Look Ma! I’m an entrepreneur!

March 6th, 2007 by John Herman, under human resources, small business. No Comments

Everyone loves a top ten list, and over at StartupSpark.com they’ve come up with the Top 10 Ways You Know You’re An Entrepreneur.

We have a few favorites we’d like to address:

Our favorite point, and what we think makes a true entrepreneur is You’re dreaming miles ahead while focused on what you’re doing right now. Succeeding Steps has a calling. We consult with small and niche business owners to form branding concepts and execution of those concepts all over the web. While any business planning needs to focus on “now” and “five years from now” simultaneously, we do this not only for ourselves, but every client we have. That’s why we rock, in case you were wondering.

The second point they list that really resonates with us is You’re a strategist. Have I told you yet how much the staff of Succeeding Steps dug playing Risk when we were younger? Okay, you got us…we still play Risk…just don’t tell anyone, okay? We don’t want our coolness quotient harmed. At the very least we don’t want it harmed any more than it already is. We’re afraid the Linux penguin is going to give us a wedgy any minute here.

The final point I’d like to address is probably the most important for any entrepreneur, solopreneur, or small business owner. You want to live your work. There is nothing we like better than seeing our client’s work recognized by online and local press. We love to be an integral part of every step of the branding and business planning process. This way we can give you a branding solution that truly fits your needs, not our tastes.

So are you an entrepreneur? How many of the top 10 do you relate to? Leave a comment and let us know…we’d love to hear from you!

Shy Folks Do Just as Well as CEOs

June 10th, 2006 by John Herman, under human resources, small business. No Comments

The wheeling, dealing, mile-a-minute CEO may be whom you imagine as a business success, but not every business leader is a natural-born extrovert. According to a study by PsyMax Solutions reported by USA Today , 4 in 10 top execs are introverts–but that doesn’t mean they don’t speak up in the boardroom. Companies led by introverts and extroverts are equally successful, and PsyMax found creativity is the most common factor related to success. Being an introvert can serve as an advantage because others perceive quieter people as wise, calm and unemotional; in some cases, charisma can even hinder success, though highly charismatic CEOs are compensated better than their quieter counterparts. But with the results nearly equal, there’s hope for us all–introverts and extroverts alike.

Entrepreneur’s Small Business Blog reminds us sthat we don’t all have to be loud and Mr./Ms. Popular to be a CEO. So take that excuse off your list of things holding you back. You shy folks are going to have to find another excuse now.
Click here to read the blog.