The Micropreneur Manifesto: How to Stay Solo, Bleed Passion, and Build Products that Matter…
By Rob Walling for ChangeThis.com.
Single founders creating products for niche markets are known by another name: micropreneurs.
Micropreneurs may write software. They might design themes for a blogging platform. They may produce exquisite wedding invitations, or how-to books. Micropreneurs are agile, inspired, independent, knowledge seekers who can’t live with the 9-to-5 status quo.
If this resonates with you, read on. This manifesto attempts to distill the key points you’ll need as you begin your micropreneur journey.
I learned every one of them the hard way…
Again, whilst I’m not fussed on yet another version of the entrepreneur tag, Rob offers plenty of good stuff to assist in alleviating start-up pain that we have all experienced in some form or other. Enjoy!
A Human Journey: From Agricultural to Entrepreneurial…
Ken Phillips (Exec. Dir.) and the team at “>Click here for the full article:
Some of Simon’s observations include:
“… entrepreneurial economies [are] based on knowledge and ideas rather than economies of scale.”
“There are big differences between the former industrial ‘managed’ economies and the new ‘entrepreneurial’ economies.”
“One outcome is that, while a managed economy favours large businesses and corporate managements, an entrepreneurial economy offers more advantages for small businesses and more opportunities and rewards for entrepreneurs.”
“Although there may be clear signs that the successful economies of the future will be entrepreneurial economies, a lot of our thinking has not caught up with this and is still derived from assumptions which were more appropriate to the earlier second-wave Fordist era when big business ruled.”…
Happy International Women’s Day…
and here’s to the launch of “The Feminine Entrepreneur” (by delightful fellow entrepreneurial mother, Cath Resnick)…
If there were more “Cath’s” around, the world would be a better place…
and to illustrate what I mean, she shares the first of her insights in this article.
Enjoy!
Female Owned Businesses Responsible for Job Creation in the U.S…
Similar story in Australia too I suspect, and here’s why…
Tandelyn A. Weaver, owner of PersonalFreedomForWomen.com shares some interesting insights.
Divorced or single mothers who undergo traumatic experiences in life have been an impetus for 30% of female business owners to embark on their entrepreneurial ventures.
A report published by The Guardian Life Small Business Research Institute projects that female-owned small business, now just 16% of total U.S. employment, will be responsible for creating one-third of the 15.3 million new jobs anticipated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics by 2018 (Forbes.com January, 2010).
Social factors have resulted in the growth of female owned businesses. Where motherhood results in delays of starting their own businesses, it is also the reason for women owned business growth.
It is also believed that businesses owned by women start small and go through steady growth. The first three year survival rate of female owned businesses is 72.25%. The reasons for high survival rates of female owned businesses lies in the natural and to some extent learned disposition of females to run and manage a business successfully. For example, it is said that patience is the key to any successful entrepreneurial venture. Women are known to be naturally patient and flexible to change.
Family businesses have also been a successful place to help business growth. These family businesses have inspired women to start a business of their own and helped build in them skills which are necessary for managing a business. A study conducted in the mid 90’s showed nearly 78% of female business owners had some form of family business connections in their past. Women entrepreneurs are more likely to start a business for achievement of personal goals like accomplishments and recognition and the need to support their families.It is inspiring to know that women are helping create jobs in United States and around the world…continue
Activating the Entrepreneur Within…
By Jeffrey Weber for ChangeThis.com
Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, an economist who is known as the ‘banker to the poor’ by making small loans in impoverished countries stated, ‘I did something that challenged the banking world. Conventional banks look for the rich; we look for the absolutely poor. All people are entrepreneurs, but many don’t have the opportunity to find that out.’ An entrepreneur in his own right as founder of the Grameen Bank, Yunus developed the concept of microcredit as a method to help fund entrepreneurs who would not qualify for any other type of loan. He believed in creating economic development from the lowest tier of society and saw that the entrepreneurial dream was defined to no man; it was a gift to all.
So you, dear reader, want to know if you are an entrepreneur. It would be so easy to draw your blood and see the entrepreneurial DNA floating about and qualitatively state, “Yes, he is an entrepreneur!” But what good would this do? There still would be so much lacking outside the control of simple DNA to activate the entrepreneur within you… read on
Tips for Success from “Room to Read”…
As reported in Bloomberg Businessweek; Erin Ganju, co-founder of Room to Read, says the entrepreneurial nonprofit’s secret is “know what you do, and do it well”
At the start of Room to Read, the organization recognized that promoting and facilitating global education required a scalable and sustainable business model. Fast-forward a decade, and Room to Read is now a $30 million, award-winning nonprofit organization working in nine countries that has scaled faster and more successfully than many celebrated for-profit companies.
While I couldn’t have predicted such meteoric growth when we started, the secret sauce can best be summed up in one phrase: know what you do, and do it well… keep reading
12 Sales Trends for 2011 – Sue Barrett
It’s been another challenging year for Australia’s sales professionals. While most sectors have now weathered the storm of the GFC, markets remain tough, buyers remain reluctant to spend and sales people continue to be tested. And while economic conditions are expected to improve in the coming 12 months, 2011 looks set to throw up a new set of challenges.
Without doubt the second decade of the 21st century will bring unprecedented change in how we sell and do business. With many businesses wondering what to expect and how to align their sales efforts moving forward, Barrett has identified the 12 Sales Trends of 2011.
It’s a list that highlights the holistic approach sales professionals need. Today’s sales person must be able to demonstrate leadership, an ability to collaborate, an ability to develop personal relationships with their clients and, above all, integrity.
As you read these trends, think hard about those that will have the greatest impact on your sales efforts next year, then go to our 12 Sales Trends in 2011 Poll to tell which trends will be on your radar in 2011.
read on…
The Highest Goal: The Secret that Sustains You in Every Moment…
I strongly urge you to read this article by Michael Ray and Jim Collins…
Entrepreneurship is a way of life, not a business concept; mothers take note!
…The very point of it all lay in a fundamental challenge issued to each of us: Make your life itself a creative work of art.
In the years since, I’ve come to believe that there are two approaches to life. The first, followed by most, is the “paint by numbers kit” approach to life. You do what other people say. You follow a well-traveled path. You stay within the lines. And you end up with a nice, pretty—and unimaginative—picture. The second, followed by few, is to start with a blank canvas and try to paint a masterpiece. It is a riskier path, a harder path, a path filled with ambiguity and creative choice. But it is the only way to make your life itself a creative work of art. To paint a masterpiece requires a concept, a place to begin, a guiding context in the absence of the comforting numbers and lines in the pre-made kit. That guiding frame of reference is the highest goal, and bringing it into your life with the help of Michael’s discoveries is what this book is all about…
read on
Which approach drives the way you live your life?
People Come into Your Life for a Reason, a Season or a Lifetime…
An oldie but a goodie, especially given the time of year…
When you know which one it is, you will know what to do for that Person..
When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with Guidance and support; to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an End.Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire
Fulfilled, their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.
LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons,
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional
Foundation..Your job is to accept the lesson, Love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other Relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.
Thank you for being a part of my entrepreneurial mother life,
regardless whether you were a reason, a season or a lifetime.
Come and Join Me for a Chat about all Things School Holidays!
There are only 2 weeks to go until Business Mums Network final Weekday Workshop for 2010 and we would love to have you there.
Often during the school holidays, a business mum struggles to keep her business running. During this workshop, we will give you some simple and practical tips to keep your business open and not only survive but thrive during the school holidays.
For this workshop, we’ve put together a panel of speakers including yours truly from The Entrepreneurial Mother and Melissa Khalinsky from Business Mums Network.
While most ideas will be for Mums with school age children, regardless if your kids are younger or older, you will be able to use some of the ideas if you have friends with school aged children looking for something to do!
Date: Wed 8 December 2010
Time: 9.30 – 11.30am
Where: Best C.hance, 583 Ferntree Gully Road, Glen Waverley
Cost: $35
Kids welcome, please advise us if they are coming and how many when you book so we can cater for them.
To book your ticket, click here or email vip@businessmums.com
I hope to see you there…
