Today is World Entrepreneurs’ Day.
21 August is a day for celebrating innovation and courage. The way we see it, entrepreneurs are the explorers of the business world – brave souls who forge their own paths so that others may follow. Entrepreneurs create jobs, they create new products... Some of them create whole new industries. It was entrepreneurs who imagined – and then built – many of the best aspects of the world we live in today.
Entrepreneurship can be a difficult and lonely road though. It is always a gamble to create something out of nothing, and that road to success is littered on either side with good ideas that just didn't quite make it. Because a good idea alone is not enough. Entrepreneurship takes passion, and work, and risk, and luck, and no small amount of wisdom too.
Today we want to focus on the last one of those things.
Tips for Entrepreneurs – from the Alvio Network
Here's a solid piece of advice to remember:
“If you're the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.”
Here at Alvio, we work hard every day to make sure we’re in the right room.
What we have built is essentially a collaborative network for entrepreneurs, for brands and creators who dare to do things differently. We are proud to say that as a result, the Alvio network has brought together some very, very clever people... and we are learning from our partners all the time.
So this year, for World Entrepreneurs’ Day, we wanted to share some of that wisdom with you! We pitched the following question to a number of our Alvio partners:
If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, just as they were starting out in business, what advice would you give them?
Here’s what they told us.
“You can’t do it all yourself. I used to try, and failed miserably. I am good at about 2% of things... and sh*t at 98% of the others. It took me far too long to learn that I should just concentrate on the things I am good at, and employ other people for the rest.”
– Steve Sampson, Prove Anything / N1Fan Store
“There are many ups and downs on the journey, but enjoy the process and the results will follow. Follow your instincts too – they’re often right.”
– Warren Jesse, Squeeasy
“Not knowing how to do things is your strength. Do things in the way that makes sense to you, until you need to ask for help from someone who has done it before. Also document the process – take photos, videos, write a blog.”
– Lucy Jeffrey, Bare Kind
“Don’t wait until the perfect conditions exist for you to follow your dreams. Just start. Yes, it will be difficult… but the law of attraction means that what you want, and what you work towards, will attract the resources, knowledge and circumstances you need to move forward. Even if you have butterflies, even if you fear the unknown and make mistakes – Do it anyway!”
– Yves Boothe, Munãgiso
“Document the journey, and put yourself out there more. Brands are built on the story and the people behind them.”
– Matt, MattB Customs
“Always keep an open mind. When creating a business concept, we predetermine what we want our brand to become. We’ll identify a problem, then automatically assume that our product is the solution. But sometimes you have to hurt your own ego, and accept that these preconceived ideas aren’t always correct. To truly grow, you have to constantly adapt – using your experiences in failure and success to redefine your original concept.”
– James Struthers, The Vault
And finally, here’s some wisdom from our very own Ian Rabbidge:
“Be fearless. Push the boundaries, and make mistakes… but don’t repeat them. Find a great mentor. Build a team of smart people around you who share your vision, give them a voice, and listen to their contributions.”
– Ian Rabbidge, Alvio
Our Top Takeaways…
We think you’ll agree that there’s a lot of good wisdom here! We noticed a couple of recurring themes too, so we’ve attempted to distil what we think are maybe the three top takeaways from all this advice:
- Be brave – make mistakes, but learn from them.
- Build a network of good people – friends and mentors.
- You are your own USP – so remember to tell your story.
What do you think? Do you have any tips of your own to add? We’d love to hear your suggestions too, so drop us a line here or join in the conversation on LinkedIn.
We would like to thank all of our excellent partners here for sharing their wisdom with us – and more than that, for being a part of our own Alvio journey.
Keep innovating, people!
