Small Business, Big Vision Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right

by Toren, Matthew; Toren, Adam

• ISBN13: 9781118018200
• ISBN10: 1118018206
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-09-13
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

The world of today's entrepreneur is far different from the business climates of past generations. As quickly as technology and the economy are changing, and as impactful as those changes are on our society, the ability to embrace and effectively integrate change has become more vital than being experienced. Regardless of one's age in years, a young mindset is what it takes to thrive as an entrepreneur today. "The way we've always done it," isn't relevant in today's business world. The profiles in Small Business, Big Vision portray entrepreneurs who demonstrate that "flexible" and "adaptable" are the new "dependable" and "steadfast." The 7 Steps for entrepreneur success are: Toss Your Business Plan Out the Window Investors- Out! Collaborators- In! The Toothless MBA Hiring Employees [is] for Dummies Laser-Sighted Marketing Pulling a 180#xB0; It's Not all About You

Author Biography

MATTHEW TOREN and ADAM TOREN are brothers, serial entrepreneurs, investors, and mentors. For nearly twenty years, they have provided instruction in management concepts, marketing, and finance to emerging and distressed small businesses. They currently own and operate a successful media company and founded YoungEntrepreneur.com, one of the largest online forum communities for entrepreneurs worldwide. The Toren brothers are also the authors of the award-winning book, Kidpreneurs: Young Entrepreneurs with Big Ideas! Visit www.SmallBusinessBigVision.com.

Table of Contents

Foreword Gary Whitehill xi

Preface xvii

Acknowledgments xxi

Permissions xxii

Introduction 1

Why You Need This Book and Why You Need a Big Vision 1

Our Story 3

Chapter 1 The Importance of Having BIG Vision 9

Entrepreneurial Profile: Dan Schawbel of Millennial Branding, LLC 13

Fuel Your Fire with Passion and Perseverance 16

Entrepreneurial Profile: Siamak Taghaddos and David Hauser of Grasshopper Group 22

Chapter 2 Rethinking Your Business Plan 25

The One-Page Business Plan 29

Entrepreneurial Profile: Brent Oxley of HostGator.com 35

The Finance-Centered Plan 38

Entrepreneurial Profile: Brock Blake of FundingUniverse 46

Chapter 3 Investors Out—Collaborators In! 51

Investors: A Question of Need versus Want 54

Entrepreneurial Profile: Gabriel Shaoolian of Blue Fountain Media 58

When Your Needs Call for Investors 62

Collaboration Is Key 63

An Advisory Board as a Replacement for Investors 65

Entrepreneurial Profile: Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends and BizSugar.com 69

Chapter 4 Hiring Employees: The Good, the Bad, and the Alternatives 77

The Magic of Leveraging Your Time 79

The Downside of Hiring Employees 80

Entrepreneurial Profile: Ali Brown of Ali International 83

The Best of Both Worlds 89

How to Find the Best Outsourced Workers 94

Entrepreneurial Profile: Daven Michaels of 123Employee.com 96

Chapter 5 Laser-Sighted Marketing through Social Media 101

The Magic of Social Media Marketing 106

Entrepreneurial Profile: Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV 108

Four Keys to Social Media Marketing Success 111

Entrepreneurial Profile: Mike Roberts of SpyFu.com 123

Chapter 6 From Entrepreneur to Icon: Achieving Expert Status 129

Embracing Your Expertise 132

Building Your Information Empire 133

Entrepreneurial Profile: Shama Hyder Kabani of The Marketing Zen Group 139

Chapter 7 The Socially Responsible Entrepreneur: It’s Not Always about You 143

Social Entrepreneurship Is True Entrepreneurship 146

Entrepreneurial Profile: Adam Braun of Pencils of Promise 148

Sustainability Is the New Bottom Line 151

Entrepreneurial Profile: Scott Harrison of charity: water 155

Chapter 8 Pulling a 180: The Business Turnaround 159

Flexibility Allows for Transformation 162

Entrepreneurial Profile: Matt Mickiewicz of SitePoint and 99designs 167

What to Do Before You Give Up 171

Entrepreneurial Profile: Mike Michalowicz of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur 177

Afterword 183

Resources 187

Epigraph Sources 195

Index 197