Eight Connacht Companies Celebrate Business Awards

Eight leading Connacht based companies celebrated success at the Connacht final of the Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards, which took place on 21st October at Meyrick Hotel, Galway. The eight winners will now progress to the national final in December to compete with winners from Munster, Leinster and Ulster.

A total of 676 companies entered the Awards – the highest number ever, reflecting an increase of 7.8% on last year’s awards, and 72 of these entrants were Connacht businesses.

The Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards provincial winners for Connacht are as follows:

  1. Business Start Up – The White Hag
  2. Small Business – Team Horizon
  3. Established SME – LotusWorks
  4. Established SME – Chanelle Group
  5. Social Enterprise – SCCUL Enterprises Ltd.
  6. Food & Drink – Gilligan Farm Fresh Meats
  7. Agri Business – Corkamore Dairies Ltd
  8. Women Led Business – Specialised Sterile Environments

 

Speaking at the Connacht awards, Brendan McDermott, Ulster Bank Regional Director, said: “The Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards are a mainstay in the Irish Business calendar. As well as finance, we are determined to help create a better environment for doing business in Ireland. Our mission to be number one for customer service, trust and advocacy is proven here today in our support for each and every one of these excellent businesses. I’d like to congratulate each of our winners and wish them the best of luck at the national final in December.”

The 2015 Ulster Bank Business Achiever will receive a comprehensive prize package including a €50,000 publishing bursary with the Irish Independent, business mentoring from Enterprise Ireland, a full service communications workshop, as well as national and regional PR coverage.

For further information on the 2015 Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards and the provincial winners, go to www.businessachieversaward.com. You can also follow all the action on Twitter using @ulsterbank_baa and #businessachievers.

 

 

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Make the Most of Rapid Market Growth

Strike while the iron is hot, make hay while the sun shines, take the bull by the horns…there’s a glut of clichés in the English language to describe the same sort of thing, the need to capitalise on favourable circumstances and make the most of momentum. The fact that such a wide array of sayings exists is perhaps evidence that this is a truism and one that applies clearly to the world of business. But, while it is one thing spotting that this is important and having it as an ambition, it is quite another to know how to go about the process of thriving when market conditions turn in your favour. So, if things do take off and growth comes to you and/or your market, what should you bear in mind when it comes to rapid market growth?

Act fast

When the cards are stacked in your favour you must act fast. By sitting back and doing nothing you risk letting your rapid period of growth pass. As a business you need to be able to analyse the market, recognise when things are going in your favour and be able to react accordingly. That might mean launching new products and services or conducting marketing campaigns – all of which need to be timed just right to succeed.

Recruitment

If your business grows quickly then you’ll need to invest in new staff. Pinpoint people with the right expertise but also the right attitude to complement the employees that you already have on the books. Remember you’re not just looking for someone with the right CV but someone with the right personality to help you move forward.

Don’t over-stretch

It’s so easy to allow yourself to be swept away by enthusiasm and get ahead of yourself yet history shows that businesses who try to go too far too fast are doomed to fail. The Financial Times recently found that most of the SME founders it asked favoured organic growth over acquisitions. A rapid expansion could leave you open to issues if and when the growth dries up.

Association

If the market grows and your sector looks rosy then it is important to remember that you’re unlikely to be the only business looking to cash in on the situation. When times are good it is important to establish your name as a leader in your field. Sometimes that is simply about having the best product or service in your field and sometimes you need a little more than that. Consider, for example, the power of sport to influence finance. Big events are able to show a noticeable impact on financial indices with a feelgood factor that spreads to all involved. Sponsorship of such events gets your name associated with the best in the sporting arena, doing much to establish your brand’s position in the market as well as spreading the word far and wide. When you are experiencing growth, put yourself at the head of the pack by being associated with the best.

Thought leader

When you’re riding the crest of a wave, share your wisdom. This is similar to the last point in that it is about establishing your brand and getting your name set in the mind of others as a market leader. Write about your industry and the successes you’ve had, share it on your blog and through social media. Comment and interact with others in your field and speak at conferences. Build a profile during a period of growth and you’ll establish your brand as a leader in the field when times are not as easy going.

Making the most of rapid market growth is about three things. Firstly, cashing in on the growth. Secondly, it’s about not getting complacent and leaving yourself open to issues when times are tougher. Lastly, it’s about realising that building a reputation is important and taking the opportunities to do just that so that your position is secure in the future.

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Product Launch Perfection: Thinking Outside the Box to Create a Loud Buzz

Why is it that some product launches are a huge success and get everyone talking about them for weeks afterwards, while others are forgotten instantly? It is essential to get yours to stand out, but that is easier said than done. However, there are a number of tactics you can employ, and here are some of the most effective to build buzz.

What Do You Hope to Gain?

What is your reason for planning a product launch? It may seem like an obvious question, but it is one that you need to answer. And your answer should not be “because everyone does it”.

Instead, try to have one or a few specific goals that you want to achieve, which could involve: increase market share, create more awareness, grow customer base, or anything along those lines. Focus on these during the planning and execution of your launch, and you will be able to better measure whether it was a success or not.

Start Building Excitement Well in Advance

Months before the launch, start to build excitement about the big day. Write blog posts, provide hints in social media that something big is coming, get people talking, suggest you have something really exiting in the works.

This will all help to get others talking about it, and people may start to guess what you are going to release. Get as much media attention as possible, because the more stories that appear in the press prior to the launch, the more people will be interested to find out what you are releasing. Forbes has some good info on product launches, so take a look for some more tips.

Add Something Special

Make sure anyone who attends is treated well at the launch event. Provide them with chocolates like the boxes from Martins Chocolatier, serve up a wide range of drinks and refreshments, and make them comfortable during the launch. Give away other freebies and make sure they feel like they are welcome.

Focus on the Benefits

With a lot of products, focusing on the benefits is the most important way to attract attention. Some products will require more focus on the features, especially if you have a new and exciting feature to promote. But for your launch, place an emphasis on how your product or service is going to help people, to change lives, to make life better in some way.

Make It Exciting

Make it big. Make it exciting. Invite the big names from the industry and do whatever you can to get them to attend – the more big names you can attract, the more people will be interested in covering the launch. Ensure you send out invites to all the important industry professionals and bloggers, and even if they don’t attend, at least they will know about it.

Whatever you do, stay away from a boring, dry speech to introduce your product. Use video, music and a captivating presentation. Don’t bore your guests. Do something exciting or different during your launch, and there is more chance that they will write about it.

Plan the Launch in Detail

Ultimately, a successful launch all comes down to careful planning. Start planning your launch a long time in advance, which often means many months before the actual launch. Use this time to plan all the details but also to build up buzz so that by the time the day arrives, you know your launch is going to make a splash.

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SEO and Mobile Traffic: How It Can Improve Traffic

1 to infinity accessible info, 140-word news bit, 2 to 3 seconds page load, 1 click of a button, easy smooth typing, perfect page dimensions, swift scrolling—these are the living proof that online mobile consumers in today’s age have short attention spans. To satisfy their standards, you got to give them what they want in an instant. WHat we are talking about here is SEO and Mobile Traffic.

If they’re looking for info, hand it over in lightning speed. If they want to buy products, ensure their purchase in a snap. Because if it isn’t your mobile site that people go to online, chances are that there’s someone else. Even if you’re offering quality services that can top your competitors but it isn’t being showcased properly with how slow your mobile site is, then you lose the chance of getting a sale or sales even.

Don’t let this happen. Leave it to an SEO agency to improve your mobile site. Here’s a brief overview of how SEO can improve your mobile traffic and your mobile site in general:

  • First things first, an SEO agency will focus on the mobile user experience. This means that they will engage the visitors of your mobile site and eventually convert them into customers. As a result, this certainly has an increasing effect on your site’s rankings.
  • Only the most relevant content is allowed on the site. The general rule of thumb is, “Informative content, the more sales.”
  • A responsive layout will be created to complement the relevant content. The experts will display the content in such a way that the users will find important info from top to bottom without them perceiving it to be endless. What’s more is that they can put a button that says “back to top” so that users can easily relocate on the page.
  • They can provide videos, gifs, and 3D images to create a more visual experience for the users to make the text even more engaging.
  • They will decrease to zero any feature on the mobile site that annoys potential customers. For instance, involuntary clicks because the buttons or links are too close together and too small for the fingertips. It’s a general rule to establish a certain distance from one button or link to the other.
  • Another thing that annoys potential customers is pop-up banners. The experts will get rid of these fast to avoid distractions that may interrupt a sale from becoming a purchase.
  • The experts will allow the users to filter their search. This will make it easier for users to immediately find what they’re looking for.
  • They will provide a click-to-call button so that the users can easily voice out their queries or concerns instead of giving them extra work by saving your number and using another device to call your company.
  • Last but not the least, they will create a sense of urgency for visitors to become customers through the use of incentives. These include discounts, exclusive and limited offers, free shipping, and so on.

This sums up the SEO strategies that can boost your mobile traffic in no time. Mobile traffic equate to a higher ranking, so what are you waiting for?

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Google My Business: Essential for Small Business

Google is known for its innovation and experimental nature, and one has to admire how readily they take risks and how daring their initiatives are. Google Reader and Google Glass aimed to change the world and the Driverless Car isn’t far behind – but whether they hit the mark or not, Google keeps persevering. Some of the best minds in the world work for Google, and it’s because of this, that services such as Ad Sense and Gmail even exist. The reason for writing all this is because one of Google’s vast successes that is standing the test of time in a warp-speed world, is Google Maps. To get your business on Google Maps you must sign up to Google My Business.

How it Works

The main way to ensure you are as visible as possible on Google Maps is to fill out the Google My business profile completely and ensure every box is filled – don’t rush it. Boring advice, but oh so necessary.

Additionally, I have seen reports that seem to suggest local search (i.e. search in your local area) is getting more like the rest of search (search in the wider world), making generating online activity and topical conversation around your chosen locations key.

Reviews

From what I’ve seen, reviews are one of the key differentiators in how visible your maps listing is as a small business. One of the benefits of running a smaller company is a shorter chain of command and closer contact with clients themselves. Asking your clients to review you on Google Maps and give you a testimonial for your website is, in my opinion one of the best things you can do. People look at reviews now more than ever, and maps listings with reviews do tend to be significantly more visible.

Recent Results

To demonstrate the value of reviews, a client of mine recently went from 25 reviews to 35 reviews on their Google Maps page. Firstly, I can see their maps visibility has risen significantly when searching for key topics around their offering on the Google Maps engine. Secondly, they have enjoyed a 45% increase in views to over 4,000… in the last 30 days alone.

Re-Verification

Now for a bit of current news; Google recently sent out Maps re-verifications for Google Business listings (Google Business is the umbrella term that Google Maps now sits under). If you receive or have received one of these for your small businesses existing listing, do re-verify it – you don’t want to miss out on being seen and your listing could be removed.

Old School Tactics

A lot of blogs on optimising Google Maps talk about the usual actions you should take so I won’t go into detail, but they include the following:

  • Promotion: Use your website to promote your local listing in addition to your email communications. You can see on one of ours here we have links to both Google+ and a neat Google Maps map on our website. Old school tactic but I believe it adds value.
  • NAP (Name, Address and Phone Number): Keep these consistent and the same for both your website and Google Maps listing so the two marry up.
  • Offers: Rather than directly increasing visibility, posting offers can serve to drive activity… and sales.
  • Location: Putting the correct locations on your listing is vital as people often search on Google using location – make sure the locations match those on your website too.

For the small business, I honestly think Google Maps is one of the best resources out there – and of course – it’s free to all!

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6 Books Written by Famous Entrepreneurs

Any new entrepreneur will surely dream to meet the people who made it to the top and are an inspiration for everyone around the globe. Nevertheless, we know that meeting them all to get inspired might not be a possibility for everyone. However, you can always find the stories of struggles and rise to power through various books that have been written by people, who all started as ordinary people but achieved extraordinary feats in business. If you are an aspiring entrepreneur struggling with the dilemmas of a start-up, these are some of the best business books to read.

1. Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson

Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson

The tell-tale of Richard Branson, the owner of the Virgin Group has penned down the fables that has made his entire life a worth read. Richard Branson is person that has the profile-raising drives of P. T. Barnum and expertise of Bill Gates. The autobiography talks about how the name ‘Virgin’ came up, how they remodelled the on-going industries where the customers were ripped off or were treated less than deserved by the competences. Further, it talks about the airlines, music, cola and general store line up of the group, the adversities that were faced and how Richard lived his life amid all the happenings. Losing My Virginity: How I’ve Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way is Branson’s record to keep things minimal yet making them large at the very same time.

2. iWoz by Steve Wosniak

iWoz by Steve Wosniak

iWoz is the autobiography of Steve Wosniak, the developer of the Apple computers. The book tells about a brief history of life of Steve Wosniak, his founding of the Apple Computers and some other ventures. He talks about his relations with Steve Jobs, feelings towards Apple and some misconceptions that were spread about him and which he would like to clear. The book is written in form of monographs not lasting more than a few pages, in some cases a few paragraphs. iWoz: From Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It, the title sums it all.

3. Thrive by Arianna Huffington

Thrive by Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post, has described about her breakthrough of realization of the actual definition of success in her bestseller ‘Thrive’. While the world only knows about the two dimensions of success- power and money- Arianna has subtly pointed out the third and an inevitable dimension of success. Being already successful and having to face an ugly disease, Arianna talks about how one tends to overlook the simple yet the most important aspects of life. As someone wisely said that no one will remember power point presentations at your graveyard and hence we should establish a balance between the professional and personal world. The book is an eye-opener for the person who is working much more than required to reach somewhere that is not a destination but a never ending journey. Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder, exactly preaches its subtitle.

4. Business at the Speed of Thoughts by Bill Gates

Business at the Speed of Thoughts by Bill Gates

Business at the Speed of Thoughts by Bill Gates is not a manual for the current technologies but about how technology and business are intervened. The book talks about the effect of digitalization on the business and how to enhance the business with the help of technology. Bill Gates in his book debates about the cyberspace and how it has been ruling any and every industry for a while now. The book is a piece of sheer brilliance that looks at the world from the eyes of the world’s most successful, rich and influential person.

5. The Blueprint by Peter Thiel

The Blueprint by Peter Thiel

The Blueprint by Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal is an upfront bitter truth about the innovation in the current scenario. He has written about how we are not advancing towards future because of the lack of new ideas and the incapability of producing something new to life. Today’s businesses whether technology or any other field is more about refining the existing products rather than giving a new product. The book is a motivation for any person who may or may not be associated with technology. The Blueprint: Reviving Innovation, Rediscovering Risk, and Rescuing the Free Market, is the way to brainstorm for something that still has no blueprints.

6. Pour Your Heart Into It by Howard Schultz

Pour Your Heart Into It by Howard Schultz

Pour Your Heart into It by Howard Schultz is the making and shaping of Starbucks Coffee. What started as a normal coffee shop on Waterfront in Seattle has expanded to an exclusive brand with which today coffee is defined. The idea was to make coffee a taste of the Americans, which it successfully did. The book talks about the wisdom that Schultz gained while on the coffee making journey and also about how to change passion into profit for the right reasons and in the right way. Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time, is a fable about how Starbucks has become much more than a coffee, perhaps a lifestyle.

Reading the words directly from the most influential tellers is one of the best ways to create and recreate self. These business books are the real stories of real people and their real struggles. One cannot escape without reading these enthralling yet heart touching books that gives the reader new insights.

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Eight Leinster Companies Celebrate Business Awards

Eight leading Leinster based companies celebrated success at the Leinster final of the Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards, which took place on 20th October at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin. The eight winners will now progress to the national final in December to compete with winners from Munster, Connacht and Ulster.

A total of 676 companies entered the Awards – the highest number ever, reflecting an increase of 7.8% on last year’s awards, and 260 of these entrants were Leinster businesses.

The Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards provincial winners for Leinster are as follows:

  1. Business Start Up – DP Financial Ltd. t/a Rye River Brewing Company
  2. Small Business – The Grafton Barber
  3. Established SME – Integrity 360
  4. International Business – Netwatch
  5. Social Enterprise – Grow Dome Project
  6. Food & Drink – Clonarn Clover
  7. Agri Business – McCormack Farms Ltd
  8. Women Led Business – Polar Ice

 

Speaking at the Leinster awards, Olaf Fitzsimmons, Ulster Bank Regional Director, said: “The Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards are a mainstay in the Irish Business calendar. As well as finance, we are determined to help create a better environment for doing business in Ireland. Our mission to be number one for customer service, trust and advocacy is proven here today in our support for each and every one of these excellent businesses. I’d like to congratulate each of our winners and wish them the best of luck at the national final in December.”

The 2015 Ulster Bank Business Achiever will receive a comprehensive prize package including a €50,000 publishing bursary with the Irish Independent, business mentoring from Enterprise Ireland, a full service communications workshop, as well as national and regional PR coverage.

For further information on the 2015 Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards and the provincial winners, go to www.businessachieversaward.com. You can also follow all the action on Twitter using @ulsterbank_baa and #businessachievers.

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Provincial Winners of Ulster Bank Business Achievers Award Announced

Ulster’s top achieving companies were crowned this morning at a prestigious event in the Ulster Museum, Belfast.

Eight impressive firms were named category winners of the Ulster section of the Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards, from a record list of entries. Run in partnership with Invest NI, InterTradeIreland, the Belfast Telegraph and SmallBusinessCan.com, the awards seek to celebrate the achievements of local companies across a wide range of sectors.

This year’s winners, selected by a high-level panel of judges, were:

  • Business Start Up: Environmental Street Furniture Ltd (Newtownabbey)
  • Small Business: AJ Power Limited (Craigavon)
  • Established SME: Novosco Ltd (Belfast)
  • International Business: Market Resource Partners (Belfast)
  • Social Enterprise: Bryson Charitable Group (Belfast)
  • Food & Drink: Lynn’s Country Foods Limited (Downpatrick)
  • Agri Business: Hannan Meats / The  Meat Merchant (Moira)
  • Women Led Business: Amelio (Belfast)

Each of the Ulster winners will now go forward to compete against provincial winners from Connaught, Leinster and Munster in the all-island stage of the competition. The overall Business Achiever and all-island category winners will be announced at a gala evening in Dublin in December.

“Cream of a very impressive crop”

Congratulating the Ulster winners, Richard Donnan, Head of Ulster Bank Northern Ireland, said: “With over 200 entries from Ulster to the awards this year, the winners and shortlisted companies today can be sure that they are the cream of a very impressive crop. The standard was truly exceptional and I am extremely confident that the eight category winners will do Ulster proud in the all-island final”.

“The Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards is a flagship programme for us, helping us communicate our support for businesses – sitting alongside other initiatives such as our overall sponsorship of the Balmoral Show and our Entrepreneurial Spark Hatchery that will open in Belfast early next year. The Awards recognise and reward entrepreneurship, one of the most important components of any economy. The businesses here today have differentiated themselves from their peers and demonstrated exactly what’s needed to grow and succeed in the demanding conditions of today’s markets,” he adds.

Judges for the Ulster stage of the awards included Nigel Walsh, Ulster Bank; Janet Toal, InterTradeIreland; Sarah Little, Belfast Telegraph; Ian Murphy, Invest NI and Sean Mahon, Janse Consulting.

To impress the panel, companies were required to demonstrate strong financial performance and a flair for innovation, indicate company milestones and achievements and outline strategies for future business development.

Great benefits for winners

In recognition of their provincial success, category winners each receive an award trophy and significant marketing opportunities including a specially commissioned company video, a prominent profile page on the Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards website and entry to the all-island stage of the awards.

The overall winner will walk away with a comprehensive prize package comprising a €50,000 (just under £40,000) publishing bursary with the Belfast Telegraph, expert business mentoring from Enterprise Ireland, a full-service communications workshop and significant media exposure.

You can keep up to date with all of the action form the 2015 awards using #businessachievers on twitter.

More information is available at www.businessachieversaward.com

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Common Business Expenses That Are Tax Deductible

A tax deductible expense is any necessary, reasonable and ordinary expense that is associated with earning business income. As you can imagine, this definition is highly volatile. It is really important that you know about all the business expenses that are tax deductible. This would help you to save a lot of money on taxes. In this post we outline common business expenses that are tax deductible.

Unfortunately, most business managers do not know what expenses can be considered as being tax deductible. That is why we will go through those that many do not know much about.

Administrative And General Expenses

Basically all of the expenses that are necessary for business operations are tax deductible. This includes what you would expect: salaries, supplies, equipment, office rent, utility costs, accounting services, business publications subscriptions and professional dues. Such expenses are usually covered but there are so many others that are associated with administrative or general expenditures. For instance, you can actually deduct content writing tools and investments done in setting up a business office.

Make sure that you talk with your tax accountant. Mention the different expenses that will appear and see if they are going to be deductible or not. You will quickly figure out that even miscellaneous expenses like repairs, charitable contributions or education expenses can be deducted.

Keep in mind that home office deductions can be quite substantial. You gain many different advantages when you run an office from your home so do consider the opportunity as one that can help you to save a lot of money.

Automobile Expenses

When doing business, you can easily have situations in which you drive a car. The business related mileage can be tax deductible, unless the automobile was used to commute from and to work. In the event that the travel was made with a business purpose that can be proven, tax deductions are available. Besides mileage, you can also deduct part of the expenses associated with car operating costs.

Travel And Entertainment Deductions

Reasonable entertainment and travel costs can be tax deductible when:

  • They are directly connected with business
  • They are associated with business

Due to the personal element that appears, only around 50% of the entertainment expenses and meals will be deductible.

Depreciation Deductions

Based on Internal Revenue Code, the small business owner can write off up to $18,000 of purchased equipment during one year period. It is a tax break that you do want to take advantage of as soon as possible, especially in the event that you often find yourself buying office related equipment.

Employee Benefit Deductions

These are highly valuable for business operations. Offering employees fringe benefits is actually tax deductible, which is many that do not know about. Many of such benefits are not seen as employee income. Tax breaks are thus available. The only problem is that there are many different deductions that appear and disappear. Tax laws change constantly so you need to be ahead of the curve.

We should also add that retirement plans chosen can also lead towards various tax advantages. Employer contributions are normally tax deductible and such money can be tax-deferred till retirement age is reached.

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8 Professional Qualities That Can Help All Budding Entrepreneurs

Running a business successfully takes more than just making plans. It takes careful execution of the said plans and the readiness to face the outcome, whatever it may be. While no one can guarantee that your plans will lead you to success, you can be certain of the fact that every experience you gain will bring with it a lesson, irrespective of whether you succeed or not.

As a budding entrepreneur, you’re bound to feel overwhelmed at times. Rest assured, you aren’t alone in this. Running a business successfully is no mean task, especially for an amateur. It is important, however, to stay positive and continually challenge yourself to perform better.

Wondering what it takes for up-and-coming entrepreneurs to make it big in the business world? You’ve come to the right place.

Entrepreneurs Remember the Why

Break up the word ENTRE-PRE-NEUR to understand the fundamental rule of building a flourishing empire. Entrepreneurs need to figure out why they need to “ENTER” a space in the first place. Is it just the money? Or is it passion? Being passionate about your work is a skill. Have you seen anyone succeed because of plain luck and no passion? You can’t stay in business if you don’t have the will to sustain it. Entrepreneurs find out what their strengths are and work on their weaknesses. They also make sure they recruit passionate people who can egg each other on along the journey.

Entrepreneurs Do the Ground Work

“PRE” signifies “before” or “prior to.” The thumb rules are to pre-plan and pre-estimate. Entrepreneurs never work with assumptions (which lead to apprehensions). They get the facts and stats on everything that matters. They are information-oriented. They think like no one else does, which takes practise. They filter out the negatives. They serve a purpose; fill a hidden gap. Details beat presumptions every single time.

Entrepreneurs are Enterprising 24×7

Entrepreneurship is a craft and entrepreneurs are masters of this craft. They are updated about everything in their business (and that of others). They maintain a 360-degree view of the world and current trends. They seek internal and external feedback, and even hear out criticism. At the end of the day, they review their actions and priorities. Their mind is constantly fertile with words like “new,” “innovation,” and “growth.”

Ideating comes naturally to them. There’s a popular adage that talks about winners not doing too many different things, but doing regular things differently. This is what sets them apart. Entrepreneurs need to think on these lines in order to become winners. As they move from one project to another, they need to challenge existing notions and raise the bar.

Just like “NEUR,” a combining word form that means related to nerves, business acumen surely needs to run in an entrepreneur’s nerves!

Entrepreneurs are Go-Getters

Entrepreneurs trust their instincts, of course, after they have gauged the rational and calculated elements. Instincts are the feathers and perseverance the wings. They are perceptive and work with foresight. They never lose focus on why they got into it, where they stand now, and what tomorrow holds.

They compete more with improvement and excellence than with rivals. They never settle for mediocrity. They are not satisfied with temporary solutions. They ask questions, and find (or create) answers. They reinvent and rediscover.

Successful entrepreneurs don’t wait for things to happen; they make things happen. They want to learn as much as they can and use that knowledge to get things done and achieve their objectives.

Entrepreneurs Value People-Power

Progressive entrepreneurs invest as much in their team as they do in assets, technology, and the other overall business areas. They get the right people to do things right. They care for their team and encourage them to excel. They don’t build a business; they build people – with whom they can in turn build a business together. They connect with all their stakeholders: clients, customers, and critics.

Entrepreneurs Manage Time

Taking accurate and time-bound decisions is vital to any business. The speed of the “boss” determines the speed of the team. Checks and balances are key words. When time tests them, they adjust. They return with a bang.

Entrepreneurs are Conscious

Successful businessmen do not hold themselves back from setting lofty goals and take on challenges that are seemingly unachievable.
Entrepreneurs know that they do not “run” but “lead,” or even “guide” a business. They safeguard it and its people. They are always ready for the best and prepared for the worst. They spearhead transformations when required. They say Yes or No prudently. In short, they know the implications of their words and actions, and are always aware of what they’re doing or saying.

Entrepreneurs are Always Cheerful

The ability to stay positive and cheerful, in the good times and the bad, is the hallmark of a successful entrepreneur. The entrepreneur is the face of his business, and its reputation depends greatly on the way he presents himself in public. Entrepreneurs establish cheer in their own and their team’s hearts. They don’t mull over losses. They are amazingly positive. They know there’s more to achieve and the world is their oyster.

Over to You

Are you a founder or a leader of a company? How many of the above traits do you share with other immensely successful entrepreneurs? Do a self-check and share your experiences with us in the comments.

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