wasn’t an option as it would cost more money than I would be making. My wife was very upset with this loss. She wanted me to sell the truck and use that money to make a down payment on a house. If I did that I would have to rely on my fallback plan of working for my grandpas commercial truck certification school making a very modest income (about $30K a year) and I did not want to do that.

I thought about my wife’s request for a few days. I came to the conclusion that’ it was a bad idea. We’d give up on the business, sell the truck, get a house… and then what? We couldn’t pay for a house, my wife’s college and live off of $2,500 a month. I knew, from the beginning, that I didn’t want to go down that path. I knew that I didn’t want to settle. I knew that I wouldn’t be happy working a regular eight-five job, with regular pay, a salary cap, and working someone else’s hours. I knew that I wanted be an entrepreneur. That’s the moment I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing; headed home on, a dark, interstate 167-North. I will never forget that moment.

We sold the box truck, lost a few thousand dollars, and reinvested in a semi truck with a 53-foot trailer. It was all so new to us. I grew up around trucks but never invested my own money into one. I was very nervous. I went on a few long haul trips with my dad just to get the hang of it all and after that I was on my own. I did a few more long haul trips by myself and decided there’s no way in hell I want to do this any longer, being away from my wife and family. So on my last trip across the states I decided to try and find local work when I got back. I did exactly that and it went even better than I expected. I had more trips but I didn’t drive as many miles on a monthly basis, used less fuel, and I made more money. What could be better than that?

In between all of this, there were some major and minor mechanical issues with the truck (typical issues from hauling 80,000lbs which really takes a toll on the engine). I dumped a lot of money into the truck to keep it maintained and healthy. Until one day I noticed coolant was disappearing into thin air. I took it to my mechanic and after a diagnosis had said a piston liner cracked inside the engine. To put that simply, I needed a complete rebuild which runs about $12,000. I was furious when I heard the news, all these expenses, all these recurring bills every month. We had finally saved up a nice chunk of change and it all had to be dumped back into the truck. It was so unfair! I wanted to rip my hair out!

That was when I seriously thought about quitting. I thought, “I’ll sell the truck as is, for whatever price I can get for it. I’ll pay off my loan. And I’ll just do something else.” The only problem was, I had no idea what that “something else” would be. My dad tried talking me out of quitting for a few days and because of our conversations I figured I would spend the remaining money we had on the repairs and try to get over this bump and just move forward.

I worked as hard as I could. There were many times that I worked a 14 hour day, came home to eat, shower, change, and then back to work; and worked all night. Countless times it went down just like that. What kept me going (other than family) was the fact that I knew damn well that there are millions of dollars to be made in my industry. I knew we would get through this and make our money back and succeed. I took my failures and turned them into lessons to be learned from.

Now I run my own transportation company and a freight brokerage company; which I started in July in order to bypass paying other broker fees. I can now go directly to a shipper and do business. I am currently looking to hire employees to do local work here within Washington state. We are regularly looking for and hiring third party transportation companies to haul freight, sub contractors for our contracts, but now I’m in the process of building a permanent team!

What does success look like?

To be completely honest, I have never made as much money in my life than I have made in that last nine months. But until I know it’s possible to gross $one million a month on a regular basis. I will not fully consider myself successful until I reach that goal. It’s a distant dream but I know I can reach it in a relatively short time. But even that won’t be the end of it, there is always room for growth.

What Motivates you?

My family didn’t have much when I was growing up but my parents always provided what was needed and I’m thankful for the way they raised me, but I do this so that my kids can grow up with more than I had. Through our experience so far I have gotten my wife aboard this crazy train and she now shares the positive attitude that I have had since the start. It all begins in your head. If you can envision it, you can achieve it. That’s what I tell her regularly.

What advice would you give your younger self?

If I could go back in time and tell my younger self something, it would be to save my money and get started on the entrepreneur process earlier. It’s never too early! I have done the math; if I had started this trucking company at the age of 18, I’m 22 now, I am confident that I would have made somewhere near a million dollars by now. But I wanted to hang out with friends. There’s nothing wrong with that; I enjoyed my teen years just doing whatever I wanted but I knew that I wanted to be wealthy and didn’t act on it. So many people in their teen years (myself included) don’t think about their future, or they think “I want to be wealthy” but aren’t making a plan to get there. People need to realize that they can start really young and be successful very early in their lives. Entrepreneurship consists of going out and doing it.

What advice would you give to other aspiring entrepreneurs?

To all the entrepreneurs out there, success won’t come easy! Work your asses off! If you come to a dead end but you know deep in your heart that you want to pursue your dream further and it seems like you can’t, you make a new path for yourself. Don’t give up! Sacrifice now, to live like a king later. Thomas Edison failed 9,000 time before he created the first light bulb. That’s persistence! Imagine if he gave up on his 100th try. His 1,000th try or even his 5,000th try. We may not have had light bulbs. Work until your bank account looks like a phone number. No one ever got rich working eight–five. You say I dream too big? I say you dream too small! Tell me I can’t and I will work twice as hard just to prove you wrong. Once you see results, it all becomes an addiction. Success doesn’t come to you, you have to find success. Don’t worry about what other people think. There will always be people who want to see you fail because they can’t succeed. What does success require? Long days, longer nights, empty bank accounts, struggle, two faced friends, faith in yourself, and a strong work ethic. A work ethic so sick that if you were to tell someone how hard you work, they wouldn’t believe you. Work hard in silence and let your success make the noise. But it all starts in your head. If you can’t see your future, if you don’t believe in yourself, I can promise you right now that you won’t succeed. Change your mindset, and in turn that will change your life. There will never be a perfect moment. People need to take risks to make it. If only I knew the things I know today, at the age of 18. But things happen for a reason, maybe this little part here will give a young person motivation to start their own business early on and become successful early. Who knows?!

The post Entrepreneur Success Story: Blue Line Logistics first appeared on MightyCall.