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Tag: Growth Strategies

  • 4 Moves Every New Leader Must Make to Earn Their Seat at the Table | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    You made it. After years of building, optimizing and scaling to the nth degree, you’ve earned a seat at the table in the C-suite. Not just a C-suite title, still reporting to another executive who makes the real decisions; you are actually in the “situation room.” You bring a deep understanding of the technology that powers your business. You celebrate. You update your LinkedIn. Then day one arrives.

    And you realize something: People are a bit skeptical of you, and it isn’t just the people below you. People above you, your peers and the investors all seem to have a certain take on you.

    You learn quickly that a title alone doesn’t build trust. Your technical brilliance doesn’t move your team, your peers and your executive counterparts. They’re looking for leadership that values business outcomes rather than just technical best practices. This is why you’re the CTO/CIO, not the IT person.

    In an article he co-authored, Harvard Business School professor Boris Groysberg said, “Technical skills are merely a starting point, the bare minimum. Requirements for all the C-level jobs have shifted toward business acumen and ‘softer’ leadership skills.” This next stage is about blending driving value with your expertise, rather than just explaining how things work.

    Let’s go over some of the roles you need to fill and milestones you need to hit in your first year on the job.

    Related: I’ve Managed 260 Employees — Here’s How to Tell If Your Leadership Style Is Actually Working

    Day one: Everyone is going to lie to you (unintentionally)

    On day one, you’ll ask questions and hear confident answers. But most of them will be incomplete and even sometimes completely inaccurate, but hold your judgment initially.

    It’s not deception. It’s diffusion. In any organization of scale, no single person holds the full picture. Documentation is outdated. Systems are interconnected in convoluted and undocumented ways. History is buried in inboxes and hallway conversations. Late-night crises solved by sleepless IT staff have gotten the company back up by morning, but only by a patchwork that makes little sense.

    The instinct, especially as a first-time leader, is to clean house. To draw hard lines between what’s broken and what’s working properly and who’s to blame. Trust me, resist that.

    Why? Because if you say, “This is all bunk, we’re starting over,” or we are in the mess because the last guard was incompetent, you’re not leading; you are actively setting yourself up for the same demise. As The Who once sang, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”

    Instead, don’t give in to the easy blame, trust that there is always context and be the empath in your organization. This means active listening without judgment, understanding how and why decisions were made before assuming they were wrong and recognizing that institutional constraints often explain more than incompetence ever could.

    When you seek to understand, not audit, you become the kind of leader people trust with the truth.

    Week one: Start speaking in business, not just systems

    The fastest way to lose trust in your first week is to speak in technical jargon and expect others to keep up. They won’t. And they shouldn’t have to.

    Your job now is to be the translator. That means reframing technology conversations into business impact.

    Saying, “We need $250,000 or we risk being hacked,” might be true. But it sounds like fear-based budgeting. Instead, say, “This investment reduces our incident response time and enables faster feature delivery, which directly affects our speed to market.”

    You’re not dumbing it down. You’re tuning it up. You’re connecting the dots between what the system needs and what the business values. That’s leadership.

    And if you can’t do that yet, now’s the time to learn.

    Quarter one: Deliver value that ripples across departments

    You don’t need a moonshot in your first 90 days. However, you do need a win, one that demonstrates your understanding of how the business operates, not just how the tech stacks up.

    Pick a persistent pain point that cuts across teams. Fix a bottleneck in onboarding. Streamline reporting. Solve something people have silently suffered through.

    This is where the operator shows up, a role that combines execution with empathy. You’re proving that your leadership isn’t just smart. It’s useful, visible and repeatable.

    And just as important: make sure the win isn’t just yours. Highlight the teammates who made it possible. Trust builds faster when people see your leadership as expansive, not self-serving.

    Year one: Don’t demand the seat — earn it

    There’s a common refrain among technical leaders: “We deserve more authority.” You want to report to the CEO. You want a louder voice in strategy. You want influence.

    If you want to be at the table, learn how that table works. Understand margin pressures. Know what drives your CFO’s decisions. Learn how compliance constraints shape your CMO’s roadmap. Understand how product timelines interact with hiring cycles.

    A real executive doesn’t just ask for influence. They wield it responsibly, cross-functionally, and with context.

    Related: Want to Be a Better Leader? Show Employees You Care.

    Create a space where tech leaders can thrive

    If you’re already in the C-suite, part of your responsibility is to make sure your technical leaders gain buy-in and succeed.

    That doesn’t mean coddling. It means creating clarity.

    • Invite them early. Don’t bring your CTO in at the end of a strategy session to “weigh in.” Bring them in when the goals are still being shaped.
    • Set expectations. Don’t just ask for deliverables. Ask for insight. Ask them to explain how tech can enable outcomes, not just avoid outages.
    • Eliminate the silo. Technology touches every department. The org chart should reflect that.
    • Reward translation. The best CTOs turn complexity into clarity. They make everyone around them smarter. That’s the leadership skill we should be measuring.

    When technical leaders fail, it’s rarely a failure of intelligence. It’s a failure of integration.

    If you’re seated in the “big chair,” you can’t expect people to intuit where they need to go. You need to build the bridge. You have to make everyone around you smarter, more capable, and more confident in their decisions because you’re part of the conversation.

    That’s what makes you trusted. And that’s what makes you dangerous — in the best way.

    You made it. After years of building, optimizing and scaling to the nth degree, you’ve earned a seat at the table in the C-suite. Not just a C-suite title, still reporting to another executive who makes the real decisions; you are actually in the “situation room.” You bring a deep understanding of the technology that powers your business. You celebrate. You update your LinkedIn. Then day one arrives.

    And you realize something: People are a bit skeptical of you, and it isn’t just the people below you. People above you, your peers and the investors all seem to have a certain take on you.

    You learn quickly that a title alone doesn’t build trust. Your technical brilliance doesn’t move your team, your peers and your executive counterparts. They’re looking for leadership that values business outcomes rather than just technical best practices. This is why you’re the CTO/CIO, not the IT person.

    The rest of this article is locked.

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    Charles Sims

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  • Gen Z’s Limiting Screen Time — Here’s How to Reach Them Now | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    I’m sure you’ve heard these comments before: “The youth today are addicted to their phones.” Although there are plenty of stereotypes about the youngest generations, some of these common assumptions are not always true.

    Recent studies have confirmed that Generation Z, aka Gen Z, aka Zoomers, the oldest of whom are 28 this year, are turning the corner on their “always on” reputation.

    New research shows that 81% of Gen Z adults (and 78% of millennials!) often wish they could disconnect from digital devices more easily, and 74% of them feel real-life experiences are more important than digital ones. Another study showed that nearly half (46%) limit their screen time in some way, with 17% saying they limit their screen time on all or most days.

    Even more telling: Searches for “digital detox ideas” and “digital detox vision boards” are also up by 72% and 273% respectively.

    In a quest for balance, people are looking to get offline. This is why it’s increasingly important to get creative with your marketing tactics, something I’ve leveraged successfully to build a $100 million business from nothing, without any capital injections or funding.

    Gen Z may not be the largest population in the U.S., but they have real buying power. Studies show that these young trend-setters impact family spending habits as much as 77%.

    So here are two ways to connect with Gen Z on their terms and generate more revenue for your business.

    Related: 5 Simple, Science-Backed Ways Entrepreneurs Can Connect With Gen Z

    Use the offline tactic that led 91% of Gen Z to make a purchase last year

    Gen Z was the first generation to grow up fully online. As a result, offline marketing is novel again. Whether this is radio, print magazines or even in-person marketing, 74% of Gen Z consider real-life experiences as more important than digital ones.

    Research shows that direct mail, in particular, works well with Gen Z. In fact, it’s reported that 72% of the Gen Z population said they would be disappointed to no longer receive mail, and that they look forward to receiving it every day.

    Not only does this generation appreciate mail, they respond to it — 91% of Gen Z say they’ve made a purchase as a result of mail they received.

    This is something I’ve seen firsthand in my own business. We analyzed 115,393 leads generated in 2024 — the sum of all our direct mail and digital leads, no cherry picking whatsoever — and discovered that we made $253.54 per direct mail lead and only $41.60 per digital lead. That’s over a 500% difference!

    Even though direct mail has been around for decades, that doesn’t mean it’s without newfound bells and whistles that will help you appeal even more to today’s generation. Digital printers have made highly personalized mail pieces possible. Today, it’s easy to include eye-catching personalizations on individual mailers, like a recipient’s first name, a stock image of someone in the same demographic group or even product images related to past purchase behaviors and more.

    Another modern-day trick is direct mail automation, which allows your business to tap into unique events along the customer journey with trigger-based mailings. The carves out a highly personalized experience for prospects and customers alike. For example, imagine visiting an ecommerce website and shopping around without making a purchase. If you received a postcard a couple of days later featuring the product you were looking for with a 15% discount code, would you be tempted to go back and buy? I know I would!

    Direct mail automation like this is still a relatively new technology, which means you have time to jump on it and run a few tests for your business to see if it works — likely before your competitors do the same.

    Related: How to Boost Your Business With Direct Mail Automation and Retargeting — a Detailed Beginner’s Guide

    Attention is worth its weight in gold, so diversify your marketing to boost attention on your campaign by 39%

    Gen Z loves video — whether they are actively trying to reduce screen time or not. From TikTok to YouTube, they love short- and long-form video content. Research confirms that more than half (60%) of all TikTok users are Gen Z, and 51% visit YouTube daily. So, including video content in your marketing strategy is important.

    In my business, we’ve capitalized on this by including more video in online marketing. We took some of our video case studies and shortened them for social media ad content. As a result, our average number of social media leads per week doubled from 174 in 2022 to 356 in 2023! That’s a 105% increase, and it’s held steady since then.

    Yes, Gen Z is limiting screen time, but that doesn’t mean they’re eliminating it. I advise you to make the most of the hours they spend scrolling — or even sitting on the couch watching Netflix.

    The best part about leveraging video ads on popular platforms as well as on TV is that you can target the same groups of people on your mailing lists. It’s a great way to stay in front of your most qualified leads and keep your business top of mind.

    I recommend obtaining a list of your ideal prospects and targeting them with direct mail and video ads on Facebook, Instagram and even ad-supported connected TV (CTV). When they wake up and check their phones, they come across your video ad on Instagram, then in the afternoon they receive a postcard from you, and in the evening they see a CTV commercial about your business in between shows on Amazon Prime.

    This creates an effect where prospects feel like they are seeing your business everywhere. I even created a service to do exactly this, called Everywhere Small Business, in case you want to try this approach without managing all of the ads on separate platforms yourself.

    Related: I’ve Helped 124,393 Entrepreneurs With Their Advertising — Here Are My Top 3 Secrets Proven to Generate Results

    Studies show that this type of multi-channel, integrated approach garners 39% more attention than single-media campaigns. That’s the kind of lift in response that could be the key to shortening your sales cycle and boosting revenue — and it’s even more effective when it runs on autopilot while you focus on more important things.

    In my 27-plus years of experience in marketing, I’ve learned that these tactics will help turn heads both online and offline. Whether it’s for the youngest or the oldest generations, these strategies will deliver real results.

    I’m sure you’ve heard these comments before: “The youth today are addicted to their phones.” Although there are plenty of stereotypes about the youngest generations, some of these common assumptions are not always true.

    Recent studies have confirmed that Generation Z, aka Gen Z, aka Zoomers, the oldest of whom are 28 this year, are turning the corner on their “always on” reputation.

    New research shows that 81% of Gen Z adults (and 78% of millennials!) often wish they could disconnect from digital devices more easily, and 74% of them feel real-life experiences are more important than digital ones. Another study showed that nearly half (46%) limit their screen time in some way, with 17% saying they limit their screen time on all or most days.

    The rest of this article is locked.

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    Joy Gendusa

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  • Her Business Helps Women Earn in a $6.3B Industry: ‘Rewarding’ | Entrepreneur

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    Moniqueca Sims, owner of SSG Appliance Academy, got her first glimpse into the appliance repair industry while dating a man who worked in the space. “He worked all the time, seven days a week,” Sims recalls, “so I used to go out with him just to spend time with him. I saw how easy it was for him to repair those appliances, and he was repairing them quickly.”

    Image Credit: Courtesy of SSG Appliance Academy. Moniqueca Sims.

    Sims believes in “working smarter, not harder” and had the idea to hire technicians to help the man she was dating with repair calls. She did, but when he didn’t slow down, she ended up with her own appliance repair company.

    However, in running that business, Sims lost a significant amount of money purchasing parts. Many people she hired didn’t actually know how to repair appliances — and would just switch out part after part in search of a fit.

    Related: After Experiencing the ‘Lack of Diversity’ in Tech, This Software Engineer Started a Business That’s Changing Lives: ‘People Are Waking Up’

    So Sims took matters into her own hands again. She enrolled in an online course to learn about appliance repair and started handling jobs herself, even taking her kids along sometimes.

    “When you fix something, it boosts you up, every time you do it.”

    Still, Sims knew there had to be a better way to train and hire technicians for business growth, so once more she set out to make it happen: She founded SSG Appliance Academy, which provides hands-on training courses on the fundamentals to have a career in the appliance repair industry, in Atlanta in 2019.

    “ I saw how appliance repair was the gift that keeps on giving,” Sims says. “When you go out, when you fix something, it boosts you up, every time you do it. It’s not a grunt job. It’s a feel-good job.”

    When Sims went out on jobs with her daughter, she found that many of the clients were stay-at-home moms who breathed a sigh of relief when they realized they wouldn’t be alone with a male worker. Knowing that, and seeing firsthand what a confidence booster appliance repair could be, Sims committed to bringing more women into the industry.

    The total appliance repair industry revenue reached an estimated $6.3 billion in 2023, yet women make up less than 3% of home appliance repairers, according to data from ConsumerAffairs.

    Related: Raised By an Immigrant Single Mom, She Experienced ‘Culture Shock’ Working at Goldman Sachs. Here’s What She Wants You to Know About ‘Black Capitalism.’

    Sims decided to partner with shelters to grow SSG Appliance Academy and offer a viable career path to the women there. Although there was a lot of interest, the shelters didn’t have the funding to back it. So Sims got approved for grants through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).

    The funding helps low-income, under- or unemployed women and men complete SSG Appliance Academy’s program and “turn their life around,” Sims says.

    SSG Appliance Academy’s classes typically enroll eight to 10 students. The most recent course had three women in it. In the past, Sims often had to attend events and convince women to come to the class; now, word-of-mouth is helping them find it themselves, she says.

    “ You constantly have to prove yourself [as a woman] in this industry.”

    Sims looks forward to seeing even more women take advantage of SSG Appliance Academy, despite the challenges that can come with being a woman in the space.

    “ You constantly have to prove yourself [as a woman] in this industry, and not just to the customers,” Sims says. “You have to prove yourself to everybody that works in the industry.”

    Sims is also excited to see more people across the board jump into the appliance repair industry, noting that learning a trade can help people make more money than they might through earning a four-year college degree.

    “Appliance repair can really help change people’s lives,” the founder says.

    Related: This Black Founder Stayed True to His Triple ‘Win’ Strategy to Build a $1 Billion Business

    “You want to learn your craft from the inside out.”

    To other women interested in starting their own careers or businesses in the appliance repair industry, Sims has some straightforward but essential advice: Enroll in a program that can help you learn all you need to know about the trade.

    “You want to learn your craft from the inside out,” Sims says. “A lot of technicians in the field now learn on the job, so they become part-changers because they don’t learn how to diagnose and troubleshoot the appliances properly. So my advice would definitely be to take a class. It doesn’t have to be my school — any school.”

    Related: I Interviewed 5 Entrepreneurs Generating Up to $20 Million in Revenue a Year — And They All Have the Same Regret About Starting Their Business

    Sims notes that there will be plenty of obstacles along the way, but she encourages anyone interested in learning appliance repair to stay the course — because “it’s a very rewarding career and business.”

    This article is part of our ongoing Women Entrepreneur® series highlighting the stories, challenges and triumphs of running a business as a woman.

    Moniqueca Sims, owner of SSG Appliance Academy, got her first glimpse into the appliance repair industry while dating a man who worked in the space. “He worked all the time, seven days a week,” Sims recalls, “so I used to go out with him just to spend time with him. I saw how easy it was for him to repair those appliances, and he was repairing them quickly.”

    Image Credit: Courtesy of SSG Appliance Academy. Moniqueca Sims.

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    Amanda Breen

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  • How This Entrepreneur Went From Small Business to $25 Million | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    It’s hard to imagine modern life without air conditioning, heating and plumbing. For Josh Campbell, founder of Rescue Air and Plumbing, these necessities have been the foundation of his success as an entrepreneur.

    “We may as well be doctors,” Campbell says. “Doesn’t matter what’s happening in this world — we can’t have our quality of life without [these services].”

    Rescue Air and Plumbing doesn’t just rely on necessity for growth, however. The $25 million business has achieved success due to the ingrained, small-town values Campbell grew up with.

    “We treat people like we did when we grew up in the country, and we do what we say we’re gonna do,” he says. “Because if you burned a bridge where I’m from, that burnt bridge is gonna follow you forever.”

    Related: These Brothers Turned a 2-Man Operation Into One of the Most Trusted Companies in Their Area. Here’s How.

    This service mindset gives Rescue Air and Plumbing an edge in an industry where customers often feel like just another transaction.

    “[Businesses in Dallas] tend to move through people a little more. You burn a bridge here, you just move on to a new person,” Campbell says. “So I think having a country upbringing gives us a big competitive advantage in the city.”

    Campbell built his business around the idea that when people feel seen and cared for, not just sold to, they’ll keep coming back. “We do a killer job, and it’s just included in the service,” he says. “Once somebody uses us and they experience how well we do it and how differently we do it, they keep using us.”

    From the start, Campbell had a clear vision for growth. One of his most significant milestones came when he acquired a local plumbing business in 2022, expanding the company to more than 100 employees. “It’s very, very healthy in your company to demonstrate that you’re growing in interesting ways that people want to be a part of,” he says. “If you’re not growing, look for turnover in your company.”

    Related: Two Industry Leaders Share Their Best Advice for Restaurant Owners – And Reveal the Exact Amount You Can Raise Prices Without Losing Customers

    The decision to expand beyond HVAC services wasn’t just about increasing revenue. Campbell sought opportunities that aligned with Rescue Air’s existing customer base, team culture and operational strengths.

    “If you buy a company, you’ve bought an entire system,” he says. “Don’t change anything. Don’t break the machine. It’s already enough discomfort and change [for the employees].”

    The acquisition taught him that timing, resources and a clear purpose are essential when planning an expansion. You must be ready for new responsibilities and understand the workings of the business you’re plugging into your own.

    Campbell’s advice is to take things slow. Acquired businesses come with their own set of procedures and people. He recommends waiting two to three months to make changes, so new employees feel valued instead of confronted by changes to their daily work life.

    “If you’re gonna change the pay plan, it better improve their quality of life,” he says. “Give them wins before you start doing any procedural stuff they might not see any gains out of.”

    That same philosophy shapes his leadership style. Campbell focuses on creating an environment where his team can succeed, because when they win, the company wins.

    Related: This Is What the CEO of Kickstarter Wishes Aspiring Entrepreneurs Knew

    Campbell also stresses the importance of structure, time management and personal discipline. “I think it really is important as entrepreneurs to be mindful about your time,” he said. “So often you’re pulled in a million directions, so having those habits or things you do that are for yourself and for your business on a recurring basis are really important.”

    This discipline extends to finances as well. Although financial oversight might not be every business owner’s favorite task, Campbell views it as essential to informed decision-making.

    “If you don’t know your P&L, there is a ceiling for how far you’re gonna be able to grow your business,” he says. “Truly, if you wanna operate your business successfully and even think about growing, you have to know your numbers.”

    Whether it’s integrating a new acquisition or serving a long-term client, Campbell’s approach centers on transparency and accountability. “Don’t leave anybody in the unknown,” he says. “Over-communicate, as uncomfortable as it might be.”

    It’s this commitment that drives Rescue Air and Plumbing’s reputation and growth and sets it apart in a competitive industry. For Campbell, the equation is simple: Treat people right, follow through, and build customer trust that lasts.

    Related: She Created the Dance Studio She Was Looking For. Now, It’s a Nationwide Brand.

    After growing Rescue Air and Plumbing into a trusted name in the Dallas area, Campbell shares the guiding principles of the company’s success that can help other service businesses thrive:

    • Invest in people first. Whether it’s a customer or a team member, relationships matter. Be honest, keep your word and show people you value them beyond the transaction.
    • Lead with integrity. Always keep your promises to customers. Reliability and consistency are the foundation for long-term customer relationships.
    • Build a team you trust. Surround yourself with people who care about doing the job right. Set employees up for success by outlining clear expectations and processes.
    • Stay resilient through challenges. While navigating the ups and downs of running a business, staying true to your values can help you persevere.
    • Focus on lasting trust. Success in the service industry isn’t just about solving problems. It’s about earning a place in the customer’s life as a trusted partner.

    Watch the episode above to hear directly from Josh Campbell, and subscribe to Behind the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Wednesday.

    Editorial contributions by Jiah Choe and Kristi Lindahl

    This article is part of our ongoing America’s Favorite Mom & Pop Shops™ series highlighting family-owned and operated businesses.

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    Emily Washcovick

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  • Why Focusing Only on Profit Is Holding Your Business Back | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    You need focus to build a business, but my experience has taught me that there’s also such a thing as being too single-minded.

    Financial, environmental and community goals aren’t competing objectives; they’re interconnected. This is why founders who chase revenue at the expense of value for their customers or broader social impact often experience limited growth.

    This is a bit like buying a gym membership and then letting your diet go because you’re working out. Just like healthy eating habits are part of an effective fitness plan, your mission and values are essential parts of creating a business plan that works.

    So when my brother Todd and I founded Roof Maxx as a cost-effective alternative to roof replacement, it was about more than filling a gap we saw in the market. It was about solving a problem we saw people struggling with and doing it in a way that also helped those people feel like they were changing the world for the better.

    Here’s what we learned.

    Related: 4 Ways to Engage Your Customers in Social Good — And Why It Matters

    Consumers already want to do the right thing; you just have to help them

    Call me naive, but I take a view of the world that most people are basically good — or at least, they want to be.

    They might not always put the right items in the recycling bin, but that’s not because they hate the planet. They’re usually just confused or short on time, because modern life can be hectic and overwhelming.

    That means appealing to guilt is rarely the most effective way to sell someone on a socially responsible product or service. Guilt can be a powerful emotional trigger, but it only works when someone doesn’t want to do something.

    Todd and I saw this a lot in the early days of Roof Maxx. We knew many homeowners already had some idea of how much waste roof replacement produces, so we didn’t harp on it. No one was throwing away their shingles every few years because they genuinely believed it was good for the planet. They were doing it because the rest of the industry had convinced them there was no viable alternative.

    When people already want to make a change but don’t feel like they have the option, guilt just makes them feel worse. In these cases, you need to show them the option exists, then use other strategies to win their business.

    Related: How to Market to the Increasingly Socially Conscious Customer

    Learn to position “doing good” as “getting more”

    Since most people already want to be better citizens, you don’t need to waste time trying to convince them it’s a good idea. Instead, you should spend most of your pitch showing how easy you can make it for them and how they can benefit from taking action.

    The first few times we pitched Roof Maxx to homeowners, I saw how true this was. They listened when we talked about how they could save 3.8 tons of landfill waste on average by rejuvenating their roofs with our treatment instead of replacing them, but that wasn’t really where we won them over. The vast majority came on board when we showed them our solution cost up to 80% less than a full replacement, and that it could be done in a few hours instead of taking days or weeks.

    Those experiences showed me that we didn’t have to make our customers more willing to do good in the world, because most of them already had that motivation. All we had to do was take away the obstacles they felt were standing in their way.

    Social proof is never about you; it’s about your customers

    One of the things that struck me most about the first homeowners to work with us was how proud they were. That pride didn’t just stem from the time and money they had saved. For a lot of them, it also came from feeling like they had made a difference by reducing their carbon footprint. They felt like they had joined a community that was working to improve the world around them.

    It would have been easy to edit the many testimonials we received and trim them down into concise endorsements of our company. Many brands do. But we didn’t, because we knew those testimonials weren’t just about us. They were about the kinds of people who chose us and the values that those people upheld.

    A customer who touts the quality of your product is a good advocate. But a customer who sees your product as a way to help them live a better life is a great one. The more you showcase those people, the better you look by association.

    Related: Here’s Why Values Matter So Much in Business

    People are more loyal to values than they are to brands

    One last piece of advice: Brand loyalty is a fickle thing, but values tend to exist on a deeper level. People change their cell phone plans far more often than they change their core convictions.

    That means a strong mission helps you build long-term loyalty. If you’re really committed to saving money for people, protecting the environment or community building, then you’ll always be appealing to people who value those goals. And if you can somehow find a way to do all three at once, that loyalty becomes much more difficult to lose to a competitor.

    So while it might be tempting to focus on raw profit when you’re starting out, don’t be fooled. Your mission isn’t there to distract from your margins; it’s there to set your brand apart and attract customers who already want to be on board. From there, it’s just a matter of showing them how easy it is to get involved.

    You need focus to build a business, but my experience has taught me that there’s also such a thing as being too single-minded.

    Financial, environmental and community goals aren’t competing objectives; they’re interconnected. This is why founders who chase revenue at the expense of value for their customers or broader social impact often experience limited growth.

    This is a bit like buying a gym membership and then letting your diet go because you’re working out. Just like healthy eating habits are part of an effective fitness plan, your mission and values are essential parts of creating a business plan that works.

    The rest of this article is locked.

    Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

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    Mike Feazel

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  • 5 Benefits of Scaling Your Startup With Offshore Employees | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    I’ve built companies like SetSchedule and Rentastic across proptech, fintech, AI and insurance. I’ve sold businesses that generated billions in financial products and tens of millions in recurring revenue. I’ve hired wrong, I’ve hired right. I’ve scaled too fast, and I’ve scaled smart. And I’ll tell you this from firsthand experience: Hiring offshore isn’t controversial — it’s intelligent. It’s practical. It’s how real businesses scale in the real world.

    It’s not wrong to have your customer service rep in the Philippines. It’s not unethical to have your dev team in Poland or your marketing analyst in Bogotá. In fact, if you care about sustainability, profitability and actually building something that lasts, offshore hiring isn’t just the right move — it might be the only move.

    And yet, people still hesitate. They still whisper like it’s a dirty secret. They still think “outsourcing” is a code word for corner-cutting. But if you’re serious about building a company that competes and wins — globally — you need to reframe the entire conversation.

    So let’s talk about the reality. Here are five brutal truths — and serious advantages — you need to accept if you want to stop playing business and start building it:

    Related: Your Most Pressing Offshoring Questions, Answered

    1. You gain 24-hour productivity without burning out your team

    Your California team clocks out. Your team in Manila clocks in. That’s not outsourcing. That’s continuous operation. It’s a machine that runs while you sleep. Offshore teams allow you to build seamless, round-the-clock workflows that don’t rely on heroics or 14-hour workdays. Your customers don’t care what time zone your team is in; they care that they’re getting what they need, when they need it.

    This isn’t about wringing more hours from fewer people. It’s about creating balance and momentum. Offshore hiring means your U.S. team doesn’t have to burn out trying to do everything. That’s how you scale with sanity.

    2. You slash burn rate — without slashing talent

    Let’s get real: Payroll will eat you alive if you let it. At SetSchedule, I watched our domestic payroll balloon inside one zip code. At our insurance brokerage, we rewired the model and went global, and guess what? We didn’t sacrifice quality. We found more of it.

    A strong U.S.-based engineer might cost $180K per year. That same level of capability and output in Eastern Europe or South Asia? Closer to $40K. That’s not a knock on American talent. That’s just math. If you’re a startup or growth-stage company and you’re spending like a public one, good luck making it past Series A.

    By going offshore, you’re not choosing lesser talent — you’re just choosing smarter economics.

    Related: This Strategy is the Key to Scaling Your Business — and Reducing Costs Along the Way

    3. You access a global talent pool hungry for opportunity

    Here’s something few founders will say out loud: Some of the best talent in the world doesn’t live anywhere near Palo Alto or SoHo. It lives in Lagos. In Cebu. In Kraków. In Medellín.

    I’ve worked with marketers in Colombia who bring more hustle and creativity than their LA peers. I’ve hired devs in India who write cleaner code, ship faster and solve problems with more urgency than Bay Area engineers making triple their salary. And no, that’s not a fluke. It’s a wake-up call.

    Talent isn’t defined by proximity. It’s defined by grit, hunger and execution. And if you’re only hiring within a 20-mile radius, you’re not just limiting your headcount — you’re capping your potential.

    4. You build cultural resilience into your DNA

    Want to get better at leading? Try managing a team across five time zones. Try aligning deliverables across three languages and cultural expectations. Offshore hiring forces you to get tight with communication. It demands documentation. It levels up your leadership skills — fast.

    And if your long game involves selling your product or service internationally, then you need that cultural fluency now, not later. Building globally from day one hardens your operations and future-proofs your company.

    It’s not just a hiring strategy. It’s an organizational workout. And if you do it right, you’ll come out stronger.

    5. You de-risk scaling

    Let’s be honest: Not every hire works out. But when your entire team is local and expensive, every bad hire hits harder. Offshore teams give you flexibility. You can test a new role, explore a new market or pilot a new initiative without betting the house.

    You don’t need a bloated org chart. You need agility. Offshore hiring gives you the ability to pivot fast, adjust cost structure on demand and keep experimenting until you find what works. And in today’s climate, agility is survival.

    Related: 7 Ways to Make Outsourcing a Success Time After Time

    If you’re still romanticizing the all-in-house, all-local, in-office team model — wake up. That version of company-building is outdated. It’s inefficient. It’s blind to reality.

    Offshoring isn’t betrayal. It’s evolution.

    I’ve done this across industries. I’ve won big. I’ve failed loudly. And I’ve learned this: Smart founders don’t build local companies in a global world. They go where the talent is. They go where the economics work. And most importantly, they go now.

    So if you’re still debating whether to hire offshore, let me save you the time:

    Don’t debate. Deploy.

    I’ve built companies like SetSchedule and Rentastic across proptech, fintech, AI and insurance. I’ve sold businesses that generated billions in financial products and tens of millions in recurring revenue. I’ve hired wrong, I’ve hired right. I’ve scaled too fast, and I’ve scaled smart. And I’ll tell you this from firsthand experience: Hiring offshore isn’t controversial — it’s intelligent. It’s practical. It’s how real businesses scale in the real world.

    It’s not wrong to have your customer service rep in the Philippines. It’s not unethical to have your dev team in Poland or your marketing analyst in Bogotá. In fact, if you care about sustainability, profitability and actually building something that lasts, offshore hiring isn’t just the right move — it might be the only move.

    And yet, people still hesitate. They still whisper like it’s a dirty secret. They still think “outsourcing” is a code word for corner-cutting. But if you’re serious about building a company that competes and wins — globally — you need to reframe the entire conversation.

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    Roy Dekel

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  • I Risked Everything to Build My Company. Four Years Later, Here’s What I’ve Learned About Building Real, Lasting Success | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    When I first moved to the United States, my goal was simple: survive. I had no connections, little understanding of the system, and a burning desire to build something meaningful. At 33, I shared my journey here — how I used grit, education and a bit of luck to launch a real estate tech startup built on transparency.

    Four years later, I’m still standing — but I’ve changed. So has my definition of success.

    Today, I’m the founder and CEO of a growing real estate tech company based in New York City. But how I run my business — and how I live — looks completely different from when I started. I’ve learned that building something sustainable takes more than hustle. It requires alignment, clarity, and the courage to evolve.

    These are the five lessons I wish I’d known sooner. They now form the foundation of how I lead and advise others.

    Related: I Built a $20 Million Company by Age 22 While Still in College. Here’s How I Did It and What I Learned Along the Way.

    1. Stop chasing the finish line

    Early on, I thought success meant scaling fast, raising capital and staying in the spotlight. But sprinting toward a vague goal is a recipe for burnout.

    Now, I prioritize rhythm over speed. My weeks are structured around deep work, reflection and meaningful conversations. Sustainable growth isn’t linear — it’s iterative. Whether you’re building a business or navigating a career shift, ask yourself: What version of success feels good to live, not just good to post?

    Start your week with a “clarity session.” List your top three priorities — both for your business and your wellbeing. If your calendar doesn’t reflect those, you’re running someone else’s race.

    2. Your business should serve your life — not the other way around

    For a while, my business ran me. Every client issue, notification and small win or loss dictated my emotions. I was reactive, and my personal life paid the price.

    Now, I see my company as a vehicle for the life I want to lead. I’ve built systems that support autonomy, hired people who don’t need micromanaging and created workflows that don’t require 24/7 attention.

    Design your business — or your career — backwards. Start by defining the lifestyle you want, then build your work structure around it. This mindset shift made me a more present human and a better leader.

    3. Real estate is still one of the best paths to wealth — if you play the long game

    My company helps people make honest, informed real estate decisions. I’ve watched many chase trends or try to time the market. But real estate rewards patience and perspective.

    Some of my best investments didn’t look exciting on paper — but they had strong fundamentals. Over time, they became strategic assets, both financially and personally.

    Avoid the hype. Focus on long-term value. Sometimes, doing nothing is the smartest move you can make.

    4. You don’t need to be the loudest person in the room

    In my early years, I believed visibility equaled success. I over-indexed on appearances — networking events, interviews, panels.

    But the most impactful moves in my career came from quiet, focused work behind the scenes. Today, I choose depth over noise. I nurture a few meaningful relationships and let results speak for themselves.

    Build your “trust circle.” Choose five people you admire and invest in those connections. You don’t need a big network. You need a strong one.

    Related: Entrepreneurial Success Comes Down to Having the Right Mindset — Here’s How to Make Sure You Do

    The biggest myth I believed was that success meant arriving. But success is constant movement. It’s reinvention. Pivoting without losing your center.

    I’ve evolved from immigrant to employee, tech lead to CEO, and now founder to educator. I mentor entrepreneurs, speak at universities and write — not just to share what I’ve learned, but to keep growing myself. Each quarter, ask: What version of me am I outgrowing? Let the answer shape your next chapter.

    Looking back, my path hasn’t been straight — and I wouldn’t change a thing. Fulfillment doesn’t come from proving yourself. It comes from building in alignment with who you’re becoming. Whether you’re just starting or starting over, know this: you don’t need to build the biggest company or be the loudest voice to make a lasting impact. You just need to build with intention.

    And most importantly — keep going.

    When I first moved to the United States, my goal was simple: survive. I had no connections, little understanding of the system, and a burning desire to build something meaningful. At 33, I shared my journey here — how I used grit, education and a bit of luck to launch a real estate tech startup built on transparency.

    Four years later, I’m still standing — but I’ve changed. So has my definition of success.

    Today, I’m the founder and CEO of a growing real estate tech company based in New York City. But how I run my business — and how I live — looks completely different from when I started. I’ve learned that building something sustainable takes more than hustle. It requires alignment, clarity, and the courage to evolve.

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    Rodolfo Delgado

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  • Watch Out for These Dangerous Business Habits That Masquerade as Strategy | Entrepreneur

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    We love a good story, especially when it keeps us comfortable. In business, these stories often become rationalized myths. They sound like logic, feel like experience, and masquerade as truth. But really, they’re just assumptions wrapped in a confident tone.

    You’ve heard them:

    • “Customers only care about price.”
    • “No one wants to pay for service anymore.”
    • “Our market is too commoditized to differentiate.”
    • “People just don’t read emails these days.”

    What makes these myths dangerous isn’t their persistence, it’s how we rationalize them. We tell ourselves they’re based on data. (A survey from 2018? Please.) We cite competitor behavior. We assume it’s “just the way things are.” And then we design strategies, products and entire business models around them.

    But these myths are born from perceptions. Not facts. Not insights. Just patterns we’ve gotten used to seeing and explaining away.

    Let’s start with one of the classics: “Customers just want the lowest price.”

    A B2B manufacturing client clung to this like a security blanket. Every RFP became a downward spiral of discounting. When asked how they knew price was the only factor, they pointed to lost bids. But after diving into post-mortems with prospects, the real reasons surfaced: unclear value, slow response times and rigid contract terms.

    The issue wasn’t price. It was perceived value. Prospects didn’t see what made this manufacturer better because nothing was communicated that truly differentiated them. They’d accepted the myth and acted accordingly.

    When they shifted their focus to flexibility, transparency and proactive support, those things customers wanted but weren’t getting, suddenly they weren’t the cheapest option. They were the smartest.

    Related: 10 Popular Myths About Leadership and How to Overcome Them

    Perception is reality, but not always truth

    Humans are perception machines. We don’t just see the world, we interpret it. In business, we build narratives around what we think customers want, based on our internal views. But customers don’t live inside your boardroom, your org chart or your sales targets.

    Frustrations, unmet needs and past experiences shape their reality. Which means you can shape perception if you’re willing to dig deeper.

    Differentiation isn’t about being louder. It’s about being clearer on what matters. Most businesses try to stand out by tweaking what they already offer, rather than tapping into what customers crave but aren’t getting. That gap is where perception shifts and myths start to crumble.

    A logistics company once told me, “We’re basically a commodity. Everyone moves boxes.” They’d convinced themselves that brand didn’t matter, experience didn’t matter, innovation didn’t matter. So, they optimized for efficiency and disappeared into the noise.

    When we interviewed their customers, something fascinating emerged. Clients were desperate for visibility. Real-time updates, proactive communication and simplified invoicing. None of the competitors was doing well.

    They leaned into this. Invested in client portals. Added human touchpoints. Their messaging shifted from “we move stuff” to “we make sure you know where everything is.” Perception changed. They weren’t a commodity anymore.

    Breaking the myth cycle

    Rationalized myths persist because we’re listening for confirmation, not contradiction. We validate what we already believe and ignore what feels inconvenient. But strategy isn’t about being right. It’s about being relevant.

    To break the myth cycle:

    1. Listen for gaps, not praise. Ask customers what frustrates them, not just with your company, but with the entire category.
    2. Challenge internal dogma. Just because it’s always been done that way doesn’t mean it still works or ever did.
    3. Reframe differentiation. It’s not about being “better.” It’s about offering what no one else is offering in the way your customer truly needs.

    Myths are comfortable because they make the world feel predictable. But they’re dangerous because they keep you from evolving. The truth is you can’t build meaningful differentiation on faulty perceptions. But if you’re willing to challenge those myths and the stories you tell yourself, you can find the whitespace your competitors don’t even see.

    Customers don’t always want more. They often want something different. And different is where real value and growth live.

    Related: Developing a New Product? Here’s How to Make It a Hit Success

    Myths don’t linger, they multiply

    The problem is myths don’t just linger, they multiply. One assumption quietly supports another until you’ve built an entire strategic house of cards. You stop testing, stop questioning, and start filtering every new idea through the same warped lens. And the real danger is the longer a myth goes unchallenged, the truer it feels.

    I’ve seen companies spend millions chasing an edge that didn’t exist, simply because they never bothered to ask customers what they valued. Not in a survey buried in the quarterly report. Not through a sales team’s best guesses. But directly, candidly, without the bias of defending past decisions.

    Because that’s the trap. When your brand, processes and pricing are built on untested beliefs, you’re not strategizing, you’re gambling.

    We love a good story, especially when it keeps us comfortable. In business, these stories often become rationalized myths. They sound like logic, feel like experience, and masquerade as truth. But really, they’re just assumptions wrapped in a confident tone.

    You’ve heard them:

    • “Customers only care about price.”
    • “No one wants to pay for service anymore.”
    • “Our market is too commoditized to differentiate.”
    • “People just don’t read emails these days.”

    The rest of this article is locked.

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    Andrea Olson

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  • How a Software Engineer’s Business Impacts Education | Entrepreneur

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    As Brandon Bailey, founder and CEO of TutorD, built his career in software engineering, he came face-to-face with the “lack of diversity and inclusion” in tech — and he wanted to do something about it.

    Image Credit: Courtesy of TutorD. Brandon Bailey.

    Bailey worked at a consultancy in Chicago at the time, and as co-lead for one of the firm’s employee resource groups, he partnered with a couple of community-based organizations. One partnership was with a middle school in Bronzeville.

    The school was located about 15 minutes from Bailey’s home, but the students “had a totally different lived experience,” the founder recalls. Many of the kids had never been on an escalator or inside a skyscraper despite living just minutes from downtown.

    Related: Technology Opens the Door for Entrepreneurs to Achieve the Triple Bottom Line

    The program helped the students have those experiences and access internships and other opportunities. “That gave me this drive and passion for the educational experience and helping facilitate it,” Bailey says. “It changed my life. I know it changed [their lives].”

    But Bailey wanted to figure out how to reach even more people. He landed a job at an edtech startup in Los Angeles, California, and began to think about how he could bring together education, engineering and entrepreneurship.

    When considering the platform or tool that could accomplish that, Bailey noted one significant obstacle: There was an issue of connectivity for students who didn’t have access to computers in their homes. However, most students did have cellphones, so Bailey decided to meet the students where they were and build for those.

    Related: How DEI and Sustainability Can Grow Your Triple Bottom Line

    “We wanted to lead with providing value to the community first and gaining trust and buy-in.”

    Bailey officially founded TutorD, an edtech platform for teachers and tutors to enable distance learning, and TutorD Scholars, a nonprofit that teaches “urban youth in-demand 22nd century skills,” in 2019.

    “We wanted to lead with providing value to the community first and gaining trust and buy-in into what we were doing,” Bailey says. “So that’s why we led with the nonprofit TutorD Scholars first, while building out the software platform.”

    Teaching made it easier to figure out the specific tools students would need on the platform and how to tailor lessons to their unique learning styles.

    Related: This Black Founder Stayed True to His Triple ‘Win’ Strategy to Build a $1 Billion Business

     ”We’re teaching [the students] in different ways,” Bailey says, “so using visual, auditory, reading and kinesthetic. [It’s] a very intentional approach.”

    Entrepreneur sat down with Bailey to learn more about how he’s grown TutorD into a successful business — and the role that Intuit’s IDEAS accelerator program has played.

    Intuit’s IDEAS accelerator program provides founders access to capital and the company’s AI-powered platform, service and experts, plus business coaching from the National Urban League and executive coaching from Zella Life to support their business and professional growth.

    Related: Over Half of Small Businesses Are Struggling to Grow, Intuit Survey Shows — But These 5 Solutions Can Help

    Learning the accounting fundamentals was a game changer

    Through the IDEAS program, Bailey got valuable exposure to the basic accounting fundamentals, like cash flow and profit and loss statements, that make or break a business.

    “That wasn’t something I had a lot of support with growing up, looking back at it,” Bailey says. “In our household, [and] it is common across Black and brown households, we didn’t have that training around finances.”

    Receiving that technical training helped Bailey and the TutorD team develop a clearer sense of where the business was headed and how its costs and sales projections would shape that trajectory, the founder notes.

    Related: Why Accounting Skills Are Indispensable for Entrepreneurs

    Streamlining the business’s messaging was also key

    TutorD used Intuit’s MailChimp, an email and marketing automation platform for growing businesses, to streamline its communications.

    Not only did the platform make it easier for people to get in touch with TutorD, but it also helped cultivate a sense of presence — making the business seem bigger than it was, Bailey says.

     ”We’re a team of five right now, and we’re dealing with other companies that are 200, 500 people strong,” Bailey explains. “And they have $20 million backed by different investors. [MailChimp] helped us appear bigger than we are to compete in the market and with other edtech companies.”

    Related: How to Streamline Your Company’s Internal Messaging and Communication

    Leaning on mentors helped during tough times

    The business coach that Bailey connected with through Zella Life also became an integral part of TutorD’s journey.

    Having a support system in place was invaluable as Bailey juggled the challenges of growing a business with major life events, he says.

    “My father passed away, and my baby came, and I had an injury, all in a three-month span,” Bailey says. “My coach had also lost his mother around that time, so we [had a] really deep connection, and he was able to help.”

    Related: How to Evolve From Manager to Mentor and Create a Lasting Impact in Your Organization

    Bailey says that the IDEAS program put TutorD in the position to scale — and gave him and his team the confidence to talk to people about their journey.

    Advice for young entrepreneurs

    Bailey encourages other young, aspiring entrepreneurs to never stop learning, seek out opportunities where there’s a need and ability to create value, connect with other founders who can serve as mentors, and leverage the community to help lay the foundation for business success.

    He’s also excited to see people embracing the “triple bottom line,” which tracks a business’s financial, social and environmental performance — and suggests anyone considering the leap to founder do the same.

    “ People are waking up to [the fact that] it’s not just about making money and some infinitely growing, making-money approach to entrepreneurship and capitalism in general, but really looking at it with a triple bottom line approach, generating sustainable profit or revenue for yourself, your family, business and shareholders, but also making an impact in the community,” Bailey says.

    Join top CEOs, founders and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue and building sustainable success.

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    Amanda Breen

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  • How AI’s Defining Your Brand Story — and How to Take Control | Entrepreneur

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    If you ask a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Google Gemini to solve your customers’ pain points, it will give you an answer based on the easiest-to-verify information. That often includes published articles, consistent founder commentaries, structured product pages and other third-party references. If those answers do not include your brand, these learning models default to featuring your competitors.

    That’s the practical risk facing every founder today. As more work is automated and teams are expected to deliver more with less, clarity and credibility become the real leverage. Thought leadership is how you make yourself findable and trustworthy in this machine-mediated era.

    Related: How to Get Your Business Recommended by AI Tools Like ChatGPT — and Win More Clients

    Founder-led storytelling remains the strongest defense for brand voice and trust

    Your brand voice is essentially your company’s personality. If you don’t define it, it will show up differently across every channel. The best way to set it is through your origin story. As the founder, only you can explain in clear and plain language why the company exists, what it stands for and who it’s built to serve.

    Once that story is established, make it the reference for everyone, both internally and externally. Put it in your website’s About page, your brand guide, and your sales and support playbooks. Marketing, sales and customer support can then use the same voice and terms. This will create a brand that is more consistent and can easily gain the trust of people wherever they encounter it.

    Build an algorithm-aware media strategy to boost rankings in Google and AI-driven searches

    Thought leadership only works when it can be verified, which means you have to make it easy for search engines and LLMs to back up your claims.

    Start with the questions your buyers actually ask. Most revolve around defining the real problem, comparing options and reducing risk. Answer those questions where authority already exists in your niche. This could be through credible industry outlets, top-tier publications and expert communities. Use bylines and interviews that offer unique insights (not recycled talking points). On your website, turn the same answers into clear explainers with precise terms, clear CTAs and referenceable data.

    To make your content easy for machines to verify and include you in search results, add a special code to your website that explicitly tells search engines who the founder is, what your company is, what your products are and which articles you wrote. This helps connect all the pieces for LLMs to prove that a real expert with a credible backstory runs your company.

    Additionally, you can maintain a current press page with original headlines and dates. Treat trusted review sites, relevant directories and active communities as part of your digital footprint. The goal is a clean trail of evidence that points back to you, so when an LLM composes an answer, your materials are the easiest to cite.

    One thing you must remember is always to keep your language aligned with how buyers search. Use their words. Write headlines that mirror actual searches. If the industry’s terminologies change, start incorporating those new terms into your messaging. However, frame these new terms within your unique brand philosophy to avoid sounding generic (like everyone else). This helps you rank in Google and increases the odds that an LLM selects your content.

    Related: How to Make Sure ChatGPT Recommends Your Products — Not Your Competitor’s

    Lead with authenticity and adopt an adaptive approach to stay ahead of AI changes

    As AI systems and their search results continue to evolve, the best way to stay ahead is to ground your brand in authenticity. This means making clear and testable claims and consistently relating your services and products to consumers. Such transparency builds credibility with the public while giving LLMs a history of precise, trustworthy updates to learn from.

    A practical way to get this done is with a monthly review cycle. Each month, see how AI models are describing your brand and your market. If you spot a gap between their summary and your actual status, you can close the gap with a new case write-up or a refreshed product page.

    You’ll also want to monitor changes in search engines like Google. To stay visible, watch how the results page changes and format your content to match what works best, like creating Q&A sections. An internal style guide with official (approved) verbiage and up-to-date stats can also be helpful, as it allows your team to create new content quickly that’s consistent in all channels.

    Related: How to Train AI to Actually Understand Your Business

    Redefining the founder’s role in the AI era

    These three strategies are not a series of short-term hacks to outsmart AI. These are the foundational works of building a sustainable digital reputation.

    In an era where generic information is endlessly commoditized by AI, your unique judgment, firsthand experience and specific point of view as a founder are the only true differentiators. I have personally designed (and proven) these strategies to make that authentic human expertise so clear and well-documented that both machines and people can recognize and rely on them.

    Remember that you are not only trying to avoid being misrepresented by AI; you are actively building a moat of credibility that competitors who rely on vague claims and recycled content cannot cross. This redefines a core part of your job as the founder: to be the only source and chief editor of your brand’s voice.

    If you ask a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Google Gemini to solve your customers’ pain points, it will give you an answer based on the easiest-to-verify information. That often includes published articles, consistent founder commentaries, structured product pages and other third-party references. If those answers do not include your brand, these learning models default to featuring your competitors.

    That’s the practical risk facing every founder today. As more work is automated and teams are expected to deliver more with less, clarity and credibility become the real leverage. Thought leadership is how you make yourself findable and trustworthy in this machine-mediated era.

    Related: How to Get Your Business Recommended by AI Tools Like ChatGPT — and Win More Clients

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    Danielle Sabrina

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  • Why Every Entrepreneur Needs an Exit Mindset from Day One | Entrepreneur

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    After three decades in capital markets and entrepreneurial ventures, I’ve learned one hard truth: Most founders wait too long to think about their exit. They’re focused on growing the business, product-market fit, hiring the right people or raising their next round, and understandably so. But here’s the reality: The companies that scale, endure and lead are the ones built with the end in mind.

    Having an exit mindset doesn’t mean you’re planning to abandon ship. It means you’re architecting your business with intention and strategic foresight. Whether your future includes an IPO, a SPAC merger, a venture-backed acquisition or simply attracting long-term capital, an exit mindset forces clarity. It requires discipline. And it ensures you’re building not just for now but for what comes next.

    Related: Starting a Business? You Should Already Be Thinking About Your Exit Strategy. Here’s Why.

    I learned this the hard way

    During the Great Recession, I lost everything. Years of work and millions in value disappeared seemingly overnight. That moment was both devastating and instructive. I realized that while I had been focused on growth and momentum, I hadn’t built with durability in mind. I hadn’t built to exit; I’d built to run.

    Coming back from that loss forced me to rebuild from the ground up and reimagine what success really meant. I leaned into the volatility instead of resisting it, and over time, that shift led me to support other founders navigating the capital markets, helping them structure for growth and prepare for their own exits.

    I noticed a pattern: The most successful entrepreneurs weren’t necessarily the smartest or the most well-funded. They were the ones who led with clarity, who built their businesses with the intention to exit, whether that meant selling, stepping back or scaling beyond themselves.

    Exit is a mindset, not a milestone

    Going public or selling your company shouldn’t be a last-minute decision. It can (and should) take years, as a natural progression of a business built on solid fundamentals. That starts with a clear answer to one question: What are you building toward?

    If your answer is vague or reactive, it’s time to revisit your strategy.

    An exit mindset helps you:

    • Build toward investor-grade readiness: This includes predictable revenue, clean cap tables, strong corporate governance and a scalable operating model.

    • Attract the right capital partners: Investors can sense when a business has long-term value versus short-term hustle.

    • Avoid short-term traps: When you’re playing the long game, you’re less likely to overpromise, overhire or overextend.

    Related: 4 Go-To Moves to Help Start Your Exit Strategy Now

    Think like a public company (even if you’re not one yet)

    Entrepreneurs often underestimate the rigor and transparency required to go public or raise institutional capital and often think of an IPO or acquisition as a finish line. But it’s not a finish line, it’s a new starting gate. And the market doesn’t hand out second chances.

    If you want public markets, investors or strategic acquirers to take you seriously, you need to demonstrate:

    • Financial maturity: Are your books audit-ready? Do you understand your KPI and unit economics? Can you forecast with precision?

    • Strategic clarity: Do you have a clearly articulated long-term vision? Can you tell a compelling growth story?

    • Operational resilience: Have you built processes that scale? Do you have a team that can lead beyond you?

    I tell the entrepreneurs I work with that the stock doesn’t trade itself. A great business is not the same as a great public company. The companies that perform post-IPO are the ones that prepared for the scrutiny long before the bell rang.

    Lessons from the frontlines

    Over the past few years, I’ve seen how volatile and unforgiving the IPO and public markets can be. In 2021, deal flow was booming. In 2022 and 2023, it all but froze. Yet in that same period, a handful of companies thrived. Why? Because they had built with optionality in mind.

    Take CAVA Group, for instance. In a tough IPO market, they went public in 2023 and saw their stock jump 37% on the first day. That didn’t happen by accident. It was the result of strategic decisions made years earlier: disciplined growth, strong financial performance, well-crafted storytelling, focused leadership and the ability to meet investor expectations.

    Don’t just raise capital. Rehearse the exit.

    Too many founders treat fundraising like a finish line. But capital is a tool, not a strategy. If you raise money without a clear exit roadmap, you risk dilution, misalignment, or worse, getting stuck in the middle.

    Instead, start with the exit in mind. Ask yourself:

    • What would a strategic acquirer find most valuable about my business?

    • If I were to list tomorrow, are my systems, controls and structures ready?

    • Do I have the right team and board to guide me through a real transition?

    The earlier you ask these questions, the more optionality you create. And in this volatile market, optionality isn’t a nice-to-have. It is your edge.

    Related: How to Expertly Position Your Business for an Exit

    Build to exit, lead to endure

    The paradox is real: The strongest exits come from businesses that aren’t built just to exit. They’re built to endure. They have resilient models, committed teams and founders who lead with transparency and purpose.

    An exit mindset doesn’t mean you’re pulling back. It means you’re more strategic and leading with vision. It doesn’t mean you’re ready to walk away; it means you’re building something that can outlast you.

    So, whether you’re on your first round or your fifth, ask yourself: If I had to exit tomorrow, would I be ready?

    If the answer is no, you’re not alone. The time to start building with that end in mind is now.

    After three decades in capital markets and entrepreneurial ventures, I’ve learned one hard truth: Most founders wait too long to think about their exit. They’re focused on growing the business, product-market fit, hiring the right people or raising their next round, and understandably so. But here’s the reality: The companies that scale, endure and lead are the ones built with the end in mind.

    Having an exit mindset doesn’t mean you’re planning to abandon ship. It means you’re architecting your business with intention and strategic foresight. Whether your future includes an IPO, a SPAC merger, a venture-backed acquisition or simply attracting long-term capital, an exit mindset forces clarity. It requires discipline. And it ensures you’re building not just for now but for what comes next.

    Related: Starting a Business? You Should Already Be Thinking About Your Exit Strategy. Here’s Why.

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    Peter Goldstein

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  • How I Helped a Local Company Generate $5 Million in 6 Months | Entrepreneur

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    Most people think you need a massive ad budget to grow fast. But earlier this year, I helped a service-based business generate over $5.1 million in just six months — and we did it by focusing on strategy, not spending.

    Let’s Get Moving started as a single-location moving company. Today, we have over 70 locations across North America, and I’ve led the SEO and digital marketing behind that growth.

    We didn’t rely on hacks or hope. We built a system that generated consistent, high-converting leads across every franchise, even in highly competitive markets like Toronto, Vancouver and Houston.

    This is the real story of how we scaled and what any entrepreneur running a service business can take away from it.

    Related: 31 Ways to Market Your Business on a Budget

    1. We consolidated a disjointed online presence into a scalable system

    When I first joined the team, Let’s Get Moving had four active locations: Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton and Hamilton. Each operated under its own subdomain, a structure that not only fragmented our brand identity but also made it nearly impossible to build SEO authority across the board.

    While Google Ads were driving decent results, the long-term organic growth potential was being held back by a lack of a centralized SEO strategy.

    Our first step was to rebuild the digital foundation — migrating all locations under one unified domain structure, developing dedicated SEO-optimized pages for each city and implementing a consistent content and review strategy across all franchises.

    That move alone positioned us for exponential, scalable growth and created a system we could replicate as we expanded to 70+ locations.

    2. We built location pages that actually convert

    Most franchise websites create a page for each city, add the name of the location and call it a day.

    We went deeper. Every location page became its own mini landing page optimized for the keywords people actually search in that city (like “movers in Chicago with great reviews”), with real reviews, service highlights and clear CTAs.

    We didn’t just want visibility. We wanted calls, quotes and bookings.

    This helped us dominate local search in dozens of markets without paying for clicks.

    3. We turned Google Business Profiles into lead machines

    Google Business Profile (GBP) isn’t a “nice to have” — it’s your homepage for local customers.

    We optimized over 70 GBP listings to show up in the top three of Google Maps (the “map pack”) by:

    • Consistently updating business details, hours and photos

    • Encouraging genuine, timely reviews from happy customers

    • Posting regular updates and offers

    • Using BrightLocal to monitor ranking and visibility

    For some locations, our Google Business Profile drove more than 50% of inbound leads. It was free. And it worked.

    Related: Ultimate SEO Guide On How to Get 100,000 Visits Per Month From Google

    4. We created content with the customer’s real questions in mind

    We didn’t blog just to blog. We asked:

    “What is our customer Googling the moment they realize they need our service?”

    Then we answered those questions clearly, concisely and locally.

    For example:

    • “How much do movers cost in Toronto?”

    • “Can I hire movers on the same day in Los Angeles?”

    • “What’s the best time to move to NYC to save money?”

    This kind of content didn’t just get traffic — it built trust. It positioned us as the go-to expert before they ever picked up the phone.

    We also focused on formatting. Every article used conversational headlines (based on actual search terms), bullet points for scannability and short paragraphs that respected the reader’s time. We weren’t trying to sound like a content mill. We wrote like humans answering real questions.

    And it paid off. The more content we published, the more leads came in — and we were ranking for high-intent searches across dozens of cities, all without spending a dollar on paid traffic.

    5. We scaled without sacrificing quality

    One of the biggest challenges with franchise growth is maintaining consistency across all locations. To solve that, we built internal systems to support every franchise equally — a strategy that many overlook when implementing SEO for franchises.

    This included:

    • Centralized SOPs for SEO and content

    • Shared review generation templates

    • A monthly dashboard for rankings, calls and traffic

    • Ongoing support and local keyword research for every new franchise launch

    By giving each location the tools to succeed and tracking performance, we created a self-sustaining lead generation system.

    The result

    In six months, our combined locations generated over $5.1 million in tracked revenue without relying on PPC, traditional advertising or gimmicks.

    And we’re still growing.

    What other entrepreneurs can learn from this

    Even if you’re not in the moving industry or don’t run a franchise, here are the key takeaways that apply to any service-based business:

    • Think beyond traffic, and optimize for search intent and conversion.

    • Treat every local market like its own opportunity.

    • Build a brand people trust before they ever contact you.

    • Create repeatable systems so you can scale without chaos.

    • Don’t ignore the tools that are free but powerful, like Google Business Profile.

    Related: 7 Local SEO Strategies I’ve Used to Help Businesses Boost Their Revenue 10x — Especially Blue-Collar Companies

    We didn’t win by spending more money; we won by thinking smarter, moving faster and obsessing over what our customers were already looking for.

    If you’re building a service business in 2025, SEO isn’t optional — it’s one of the highest-ROI growth channels available. But only if you treat it like the revenue engine it truly is.

    Most people think you need a massive ad budget to grow fast. But earlier this year, I helped a service-based business generate over $5.1 million in just six months — and we did it by focusing on strategy, not spending.

    Let’s Get Moving started as a single-location moving company. Today, we have over 70 locations across North America, and I’ve led the SEO and digital marketing behind that growth.

    We didn’t rely on hacks or hope. We built a system that generated consistent, high-converting leads across every franchise, even in highly competitive markets like Toronto, Vancouver and Houston.

    The rest of this article is locked.

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    Fahim Ludin

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  • The Key to Building Effective Corporate-Startup Partnerships | Entrepreneur

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    Too many corporate-startup partnerships fall apart despite everyone starting out with good intentions. Big companies say they want to work with startups. Startups jump at the opportunity to scale their ideas. But a year later, both sides often walk away disappointed and empty-handed.

    It doesn’t have to be this way. When done right, these partnerships can unlock enormous value that pays off many times over for both sides. But the key word here is partnership. Too often, corporations treat these relationships as transactions, not collaborations. And startups, for their part, don’t always know how to navigate the maze of corporate expectations and politics.

    That may help explain why a 2024 survey of over 800 health-tech decision-makers found that just 15% of corporate-startup collaborations succeed — barely up from 13% five years earlier.

    Here’s what I’ve learned about making corporate partnerships actually work.

    Related: Startups & Corporates: A Symbiotic Relationship

    Don’t go silent after the kickoff

    One of the biggest mistakes I see corporations make is treating the startup business partnership like a box to check. They kick off the project, then walk away and expect the startup to deliver magic. I can tell you: That almost never works.

    Startups thrive on feedback, iteration and course correction. If you leave them alone for months, you risk missing key opportunities to adjust — or worse, ending up with something that doesn’t fit your needs.

    As a startup, don’t be shy about pushing for regular check-ins. Insist on ongoing conversations, even if it feels like you’re nagging. I’ve worked with startups that were afraid to “bother” their corporate sponsor, only to find out months later that they’d gone down the wrong path.

    If you’re not talking, you’re headed for trouble.

    Watch for the “not invented here” syndrome

    Here’s a common attitude trap: Big companies love to say they’re open to outside innovation, but when it comes down to it, I’ve seen many struggle to embrace something they didn’t invent themselves.

    When corporate teams subconsciously (or even consciously) resist integrating the startup’s work because it feels foreign, or simply because of an ego reflex, the “not invented here” mindset is getting in the way of innovation.

    Startups need to pay attention to this dynamic early. Ask yourself: Is your partner genuinely committed to bringing your innovation inside? Do you see them involving their internal teams? Are they championing your work internally?

    If not, that’s a red flag. A partnership where the big company never really intended to adopt your solution is just window dressing and will probably end up being a waste of your time.

    Related: When It Comes to Corporate Partnerships, Remember These 5 Relationship Tricks

    Don’t let your corporation partnership get buried in bureaucracy

    Let’s be honest: Corporations can be slow and bureaucratic. Startups … aren’t.

    I’ve seen great startups get bogged down in legal reviews, compliance checklists and approval processes, draining resources and killing momentum. If you bring all the corporate bureaucracy to a startup, they will fail. Trying to find that balance is really important.

    As a startup, you need to be honest about what your team can handle. If there are just ten of you and the corporate partner is bogging you down in demands like you’re a big vendor with endless resources, speak up. Don’t be afraid to push back and set clear limits. Whether it’s about timelines, resources or anything else, be clear on what you can deliver.

    On the corporate side, the best partnerships happen when the company makes an effort to adapt. Simplify processes and give the startup breathing room to operate. Again, startups beware: If you’re not seeing that kind of flexibility, think carefully about how much you’re willing to tolerate.

    This is even more important as corporate interest in startups grows. In 2023, corporate-backed deals already accounted for 19% of global venture funding, and the numbers are growing. This shows just how much big companies rely on these partnerships to drive innovation and how much is at stake if they fail.

    Redefine what success looks like

    One of the most important mindset shifts for both sides is understanding that success isn’t always about launching a blockbuster product right away.

    In some of the best startup partnerships I’ve been a part of, the immediate result wasn’t a shiny new thing on the market. What we learned from a project often helped us to solve a problem elsewhere. So — it was successful.

    It was learning. It was building capabilities. It was solving problems elsewhere, sometimes in surprising and unforeseen ways, by using what we discovered together.

    I like to say: Don’t measure the partnership just by the end product. Measure it by the progress it enables. By the degree of innovation it brings to your company. That is the kind of mindset that keeps both parties motivated.

    Creating this win-win relationship is important. You can apply that to intellectual property, licensing and credit, for example. Too many partnerships fail because one side tries to squeeze too much value out of the other. The result is that in the end, nobody wins.

    Startups should make sure their corporate partner values the knowledge and connections that come out of the collaboration, beyond the deliverable itself. These expectations need to be managed from the very beginning in open conversations.

    Related: Making Startup-Corporate Partnerships Succeed: The How-To

    What you should take away

    If you’re a startup thinking about partnering with a big company, here’s my best advice:

    • Speak up! Insist on regular meetings as part of the process from day one.

    • Be honest about your capacity and set realistic expectations.

    • Remember: Success is much more than a glossy product launch.

    These partnerships can be transformational. They can open doors you’d never reach on your own — but only if you go in with the right mindset and a true partner.

    If you treat it like an actual collaboration, not just a deal, you’ll unlock opportunities others might miss.

    Too many corporate-startup partnerships fall apart despite everyone starting out with good intentions. Big companies say they want to work with startups. Startups jump at the opportunity to scale their ideas. But a year later, both sides often walk away disappointed and empty-handed.

    It doesn’t have to be this way. When done right, these partnerships can unlock enormous value that pays off many times over for both sides. But the key word here is partnership. Too often, corporations treat these relationships as transactions, not collaborations. And startups, for their part, don’t always know how to navigate the maze of corporate expectations and politics.

    That may help explain why a 2024 survey of over 800 health-tech decision-makers found that just 15% of corporate-startup collaborations succeed — barely up from 13% five years earlier.

    The rest of this article is locked.

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    Anantha Desikan

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  • What a Stuffed Giraffe Can Teach You About Scaling Service | Entrepreneur

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    A stuffed giraffe named Joshie broke the internet — and taught a masterclass in client service.

    When a three-year-old boy left his beloved stuffed giraffe, Joshie, behind at a Ritz-Carlton in Florida, the hotel could’ve done what any service-oriented company might: return the toy.

    Instead, they gave Joshie a vacation of his own.

    The giraffe came back in a box, safe and sound — accompanied by a photo album. Joshie lounging by the pool. Joshie driving a golf cart on the beach. Joshie getting a massage. The gesture went viral — not because it was a marketing stunt, but because it was business as usual for a company where service isn’t a tactic. It’s the culture.

    And it works.

    Related: We Have an Empathy Crisis on Our Hands. Here’s How to Combat the Rising Trend of Poor Customer Service.

    Service isn’t a slogan. It’s a system.

    In a world where pricing can be matched and products copied, service is often the last true differentiator. But it’s also where most businesses fall short.

    Here’s what the data tells us:

    • Nearly one in three customers says they’d walk away from a brand they previously loved after just a single poor experience.
    • More than half of U.S. consumers believe that most companies still have work to do when it comes to delivering a satisfying customer experience.
    • More than $3.7 trillion is lost globally every year due to poor customer experiences.

    That’s a problem — especially for service-based businesses where loyalty is earned through trust, consistency and follow-through, not flashy perks.

    Related: Still Chasing Quick Wins? Here’s How That Mindset Is Stopping You From Scaling Your Business

    Want better client service? Start behind the curtain.

    Most service breakdowns don’t start with the client. They start behind the scenes. Businesses with high internal responsiveness — how quickly and clearly colleagues communicate — outperform their peers in both client satisfaction and profitability.

    Why? Because great internal service creates great external results.

    • Clear communication leads to confident delivery.
    • Fast handoffs mean fewer dropped balls.
    • When your team is aligned, your clients feel it.

    Here are five steps to build a culture of service.

    1. Build a shared service standard

    If you don’t define what “great service” looks like, every employee will make up their own version. That’s a consistency killer. Write it down. Make it specific. Train on it. Then keep it alive. Your service standard should include:

    • How customer communications are handled
    • Follow-up timelines
    • Attitude and tone guidelines
    • Response expectations, both internally and externally

    Most importantly, it shouldn’t be a one-and-done onboarding checklist. Bring it into team meetings, use it in performance reviews, and tie recognition to it.

    Key takeaway: Clarity breeds consistency. And consistency builds trust.

    2. Start your day like the Ritz

    Every Ritz-Carlton shift kicks off with a short, focused meeting on service. They call it “The Lineup.” It’s not a chore — it’s their cultural glue.

    You can do the same. Even a five-minute huddle once or twice a week can keep service values top-of-mind. Talk about:

    • A recent service win
    • A client challenge someone handled well
    • One simple improvement for the week

    These aren’t just check-ins. They’re momentum builders.

    Key takeaway: Small, regular rituals shape big, long-term behaviors.

    Related: The 4-Step Secret to Exceptional Customer Service

    3. Share your “Joshie moments”

    You don’t need a viral stuffed giraffe to build a service culture. But you do need stories.

    Create a shared space — a file, a Slack channel, even a corkboard — where team members can log standout service moments. Call it your “Joshie File.”

    Highlight:

    • Internal wins (teammates helping each other)
    • External wins (client shout-outs or surprise solutions)
    • Process fixes that improved service delivery

    Use these stories in onboarding. Feature them in meetings. Turn them into training moments. Celebrate them publicly. Because here’s the truth: Culture isn’t taught. It’s caught. And stories are the best carriers.

    Key takeaway: Recognition drives repetition.

    4. Make internal service count

    Want to truly embed service into your culture? Redefine how you measure performance. Too many organizations reward output but ignore how that output affects others.

    Start asking:

    • Did this person communicate proactively?
    • Were they a roadblock — or a bridge?
    • Did they contribute to a team win or just focus on their lane?

    When internal service is part of the scorecard, people stop operating in silos. They start thinking like owners.

    Key takeaway: Reward the lift, not just the stats.

    5. Empower your team to take ownership

    Want world-class service? Empower your people to make decisions without waiting for sign-off from four layers of management. Define the boundaries. Give your team tools, training and trust. Make it clear: If something needs fixing, they can fix it. That autonomy leads to:

    • Faster response times
    • Happier clients
    • Employees who act like entrepreneurs

    And that’s exactly what you want—people who take ownership because they can, not just because they have to.

    Key takeaway: When people feel trusted, they lean in.

    Culture over campaigns

    You don’t have to send stuffed animals on vacation. But you do need to make people feel seen, understood and supported — consistently.

    Clients don’t want perfection. They want to know that when something goes sideways, your team has it handled. That they matter. That someone’s paying attention.

    And that kind of trust isn’t built on policy. It’s built on culture. If you’re in the service business — and let’s be honest, every business is now — this is your competitive edge.

    Not once. Not sometimes. But every time.

    A stuffed giraffe named Joshie broke the internet — and taught a masterclass in client service.

    When a three-year-old boy left his beloved stuffed giraffe, Joshie, behind at a Ritz-Carlton in Florida, the hotel could’ve done what any service-oriented company might: return the toy.

    Instead, they gave Joshie a vacation of his own.

    The rest of this article is locked.

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    James Goodnow

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  • How I Built a Business That Thrives Through Constant Disruption — and How You Can Too | Entrepreneur

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    Over the last 10 years, investing in and leading companies, I’ve wrestled with one big question: How do you build something that lasts in a world that changes faster every day?

    If you’re an entrepreneur, you’ve probably felt it too. There’s always a new AI tool, a new social platform or a new business model. It’s not just noise — it’s acceleration. Thanks to positive feedback loops (like Wright’s Law), the pace of technological change really is speeding up. Better tools lead to better tools. It’s exponential.

    So how do we keep up? How do we lead teams, build products and stay relevant without burning out or constantly pivoting?

    Here’s what I’ve learned: You need a North Star. A clear purpose that guides every decision — no matter how fast the world changes.

    Related: Stop Searching for Your Purpose — It’s Delaying Your Success. Here’s What to Focus on Instead.

    Purpose over product

    Technology is rewriting the rules daily. If your business is built around a single product or service, it’s only a matter of time before someone else builds something better, cheaper or smarter.

    But if you’re anchored to a purpose — a meaningful problem you’re solving — you can’t be disrupted. You might need to change how you deliver on that mission, but the mission itself keeps you steady.

    Let me give you a few examples that have shaped my thinking:

    • Tesla started with expensive electric cars. Now it builds batteries, solar panels, a charging network — even autonomous taxis. All in service of one purpose: to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.
    • John Deere is known for tractors. But today, they employ just as many software engineers as mechanical ones. Why? Because their mission isn’t just selling green machines — it’s empowering the people who feed the world. That now includes satellite data, AI and automation.
    • At Singularity University, where I serve as CEO, our purpose isn’t programs or events — it’s to educate, inspire and empower leaders to create breakthroughs powered by exponential technology. That’s our filter for everything. If it doesn’t align with the mission, we don’t do it.

    What this looks like in practice

    If you’re a founder, CEO or builder, here’s how I recommend you apply this thinking:

    • Define your purpose. Not what you do, but why you exist. What’s the problem you’re solving and why does it matter?
    • Get your team aligned. People don’t want to just punch a clock — they want to work on something that matters.
    • Use your purpose as a filter. New product idea? Strategic hire? Partnership? Ask: Does this move us closer to our mission?
    • Let go of distractions. Misaligned initiatives confuse your team and dilute your energy. Focus builds momentum.
    • Align your business model. Purpose and profit should work together. The more impact you make, the more value you create.
    • Stay flexible. Tech and markets evolve. You don’t need to cling to what worked before — but your mission should stay rock solid.

    Final thought

    There’s no stopping the pace of change. But you don’t need to outrun it. You need to out-align it — with purpose.

    In my experience, there’s no better edge than knowing exactly why you’re doing what you’re doing. When your team is aligned around that North Star, it’s not just your product that wins. It’s your brand, your culture and your long-term relevance.

    That’s how you build something that doesn’t just survive disruption — but drives it.

    Over the last 10 years, investing in and leading companies, I’ve wrestled with one big question: How do you build something that lasts in a world that changes faster every day?

    If you’re an entrepreneur, you’ve probably felt it too. There’s always a new AI tool, a new social platform or a new business model. It’s not just noise — it’s acceleration. Thanks to positive feedback loops (like Wright’s Law), the pace of technological change really is speeding up. Better tools lead to better tools. It’s exponential.

    So how do we keep up? How do we lead teams, build products and stay relevant without burning out or constantly pivoting?

    The rest of this article is locked.

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    Aaron Vaccaro

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  • Tired of Burning Money at Conferences? Use This 5-Step Strategy for Real ROI | Entrepreneur

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    Let’s cut to the chase: most companies go to conferences to check a box, not to drive results.

    I’ve worked with everyone from billion-dollar brands to scrappy startups. I’ve seen booths with six-figure budgets generate zero pipeline and a LinkedIn DM campaign outperform an entire sponsorship package. The reason? Most companies treat conferences like a high school science fair — look pretty, hand out freebies, hope someone likes your volcano.

    Here’s the brutal truth: If your event strategy is built around foot traffic and branded socks, you’re already underwater.

    Conferences can still deliver serious ROI. But only if you stop thinking about them as standalone tactics and start treating them like what they really are: a live-action funnel with a very short attention span.

    Step 1: Get ruthlessly clear on why you’re going

    This sounds obvious. It’s not.

    Most companies attend events with vague goals like “brand awareness” or “thought leadership.” Translation: no real strategy.

    If you can’t answer this question — “What does success look like from this event, and how will we measure it?” — cancel the booth. Your “why” should fall into one of three categories:

    • Lead generation (measurable pipeline and conversion)
    • Brand positioning (keynote, panel or media presence)
    • Strategic partnerships (investor intros, co-marketing, business development)

    Pick one primary goal. Then reverse-engineer your entire presence around it. Everything else is noise.

    Related: 17 Must-Attend Conferences for Entrepreneurs Ready to Scale

    Step 2: Craft a message that cuts through the noise

    Nobody cares about your “AI-powered scalable solutions” if that’s all you’re saying.

    You need a message that punches. Something that aligns with the conference theme but actually says something.

    For example, one of our B2B SaaS clients recently sponsored a fintech event. Everyone was talking about “frictionless onboarding.” Snooze. We reframed their message as: Stop onboarding users who’ll churn in 30 days. It turned heads. It made execs stop and say, “Tell me more.” That’s the bar.

    Your message should be:

    • Clear (no buzzwords)
    • Controversial (just enough to spark conversation)
    • Consistent (across booth, decks, social and follow-up)

    Step 3: Pre-game like a pro

    You don’t show up to a marathon without training. So don’t show up to a $50,000 event without a warm list.

    Your pre-conference playbook should include:

    • LinkedIn outreach (three to four weeks out): Target attendees, engage with event hashtags and join relevant groups. No pitches — just real engagement
    • Direct invites: Email past leads or ideal customers: “I’ll be at [Event]. Let’s meet IRL if you’re attending.”
    • Organic buzz: Have leadership — not just the company page — post about why you’re attending and what you’re bringing

    Remember, ROI doesn’t start at the conference. It starts the moment your name hits the attendee list.

    Step 4: Focus on booth experience, not booth design

    You don’t need a spaceship booth. You need meaningful conversations.

    Train your team to do more than demo software. Teach them to:

    • Ask smarter questions
    • Listen for pain points
    • Offer real value (not just tchotchkes — think insights or content)
    • Capture context for every lead (“Spoke about [X] challenge, referred by [Y]”)

    Also — script your follow-up before the show starts. A generic “Great to meet you at [Event]” email kills momentum fast.

    Related: How to Win Over the Room With Effective Persuasion Skills

    Step 5: Follow up like money’s on the line

    The event ends when the lights go off. Your window of influence doesn’t.

    Here’s a seven-day follow-up cadence that actually works:

    • Day 1: Personalized email referencing your conversation plus a relevant asset
    • Day 3: LinkedIn message with a short, value-driven follow-up
    • Day 5: Add to nurture stream based on interest or product line
    • Week 2: Send a post-event content piece — e.g., “5 things we learned at [Event name]”

    Then — debrief. What worked? What didn’t?

    Document it. If sales aren’t in this conversation, your next event is already a sunk cost.

    Bonus: Rethink sponsorship ROI

    Here’s a hot take — most sponsorship packages are overpriced hype.

    Unless you’re getting:

    • Guaranteed stage time
    • Tier-1 placement in attendee materials
    • Verified audience data before the event

    You’re probably better off hosting a private dinner with ten decision-makers or doing a focused side activation.

    Relevance beats visibility every time.

    A 20-minute meeting with a CMO is worth more than 2,000 logo impressions.

    Final word: Be the booth they remember

    You don’t win at events by being the loudest. You win by being the clearest, the most relevant and the hardest to ignore.

    So before you blow another five-figure budget on glossy signage and lukewarm leads, ask yourself: Are we going to this event to show up — or to show out?

    If it’s the latter, you’re already ahead of the pack.

    Let’s cut to the chase: most companies go to conferences to check a box, not to drive results.

    I’ve worked with everyone from billion-dollar brands to scrappy startups. I’ve seen booths with six-figure budgets generate zero pipeline and a LinkedIn DM campaign outperform an entire sponsorship package. The reason? Most companies treat conferences like a high school science fair — look pretty, hand out freebies, hope someone likes your volcano.

    Here’s the brutal truth: If your event strategy is built around foot traffic and branded socks, you’re already underwater.

    The rest of this article is locked.

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    Christopher Tompkins

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  • Scaling Without Systems? You’re Setting Your Business Up to Fail | Entrepreneur

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    Most companies chase wins: a big client, a viral moment or a record quarter. When those wins happen, they celebrate. In my experience, however, the most sustainable businesses aren’t the ones that cheer the loudest after a win. They’re the ones that quietly get back to work, focused on building systems that make those wins repeatable.

    At Asset Living, we often talk about how scale is never accidental. Instead, it’s the byproduct of repeatable, resilient systems that evolve over time. More specifically, you build a lasting business by creating processes that get smarter, sharper and more reliable with every iteration.

    Start building infrastructure around wins

    Success, especially early on, can be misleading. One great hire doesn’t mean your recruiting process works. Similarly, one big acquisition doesn’t mean your integration playbook is ready.

    Short-term momentum can be enticing; a winning streak feels good, but then cracks begin to show. Because the underlying process in place wasn’t designed to last — in other words, it wasn’t repeatable.

    When I look at a win, the first question I ask isn’t, “How do we do that again?” It’s, “Can we build a system around this?”

    Related: 10 Critical Pieces to Gain Momentum in Business (and Life)

    What LLMs get right about improvement

    Large language models, like ChatGPT and Gemini, don’t rely on streaks. They get better through relentless feedback, learning from millions of interactions to become sharper with every cycle. The improvement is systemic. Rather than producing one good output, the system attempts to upgrade the model that produces all outputs. This is the mindset more businesses need.

    Wins are great, but the real value lies in the system that created them. Are you analyzing what worked? Are you refining the process? Are you creating feedback loops to feed the next version?

    I try to approach my own internal processes at work the same way: as living systems. From onboarding and acquisitions to reporting and operational handoffs, I don’t assume something works just because it worked once. I try to measure, adjust and re-architect as needed.

    Not every win is worth building around

    One of the toughest parts of leadership is resisting the urge to scale a win that isn’t actually sustainable. We’ve had moments where a strategy generated short-term success, but it wouldn’t hold up long-term. Sometimes it was overly dependent on one person or circumstance. Other times it didn’t align with our long-term operating strategy. As tempting as it was to double down, we walked away.

    Sustainable systems require discipline. You have to evaluate not just what worked, but why it worked, who it worked for and whether it can be repeated without you in the room.

    Related: Here’s How Scaling a Business Really Works (It’s Not What You Think)

    Behind the scenes: What strong systems look like

    The most effective organizations rely on playbooks that evolve over time, covering everything from acquisitions to internal promotions. While the specifics vary, the underlying structure tends to hold: clear milestones, cross-functional accountability and post-mortem reviews to capture lessons learned.

    That kind of structure creates the conditions for speed and consistency. It prevents teams from reinventing the wheel and reduces the drag that comes with scale. The same approach applies to how leaders are developed, how performance is evaluated and how information flows across large groups. When something works, it’s not left to chance — it’s documented, tested and improved.

    How to build a system

    1. Start with the outcome, then reverse-engineer the process. After a win, resist the urge to celebrate and move on. Instead, deconstruct what happened. Ask yourself: What specific actions led to the result? Who executed it? Was it replicable, or was it situational? This analysis becomes the blueprint for a future-ready process.
    2. Stress-test before scaling. Not everything that works once should be rolled out company-wide. Try the strategy under different scenarios, with different teams and at different altitudes. See if the outcome holds. If it breaks down quickly, the system needs work before it’s scaled.
    3. Create feedback loops. Great systems evolve by design. Build in opportunities for real-time feedback from the people closest to the process. Collect data, learn from missteps and adjust accordingly — just like a language model tuning its next version.
    4. Document it. Share it. Refine it. A process used by only one team or individual isn’t helpful. Write it down, make it easily accessible and let others pressure-test it. Then refine it through usage. The more people who can use and improve it, the stronger it becomes.
    5. Play the long game. If your strategy only works this quarter, it isn’t a strategy. The best systems are built for durability, not immediacy. Invest time and energy into infrastructure that compounds in value and reduces future friction.
    6. Make it teachable. If a process can’t be explained clearly to someone new and executed well without micromanagement, it hasn’t yet matured. The more teachable your systems are, the faster your team can grow.
    7. Build in redundancy. Systems need backups. If your results hinge on a single person or tool, you’re one variable away from failure. Build roles and technologies that overlap slightly, so if one part fails, the whole doesn’t collapse.
    8. Audit regularly. Even the best systems expire. Commit to regular reviews to reevaluate efficiency and relevance. Invite internal and external perspectives to avoid blind spots and surface better solutions.

    Related: How to Think About the Systems in Your Business

    Why systems win in the long run

    The most impressive companies aren’t the ones with the flashiest headlines. They’re the ones with the most consistent output. That consistency is the result of systems — optimized daily, tested constantly and designed to scale.

    If you want to stop relying on luck, you need to start investing in infrastructure. Look beyond the highlight reel of your company. Study the engine that produced it because that’s where the real competitive advantage lives. Build the system; the wins will follow.

    Most companies chase wins: a big client, a viral moment or a record quarter. When those wins happen, they celebrate. In my experience, however, the most sustainable businesses aren’t the ones that cheer the loudest after a win. They’re the ones that quietly get back to work, focused on building systems that make those wins repeatable.

    At Asset Living, we often talk about how scale is never accidental. Instead, it’s the byproduct of repeatable, resilient systems that evolve over time. More specifically, you build a lasting business by creating processes that get smarter, sharper and more reliable with every iteration.

    Start building infrastructure around wins

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    Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

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    Ryan McGrath

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  • How Miami’s Pest Brothers Got Its Start | Entrepreneur

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    Jose Rodriguez wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and build a career in the pest control industry, so it was a dream come true when his brother, Michael, teamed up with him to start Pest Brothers. Their strong bond set the tone for a thriving business focused on building lasting relationships with customers.

    “I don’t think there are a lot of options where you get to work with your best friend and your biggest cheerleader,” Michael says. “For me, that was really the most important thing.”

    Related: Two Industry Leaders Share Their Best Advice for Restaurant Owners – And Reveal the Exact Amount You Can Raise Prices Without Losing Customers

    It turns out, going into business with your best friend can be your key differentiator. The two exhibit excellent teamwork, which is reflected in their customer interactions and many five-star reviews — securing their spot on Yelp’s Top 100 Local Businesses of 2025.

    “[Customers] find us well-tempered, well-mannered,” Michael says. “And the reason for it is we’re enjoying what we do and who we do it with. I think that’s really the basis for it all. And then from there, good things come.”

    Joined by their brother-in-law, John, each member of the Pest Brothers brings something different to the table, including recruiting, marketing and industry experience.

    Old-school relationship-building was key to their early growth. The team sponsors golf tournaments for local schools and attends community events to not only create visibility for Pest Brothers but also to honor their roots.

    “We were sponsors at the golf tournament for [my son’s] high school, where we get a lot of leads,” Jose says. “We advertise wherever we can because those are the folks who have fed us when we weren’t necessarily getting to Yelp’s Top 100.”

    Related: This Is What the CEO of Kickstarter Wishes Aspiring Entrepreneurs Knew

    Still, the brothers knew there was more they could do to boost online visibility. They saw Yelp as an opportunity to attract more leads, and the investment paid off quickly. “We tried out the free trial [of Yelp Ads], and it was an absolute success — almost like we flipped a light switch, and [leads] tremendously started flowing in,” Michael says.

    They received such an influx of attention from homeowners that they decided to stop sending out snail mail advertisements, which can have a low success rate.

    “Whenever we receive a lead on Yelp, it’s about speed to lead,” Michael says. “The more quickly we can reach out, the more quickly we can get to that house, service it and win that lead.”

    Its Yelp presence does more than lead generation, however. It also builds trust and helps turn potential customers into loyal, long-term regulars. Especially in the pest control and home service industry, a new customer doesn’t always mean one job. Every new lead is a chance to create a recurring customer — and the opportunities are rolling in for Pest Brothers.

    “These are folks that if you do a good job, they’re gonna reward you for a long period of time,” Michael says. “In terms of the Yelp leads I saw on our dashboard, views on our page have increased by 576% over the past 30 days [since winning Yelp’s Top 100]. You talk about market awareness — that’s tremendous. That’s viral if I’ve ever seen it, so it’s been awesome for us.”

    Once you have your audience’s attention, Jose emphasized how important it is to set clear expectations, such as how long a treatment will take or when the customer will see results. It’s this type of transparency that builds credibility, prevents confusion and earns five-star reviews.

    When mistakes inevitably happen, the brothers acknowledge them with grace, reaching out personally to customers to make things right. “If somebody calls you, you can definitely rectify their issue as soon as you can,” Jose says. “That’s literally the whole point of being a small business, [being] able to do that.”

    Related: She Created the Dance Studio She Was Looking For. Now, It’s a Nationwide Brand.

    After building Pest Brothers from a two-man operation into one of the most trusted pest control companies in the Miami area, co-founders Michael and Jose share what’s helped them succeed in the competitive home service industry:

    • Lead with trust. Customers extend trust when they let you into their homes and workplaces. Be reliable, show up when you say you will and treat every space with respect.
    • Invest in relationships. Repeat customers and referrals are the lifeblood of a service business. Learn people’s names, remember their concerns and treat every job as an opportunity to strengthen the connection.
    • Use tools to work smarter. From routing software to online reviews, technology can save time, improve efficiency and help you better serve customers. Leverage different platforms and tools to stay organized, respond faster and build your reputation.
    • Stay adaptable. Every job is different. Be ready to adjust your approach and keep learning new methods to stay competitive and efficient.
    • Build a reputation that lasts. Home services are about more than solving a specific problem. They’re about creating peace of mind. When people know you genuinely care about their home or business, they’ll trust you for years to come.

    Watch the episode above to hear directly from Michael and Jose Rodriguez, and subscribe to Behind the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Wednesday.

    Editorial contributions by Jiah Choe and Kristi Lindahl

    Ready to break through your revenue ceiling? Join us at Level Up, a conference for ambitious business leaders to unlock new growth opportunities.

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    Emily Washcovick

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  • Take These 5 Steps to Future-Proof Your Business | Entrepreneur

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    Small businesses are facing strong headwinds in today’s dynamic business environment. Technology is evolving faster than entrepreneurs can keep up with, market and consumer demands are constantly changing, and there seems to be a new economic or geopolitical disruption every week. Surviving in this landscape requires businesses to have robust strategies and systems in place while simultaneously remaining nimble. This pressure is exceedingly difficult to tackle as the business grows.

    To thrive in this volatile business landscape, a comprehensive and resilient strategy is absolutely essential. This involves establishing robust frameworks that allow your business to absorb shocks and swiftly recover from constant change. With technological advancements, particularly AI, businesses must proactively adapt their operations and integrate new tools to avoid being outpaced by agile competitors. Developing a strategy that ensures core functions remain stable under pressure while aligning with your personal and professional vision is paramount for long-term success.

    Related: Follow These 7 Business Strategies to Future-Proof Your Business

    1. Audit and streamline operational processes

    The foundational step to future-proofing your business is to have a deep understanding of your business’s operational processes. The good news here is that for startup entrepreneurs, you were likely involved in their creation. The bad news is that it can be difficult to spot inefficiencies because of internal biases, which is why it’s important to engage other members of your team to participate in the process.

    Start by mapping out all of your critical business processes. Having clearly documented processes allows your business to function like a well-oiled machine. It ensures that everyone is on the same page and working together. As you go through this exercise, look for opportunities to improve tasks that are repetitive, time-consuming and prone to human error. By formalizing your processes, you are future-proofing from the standpoint of reducing dependency on the founder and ensuring critical operations aren’t reliant on a single person.

    2. Leverage technology for automation

    Once you have clearly documented processes, you can strategically leverage technology, including AI, to automate repetitive tasks and drive efficiency. This entails developing a technology roadmap to identify gaps, research emerging solutions and plan seamless integration.

    It’s important to prioritize solutions that solve specific problems and integrate smoothly, such as AI-powered chatbots for customer interactions, predictive analytics for inventory and automation for administrative tasks. Thoughtful implementation can boost efficiency, minimize errors and free your team for strategic work.

    In addition, automation should generate actionable data, allowing your team to identify areas for continuous improvement and proactively spot future disruptions.

    Related: 90% of Your Business Could Be Automated With Just These 4 Tools

    3. Build a culture of delegation

    While technology provides powerful tools, a business cannot truly scale if decisions and critical tasks consistently bottleneck with the business owner. This is why a pivotal step in future-proofing involves actively building a culture of delegation and empowerment within your team. As a business owner, it’s critical to start systematically delegating tasks and responsibilities by providing clear guidelines, comprehensive training and the necessary authority for team members to succeed independently.

    The ultimate goal is to foster an environment where employees are encouraged to take ownership, proactively solve problems and contribute ideas. From a future-proofing perspective, a strong, empowered team is fully capable of adapting and performing effectively even in your absence.

    4. Develop a talent strategy

    Your team is your greatest asset. A solid future-proofing strategy involves more than just hiring. It means actively attracting, developing and retaining adaptable talent, skilled in new technologies. For your existing team, be sure to invest in ongoing training and skill development to ensure their capabilities keep pace with technological advancements and market demands.

    A skilled and adaptable workforce is essential for navigating change, implementing new strategies and embracing new tools. A proactive talent strategy ensures that your team is prepared to meet future demands and leverage emerging technologies effectively.

    5. Foster a mindset of continuous innovation

    To truly future-proof your business, entrepreneurs should encourage a mindset of continuous improvement and innovation. You can do this by encouraging experimentation and allowing your team to make small mistakes and learn from failures. By building agility into your operational planning and decision-making, you are setting up the team to be nimble when unforeseen market challenges arise. Having a culture that embraces change and actively seeks new ideas will enable you to better identify and capitalize on future trends, rather than being overwhelmed.

    Related: The Power of Continuous Innovation — and 3 Easy Ways Your Company Can Achieve It

    There is a lot of uncertainty about the future. With rapid changes due to technology and other factors, it’s impossible to predict the resources, skills and strategies businesses will need to survive. It’s critical for every entrepreneur to take the time to carefully consider what they can do to strengthen the resilience of their businesses and position themselves to take advantage of new and emerging opportunities.

    Small businesses are facing strong headwinds in today’s dynamic business environment. Technology is evolving faster than entrepreneurs can keep up with, market and consumer demands are constantly changing, and there seems to be a new economic or geopolitical disruption every week. Surviving in this landscape requires businesses to have robust strategies and systems in place while simultaneously remaining nimble. This pressure is exceedingly difficult to tackle as the business grows.

    To thrive in this volatile business landscape, a comprehensive and resilient strategy is absolutely essential. This involves establishing robust frameworks that allow your business to absorb shocks and swiftly recover from constant change. With technological advancements, particularly AI, businesses must proactively adapt their operations and integrate new tools to avoid being outpaced by agile competitors. Developing a strategy that ensures core functions remain stable under pressure while aligning with your personal and professional vision is paramount for long-term success.

    Related: Follow These 7 Business Strategies to Future-Proof Your Business

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    Nicholas Leighton

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  • Your Step-by-Step Guide to a Successful Rebrand | Entrepreneur

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    Rebranding is a complex process aimed at changing your brand’s identity in the minds of consumers, employees and other stakeholders. On the surface, it is easy to think of rebranding as simply developing a new logo or slogan for your organization.

    However, true rebranding exercises go deeper and have the power to change the trajectory of your entire business. Brands of all sizes choose to refresh their identity to grow with existing audiences, reach new customers or acknowledge mergers and acquisitions. No matter the reason for your rebrand, follow the steps in this guide to complete the process successfully.

    Related: When to Consider a Rebrand (and How to Do It Right)

    Understanding the need for rebranding

    There are both obvious and more subtle signs to tell brand teams that their brand is becoming dated. Changes in your product or service offerings, shifts in the entire industry and competitive pressures are among the more obvious signs that it’s time to rebrand. Declining sales or market share are two more reasons to consider updating your brand.

    In addition, rebranding can help your company expand into new markets and reach new target audiences. On the other hand, your need to rebrand may be driven by less obvious causes like an outdated brand image or negative customer perception. The latter two can be harder to identify.

    Assessing brand health

    Assessing brand health is often the first step in deciding whether or not you need to rebrand. Start by analyzing overall market trends and considering how competitors have positioned themselves. How does your company compare?

    To better understand customer sentiment about your brand, conduct surveys and focus groups, and use social media listening to gauge your standing among existing audiences.

    Best practices for rebranding

    Once your team has committed to rebranding, follow these best practices to ensure the process works smoothly and successfully.

    Step 1: Define your objectives

    Like other aspects of strategic marketing, effective rebranding begins with defining your objectives and ensuring they are aligned with your overall business strategy. Without clarifying what you want to achieve, it becomes impossible to reach your target.

    Step 2: Research and analysis

    Conduct research to gain a clear picture of industry trends, customer preferences and competitor strategies in your field. A SWOT analysis, detailing your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, is another useful tool to inform the next steps of your rebranding process.

    Step 3: Involve stakeholders

    Engage with employees from the beginning. Their insights can be invaluable, and fostering a sense of ownership right from the beginning will help the entire team embrace the new brand identity. If your business has been established for some time, ask loyal customers for feedback to understand their views of your brand and potential expectations from the changes.

    Related: The Strategic Guide to Successful Rebranding

    Develop a comprehensive brand strategy

    A comprehensive brand strategy is the cornerstone of an impactful rebranding exercise. Start by crafting a positioning statement that clarifies how you want to be perceived in the market. This statement will become your North Star during the rest of the process.

    With the positioning statement in place, your team can work on a marketing and communication plan. This plan outlines how you will communicate the rebrand to internal and external audiences to ensure everyone is not only kept up to date but remains engaged with the plan.

    Craft a unique brand story

    Your brand story needs to lie at the heart of all marketing messaging. Check your existing narrative to see whether it connects emotionally to your audiences and communicates both your brand values and your mission.

    Make sure your brand voice and personality are consistent across all channels and resonate with your audiences.

    Visual identity redesign

    Most rebranding processes include redesigning your visual identity. When it comes to updating your logo and other design elements, you’re looking to bring the brand’s heritage into the present to create a modern, cohesive look that reflects the brand’s essence.

    Implementation and rollout

    With all the rebranding building blocks in place, it is time to plan your launch strategy. For most brands, a phased rollout works best — this allows audiences to prepare themselves and builds excitement before the actual launch date. Both teaser campaigns and well-publicized launch events can work very effectively.

    Internally, it is important to provide employees with resources and the appropriate training to help them implement the new brand effectively and avoid the continued use of the old brand identity.

    Monitoring and evaluation

    Once your new brand identity is in circulation, it is time to monitor the effectiveness of the rebranding. Consider tracking key performance indicators (KPIs), like brand awareness and customer engagement, and compare the results to the previous identity.

    Create a feedback loop for customers and employees to simplify continuous feedback gathering. You should also be prepared to make small adjustments if necessary.

    Related: I Recently Rebranded My Entire Company — Here are 12 Strategies I Learned to Take My Brand to the Next Level

    Challenges

    Rebranding can represent a big change, especially for brands that have not changed their identity in a long time. Considering potential challenges and planning for them will help your team navigate them smoothly.

    Internal and external resistance

    Both customers and employees may be resistant to changing a much-loved brand identity. Addressing their fears and clearly communicating the reasons for the rebrand can be very effective at minimizing resistance to change.

    Financial constraints

    Rebranding can be costly. Set your budget from the beginning and ensure every step of your rebranding process is covered, including research, design, implementation and communication.

    Maintaining brand equity

    One of the most critical aspects of rebranding is maintaining existing brand equity while updating your identity. Try to honor the brand’s legacy and history while striving for a fresh look.

    Legal considerations

    Work with your legal team to ensure compliance with existing trademarks and avoid infringement issues.

    Rebranding can give your company and your brand a new lease of life. This process has the potential to attract new audiences or reignite existing customers’ enthusiasm. Following this step-by-step guide will make for a smooth and impactful rebranding process.

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    Jessica Wong

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