Blog Archive

As a small business owner, you may find it impossible to attempt what Jobs and Apple have accomplished. But you’re wrong. Because when you're starting a new business, you have nothing to lose. You have all the freedom in the world to test your idea and see if it flies. This is the time for you to seize the day and think differently about your brand, your product or service. Here are 10 ways to think differently and apply innovation to your business.

Increasing iterations is a good thing - unless you're going in a circle. The hardest part of starting a business is knowing when it's time to change direction and when it's time to stay the course. A lot of small businesses fail for this reason: they are afraid that if early reactions are negative, they'll be "forced" to abandon their vision. So how do you know if it's time to change your business model? And how do you pick a new one? By pivoting.

One of the trending topics in the small business blogosphere has been why writing a business plan is a waste of time. They say that it's really just busy work. Well, they're right. Even working for a business planning service, I can say that no bank is going to loan you money based on your business plan alone. Throw away the traditional idea of what a business plan is. Let's redefine the traditional business plan.

When I think about the idea of starting a business, it brings me back to the first grade when my teacher asked me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Back then we all had the answers: fire fighter, astronaut, movie star. We dreamed big and aspired without limits. No matter what your age, you shouldn’t stop chasing your dreams. Ask yourself: Are you living or working to earn a living? Most importantly, are you living your passion?