Monday, November 25, 2013

Entrepreneur Profile 3 - Elizabeth Blake Thomas

Elizabeth Blake Thomas
Company: U+ (www.uplusproject.com)
Favorite Tweeter: Arianna Huffington

1. Provide a 2 sentence biography of yourself and/or mission statement.

Having been involved in the creative industries since I was 4 years old, I believe young people need creative influences in their life to enable them to fulfill their potential.

2. Describe your business and why you started it.  What is it that differentiates your business model from others?

I am founder and creative director of U+ which is a free initiative for young people that enables them to show, share and sell their work turning it from talent to enterprise. It is all about empowering young people.

3. What is one challenge you’ve experienced with your business and how have you overcome it?

When we have an individual that actually sells a piece of their work or is able to actually take their creative hobby to the next stage. One of our members is currently running his own animation club and another one is filming his first series. We are able to help young people because we believe age is irrelevant and it's down to passion, tenacity and perseverance. We then give them the right contacts.

4. Which entrepreneur inspires you and why?  What industry do they work in and what accomplishment is unique to them?

Kelly Hoppen is very similar to me in that we both started in 15/16 years old in our first business. I set up a theatre school. She lost her father, my parents divorced and so my father left and I learned determination. At 54, she is running her own empire and this is all sorts of things from book deals to tangible business items. This is what I would like to be doing.

5. What is one development you foresee in your industry in the next 10 years?

I'm hoping education will be completely turned on its head as its been the same since the industrial revolution. Children need to learn in very different ways and need to be accepted for being different.

6. What trait is most important to succeeding in entrepreneurship?

Passion and understanding of the industry and absolute determination to change things.

7. What if one piece of advice you would give to someone considering starting a business?

Choose an industry you know a lot about and if it can involve your family in some way it means you get to see them! My company's ambassador is my daughter Isabella blake Thomas.

8. What is your favorite book on entrepreneurship and one lesson you learned?

My favourite book is one I'm writing called The ripple effect. It's for mums who want to start a business and so it's points are short and to the point!

I also love any books by Malcolm Gladwell!

Monday, November 18, 2013

Entrepreneur Profile - Matt Cheuvront from Proof

Today's profile is of Matt Cheuvront from Proof.  You can follow him on twitter at @mattchevy.  His website is http://www.proofbranding.com/.  Thank you, Matt!!

1. Please provide a 2 sentence biography for yourself and/or mission statement.

Matt Cheuvront is the founder of Proof - a full service branding house based in Nashville, TN. A self-made entrepreneur, writer, thinker, and craft-beer-drinker, Matt has helped countless brands companies, organizations, and individuals build their brands and effectively tell their stories.

2. Describe your business and why you started it.  What is it that differentiates your business model from others?

Proof is a full-service branding firm. This means that while we do creative and strategic work including logo/identity design, website design and development, print design, video production, and marketing strategy - we do all of these things through the lens of branding, ensuring we have a solid understanding of every brand we work with, and providing clarity and positioning for each and every client we partner with. Our distinction is both our commitment to a holistic branding process, and in the clients we work with - folks who are doing meaningful work. As we call them: Purposeful, passionate brands.

3. What is one example of success you have experienced in your business and what characteristic helped you achieve it?

The success of Proof lies in remaining deliberately focused on our WHY. We are intentional about what we say “yes” to - and more importantly, when we choose to say “no”. Growing WELL in favor of growing FAST has led us to do more meaningful, quality work. It certainly isn’t the quickest path to fame and fortune, but it is, without a doubt, the clear path toward personal and professional fulfillment.

4. Which entrepreneur inspires you and why?  What industry do they work in and what accomplishment is unique to them?

That’s a great question. I certainly can’t point to just one - but I do look up to other branding shops like Matchstic, Foundry, and Grain & Mortar. What stands out about these companies is, again, their commitment to the craft. They’ve grown well and remained intentional about the work they do and clients they take on. They present themselves very well, and just as we strive for, they’re focused on creating an overall experience for each client - moving away from the standard, traditional “transactional” model of a formal agency.

5. What is one development you foresee in your industry in the next 10 years?

I think people will start to “get it” - and by that I mean, more and more folks are starting to understand and appreciate the value of overall BRANDING - how all the pieces come together (logo, web, print, etc.) - and are accepting to firms who take that more holistic approach, as opposed to cherry-picking services. We’ve gone through the period of style trumping substance - but now we’re really moving into a more intentional space where substance is paramount. Simple design with bold, effective, engaging copy - that’s one example of the way I believe we’re moving. In short, the public is getting wiser - and with education as to any product or service at their fingertips ala the good old fashioned information superhighway, it’s that much more important that we’re getting wiser with them.

6. What trait is most important to succeeding in entrepreneurship?
Show up. Every single day. Entrepreneurs see opportunity when others see obstacle. The most important thing you can do as a business-owner is to keep showing up. Even when it’s incredibly challenging - and when it might be easier to take the easier, more complacent route - keep showing up. Bring your “A” game and keep trying - tinkering - experimenting - asking - and hustling. The most successful entrepreneurs are doing what they love, which inspires them to show up every single day.

7.  What is one piece of advice you would give to someone considering starting a business?
Do it. Seriously. I know that sounds lame but if you WANT to start a business, the only thing you have left to do is to actually do it. ACTION is the only thing that separates dreamers from doers. In a more tangible sense, write down, tangibly, what you need to get there. What kind of support do you need? Where do you need to be financially? What staffing will you need to get started? Can you get started on developing a product? Define where you want to go (and pick a goal date to be there) - and then clearly articulate all the steps it will take to get there. Pick one, and get to work. Take things one at a time and just start moving!

8. What if your favorite book on entrepreneurship and one lesson you learned?

Simon Sinek’s Start With Why is a huge inspiration to me. In everything we do, we always - ALWAYS - seek to start with why - understanding every brand’s story and building from there is the essence of what we do. Others that have recently inspired me and/or I’m currently reading: Steal Like an Artist, Rework, Designing Brand Identity, and Die Empty. All excellent.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Welcome to Entrepreneur's Insight - Profile of Ted Coine

This blog is intended to inspire others to start a business as well as grow an existing business successfully!  I am asking entrepreneurs a short series of questions about their business, views on their industry and advice for anyone interested in starting a business.  I hope you will find this resource valuable.  Each Monday, you will find a new profile!  If you or someone else is interested in being profiled, please email me at nataliedeniz28@gmail.com.  Thanks

The first person to be profiled is Ted CoinĂ©!  Thanks to Ted for participating in the blog.  I know many people will benefit from your perspective.

PROFILE OF TED

1. Please provide a 2-sentence biography for yourself and/or mission statement.

Ted CoinĂ©, 3-time CEO (you’d think I’d learn!). Most recently, I’m co-founder and Co-CEO of SwitchandShift.com, a multimedia leadership website dedicated to The Human Side of Business. I’m also a Forbes Top 10 Social Media Influencer which (I’m sorry) feels kind of like being an expert in email. But apparently a lot of folks are still having trouble mastering the social aspects of social media, so maybe I shouldn’t knock that expertise.

2. Describe your business and why you started it.  What is it that differentiates your business model from others?

We’ve been called “HBR with an axe to grind,” which of course is a huge compliment. A recent post, “Good Karma is Good Business,” sums up our philosophy at Switch and Shift pretty well (http://switchandshift.com/good-karma-is-good-business).

3. What is one challenge you’ve experienced with your business and how did you overcome it?

I made a huge mistake with my first company, which was very successful very quickly: I believed what people said about me. Business seemed so easy, I started to think maybe business people weren’t that talented as a rule, or that I had the Midas touch. That whole thing is just plain stupid, and I’m embarrassed I ever thought that way for even a minute. The truth is we came up with a service that companies needed, and we delivered it very well. The delivery? Yes, that’s skill. Finding what people need, at a time that they need it? There’s a whole lot of luck in that. No one knows how good they are at business till they fail miserably at something. Now that I’ve done that, and rebounded, I know how good I truly am (and am not), and how lucky I’ve been a couple of times. You need both skill and luck to succeed at anything. The “overcome it” part? I started taking smaller risks, so now I fail much faster than I used to, and much more often, but I try to learn each time and I never bet the farm like I did with my first company. Embrace small failure keep going. That’s how you overcome adversity.

4. Which entrepreneur inspires you and why?  What industry do they work in and what accomplishment is unique to them?

I’m a huge Richard Branson fan. I love the way he has fun at work, and has actually built that into Virgin’s business model. Virgin is a vibe, not just a brand. I admire the way he realized early on that working at headquarters could be a liability, so he held meetings on his houseboat instead – that’s literally and figuratively working “on” the business rather than “in” the business, as so many entrepreneurs do. I also really identify with his “Screw it, let’s do it” approach to business and to life.

5. What is one development you foresee in your industry in the next 10 years?

My industry is teaching business leadership – teaching through our keynotes, our writing and TV show on Switch and Shift, and our consulting. I’m writing a book called A World Gone Social: How Businesses Must Adapt to Survive, with Mark Babbitt, on the transition our economy is making from the Industrial Age to the Social Age.  The transition from old school to more human-centric is the development I see – not just now, but it’s going to keep going, as some industries lag behind others. It’s a fascinating time to be alive!

6. What trait is most important to succeeding in entrepreneurship?

You’ve got to put your business ahead of your ego. Not everyone does it; many egomaniacs build successful businesses. But that’s actually harder: top talent has no interest in working with you, so you’re stuck trying to build a business with the leftovers. When you’re focused on the success of your organization, on building something important that you’re proud of, and that your employees and customers are proud to be part of, too – that’s when your company will truly thrive!

7. What is one piece of advice you would give to someone considering starting a business?

Why do you want to start a business? It’s much easier to have a job. Start a business only if you feel compelled to create something from nothing, just like an artist feels compelled to create. I’m a writer: I get miserable if I haven’t written for a few days. If you don’t get miserable when you’re not building a business, don’t even start.

8. What if your favorite book on entrepreneurship and one lesson you learned?

Hands down, Entrepreneurial Genius: The Power of Passion, by my good friend (and fellow Naples resident) Gene Landrum. First, let’s start with Dr. Gene himself: creator and first president of Chuck E. Cheese’s, he took that business from thought to $100M. Then he did it again with another company. Then he did it a third time with a third company. Good luck finding someone who understands entrepreneurialism better than Gene.  The best two chapters of the book itself are on Branson and Jeff Bezos. What I like best about it are the things you can’t find in other biographies, like the fact the Bezos used an unfinished door on two saw horses from Home Depot as his desk when he started Amazon – what kind of a message do you think that sent to the rest of his staff about the importance of not wasting money? Absolutely brilliant read!