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Tag: Making a change

  • How This Founder Helped Families Bring Close to 150 Babies Into the World | Entrepreneur

    How This Founder Helped Families Bring Close to 150 Babies Into the World | Entrepreneur

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    National Infertility Awareness Week kicks off on April 23rd, but it’s a topic that Pamela Hirsch is thinking about every day of the year. Hirsch has helped bring close to 150 babies into the world through her nonprofit Baby Quest Foundation. She sat down with Jessica Abo to share her story, how you can get involved and her advice for people trying to conceive. Click on the video above to watch the full interview.

    Jessica Abo: Pamela, your foundation has allocated more than 2.8 million dollars in grants to people trying to have a baby. What inspired you to start Baby Quest?

    When our younger daughter was 28, she and her husband decided it was time to start a family. First, it was a miscarriage, which you kind of expect because that happens usually one in four times. It wasn’t terrifically unexpected. And she started with Clomid, progressed to IUIs, and then that didn’t work, and went to IVF. She did several rounds of IVF and each was successful. Each round resulted in pregnancy; but, unfortunately, ended the eighth or ninth week in a miscarriage after hearing a heartbeat. Obviously, that was a long period of upset and tears and frustration because nothing seemed to be working.

    Fortunately, our family was blessed financially and we were able to say, “We will help you with hiring a surrogate.” And that was what enabled her to have a child. And now she has two, each carried by a surrogate. She actually owns a surrogacy agency Abundant Beginnings now after going through this experience. I realized that many, many people are not as fortunate to be able to help their daughter or son have a child when they reach an empath. And infertility treatment is so expensive and not generally covered by insurance. So that is why I started Baby Quest to, hopefully, pay forward our good fortune having seen our daughter become a mother.

    What inspired you to go from being a supportive mom to the founder of a foundation?

    I had just come off a career, a very active career with several hundred people who worked for me. I really was kind of at a loss personally. My family had just moved to Los Angeles. Our daughters were grown. One had two children already. The other had graduated from college a few years before. It truly came at the right time. It filled a personal void for me having something to do, and I latched onto it. The more I did work with Baby Quest and did the work involved, the more motivated I got to make it successful.

    How does Baby Quest work?

    We take in money and we give out money. It’s as simple as that. It’s a grant that people receive. We send it to the clinic, to the pharmacy, to the family formation attorney, to a psych evaluation if it’s a surrogacy, and to any entity that needs to be paid. People look at our website, there are two application cycles per year, and the people apply. They tell us about themselves. They tell us their professional history, their medical, their financial, their educational. And then there are several committees. The first one is a committee of seven, which happens to be women, many of whom have gone through in vitro or surrogacy themselves. They look at the applications. Then the ones that get passed through go to a financial committee and then those get passed on to the medical committee. It is extremely difficult. It’s painful to try to select applicants. But it takes us four to six weeks and hopefully, we come up with the most deserving viable as far as pregnancy possibilities that we can give grants to.

    What can you share about some of the applicants?

    I’m really proud of the candidates for grants who we have selected as grant recipients throughout the years. They are amazing. They are teachers, nurses, firefighters, social workers, and hardworking people — people who have struggled in order to have a child, which has been their one big dream. They have been totally frustrated with their inability to proceed with treatment after having devastated their savings and still not having a child. The applicants are amazing, the stories that I’ve read of same-sex couples, transgender couples, and people losing children because they didn’t know they had a genetic condition that was fatal. So many amazing people who are just struggling. And they’re not celebrities, they’re not famous. They’re amazing down to earth people who need help.

    How does Baby Quest support cancer patients and members of the military?

    Each time that we do a grant selection, we always select an applicant as a recipient who served either past or present in the military, whether it’s the female or male. We also try to select a recipient whose fertility has been affected by cancer. That does not necessarily mean a woman. It could be a man who had testicular cancer. It’s really sad. With the military, we have funded several applicants in the past who have been wounded in action. And even having been wounded in action, they do not receive infertility benefits. Fortunately, we’ve been able to step in and provide fertility coverage for them.

    At what point did you know that you were making a difference?

    When I see how many applications we got in this last cycle. I know there are still so many more people to help. I really don’t want to feel like I’ve reached a certain end or goal or whatever. And I really feel the motivation to keep expanding and keep growing the foundation to help more people, till everybody has insurance coverage.

    How can people support what you’re doing?

    The recipients are really great about planning pizza nights or hikes. We’ve done some SoulCycle, Peloton classes, things like that. Little fundraisers, little luncheons. We always need help with these. Sometimes it’s people who come to us and they say, “Oh, I have a company that makes t-shirts. I can help you do that.” Or other ways people can help. If you have a birthday coming up, if you have a baby’s birthday coming up, there have been some very, very generous people who have written in their invitations and they say, “Instead of giving gifts, please donate to Baby Quest.” Especially with baby showers, maybe perhaps these are people who have been successful in their IVF journeys or surrogacy journeys and they say that they would like to pass along their good fortune to other people who can’t afford paying for in vitro or surrogacy. And so they do it through donations. They ask their guests to donate.

    There are several women who have jewelry companies and they designate a Baby Quest day and they say if you buy something that day, they will donate a portion of proceeds to Baby Quest. So we are really fortunate in that way. And that’s how we can raise money to give to recipients.

    Several celebrities support Baby Quest, too. Who are some of the people who have gotten involved?

    One of my first celebrities and now friends who helped was a woman named America Olivo and her husband Christian Campbell. They were amazing. Bridget Marquardt, who was on Girls Next Door, chronicled her infertility journey at the time. Chris Mann, who was a contestant on The Voice, who has done a lot and entertained at several of our galas. There’s Erin Cummings, who is an actress. There’s Jaclyn Misch who has been on Survivor. Kenya Moore, Real Housewives of Atlanta, has been extremely generous and gracious, gracious and a donation that now has enabled two recipients from her hometown of Detroit to become parents. Another is Kristin McGee, who is a Peloton instructor, and a yoga instructor who will be starting a series soon called Fertility Friday, where she’s going to be talking about fitness and fertility. Those are just some of the ambassadors that have worked with us and we’re hoping to add more this year.

    Finally, Pam, what do you want to say to the person out there who’s struggling to have a baby?

    Try to put yourself in the best place as far as being as healthy as you can, check out the reputation, and the status of the clinic that you’re going to, and find the best possible source of professional help. And doing your research, trying to find the best options and hopefully researching loans or grants. Because without funds and without insurance, unfortunately, it’s difficult. And yet there are options out there. It’s so frustrating to me when we have a grant deadline and people will email and say, “I just found out about you.” We are not a big enough charity to have a huge advertising budget and buy pages and pages of ads and newspapers or on the radio or TV. So people find out about us through word of mouth. It’s frustrating when people who need to know there’s a grant program don’t know about it. So the more exposure that we can get, the better. The more people will know about us and be able to apply and donate.

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    Jessica Abo

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  • Learn How to Play the Piano Online for a Special Discount | Entrepreneur

    Learn How to Play the Piano Online for a Special Discount | Entrepreneur

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    Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

    Hard work is good and all, but you can’t reach your entrepreneurial heights if you don’t give yourself a break once in a while to recover. That’s why having a hobby is such an asset for entrepreneurs.

    Don’t have one? Try learning the piano. There’s a great way to do it from the comfort of home. Skoove Premium Piano Lessons boasts a community of more than one million people learning the piano and keyboard through interactive lessons designed for players of all levels. The intuitive app uses artificial intelligence to recognize the notes you play, identify weaknesses, and develop a lesson plan that meets you at your current skill level. Everything is individualized, so you can learn at your own pace.

    Skoove includes a library of 400 lessons and thousands of instructional videos, making it possible to go from absolute beginner to advanced pianist. You can practice with chart hits from John Legend and The Beatles; classical pieces by Bach and Beethoven; or even learn to compose your own melodies.

    Skoove has earned 4.4/5 stars on the Google Play Store and is an Apple Editors’ Choice Award Winner with a 4.5/5-star rating on the App Store. The Guardian writes, “Eventually, notes, keys and names fall into place – I even play four suspiciously simple bars of Bach by sight! With both hands! Success!”

    If you’ve ever wanted to learn the piano, this course package makes it more accessible than ever. Right now, you can get a special deal on a lifetime subscription.

    Sign up for Skoove Premium Piano Lessons for 53% off $299 at just $149.99 for a limited time.

    Prices subject to change.

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    Entrepreneur Store

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  • Don’t Want A Traditional Career? Here’s How To Build A “Portfolio Career” With Many Sources of Income | Entrepreneur

    Don’t Want A Traditional Career? Here’s How To Build A “Portfolio Career” With Many Sources of Income | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Are you too curious for a traditional, long-term career path?

    Maybe you want to try too many things. Or you become restless in one job. You don’t want to be locked down. You’d rather have multiple sources of income.

    There’s a movement that captures this perspective: It’s the “portfolio career” — a term that was created in the 1980s, but has become especially popular in recent years, as many people feel more empowered to explore their purpose, skillset, and ambition.

    But if you haven’t gone down this path yet, how do you start? Or if you have begun, how do you make sure your commitments and responsibilities continue to align with your personal values, objectives and goals?

    To start, try this four-step exercise. It won’t produce all the answers about how your portfolio career will look — because, of course, you can only produce those answers yourself — but it will give you a way to structure your thoughts and plans. And you can revisit it over time. As your goals and ambitions evolve, use the exercise as a way to refocus..

    Step 1: Make a list.

    First, make a long list of all of your skills, abilities and talents. Be generous with the scope of the list; you’ll want to include everything you can think of that’s work-related or not. If it feels uncomfortable to list out your skills, you can complete this exercise from a third-person perspective, as if you were an outsider making an objective assessment. Use any feedback you’ve received in the past to guide you, or any positive responses you’ve had to your past work or initiatives.

    To help you kickstart the process, consider the following questions:

    ● What skills or talents are you known for, either among your friends or among your professional network?

    ● Was there anything you were particularly good at as a child? Anything people would have remembered you for?

    ● Do you have any key passions, interests or pursuits? Think, in particular, of the things you love doing so much that you’d do them even if you were bad at them. In other words, what are the things that you’re willing to dedicate time to because of the joy within the activity itself, rather than the outcome?

    ● Which parts of your life would you continue pursuing if you had no financial pressure? Which parts would you continue pursuing if you had no social pressure (in other words, if no one was looking)?

    ● Complete the following sentence using a description of your professional identity: my name is [X], and my main professional focus is [Y]. After you complete the sentence using your current role and position, reconsider it from a purely hypothetical position. How would you change it, if you could? Ideally, what would you like it to say?

    Step 2: Evaluate

    Go back through your answers and look for patterns. Pick out keywords, phrases and indicators that come up often. Perhaps highlight or underline them in a different color, if it helps. See if you can spot consistencies, themes or general principles emerging.

    Now ask: if you were to select three elements to comprise your portfolio career, which ones would you keep? Which ones would you leave behind?

    Step 3: Drill Down

    Once you have some general themes or ideas, it’s time to get even more specific. Map out an ideal “day in the life” of your portfolio career. Be intentional and precise with the details. What time does your day start? What’s the first activity you do? Do you spend your day at your desk, or elsewhere? When do you take breaks, and what do you do with them? When do you finish your day, and is there anything you schedule into your personal time afterwards?

    This step starts with the building blocks of your portfolio skills and abilities, and then shapes them into an idealistic version of reality. You can rerun this step as many times as you want, shifting parts around and redesigning until you get an idea of the typical day you’d like to have.

    Step 4: Create A Plan

    Finally, using all the materials and suggestions from the steps above, you can now map out the elements necessary to build your ideal portfolio career. What practical skills, talents, abilities and interests are most important to focus on?

    You don’t need to think immediately about how to make money from them, either — your portfolio might start off with a collection of skills you’ll work on or study over time, and only turn into streams of income later. For now, just pick out the main blocks you’d like for the foundation of your portfolio and note them down somewhere.

    Over the coming weeks, make a commitment to yourself to revisit your portfolio plan. As you start to develop a clearer idea of how you’d like your working life to look, you can begin to get practical. What small steps can you take to start to bring your portfolio elements into reality? Could you, for example, sign up to a training or course that introduces you to a new industry? Could you reach out to your network or contacts about potential new opportunities?

    As always, when it comes to the work of designing your career, the process might take some time. Try to avoid rushing.instead, see it as a period of exploration, and an opportunity to get to know yourself and your interests on a deeper level. If you stay focused, committed and persistent, your next steps often become clearer sooner than you’d expect.

    This article is excerpted from Eloise Skinner’s new book, But Are You Alive?, an exploration of finding depth in everyday life. You can order it here.

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    Eloise Skinner

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  • What Is the Economic Impact of Hiring Autistic, Neurodivergent and Disabled Talent? Here’s What You Should Know. | Entrepreneur

    What Is the Economic Impact of Hiring Autistic, Neurodivergent and Disabled Talent? Here’s What You Should Know. | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Much as the world sings paeans of praise about how disability inclusion has become an integral part of workplace culture, concerns around return on investment remain a major deterrence for many organizations not to hire autistic, neurodivergent and disabled people at scale. These concerns stem from ignorance at best and ableism at worst. In this article, I am going to present nine compelling reasons why disability inclusion benefits not just workplaces but also the overall economy of a community or country in several ways.

    1. Increased productivity and decreased support costs

    Ever wondered why a workplace that is homogenous in terms of a lack of diversity seems to hit a productivity plateau every so often? Do people lack the motivation to push forward, or does the apparent sameness of thoughts and approaches breed an invisible culture of doing just enough to not get fired?

    Autistic, neurodivergent and disabled people can be the missing piece in the productivity puzzle. They often bring unique talents, strengths and perspectives to the workplace, leading to increased productivity, better problem-solving and innovation.

    In addition, employing autistic, neurodivergent and disabled people helps them become financially independent, which, in turn, decreases their dependence on government allowances while also lowering the cost of various community support services such as adult care, according to a PubMed Central® report.

    Related: Why Microsoft, Chase and Others Are Hiring More People With Autism

    2. GDP growth

    A study by Accenture, Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities revealed that closing the employment gap between people with disabilities and people without disabilities could help boost the GDP of the U.S. economy by up to $25 billion (about $77 per person in the US).

    Therefore, it is a no-brainer that promoting disability-inclusive hiring practices and reducing employment gaps can have a positive impact on the overall economy of a country.

    3. Increased consumer spending

    As I mentioned earlier, autistic, neurodivergent and disabled people bring innovation and creativity to the workplace. With innovation comes better and more intuitive products and services that cater to a wider range of consumers, leading to increased consumer spending within a given marketplace. It is also possible to create new revenue streams if those products and services are specifically designed for consumers from niche markets such as hearing and visual aids, weight loss supplements, telehealth services for rural populations, gaming, etc.

    Additionally, when neurodivergent or disabled people are employed, they often have more disposable income to spend on goods and services. This increased spending capacity can help revitalize the economy.

    4. Lower turnover

    Disabled employees tend to have lower turnover rates, which can bring down the costs associated with talent attraction, hiring and training.

    According to a Job Accommodation Network (JAN) survey, 44% of accommodations for disabled employees cost less than $500, and the rest of the accommodations cost nothing at all. These findings, when contrasted with the cost of replacing an employee, which can range from 50% to 200% depending on their annual salary, further this benefit as reported by Enrich citing a study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

    5. Increased customer satisfaction

    By hiring employees who better represent the diverse population of customers, businesses provide better customer service and improve overall customer satisfaction.

    A ResearchGate publication found that 92% of customers were more inclined to buy products and services from businesses that hire people with disabilities, and 87% said they would prefer to support businesses that actively hire people with disabilities.

    This brings me to my next point.

    Related: 4 Ways Diversity Is Directly Linked to Profitability

    6. Improving brand reputation

    Companies that demonstrate a commitment to disability inclusion are often viewed more favorably by consumers. This leads to increased brand loyalty and investment. In addition, the disability community, along with their family and friends, is a significant market worth trillions of dollars. By sharing the success stories of disabled employees and their families, companies can create a satisfied and loyal customer base, happy employees and a positive brand image through word-of-mouth marketing.

    7. Tax benefits

    Employing disabled individuals can offer businesses numerous tax benefits, including the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, Disabled Access Credit and the Architectural Barrier Removal Tax Deduction — among other incentives. The extent of these benefits depends on the accommodation provided by the business for the employee, potentially resulting in substantial credits or returns.

    8. Local economic and environmental impact

    Sourcing disabled candidates locally stimulates the local economy through the creation of job opportunities in the immediate area — ones that may be impractical for people coming from distant locations due to transportation and relocation issues. When local people are employed, they are more likely to spend their money locally, which contributes to the growth of other local businesses. Working locally also means employees can avoid long commutes, which lowers their carbon footprints and helps build a more sustainable future.

    9. Social impact

    Hiring autistic, neurodivergent and disabled people helps break down stereotypes, reduce social stigma and discrimination, promote inclusion and create a positive social impact in the community. When individuals who are autistic, neurodivergent and disabled see others like them succeeding and achieving recognition in their community, it benefits not only them but everyone who supports them.

    Hiring autistic, neurodivergent and disabled people goes beyond altruism. It strengthens the bottom line of an organization and provides numerous broader economic, social and environmental benefits that positively impact the well-being of any community or nation.

    Related: How Leaders Can Support and Embrace The Untapped Potential of Neurodiverse Talent

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    Nish Parikh

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  • 3 Key Lessons I Learned While Working for P. Diddy | Entrepreneur

    3 Key Lessons I Learned While Working for P. Diddy | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The only thing I love more than sports is music, more specifically the art and science of music production and the business of music and entertainment. In fact, in the process of completing my University degree in business, I enrolled in community college courses to learn the basics of audio engineering and music production. I wanted to be a music mogul. I wanted to be P. Diddy.

    So, one afternoon while browsing the music catalogue of the Notorious B.I.G., I stumbled upon the careers page for Atlantic Records and Bad Boy Entertainment. There was a newly posted opportunity: Join Bad Boy and Atlantic Records international marketing team.

    I knew my odds of getting the gig were low, but I said screw it, “what would Puff do?”

    One week after submitting my application, I heard back from a recruiter who said the hiring manager liked my content samples as a beat writer for a Fantasy Football website. He also needed help building out his fantasy football roster. I got the job.

    That next day, I notified the registrar that I was taking a leave of absence after my Spring Semester and dropping out to move to New York to become a music mogul.

    This is what I learned in the process of working for P. Diddy and Bad Boy Entertainment — and how I’ve applied these insights to my own personal development and journey as a professional and entrepreneur.

    Related: From Paper Boy to Music Mogul: Entrepreneurship Lessons From Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

    Land and expand

    Before joining the label, I had a very limited view into all of the alternative revenue streams that existed outside of the music catalogue. I assumed the majority of artists made their fortunes from their work in the studio. However, it became clearer to me that the music was the catalyst for building a brand that transcended Billboard charts.

    Obviously, the music had to be incredible; However, Diddy was one of the first to extend the value of his brand into other categories that have made him a billionaire, such as fashion, media and alcohol. He was able to build thriving businesses that were connected to his brand persona. What’s more, he invested time and energy into businesses he understood. The intersection of those two forces had compounding effects.

    I now apply this model to every new opportunity I evaluate or take on. I know that I have experience in enterprise SaaS sales with a passion for company building at the earliest stages. It’s what led me to start my podcast, it informs which companies I invest in and advise, and it’ll ultimately help influence which company I build next.

    Whether you’re a music icon or a business-to-business SaaS founder, once you’ve mastered your craft and established a brand persona and reputation in your space, diversify your channels of impact by expanding into connected categories in the domains that you know well.

    Related: Lessons on Innovation and Evolution From 3 Top Hip-Hop Artists

    The muffins matter

    During the release of Making the Band‘s solo artist Donnie Klang’s album, “Like a Rolling Stone,” I met P. Diddy for the first time. Diddy hosted a release party in Atlantic Record CEO Craig Kallman’s office, and I was there to represent International Marketing.

    Diddy sat in the middle of a room as the entire album played from start to finish on the giant tower speakers. He listened to every track, barely able to keep himself from dancing out of the chair. At the same time, he critiqued every track and every lyric, while he surveyed the room to see the impact that the music and the environment were having on his audience.

    Twenty minutes in, he pointed to the sky and asked to stop the music. He looked over in my direction and asked one of his assistants, “Who’s the guy by the breakfast table?” I introduced myself, to which he replied, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This room needs some #$#% muffins.” Following the breakfast incident, later that day, I remember seeing a copy of a press release with Diddy’s approval on it for the album to ensure that the quality was up to his standards. His attention to the details and involvement in so many of the seemingly smaller decisions are what stuck with me.

    As entrepreneurs, we are often faced with the question of how to “run the business” without being “run by the business,” as well as when to delegate or take ownership in order to scale. Personally, I struggled with this when we were attempting to scale our sales efforts at my company, Disco, and ultimately realized that I needed to be more heavily involved in the direct selling effort to ensure that our brand, positioning and message were on point with the story we were selling.

    If you’re hosting a party, make sure the party is awesome before you decide to leave the room. If you want the party to remain awesome, the details matter. Even the muffins.

    Related: When Should a CEO Get Involved in Day-to-Day Details?

    Keep reinventing yourself

    Sean Combs has taken on many identities in his lifetime — Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy, and most recently, LOVE — all showcase the evolution, growth and maturation of a music icon, entrepreneur and father. Similarly, the music industry itself has undergone several evolutions and identity shifts. Retail sales were disrupted by digital distribution, which was enhanced through the improving infrastructure of the web and streaming.

    Watching this play out in real time taught me that we’re all a work in progress and that it’s important to continue to evaluate our position to stay relevant but also true to ourselves.

    After a year and a half in New York in an unpaid internship, bartending in NJ, cleaning up vomit to make ends meet and eventually losing everything I owned in an apartment break-in, I decided it was time to reinvent myself. To my parents’ delight, I returned to college to finish my degree.

    To be clear, my return to school wasn’t just driven by the barrage of pastry requests I was getting at the label. After seeing what was happening in the business of music and the disruption occurring to their business model, I knew I needed to get closer to the source of where those services were being built. I felt like I could build relationships with a network of entrepreneurs working on the business I cared about.

    Two months later, I interviewed for a job at Intuit. And to this day, I haven’t eaten another muffin.

    Here are a few points to summarize what I learned from working for P. Diddy and my experience as a “music mogul.”

    • Land and expand: Once you’ve nailed your craft or created your niche, experiment with channels to extend your impact in connected categories that you know well.

    • The muffins matter: Great founders don’t “run the business,” but they do sweat the details.

    • Keep reinventing yourself: Don’t be afraid to experiment and revisit your purpose or explore an alternative path that might help you get to the place you aspire to be.

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    Justin Vandehey

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  • This $70 App Aims to Help Entrepreneurs Fit Personal Growth into Their Daily Lives | Entrepreneur

    This $70 App Aims to Help Entrepreneurs Fit Personal Growth into Their Daily Lives | Entrepreneur

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    Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

    Up to 25% of business owners say they work more than 60 hours a week. While that doesn’t leave much time for personal growth, it doesn’t mean you have to stop learning or growing; You just have to make it fit into your busy schedule. Headway is an app that pulls actionable insights from well-known non-fiction books. Getting through a full book may take days or weeks, but you can work through a Headway insight in minutes. If you want to start putting growth back in your daily agenda, get a lifetime subscription to Headway Premium during the Spring Digital Blowout while it’s only $69.99.

    While the life of an entrepreneur is pretty packed, it only takes 15 minutes to work through an insight from Headway. Start inserting personalized learning sessions throughout your day and learn new things without compromising your work or personal time. Summaries can be read or listened to in audio formats narrated by professional voice actors.

    Headway insights are gathered from best-selling non-fiction books, but they do not replace the book itself. If you find an insight that you resonate with strongly, that might be a sign to read the book from which it came. You’ll also get personalized recommendations and relevant content for your areas of interest.

    Join 15+ million users in turning personal growth into a habit with rewards. As you work through your daily insights, you can track your progress and collect achievements. Or, as a TechCrunch reviewer puts it, “Creating gamifying elements on the Headway app has partially met the need to study with excitement, not boredom.”

    During the Spring Digital Blowout, you can get a Premium Lifetime Subscription to Headway for $69.99 (reg. $299) — a best-of-web price!

    Prices subject to change.

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  • How to Heal Emotional Scars from Past Jobs | Entrepreneur

    How to Heal Emotional Scars from Past Jobs | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    “Jena, I think I have PTSD from my last role. It’s impacting how I show up at my new job, and I don’t know what to do about it.”

    While this person almost always certainly doesn’t qualify for a PTSD diagnosis, the pain in their statement is real. It’s incredibly common to experience a significant negative event at work such as bullying, harassment, discrimination or job loss. For example, a study by the Workplace Bullying Institute found that 19% of workers have experienced workplace bullying, while a study by Zippia found that 83% of U.S. workers suffer from work-related stress.

    Related: 5 Simple Ways to Reduce Stress and Enjoy Your Work

    How professional scar tissue shows up in new roles

    The psychological impact of these events can carry forward into a new role in substantial ways. Common ways professional scar tissue carries forward into a new professional chapter include the following:

    1. Hypervigilance: You are always on the lookout for the shoe to drop. You don’t expect things to go well for you. You are anxious, intense and on edge. This impacts your ability to effectively collaborate with others because you are always expecting the worst.

    2. People-pleasing: You go above and beyond, have few boundaries and are always saying “yes.” You are afraid of disappointing others because if someone is unhappy with you, you fear losing your job or not getting the recognition you deserve.

    3. Micromanaging: You are involved in details you don’t need to be involved in. If you know absolutely everything about everything, you have more control over your situation. This causes people to get annoyed at you. You are labeled as being too “in the weeds” and not giving people enough space to do their job.

    4. Being overly cautious: It’s important to learn from past mistakes. Sometimes we can take it too far and be overly rigid and inflexible because we are afraid the next mistake might be catastrophic (like it perhaps felt in the last job).

    5. Self-sabotage: If you expect the worst, you are likely to manifest your reality. I often see folks whose fears around failure become all-consuming, and they engage in self-sabotaging behaviors subconsciously. Unfortunately, in these situations, what they fear eventually happens.

    6. Anger: You fear being taken advantage of and struggle with trusting your colleagues. You carry anger from past experiences that have absolutely nothing to do with your current job and team. Your team feels your wrath and intensity and wonders what they did to deserve this.

    Related: Career Trauma Is a Real Thing. Here’s How to Recognize and Recover From It.

    How to manage your career baggage and control your healing journey

    While career baggage is common, it is your responsibility (not your employer’s) to manage it. I often see people expecting their new team and new manager to tiptoe around their triggers. As a business psychologist who has coached dozens of folks who have these sets of challenges, the best outcomes happen when the person with the baggage takes control over their own healing journey. Ways to do this include the following:

    1. Recognize your triggers, and plan for them: It is likely that some new teammates’ personalities remind you of people in your past. Get clear on who those new folks are, how they trigger you and how you can better plan to manage your interactions with them.

    2. Take more breaks: While people are healing from carer baggage, I recommend scheduling more breaks throughout the day. Breaks help to reset the brain. Shake off the energy. Get a healthy snack. Move your body.

    3. Say “no:” If you overextended yourself in your last job and burnt out, learn from the past. Know your limits, and communicate them.

    4. Focus on sleep, good nutrition, exercise and hydration: The basics never die. While you are healing, focus on getting your body healthy. This way, your nervous system is prepped and primed to take on the day.

    5. Focus on building strong relationships: Most career baggage is rooted in trust issues. Developing positive relationships with coworkers and managers can help you build trust and confidence in your new job. Push yourself outside your comfort zone and participate in networking and team-bonding activities.

    6. Gratitude practice: Your new job is not your old job. One way to train your brain into that new reality and avoid falling into old patterns or old behaviors is by having a consistent gratitude practice. Practice giving thanks for the positive aspects of your new role. This will create more psychological separation from past negative experiences.

    Remember that overcoming professional scar tissue is a process that takes time and effort. At the same time, you are responsible for your own healing journey, so take control. While you are on this journey, be patient with yourself and seek help when needed. With the right support and strategies, it is possible to move forward and thrive in your new role.

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    Jena Booher, Ph.D.

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  • How to Master the Floor Plan of Your Goals and Take Ownership of Your Freedom | Entrepreneur

    How to Master the Floor Plan of Your Goals and Take Ownership of Your Freedom | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    We recently held an internal meeting in a conference room at an upscale hotel that was practically a maze. Around the room were several doors, so when one of our group members wanted to find the restroom, he checked behind every single door. He wanted the freedom to use the restroom when he needed it, but door after door, he found none.

    I knew of at least one restroom in the lobby — hardly a quick trip — but after watching my colleague’s fruitless search, I chose to take that long walk whenever I needed it. If I had known more about the hotel’s floor plan, I would have realized there was actually a much shorter route to get to that same restroom. The more I knew about the floor plan, the faster and more efficiently I could have accomplished the task of finding a restroom.

    This is why some people achieve what others cannot: They have a higher level of understanding of the “floor plan” behind achieving those tasks. The goals they have yet to achieve are “the floor plans” they still need to understand better. In fact, with enough knowledge of the floor plan behind it, anyone can achieve whatever they want.

    We all have this freedom at our fingertips — the ability to match what we desire with reality and get what we want. Rather than something we are entitled to have, this freedom is something we have to earn. Of course, there are boundaries — physical, legal and ethical — and one person’s freedom cannot come at the cost of another’s. But within that scope of limitations, the only thing preventing us from what we want is a lack of understanding of the correlation between our desires and what we need to obtain them.

    Related: 5 Steps to Freedom

    What is freedom?

    When I talk about freedom here, I mean each individual having the freedom to get what they want. The key to unlocking our freedom is thoroughly understanding “the floor plan” — the intrinsic laws behind achieving a task. A rocket scientist cannot ignore gravity to make the rocket work. Similarly, a business eager to successfully sell a product or service cannot simply market an item without understanding its intended customer base. They must first identify what products the customers would be interested in, which marketing platforms are most likely to receive customer engagement, the price point this customer group can afford and so on. Businesses have the freedom to achieve lofty business goals, but they must first understand the boundaries within which they operate. The more we know about everything involved in achieving our desires, as well as any limitations in our way, the greater our capacity to obtain them.

    The same idea is applicable to all walks of life. If you wanted to earn a promotion at your current workplace, you would need to first learn everything you could about the position, the criteria to fill it, your strengths and weaknesses as a candidate and background information about the superior doing the hiring. Once you’re more familiar with the path to a promotion, it becomes much easier to convince that supervisor to promote you.

    Understand limitations

    Freedom may be getting whatever I want, but I have to realize and accept the scope of the situation and operate within those limitations to make the most of my freedom. I may want to own the moon, but its physical size and the laws of nature would prevent me from taking possession of it. Similarly, legal or ethical limitations would keep me from legitimately claiming, “The moon is mine.”

    Obtaining the moon is beyond the scope, and attempting it anyway would ignore those limitations. The more I tried to own the moon, the more pain I would encounter in the process. If I disregard the fact that none of the doors in the conference room lead to a restroom, I endure the pain of slamming into dead ends instead of finding the relief of what I actually want.

    Just like we have a better chance of achieving our goals with a greater understanding of everything involved in that process, understanding the floor plan means knowing all about the limitations that might get in the way. We either find a route around those limitations, learn more and put in more effort to create a route around them, or accept that our freedom to obtain this goal is beyond the scope of our ability and invest those efforts more wisely.

    Related: 7 Steps to Achieving Any Goal in Life

    Freedom requires compromise

    Limitations to our freedom are many, but a major limitation to an individual is any other person we encounter in pursuing their freedom. If each individual has the freedom to obtain what they want, what one person wants cannot inhibit what another person wants. Everyone must have equal access to their freedom.

    Equality, in this sense, is not necessarily about everyone getting the same. We all want different things and, as such, freedom will look different to all of us. If we have one apple, equality may not be splitting that apple in half. I hate apples, so I would let someone who wants an apple have it. But if they have the freedom to have an apple because they want it, I should have the freedom to eat an orange because I want it. That’s equality.

    If I wanted the apple, too, then we might need a discussion about how to approach that with equality. This still might not involve a 50/50 split. Maybe I agree to let you have the apple as long as you buy me one from the store later on. To get what we want in this situation, freedom means coming to a compromise where each of us can accept the limitations on our freedoms as being sufficiently equal.

    Master the floor plan

    Mastering a floor plan takes effort. People get what they want through their dedicated efforts to understand more about the layout and routes involved in getting it — the more they know, the better equipped they are for success. If I had known more about the floor plan of the hotel where we had our meeting, I might have also seen the club right next to the conference room with not only a restroom but also a kitchen in case I wanted a snack.

    More effort to learn and understand can potentially earn me more than I set out to obtain. Master the floor plan, take the best route, and get what you want quickly, effectively and efficiently. The framework of these principles is universal and applicable to any scenario, from successfully marketing a product or service to earning a sought-after job promotion and everything else in between.

    Related: How to Create a Mindset That Fuels Your Growth and Gets You What You Want

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    Simin Cai, Ph.D.

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  • 3 Simple Methods To Achieve Work-Life Balance And Combat Decision Fatigue | Entrepreneur

    3 Simple Methods To Achieve Work-Life Balance And Combat Decision Fatigue | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    It’s 8 pm on a Wednesday night. Let’s imagine you’re having dinner with a good friend passing through town for work. Your entrees have just arrived, you clink wine glasses and toast to the occasion. But just as you’re about to pick up your fork, the needy vibration of a cell phone forces you both to pause.

    Hot food. Buzzzzzz…

    Good company. Bzzzzzzzz…

    Decisions, Decisions.

    If this sounds like the setup for a corporate-style Choose Your Own Adventure book, then guilty as charged. Because the reality is that we live (and relive) these choices multiple times per day. If you answered the call, turn to page 27. If you hit Decline and put your phone in your coat pocket, turn to page 32.

    Page 27: “Ah, sorry, let me just take this quickly,” you tell your dining companion. “It’ll just take a second,” you say assuredly. As a polite gesture, your friend waits for your call to finish as the steam noticeably stops billowing from your dinner plates. Four minutes later, the call ends. “Now, where were we?” you ask as you prod your fork into a room-temperature floret of broccoli.

    Page 32: You look at your phone with a hint of curiosity but then quickly decline the call and remove your phone from the table. Your friend grins from across the table as you excitedly dig into your hot, mouthwatering dish. Your friend’s eyes widen, “Oh, wow! This is amazing, you have to try it!” she exclaims with delight.

    Ok, I admit that one was easy. I didn’t say who was calling, and assuming you turned to page 32; you likely noticed my clear bias for a hot plate of food and a good catch-up. I’m well aware that these micro-decisions we face throughout the day aren’t always so obvious. They can make us feel pulled in opposing directions.

    Enter work-life balance and decision fatigue. Trying to strategically and repeatedly toggle the scale between responsibility and urgency can still leave us questioning whether or not we’re doing it “right.” That’s because the life-work balance is profoundly personal and ever-evolving. Situations fluctuate in both arenas. How do you handle it when your VP hands in her notice and her last day conveniently coincides with your long-awaited vacation? What do you do when your assistant calls in on the same morning you’re supposed to supervise your 9-year-old’s class field trip to the zoo?

    Related: Work-Life Balance Is Simple. To Succeed at Work, Get a Life.

    Unfortunately, I don’t have simple solutions to help you with any of the above. But I do know that this constant pressure to make the right decisions is emotionally exhausting. Decision fatigue is a real issue recognized by the American Medical Association. Not only does it make us feel drained, but it also wears on our cognitive ability to make good daily decisions. This overload results in procrastination, impulsivity, avoidance, and, ironically, indecision.

    We need clear parameters when it comes to what we do and do not do when work-life swerves into our home-life lane. The “right” choices for you, the ones that won’t send you into a mental fury of second-guessing yourself, are the ones you make based on your values. And a values-based life enables harmony to exist in both places, but most importantly, within yourself.

    1. Sync your personas

    Try not to compartmentalize your life. My friend and client, Karlee Fain, calls this a “Split-Labeling Disorder.” It’s that need we feel to adapt who we are to where we are. But switching between “business-you” and “home-you” all the time takes up valuable energy that could be put to other uses. Imagine how much easier life would be if we stopped juggling two versions of ourselves and embraced one.

    Think about where your work self and your home self converge and lean into that whole self. Be vulnerable every once in a while, and show off your humanity. Not only does this help foster more authentic workplace relationships, but it also creates ease and cohesiveness. Create an environment where employees have the same space to incorporate their personal and professional lives. A space that’s driven by meaning that recognizes full-spectrum humanness inspires harmony.

    Related: A Work-Life Balance Will Help You Keep Employees

    2. Focus on Relationships

    Putting more effort into cultivating positive work relationships is a win-win for everyone. Research shows that investing time and effort into social capital in the workplace results in higher retention, happier employees and reduced burnout. In his podcast, Jay Shetty addresses the topic, revealing that people who feel they have a good work-life balance work 21% harder than those who don’t.

    3. Designate your spaces

    Create purposeful spaces and use each space for its intended purpose. When we work at the kitchen table or eat lunch at our desks, we’re confusing our brains. Sociologist Martha Beck explains, “There’s a reason service dogs mustn’t be petted or played with when they’re wearing their work vests: They need to be clear that they’re on the job. But when the vests come off, service dog owners must play with their animals in order to keep them from becoming exhausted and depressed. You’re the same way: Having clear boundaries will help you work enthusiastically, then truly rest.”

    Rather than feeling like you’re always one step away from tumbling off the work-life balance beam, try reframing things from the lens of harmony. When you can hone in on a singular self, it naturally invites more authentic relationships to develop. And those interactions, whether in your designated workspace or the car on a family vacation, will help you build a much stronger foundation for success in all aspects of your life.

    Related: What’s Happened to Work-Life Balance? Here’s How to Help Employees Find It.

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    Ginni Saraswati

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  • Free Webinar | April 18: 5 Tips to Develop a Take-Action Mindset & Healthier Life | Entrepreneur

    Free Webinar | April 18: 5 Tips to Develop a Take-Action Mindset & Healthier Life | Entrepreneur

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    Transformation coach and nutrition expert Charles D’Angelo will fire you up, and help you develop an empowered mindset that leads to a healthier life. Pulling tips from decades of his inspirational talks and books, Think and Grow Thin and Inner Guru, this high-energy and informative webinar will help you learn how to get the best out of yourself in.

    Key Takeaways:

    • Moving on from the past
    • Setting goals
    • Making daily healthy choices to improve your future self
    • Finding a mentor to help your health journey
    • Empower yourself to take control of your life’s trajectory

    Discover the habits you need for a healthy life. Register now and join us on April 18th at 3:00 PM ET.

    About the Speaker:

    Charles is a sought-after personal coach and public speaker. He frequently provides keynotes for events and appears as a guest on TV, radio and Internet programs. He is the author of two bestselling books: Think and Grow Thin (2011) and Inner Guru (2017). He’s been endorsed by many notable individuals including President Bill Clinton, Tony Robbins, Larry King, Richard Simmons, Angela Bassett and Dr. Mark Hyman as well as notable Missouri locals including Senator Claire McCaskill, David Steward, Chairman and Founder of World Wide Technology, and Maxine Clark, founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop. He resides in St. Louis, Missouri with his greatest inspiration – his wife, Crystal – and their two cats, Leo and Theo.

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    Entrepreneur Staff

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  • 5 Steps to Expand Your Vision and Start Living Your Dreams | Entrepreneur

    5 Steps to Expand Your Vision and Start Living Your Dreams | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Have you ever settled for less than what you wanted, avoided risks and played it safe? Maybe you had big dreams and ambitions but later convinced yourself that they were too unrealistic or you couldn’t achieve them.

    It’s normal to feel this way, but settling for less than what you genuinely want can lead to a life of regret and unfulfillment. Pursuing something you’re passionate about can be gratifying and fulfilling, even if you don’t ultimately achieve your goal.

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    Stacey Stratton

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  • How to Get a Job in Tech, According to an Ex-Google Recruiter | Entrepreneur

    How to Get a Job in Tech, According to an Ex-Google Recruiter | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    This article originally appeared on Business Insider.

    This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jeff Sipe, a private tech career coach and former Google recruiter. It has been edited for length and clarity.

    Big Tech layoffs were always going to receive backlash — that said, I don’t think any of them have been handled perfectly, and many of them could have been avoided. Yes, companies needed to cut down on costs, but more than that, I think layoffs have become trendy.

    After layoffs, the company’s stock price usually goes up, and the board of directors and shareholders (most of whom don’t work there) are happy. It starts becoming more and more acceptable to conduct them; Twitter did it, so Google can do it, so Microsoft can do it, and so on.

    But there are other ways to cope with a recession. A Stanford business professor says that layoffs often don’t cut costs and suggests companies could implement other strategies like a 10% wage cut across the board.

    That said, I don’t think anyone who’s been laid off or wants to break into the industry should be discouraged — it’s always a good time to get into tech. Tech workers will always be needed. So if working at Google or Amazon has always been a dream, I always advise people to go for it.

    Use LinkedIn to work smarter, not harder

    Whether you’ve been laid off or are hoping to break into tech for the first time, the first thing that you should do is clean up your LinkedIn profile. You could be sleeping, working, or going to the gym, and your profile will do the work for you. Every aspect of your profile, from your picture, to your headline, to your name, to your about, to your experience, that should be buttoned up.

    I rarely see true red flags on LinkedIn, but I think it’s unappealing when candidates don’t include their photo. Your headshot should be shoulders and above; I see a lot of people use a photo of themselves with sunglasses on or a photo with their families, and it’s just not professional. I recommend just taking a selfie or having somebody take a picture of you against a clean background.

    You should also be using the platform to reach out to recruiters at target companies — with a giving approach, rather than just asking for a job right out of the gate. A message like this will go a long way: “Hey Sue, I came across this really cool article about machine learning, I thought I’d share it with you.”

    Take a look at what’s trending in your space and devote time to sending notes like this, as well as commenting on other people’s posts. It will make you much more noticeable to hiring teams on LinkedIn.

    I also like when people keep track of what we’ve spoken about in the past. Let’s say you send another message to Sue a month or two later. Keep track of your connections in a spreadsheet so that it’s easier to follow up. Trust me: continue with that giving approach, and eventually Sue will ask how she can help you out — it will come full circle.

    Be open about your layoff

    If you’re coming out of a big tech company, chances are you’ve built up a great network. You should be announcing to the world that you’re looking for work. Make a LinkedIn post saying, “Hey, I got laid off. Here are the types of roles I’m looking for.”

    I’ve noticed that many employees who have been laid off add the “Open to Work” feature to their LinkedIn, but don’t necessarily make it clear that they’ve been laid off.

    I recommend creating a banner to set as your profile’s background photo. Anyone can create one for free, using Canva for example, that says, “Impacted by Google Layoffs.” I’d also include the types of roles you’re interested in, as well as your contact and locations.

    From a recruiter’s point of view, I’d see this and immediately understand your status — I know you’ve worked in a tough environment, and I know how to contact you. I haven’t seen laid off candidates do this yet, but I think it would definitely help them jump up the list.

    Don’t underestimate soft skills

    Going into an interview, it’s critical to have a plan. Any interview coach will tell you to practice with other human beings. It could be with a friend or a family member, but if you fumble through it with someone one-on-one, you’ll get significantly better.

    For me, positivity is huge. We’re all going to make mistakes, but I look for how candidates can show they’ve learned from them. Use positive language — call it a challenge or an opportunity, rather than a failure. If you were impacted by a layoff and you’re angry, you don’t want to put down your former company. Focus on what you’ve learned and what you’re grateful for.

    If someone looks good on paper, they’ll only make it so far in the hiring process. But soft skills are just as important. When recruiting at Google, I always paid attention to whether the candidate arrived on time, if they were friendly, and if they were communicative. Not being able to meet certain requirements can definitely cause an otherwise strong candidate to lose out.

    For anyone trying to bounce back from a tech layoff, it’s easy to get imposter syndrome, but remember: recruiters aren’t looking at people impacted by the layoffs in a negative light. They know that some people were just unlucky, and it had nothing to do with performance.

    Own your layoff, use your network, and show gratitude.

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    Dorothy Cucci

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  • 7 Ways All Dating Apps Are Lying To You | Entrepreneur

    7 Ways All Dating Apps Are Lying To You | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Dating apps have undoubtedly revolutionized how people find love and connect with others. 3 in 10 US adults say they have used an online dating service (website or app). The convenience and accessibility of dating apps have made it easier for individuals to meet potential partners, but it has also contributed to some negative impacts on the dating scene. In this article, we will explore why dating apps can be detrimental to the dating experience.

    1. Superficiality

    Research from William Chopik, an associate professor in the Michigan State University Department of Psychology, and Dr. David Johnson from the University of Maryland, finds that people’s reason for swiping right is based primarily on attractiveness and the race of a potential partner and that decisions are often made in less than a second.

    One of the primary criticisms of dating apps is that they tend to focus on superficial qualities rather than deeper compatibility. Users are often swiping through potential matches based on their physical appearance rather than considering their personalities or values. This can lead to a culture of shallow and superficial dating, where people are judged solely on their looks and not their character.

    Related: 5 Secrets to Building a Successful Consumer App

    2. Inauthenticity

    Another issue with dating apps is that they can promote a culture of inauthenticity. Users often present an idealized version, i.e., a highlight reel of themselves online, carefully curating their profiles to showcase their best qualities. This can lead to a lack of transparency and honesty in the dating process, making it harder for people to form genuine connections.

    Related: Gen Z Falls In Love With Homegrown Dating Apps

    3. Dehumanization

    A 2020 study by Pew Research found that one-third of women using dating apps have been called an abusive name, and almost half of women had men continue to pursue them online after they said no. That’s double the rate that men experience. Dating apps can contribute to the dehumanization of potential partners.

    When people are reduced to a profile picture and a short bio, it can be easy to forget that they are real human beings with complex emotions and experiences. This can lead to a lack of empathy and understanding in the dating process, making it harder for people to form meaningful connections with others.

    4. Burnout

    The sheer volume of potential matches on dating apps can also lead to burnout. The 70 million adults in America that use dating apps have developed a rejection mindset that makes dating feel particularly unpromising and exhausting.

    Users are often overwhelmed by the sheer number of options available to them, which can lead to decision fatigue and a feeling of being emotionally drained. This can make it harder for people to put effort into any one relationship, as they are constantly wondering if there might be someone better out there.

    Related: From Machine Learning to Unfiltered Videos, These Online Dating Trends Are Set to Improve the Tricky World of Dating

    5. Catfishing and scams

    Dating apps are also notorious for catfishing and scams. Users can easily create fake profiles or misrepresent themselves online, leading to disappointment or even danger when users meet in person. This can lead to a lack of trust in the online dating process, making it harder for people to form genuine connections.

    In 2019, the Columbia School of Journalism in New York City and news site ProPublica found that the Match Group, which owns around 45 dating apps, only screens for sex offenders on its paid-for apps, not free platforms like Tinder, OKCupid and Hinge. While some work has been done to correct the lack of fraud prevention in online dating, there’s a loophole in American internet law, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which dictates sites can’t be held accountable for the harm that comes to third parties through their platforms.

    Related: Online Dating Scammer Steals $1.8 Million from His Victims. Women ‘Fed Lie After Lie.’

    6. Limited communication

    Dating apps can limit communication between potential partners. Users are often limited to texting or messaging, and without the benefit of face-to-face interaction, it can be harder to gauge a person’s true character or intentions, leading to misunderstandings or miscommunications.

    7. No in-app advertising transparency

    Finally, and perhaps the best (worst?) for last. Major dating apps like Tinder, Bumble and Hinge lack any sort of in-app advertising transparency. Users are constantly upsold on more premium features like boosting a profile for 1 hour to be seen by more members, but there’s never any reporting data on impressions made, engagement, clicks, etc. Ad performance data is available across all digital platforms, such as Google and Meta, but appears nonexistent within the dating apps space.

    In conclusion, while dating apps have undoubtedly made it easier for people to meet potential partners, they have also contributed to some negative impacts on the dating scene. Superficiality, inauthenticity, dehumanization, burnout, catfishing and scams, limited communication and lack of in-app advertising transparency are all potential downsides to using dating apps.

    While they can be useful for meeting people, it’s essential to approach them cautiously and be aware of their limitations. Ultimately, the best way to find a meaningful relationship is by getting to know someone in person through genuine interactions and communication.

    The number one contributing factor to finding a mate is proximity, i.e., if I want to find someone interested in nonfiction books, I need to go to book readings with nonfiction book authors, or salsa classes for salsa aficionados or dog parks for dog lovers. The point is to know your values and go to places with people who share the same values as you do.

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    Kevin Kaminyar

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  • Why Failure is a Choice You Can Control | Entrepreneur

    Why Failure is a Choice You Can Control | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Let’s face it. When something doesn’t go how you thought it would, it can sting. Maybe you lost money, lost a relationship, lost a business venture or some direction you were headed. Then, you had to face the people you cared most about to say it was all over — tough conversations, lots of emotions, and no doubt some level of disappointment.

    What if I told you that you were the problem and were responsible for the failure? What if I also told you that because you’re responsible, you could also eliminate failure?

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    Jen Sugermeyer

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  • How to Build a Business Growth Mindset in Adolescents | Entrepreneur

    How to Build a Business Growth Mindset in Adolescents | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    As parents and educators, we all want our adolescents to succeed. We want them to grow into confident, capable and resilient adults who can overcome challenges and achieve their goals. Nurturing an entrepreneurial mindset and skill set in adolescents is highly important, even if they don’t have aspirations to become business owners or entrepreneurs. Here are some ways you can encourage adolescent growth:

    1. Develop a growth mindset

    Developing a growth mindset is critical to adolescent growth and success. Adolescents who believe their abilities can be developed through hard work and dedication tend to perform better than those who believe their abilities are fixed. Encouraging a growth mindset requires a shift from focusing on innate abilities to valuing effort and resilience. Praising effort over innate ability can help reinforce this shift in mindset.

    For example, when a teenager tries to learn a new skill or complete a challenging task, it’s essential to acknowledge and praise their hard work. When faced with setbacks or failure, it’s important to teach adolescents that these experiences are opportunities to learn and grow. Emphasizing the importance of persistence and resilience can help adolescents develop the skills and mindset needed to overcome challenges and achieve their goals. Encouraging a growth mindset in adolescents can help them develop confidence in their ability to learn and grow, setting them on a path to long-term success.

    Related: How to Raise Entrepreneurial Minded Kids

    2. Encourage independence

    Adolescents need opportunities to make decisions and take responsibility for their actions, which helps them build confidence and decision-making skills. As a parent or guardian, it’s essential to encourage your teenager to take on tasks and projects that challenge them and allow them to make decisions on their own. Providing them with age-appropriate responsibilities, such as managing their schedule, completing household chores or organizing a community service project, can help them develop the skills needed to be self-sufficient and independent.

    While it may be tempting to micromanage or take over tasks to ensure they are done correctly, resisting this urge and giving adolescents the space they need to learn and grow is essential. This will help them develop a sense of ownership and responsibility, which can lead to increased motivation and achievement. Encouraging independence in adolescents can be a delicate balance between offering guidance and support while also giving them the space to make their own decisions and learn from their mistakes.

    3. Provide mentorship

    Mentorship and guidance from adults/professionals with experience in areas your adolescent is interested in can be one of the fastest ways for them to learn. Encourage them to seek out mentors in their field of interest, and provide them with access to resources and opportunities that can help them grow and develop. Help them find local networking events, and attend with them. Take an interest in what they’re doing, and share their excitement for their passions.

    Related: 8 Entrepreneurial Skills Your Kids Need to Succeed in Life and Work (Infographic)

    4. Resilience is key

    Life is full of ups and downs, and adolescents need to learn how to bounce back from setbacks and challenges. Encourage them to focus on their strengths and accomplishments rather than dwelling on their mistakes or shortcomings. Help them develop a growth mindset, where they view challenges and failures as opportunities to learn and grow rather than as a reflection of their abilities. Praising their effort and hard work, rather than their innate abilities, can also help foster a growth mindset.

    It’s important to note that building resilience is an ongoing process that takes time and effort. Adolescents may struggle with setbacks and challenges, but with your guidance and support, they can learn to cope and bounce back stronger than ever. Encourage them to be patient with themselves and to focus on their progress rather than perfection. If your teen is struggling with confidence, there is nothing wrong with enrolling them in an individual teen therapy program to gain expert help. By teaching coping strategies and promoting a positive mindset, you can help your teenager develop resilience and thrive in all areas of their life.

    5. Encourage entrepreneurship

    Entrepreneurship is an excellent way to foster adolescent growth and success. Encourage adolescents to explore their entrepreneurial interests by providing access to resources and opportunities such as business plan competitions, internships and mentorship programs. Instill creativity, and harness the four pillars for raising an entrepreneurial child.

    Related: 3 Ways to Raise Your Kids to Think — and Solve Problems — Like an Entrepreneur

    6. Teach financial literacy

    Financial literacy is critical to life and personal success. Teach adolescents how to manage their finances, including budgeting, saving and investing. This can help them make informed financial decisions in the future.

    Encouraging adolescent growth and success requires a multifaceted approach considering personal and professional development. By fostering a growth mindset, encouraging independence, promoting creativity, providing mentorship, promoting resilience, encouraging entrepreneurship and teaching financial literacy, we can help adolescents reach their full potential and achieve success in life.

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    Ryan Blivas

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  • How a Grandma Who Made $35k Earns 7 Figures in Retirement | Entrepreneur

    How a Grandma Who Made $35k Earns 7 Figures in Retirement | Entrepreneur

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    When 14-year-old Sun Yong Kim-Manzolini was adopted from Korea by an American couple, she didn’t know English or much about the U.S. — only that it was supposed to be a place of “freedom.”

    But she was determined to make her adoptive parents proud. “I had to learn to love somebody — a stranger, basically,” Kim-Manzolini says. “But I was willing to do that because they were willing to take me in as part of the family.”

    Kim-Manzolini did everything her parents told her she should do: studied hard, got good grades, went to college. After graduation, Kim-Manzolini landed her “dream job” as a certified medical assistant, and she fell in love with taking care of patients.

    Related: Making the Move from Medicine to Entrepreneurship

    “I thought to myself, There’s no way I’m going to do this for the rest of my life.”

    Yet despite following the “right” path and working hard in her career, Kim-Manzolini, like so many Americans, found herself “living paycheck to paycheck” and “struggling to pay the bills.”

    “I thought, This is crazy,” she recalls. “Why am I suffering financially? I’m working 40 hours a week. That should be enough, right?“

    Of course, it wasn’t — especially since Kim-Manzolini was raising children as a single mother after leaving an abusive marriage. Her then-husband told her she wouldn’t be able to provide for her family on her own and would end up on welfare.

    “And I thought to myself, He might be right,” Kim-Manzolini says. “But I’m not going to let him [box] me into that. Because I could work as many jobs as I needed to.”

    So Kim-Manzolini did. For years, she spent her evenings and limited days off working different jobs to make ends meet: selling vacuums, running a catering business, cleaning houses. Through it all, she continued working as a medical assistant. But the constant grind wore on her.

    “At one point, I thought to myself, There’s no way I’m going to do this for the rest of my life,” Kim-Manzolini recalls. “I need to change to a different job, do different things that will make me money to the point where I could at least take my kids on a vacation or have a day off and spend my time with my kids on the weekends.”

    What’s more, Kim-Manzolini couldn’t fathom working so hard for so long only to be too old to actually enjoy her retirement; she saw the scenario play out time and again in her line of medical work, where patients retired just to “spend all their money on doctor’s bills, emergency rooms and assisted living.”

    Related: How Much Money Do You Really Need in Retirement?

    “I went over my goal, and I thought, Oh my gosh. I was shocked.”

    Kim-Manzolini knew she needed to find more lucrative sources of income — and she started looking into real estate, considering opportunities as an agent and investor in 2014.

    It was while Kim-Manzolini and her new husband were attending real estate classes that she first learned of options trading. “What are you going to do with all of the money you make in real estate?” People asked her. “Why don’t you look into options trading?”

    Although Kim-Manzolini didn’t know anything about options trading at the time, she was familiar with buying and selling stocks. She worked for a doctor who talked about his portfolio, but Kim-Manzolini had always felt it was “over her head” and that she couldn’t afford to invest on her salary.

    “[Options trading] was intriguing because I didn’t have a lot of money, and it was really, really cheap,” Kim-Manzolini says. She began to research what it would take to get into options trading but was dismayed to discover that it would require a computer. She didn’t own or know how to use one at that point.

    But when she retired one year later, in December 2015, Kim-Manzolini needed a new way to sustain herself — she had no money in her checking or savings accounts, and it was too soon to touch the pension plan, 401k and other retirement accounts she’d built up over the past 33 years.

    I’d decided that I was going to study options trading — not knowing what kind of results I would get.

    So, in January 2016, when her husband returned to work and her son to school, Kim-Manzolini announced that she was getting to work as well.

    “My husband and my son said, ‘Huh, you just retired. What are you going to work for?’,” Kim-Manzolini says. “And I said, ‘I’m going downstairs to my office.’ I’d decided that I was going to study options trading — not knowing what kind of results I would get.”

    Kim-Manzolini taught herself how to use a computer and treated her options trading research “like it was [her] new job,” practicing Monday through Friday when the market was open from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

    By the end of that year, despite periods of “frustration” and “growing pains,” Kim-Manzolini had made roughly $100,000 with her practice account — and she was ready to try the real thing.

    “Of course, I still didn’t have any money,” Kim-Manzolini says. “I couldn’t touch any money, so I took out a home equity loan. Because you have to start somewhere. And I put it into my investment account, started investing and ended up making $178,000. I went over my goal, and I thought, Oh my gosh. I was shocked.”

    Image Credit: Courtesy of Sun Yong Kim-Manzolini

    Related: 50 Inspirational Quotes to Help You Achieve Your Goals

    “If you give up, then you will never find out how successful you could be.”

    Today, Kim-Manzolini, a grandmother of four, makes seven figures trading options.

    And she’s paying it forward by teaching other people, particularly single mothers, how to use her “unique miracle system” to trade options so they can spend less time working and more time on what matters most.

    “I thought, I’m going to teach this to single mothers so they no longer have to work six, seven days a week like [I did],” Kim-Manzolini says. “They no longer have to sacrifice their time; they get to watch their kids grow.”

    But anyone who aspires to financial freedom can learn from Kim-Manzolini.

    “[There are] people working nine to five for the corporate world who are overworked and underpaid,” Kim-Manzolini says. “They want to retire early. They don’t want to work forever — just like me.”

    Related: How to Make More Money in 2023, According to The FI Couple

    Kim-Manzolini credits her success to perseverance and the refusal to give in to fear.

    “[People] tell us some fearful things,” Kim-Manzolini says. “My kids [said], ‘Mom, you are good at medical assisting and love your job. Patients love you. Doctors love you. What are you going to do?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know. But I’m going to do something that I want to do that is not a pleasure. It’s my own time.’ [That requires] self-discipline and overcoming your fears.

    “Because a lot of us will stop when we [first] feel the fear,” Kim-Manzolini continues. “So one of the big takeaways is don’t ever give up — because if you give up, then you will never find out how successful you could be.”

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    Amanda Breen

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  • How to Become Unstoppable in Your Performance | Entrepreneur

    How to Become Unstoppable in Your Performance | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The modern world makes it very difficult for entrepreneurs to focus. Do you agree?

    In my line of work as a coach and mentor, the ways I can create an audience and engage with people are many! So many, in fact, that I have to say “no” to options more than I say “yes.”

    Then when I do say “yes,” I must have the follow-through to complete what I’ve started.

    Now, I’ll openly admit … I’ve started projects and not finished them, and my team and I are constantly working to improve our focus, discipline and ability to complete projects.

    In the past, it used to take my full willpower to complete something, until I learned a universal truth about myself and any human being on this planet.

    Before I share this with you (which I will) I want you to consider two important questions:

    I have the answer to both of these questions with one word … Desire.

    Related: 3 Ways to Achieve Superhuman Focus in 14 Days

    Understand what desire is

    Desire is the triggering mechanism for you to release energy in the direction toward what you want.

    I recommend that you screencap or write that previous sentence down. When I internalized what this statement means, my ability to serve and focus transformed. I went from earning $5K per month to $100K per month with ease and peace of mind by tapping into what I desired most. And truth bomb … the money was a byproduct result. The real win was becoming a more powerful person.

    So, to begin to understand this statement let’s first understand what desire is.

    Desire is an emotionalized want or idea that exists in the subconscious mind. Your desires control the results you have or want in your life, including your business life.

    That means in order to transform your focus, output and results, you need to understand what your desires (or emotionalized wants) actually are.

    Begin to uncover your desires by answering these questions:

    • What work sets your heart on fire?

    • What can you do all day without a break?

    • What do you want to see happen in your business and life more than anything else?

    After you answer those questions, I have a final one that reveals all:

    • Are you releasing energy in the direction of what you desire?

    What comes out is paramount, and then things get very interesting. What you’ll discover is you have multiple desires running in your mind, and some of your wants and desires will be in conflict with each other.

    For example, you may want to be fit, healthy and toned, but you also desire a McDonald’s cheeseburger for lunch every week (and I don’t blame you. They’re tasty).

    However, if the desire for a cheeseburger overpowers the desire to be fit (more often than not), you’re sunk before you begin.

    So, the real question to answer for improving your focus to make better quality decisions in your business is: How do I build desire for what I truly want? And ignore the desires that work against me?

    That answer is autosuggestion.

    Related: 3 New Ways to Develop Laser-Like Focus

    Create affirmations

    Saturate your mind with ONE of your desires at a time through repetition of thought.

    Example affirmations are:

    • I am so happy and grateful I earn $____K per month consistently. Money flows in with ease, and I love it!

    • I am so happy and grateful I create video content with ease every day. My content is electric and grows my brand and business.

    • I am so happy and grateful my team culture is positive, productive and efficient. We get everything done on time and I love it!

    You create the affirmation that aligns with your number one desire and then listen, write it down or read it daily! Bonus points if you do all three.

    People ask me all the time, “How long do you use an affirmation to build a desire, Dave?” And the answer is always the same. You don’t stop until you have it!

    You suggest your affirmation until you’ve successfully changed your habits of mind towards the thing you most desire! One desire at a time.

    And if you don’t practice this, be prepared for absolutely nothing to change in your business.

    So, say “YES” to your desires and “NO” to everything else. Then saturate your mind and environment with thoughts only in harmony with what you want flowing in. If you commit and focus on that, you’ll become unstoppable!

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    Dave Conway

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  • Why Networking Is a Must for Successful Entrepreneurs | Entrepreneur

    Why Networking Is a Must for Successful Entrepreneurs | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Despite its widespread recognition as a valuable tool for entrepreneurs, many individuals still struggle to use networking effectively. Starting and running a business can be both exhilarating and intimidating, and it’s easy for founders to get consumed by the day-to-day tasks of running their company. Personally, it wasn’t until I started dedicating time and effort to building my network that I realized the full potential of what my business could achieve.

    After devoting time to connecting with other entrepreneurs, I established valuable relationships with potential investors who believed in my business and provided the necessary support and funding to take it to the next level. I’m sure building a network of connections is not just an optional activity for entrepreneurs but a vital tool that can lead to new opportunities, partnerships, and growth. Here are some tips on organizing your network effectively and with minimal time consumption.

    Related: Want to Earn Trust? Don’t Break Any of These 4 Links in the Chain of Credibility.

    So, what can one get from networking?

    There is a specificity of networking among entrepreneurs – it appears to be much more effective. People in our community are often aware of the benefits that connection can bring and are more readily open to building mutually beneficial relationships, which is done by:

    1. Establishing valuable connections with potential investors. I list this opportunity as the most important because finding investments is indeed one of the most challenging tasks for an entrepreneur. The personal connection allows you to build relationships with individuals who can provide support much more effectively than reaching out to them as a “cold” audience.
    2. Expanding your knowledge and learning from other founders and professionals. Exchanging best practices with people who are not your direct competitors but are present in the same region as you are or have a similar type of business in another market provides you with precious insights. You can learn from their experiences, pick up new ideas, and stay up-to-date on industry trends.
    3. Gaining access to partnerships and collaborations. In the case of B2B, people are four times more likely to purchase a solution from someone they know themselves or their friends recommended. So being open to new connections may significantly broaden your business opportunities.
    4. Building your personal brand and increasing business exposure. Apart from helping you at the moment, establishing a connection with someone can be extremely beneficial for you later on. The chance of that is higher the more you show your expertise and interact. You never know what will happen with the person you once met at a conference — maybe they will launch a successful business or become famous someday.

    Without establishing connections, each of these actions might take much longer and be more challenging. But when you get to know the person who can help you, you will reach your goals almost naturally.

    Related: 3 Powerful Networking Strategies that Never Fail

    How to make networking most effective

    The main thing to understand about networking is that it’s a two-way street. To be truly effective, it must be mutually beneficial for both parties involved. It’s not enough to be confident when approaching others, which is probably the most common advice for those looking to master this skill. To make the most of your networking efforts, it’s important to focus on building strong relationships, which requires dedicated time and effort.

    So, when choosing who to network with, it’s important to consider what you can offer in return. Think about the skills and expertise you can share, and seek out individuals who you can help and who can help you. Building relationships based on mutual respect and a give-and-take mentality will result in stronger, more meaningful connections. For example, it’s a bad idea to start the connection by asking for help. Rather, I prefer to explain how I can help the person and why the relationship would be mutually beneficial.

    One way to build strong relationships is to dedicate time each week to focus specifically on helping others. For me, it’s two hours weekly, during which I interact with people exclusively to help them. For example, have lunch with an entrepreneur who contacts you on LinkedIn or participate in an event organized by someone you know.

    Of course, it’s impossible to contact everyone, so one should focus on the potential value they will get. If a person contacts you first, I suggest you create a set of rules to follow when thinking of them or not. Personally, I pay attention to the following:

    • The size of the business: Founders of early-stage startups will find business books more useful for themselves and are unlikely to help me in return.
    • The industry: As an EdTech entrepreneur, I usually agree to meet people within the industry. However, this approach may vary depending on your goals and amount of free time.

    Make it easier for you

    Networking can be challenging for entrepreneurs for a variety of reasons. Some may feel intimidated approaching new people, or some may find it ineffective. However, the most common challenge is that one may have limited time and resources to dedicate to networking activities, making it difficult to balance with other responsibilities. By following these tips, you can reap the benefits of investing in networking:

    1. Start by participating in industry events and conferences, even if you won’t be attending with the intention of networking. Taking part in them allows you to showcase your expertise and thought leadership in your respective industry. This can increase your exposure and help build your personal brand, which, in turn, affects your network pretty directly. When starting my business and drawing attention to it through public speeches, I underestimated its impact on networking. But then I found that many people who later helped me a lot came to me on their own.
    2. Practice with friends. If you’re feeling nervous about meeting new people, start by modeling networking with friends and family. We usually give the same advice to salespeople who are afraid to call their clients at first: this helps build their confidence and gives them a solid foundation to reach out to new contacts. I’m sure there is no book or simple rule that will help one overcome fear without practicing, even in an artificial environment.
    3. Utilize LinkedIn and other social media platforms. If you’re unable or prefer not to network in person, LinkedIn is a valuable resource for connecting with others in your field. First of all, it has the same effect on the industry: it’s a great platform to share your expertise. Many underestimate how powerful a connection on the platform can be: for example, it once allowed me to reach out and negotiate calls with all the largest EdTechs in India within just one week!
    4. Don’t underestimate other people’s connections. If you fail to reach a person, ask the people you know to recommend you or get to know them to connect you with your target person. For example, when I fail to reach a venture organization, I try to connect to representatives of their portfolio companies, provide suggestions, and then ask them to connect me with the organization. Guess what? This works extremely effectively, even if it’s just via LinkedIn.

    These easy techniques will help you utilize your time most effectively without investing too much effort.

    Related: 3 Steps to Make Networking Easier

    Never stop expanding your network.

    Networking is a critical tool for entrepreneurs looking to grow and succeed in their businesses. Only by investing time and effort into building strong relationships can you unlock the full potential of your business. The broader your network is, the more opportunities you gain, and the more time you have to find them. Starting may be challenging, but it will become natural eventually.

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    Roman Kumar Vyas

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  • How to Become a Successful Authorpreneur | Entrepreneur

    How to Become a Successful Authorpreneur | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    You’re nestled in a bustling café, surrounded by the delicious aroma of freshly brewed coffee, the melody of clacking keyboard keys and the rush of your imagination flowing like waves crashing in an ocean. Whether you’re in an East London café by the canal, the Tuscan hills or a garden center café in Maui, Hawaii, you can work from anywhere in the world, your writing venture all the while supporting what you want to get out of life. If this sounds appealing, keep on reading.

    How do you make this dream a reality? The answer may be in the captivating realm of authorpreneurs.

    Writing a novel and transforming it into a thriving business can be both thrilling and intimidating. But anything can be possible with a passion for writing anywhere in the world and the drive to bring your publishing vision to life. So, let’s embark on this journey together and explore some strategies for achieving success as a novelist and an entrepreneur. The thrilling moment arrives when these two facets — writing and building a business — merge and blend, enabling you to become a successful authorpreneur.

    Related: Authorpreneurs: You Need to Do This Before You Write Your Book

    Becoming the storyteller, the novelist

    First, we need to write a book. Easier said than done, right? But it can be, simply because we all have interesting stories to share and our creative imagination that can be explored. Therefore, seeing the trail of the ink on paper or hearing the melodic sound of the keyboard is far better than pondering. Start writing those words. Here are three key areas that might help you start as a novelist.

    1. Unearth your unique voice:

    This means letting go of your fears and allowing your creativity to run wild. Write about what matters for you, what ignites the fire in your soul. We all have a unique voice; discover yours — the one that sets you apart from everybody else.

    2. Embrace learning and growing:

    There isn’t such a thing as “the best formula” when writing a book, but there is a form or structure that could help you start. So much literature has been written on storytelling and writing crafts, including courses and seminars you can attend. Being a voracious reader is a must, and it is so much fun to learn, research, broaden your knowledge and enjoy creating characters and scenes. I attended a four-day story crafting seminar a few months ago and will join a weeklong writing retreat in Italy this year. The learning never ends.

    3. Make writing a continuous improvement process:

    Writing a novel should be viewed as a marathon, not a sprint, requiring perseverance and determination to build strength and improve with each step. Tenacity is no less important than talent — perhaps more significant for success. Talent alone will not write that book, but perseverance will push you to expand your horizons and allow you to gain valuable experience.

    Related: 7 Common Obstacles Aspiring Authors Face — and How to Overcome Them

    Becoming the authorpreneur

    So, you authored a riveting novel, but now it needs to connect with its readers. Self-publishing is indeed a business; consider upfront costs such as editing, cover design, website development, marketing and more.

    Here are three key areas that will help you as authorpreneurs.

    1. Master the business of self-publishing:

    Writing is just one facet of being a successful authorpreneur. You must also thoroughly understand the publishing industry and determine how to publish your book. I learn from successful self-publishing authors, my husband being one. I also combine years of business acumen with improving my book publishing journey.

    There are workshops and a vast network of self-publishing authors and industry professionals to help you gain the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed. I am joining a self-publishing seminar in London and another in Las Vegas this year. The learning never ends, and it is undoubtedly exhilarating.

    2. Visualize a roadmap:

    As with any other business, having a plan and clarity of what’s ahead helps me to assess my capacity and supports how I manage my time. Having a roadmap helps as I have my annual goals and a high-level plan for the next three years. It is my big picture. I might derail here and there, but that is also part of the journey. Life happens; coffee helps.

    3. Have a marketing plan:

    While publishing your first book is undoubtedly a great accomplishment, subsequent books can pave the way to see you become a successful authorpreneur. However, even if your book is exceptional, effective marketing is still necessary so that your story reaches its readers.

    Get social media working for you, and learn from unconventional success stories. Publishing one book will be great, but your second or third book will illuminate your path to becoming a successful authorpreneur.

    Related: How to Become an Entrepreneur – 8 Tips to Get Your Business Going, Even if You Don’t Know Where to Start

    From dreams to books on shelves and beyond

    The journey of a first-time novelist and entrepreneur is an exciting and fulfilling adventure. With dedication and a willingness to embrace a new path, it can lead to beautiful possibilities. So, grab your pen, laptop and coffee cup, and start writing your success story.

    Picture this: You are sitting at a table behind impressive piles of books, and your fans are lining up to get their autographed copies. Imagine the possibilities open to you as you pen your next book somewhere around the world that you always dreamed of going.

    Drumroll, please; you’ve now entered the fascinating world of being a nomadic authorpreneur.

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    Gulcan Telci, MBA

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  • Tweak Your Company’s Mission Statement to Inspire Sustainability With Just One Word | Entrepreneur

    Tweak Your Company’s Mission Statement to Inspire Sustainability With Just One Word | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Companies have vision statements that summarize their values for a reason — employees that get on board with your mission and vision tend to work harder for you, and according to the Dale Carnegie institute, companies with engaged workers outperform competitors by 202%. Still, as the current focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) demonstrates, times change. You’ll have to update your vision to keep pace with this new ESG focus, but as little as one word can be all you need to improve your relevancy and influence.

    Related: Vision Statements: Why You Need One and How to Create One

    Brief and built into everything

    Good vision statements are memorable. To achieve that memorability, your best bet is to keep your new, ESG-oriented vision statement as brief as possible.

    Take Cisco. If they had written something like “to build voice-over-IP systems that utilize the most advanced internet connection technologies, are the best in the industry, and return a great value to our shareholders,” people probably wouldn’t have given the words more than a quick skim before moving on to something more interesting. Their actual vision, “changing the way we work, live, play and learn,” is more to the point and free of jargon. It gets across that Cisco wants to be a change agent and that it understands the significance of connection and communication in our world.

    At Merchants Fleet, we adhered to this rule of simplicity first by consolidating the multiple vision statements we had for different areas of the business into just one: “Enabling the movement of people, goods and services freely.” To update this for ESG later on, we added a single word: “responsibly.”

    Once you have a concise vision statement that incorporates some ESG values, you’re not done. You then have to go back and look at all the training and messaging your company has. Are the ESG values there, too?

    Ensuring that the values are consistently visible in everything you do supports buy-in to the vision statement because it shows your team that you’re serious about the ESG shift and are going to follow it up with a real plan of action. At the same time, the concise vision statement helps workers understand why you’re approaching the training and messaging the way you are.

    Related: Why Companies Need to Think More Strategically About Their Environmental Impact

    Perspective and keeping promises matter

    When we added the word “responsibly” to our vision to ensure it had an ESG focus, we recognized a critical point — “responsibly” means different things to different people.

    If our business suddenly got rid of every gas vehicle we’ve got, it would seem responsible to clients who are fully behind electric cars, vans and trucks. But it would seem irresponsible to clients who don’t have a lot of charging stations around or who have to travel distances that are still beyond the range of an electric vehicle (EV). For one of our clients, it didn’t make financial sense to try to install the infrastructure EVs would have required.

    In the same way, our company’s diversity profiles in New Hampshire and Chicago are very different. In New Hampshire, our profile is at 5% diversity, yet that’s higher than the New Hampshire average. In Chicago, we’re 45% diverse, simply because that area is more diverse overall. To require 45% diversity would seem responsible in Chicago but near impossible in New Hampshire.

    So as you adapt for ESG, be careful to give the word or words you add careful thought and avoid absolutes, even as you push for something that’s still specific. The words should be acceptable and understandable on a broad level, but they should also be flexible enough that you can still meet the needs and expectations of your entire base. They shouldn’t alienate anyone, including your employees.

    Similarly, make sure that your mission statement is realistic and attainable. If you choose a word that makes it impossible to follow through on your promise, customers will see that you’re not doing what you said and lose faith in you. Suppose you’re an airline company. If you added the phrase “on time” to your mission statement, you’d be opening the door to a massive number of complaints, as there are just too many variables around airlines to promise you’ll hit every time point perfectly. If you add “safely,” though, that’s much easier to achieve consistently.

    The best practice is to aim for something that’s timeless and a little better than what you had. Leave buzzwords and trends on the shelf because the more you change your vision statement, the less memorable or sticky it will be.

    Related: Three Letters That Will Make Your Company More Successful and Sustainable

    The journey, action, and accountability are all ongoing

    Keeping in mind that there’s a connection between your ESG vision statement and the practices of your company, consider your vision statement an ongoing journey. Revisit it on a regular basis to make sure it still works for you in an authentic way.

    Any time you tweak your statement and add more words, make sure you have an execution plan and accountability. When we added “responsibly” to Merchants Fleet’s vision statement, we were clear that we were adding an ESG team. But your moves could also include reorganizing, doing more training or developing checks and balances. Expect to sum up what you’re doing and the results you’re getting in reports along the way. The rule is to understand that you’re signing up to develop new goals and take additional action with whatever you add.

    Related: Why ESG Companies Are Better Equipped to Weather an Economic Storm

    ESG can deliver both stability and positive change

    Even though ESG is getting more press than it used to, it’s something great companies have always practiced, and the need to connect your ethics to your action will always be relevant. ESG values can ground your business through multiple generations in a powerful way. At the same time, they can help you continuously explore how you can still grow to be a larger help to everyone around you. If you integrate those values into your vision statement, which is the foundation for everything you do, you’ll get the buy-in necessary for the positive change you want.

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    Brendan P. Keegan

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