How To Grow Your Startup Quickly and Successfully

While it might seem like a daunting task to grow your startup quickly and successfully, there’s no reason you can’t.  Many entrepreneurs get “stuck” while trying to grow because they are scared of making the wrong decisions and are well aware that a third of all startups fail within two years.  Running a startup requires not just a great idea but the ability to adapt and scale quickly.  Often, entrepreneurs stay in startup mode for way too long.  If you keep telling people you’re just a startup, you will never grow so you have to think outside the box.  Most entrepreneurs probably have wondered at one point of another how companies like Apple or Nike became worldwide icons and created a massive devoted following.  Their success might seem like a miracle but in truth, it’s not!  It can be duplicated by any new startup if you have the tools to make it work.

First things first.  While it might seem small, it’s really not.  Find a mentor.  Mentors will make your achieve your dreams more quickly.  The best mentors are those who have done before what you yourself are trying to accomplish.  Finding a mentor can be difficult and I’ve discussed it before.  Use all readily available resources: your high school, college or grad school networks, join networking associations, look to former colleagues or bosses or even ask a friend.  Make the relationship casual and show that you have something to offer in return and that the mentorship is a two-way street.

Next, delegate, delegate, delegate.  When you’re in a startup phase, your are handling everything yourself and that can become overwhelming quite quickly and detract you from what you are trying to achieve or even start to lower your morale.  While you might not want to spend the money, it’s smartest to hire at least one employee that can take some of the day-to-day mundane tasks of starting a business off your plate.  Also, it’s a great way to brainstorm and have someone to bounce ideas off of.  Remember, just because it’s your idea doesn’t mean you have to handle it all alone or that sharing it with someone will no longer make it your own.  In fact, it’s just the opposite.  Additionally it’s a misnomer to think that people cost money because, in truth, a lack of production and failure to grow your business costs far more.

Change your pitch.  For example, let’s say you own a website design company, instead of saying: “I own a small web design company,” say “I own a web company like none other.”  There’s a big, big difference there and the way you present yourself to the overall business community is the way you help your company grow and thrive.  The first approach makes you seem small and insignificant.  The second makes you seem unique and confident that you can be a money maker.  Know how to promote yourself in business and be ready to explain quickly and thoroughly, yet concisely, what your company does that makes it better and faster than other competitors already out there.

Create a sense of urgency.  If you start a business venture without setting a specific timeline, then you will get stuck.  One expert says: “Being an entrepreneur is a marathon activity with a lot of sprints.”  If you take it race by race and win, you will give yourself and your company the best gift you possibly can: momentum!  While you don’t want to be overly pushy with new clients or potential investors, it’s still okay to follow up often.  Urgency is key to getting things done.

Get attention and fast!  The single biggest problem every startup faces is not becoming known.  The most important task for your company is to get the word out there.  Try unique marketing strategies.  Get on social media and fast!  Use all your best available resources.  Create a Facebook fan page, Twitter account – even a blog or YouTube channel.  Write articles and get in the daily trades.  Speak at networking events.  Try anything and everything to get your company noticed.

Know what’s most important and then subsequently, pick your battles and wisely.  Don’t get wrapped up for weeks with things as simple as designing a logo that ultimately might not matter in the long run.  As time goes on, your brand will evolve and expand just as your business evolves and expands and so something that might seem as important as the “perfect” logo could change down the road as your message and audience change.  There are more important things that need your pressing attention, such as the obvious like gaining customers and making money.  As someone once told me: “When you are hunting big game, don’t waste time squatting mosquitoes.”

Know your weaknesses and recognize that there’s no shame in having them.  Once you recognize your flaws, you can work towards fixing them and then, compensate for them.  Often, depending on how much effort you put in, of course, a weakness can often become a strength.  As you learn how to tackle them, you learn from them and this can only help your startup grow and thrive in the long-run.

Lastly and most importantly, set deadlines for yourself but, of course, you must adhere to them.  Determine your long-term goals and strategy for your startup.  Write them down or put them in a calendar and set reminders.  As an entrepreneur, you must set guidelines for yourself and always know how far along in the process you are.  Set goals for yourself on a daily basis and review them at the end of each day.  While it’s common to often get immersed in the chaos of starting a new venture, if you put things off, then you will never achieve the goals you originally started out to meet. 

So what have you learned here today?  Have you used some of the advice I’ve given today yourself as an entrepreneur or are there things you disagree with and have done differently?  Leave a comment and let me know.  Let’s start up a conversation and dialogue flow!

Here are some great articles you might want to check out about how to grow your startup quickly and successfully:

“4 Valuable Lessons on Growing Your Startup”: http://technori.com/2013/05/4416-4-valuable-lessons-on-growing-your-startup/

“9 Ways to grow Your Startup Virally”: http://viniciusvacanti.com/2012/02/27/9-ways-to-make-your-startup-grow-virally/

“The One Thing You Absolutely Need to Do to Grow Your Startup”: http://viniciusvacanti.com/2012/02/27/9-ways-to-make-your-startup-grow-virally/

To find out more information about the real estate services provided by Emerge212, check out our official website here: http://www.emerge212.com

Until next time…

How To Handle Difficult Colleagues at Work

Since we discussed collaborating effectively with colleagues at work last week, I thought this week, we would discuss how to deal with difficult colleagues at the office.  Our jobs take up a sizeable portion of our days.  Other than sleep, work takes up most of our time.  That said, going to work each day and facing a toxic co-worker can only add stress to your daily life and make it more difficult to get your job done.  When you encounter colleagues like this, it can often make life miserable which is no fun for anyone.  Even things as simple as personality clashes and differing work habit can affect the quality of your work day.  But learning how to tolerate a problematic and challenging co-worker will make you a better employee overall and equip you with the tools to do your job better even in the face of such a challenge.  The good news is that there are some measures that you can effectively put in place to deal with testy colleagues and here are some ways to do just that.

Always greet your co-workers in a friendly manner even if they don’t do so in return and even if it makes you grit your teeth to do just that.  Getting along with colleagues, no matter how difficult a challenge, is something that must be done, if not just to maintain your own sanity but in order to perform more effectively at work.

Be calm with challenging co-workers.  Never lose your temper or flare up at them.  This will only lead to a more difficult relationship and add unnecessary stress to your daily work life.  Unless you are certain that anger will trigger a person into changing their behavior and you are using it as a strategy to fix things, it is better to remain calm.  Someone who is calm is seen as being in control of their emotions and also seen as a mature person.  Don’t sink to a difficult colleague’s level.  You might often start to get the attention of those that are difficult if you remain calm at all times no matter how hard it may be to do so.

Try to see the other person’s point of view and try walking in their shoes.  Maybe a difficult colleague is experiencing challenges in his or her own personal life that they are bringing with them to the office and taking out on others.  Even if it might seem at times like a difficult colleague is out to get you, remember that there is always an underlying reason that is motivating said person to act the way he or she does.  Rarely is this motivation apparent so try to identify the person’s triggers and steer clear of them.  Think about what is making a colleague act inappropriately and disabling them from cooperating with you.  Maybe if you try, you can help them resolve their needs and encourage them to change their behavior.

Try getting advice from other colleagues and get some perspective from others.  In all likelihood, your “friendly,” even-tempered colleagues have experienced similar situation with other people or that same person in particular.  They might be able to see things from a different angle and offer a new take on the situation and guide you as to how you should handle the problem.  Seek them out and share your story and most importantly, listen to what they have to say.  You might very well find some exceedingly helpful advice amidst the conversation.

While you do want to remain calm, you are entitled to confront a difficult co-worker and tell them that their behavior is inappropriate and is affecting your work life negatively.  Let the other person know where you are coming from.  Letting them into your thought process on why the relationship in its current situation is not working will often enable them to empathize with your situation in return.  This might help them get “on-board” and change their patterns which will, in turn, make your job easier and less stressful overall.

Build a rapport.  Try connecting with a difficult colleague on a personal level.  Try befriending them and this might help them change their negative behavior towards you.  Invite them to lunch or after-work drinks where you can get to know them and garner more insight into what is going on in their personal lives that might be the catalyst behind their negativity at the office.  Offer a listening ear and sage advice.  Learning more about your colleagues on a personal level can only help your relationship thrive in the long-run.

No matter how frustrated you may get with a difficult co-worker, always treat them with respect and maybe they will return that respect in kind.  No one likes to be treated like they are incapable or incompetent so if you feel a colleague is treating you that way, treat them in the opposite way and often they will follow suit.  As cliché as it may sound: Always do unto others as you would like them to do unto you.

Take action.  Instead of focusing on what you can’t change about a difficult colleague, focus on what you can change and think of new and innovative ways to do that especially in how you approach them daily.  Don’t dwell on past situation.  Acknowledge that they have happened and rather harping on what you can’t change, focus on actionable steps you can take moving forward to change your relationship with them and turn a negative situation into a positive one.

Additionally, if you’ve already tried everything to better a relationship with a difficult colleague, you can always try to just ignore the situation if things are not improving and the other person is not being receptive no matter your best efforts to change the relationship you have with them.  Focus on the positive people at work and ask your boss to partner you up on projects with those people instead.

As a last resort, if it comes down to it, seek out authority for resolution.  If things become unbearable with a colleague, there is no shame in speaking with a superior about the situation.  While it’s best to try to resolve things first one-on-one, sometimes you have no choice but to go to your boss when things get out of hand.  A top-down approach is often best and takes the problem off your plate.  Let your boss handle the situation and your stress-level will decrease significantly.  That said, be careful not to exercise this option all the time so you are not seen as incapable of handling your own problems but you can always use it as the final ultimatum.  No one should have to put up with a continuously difficult colleague daily that bring down office morale and make your job more challenging than it needs to be.  Sometimes you have to put your own interests ahead of the trouble you might cause for others in terms of being reprimanded by a superior.

So what have we learned here today about dealing with difficult colleagues in an office environment?  Have you handled such co-workers in a similar fashion or have you taken a different approach to this problem?  Leave a comment and let me know.  Let’s start a dialogue and conversation.  Your feedback is always welcome!

Here are some articles you might want to check out about how to handle difficult colleagues at work:

“How to Deal with Difficult co-Workers”: http://www.forbes.com/sites/dorieclark/2012/05/23/how-to-deal-with-difficult-co-workers/

“10 Difficult Employees (And How to Handle Them): http://www.inc.com/ss/geoffrey-james/annoying-colleagues-and-how-to-manage#3

“Ten Tips for Dealing with Difficult Coworkers”: http://www.allbusiness.com/coping-with-toxic-coworkers/15607989-5.html

“5 Ways to Cope with The Co-worker from Hell”: http://www.lifescript.com/life/money/work/co-worker_from_hell_5_ways_to_deal.aspx

Until next time…

And check out Emerge212’s official website for more information on the real estate services we offer at: http://www.emerge212.com

How To Collaborate Effectively With Your Colleagues

Collaborating effectively with your colleagues is key to success in the workplace, especially at new companies just starting out.  If colleagues understand how to work well together, it can help your business reach its goals more quickly and efficiently.  Positive work relationships are important for building a career and finding daily satisfaction in your job.  According to a Gallup poll, people who have friends at work are seven times more likely to be engaged in their jobs and work effectively.  They don’t have to be your best friends but friendly relationships lead to more satisfaction in the workplace.

First off, show your colleagues respect – not just for them individually as people but for their work ethic and ideas.  Show them that you value their opinions and that you appreciate their efforts at all times.  Always keep the values of your company in mind and try to follow them.  Don’t talk down to colleagues or disrespect them.  It might sound cliché but treat people like you would want to be treated.  Acting respectfully towards co-workers means listening to their opinions and responding in a professional manner even if you don’t agree with them.  Never raise your voice or get snippy or short with colleagues.  Control your emotions and work towards conflict resolution.  For example: If you are having a disagreement with a co-worker, take a few deep breaths before responding or agree to disagree and to discuss the issue at a later time so that you can walk away from the situation and come up with an appropriate, professional response.

Partner with your colleagues.  Learn to brainstorm and work together.  Just because people don’t always do things your way, doesn’t make them less or wrong.  Show your colleagues that you are open to their suggestions and are willing to make compromises when it comes to projects and new ideas.

Communicate with your colleagues.  Be open with them and be willing to share and listen.  Tell them what you feel is and isn’t working.  Work together with your co-workers to come up with new and innovative ideas that will help your company reach its goals.  Always put collaboration ahead of individuality.  While some projects must be worked on alone, it’s never a bad idea to ask your colleagues for input.

Compromise is also instrumental to success in the workplace.  Show your colleagues that you value their opinions and always recognize that new input from others is important.  Sometimes a colleague might have a better way of doing something and that’s important to remember.  As I said, your ways aren’t always the best ways and never lose sight of that.

Listen to your colleagues.  In order to develop positive working relationships, offer a listening ear to what your co-workers are actually saying.  Assure your colleagues that you truly understand what they mean and that you do in fact want to work together with them to help all aspects of the business you work for grow and thrive.

Give off an air of openness.  Never make your colleagues feel like they can’t come to you with new suggestions and processes.  Allow them to express their thoughts and opinions freely regarding work-related issues.  In team meetings or one-on-one sessions, co-workers should be encouraged to voice their opinions about a project and express their ideas.  Open communication is important for team building and increasing morale.  If you are a supervisor or director, it is your responsibility to establish an office culture in which employees feel comfortable expressing themselves.

Cultivate personal relationships with your colleagues.  Show an interest in their lives beyond the corporate world.  Participate in after-hours get togethers when time allows or go out to lunch with a colleague to get to know them better.  This will give you more insight into who they are as people and how their brains operate and why they act and think how they do at work.  Find opportunities to spend time with your co-workers outside of the office and your business relationship will thrive as a result.

Trust your colleagues.  Trust is the foundation of every good relationship, be it in business or in your personal life.  Work with colleagues to form a bond that helps you collaborate better and communicate more effectively.  If you trust people at work, then you can be open and honest with them in terms of your thoughts and actions.

Take responsibility for your actions.  If you mess up, never try to put the blame on one of your colleagues.  Own up to your mistakes and ensure they don’t happen again but never “back-stab” a colleague or throw them under the bus to suit your own purposes or keep a good face with your boss. Take ownership of how you work on a daily basis and where you can improve.

Welcome diversity in the workplace.  People with good relationships not only accept diverse people and opinions, but they welcome them.  For instance, when your friends and colleagues offer different opinions from yours, you take the time to consider what they have to say and factor their insights into your decision-making.

Develop your “people skills”  Try putting yourself in your co-workers shoes so that you can get a better understanding for how they approach their jobs daily even if it’s different than your approach.

Identify what you need from your colleagues.  Talk openly with them and express what you feel can help improve your relationship with them.  This leads to better collaboration and overall work success.  Understanding these needs can be instrumental in building better relationships.

Be positive.  Always project a good attitude overall at work.  Positivity is attractive and contagious and will help strengthen your relationships with colleagues overall.  No one wants to be around negativity all day.  Being positive boosts office morale and encourages people to work together.

Set boundaries with your colleagues.  Let them know what you feel is and isn’t proper office etiquette in the work environment.  Never overstep with your colleagues.  While it’s often beneficial to be friendly, don’t forget that you are professionals and that work comes first.

Don’t gossip or talk behind others backs.  If you have a problem with a colleague, handle it maturely and confront them directly.  Open communication is key to working effectively with your office peers.  Remember that everyone is equal and should be treated as such.

Build teamwork with your colleagues.  Remind them that they are not alone and that you are all in it together and that making your company run smoothly and reach its goals means that everyone must pitch in and bring new and fresh ideas to the table.

Lastly and most importantly, offer constructive criticism to your colleagues.  If you feel there are ways to improve overall relationships in the workplace, express them but do so in a positive way.  As I’ve mentioned, never talk down to a colleague or disrespect them.  Offer guidance and positive reinforcement.  If you see that they could be doing something in a better, more efficient way, show them that you are their advocate and are willing to help them improve in any way you possibly can.

So what have you learned here today about collaborating effectively with colleagues?  Have you used some of the suggestions I’ve offered or have you approached your colleagues in different ways to ensure that you are working well with them?  Leave a comment and let’s start a conversation.  Feedback is always welcome!

Here are some articles you might want to check out about collaborating effectively with your colleagues:

“10 Ways To Get Your Colleagues To Work With You Better”: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2012/10/03/10-ways-to-get-your-colleagues-to-work-with-you-better/

“Playing Nice: How To Collaborate Effectively With Colleagues”: http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2012/10/effectively-collaborate.aspx

“Working Well with Your Colleagues”: https://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/health-article/254

“How To Get Along with Your Colleagues”: http://careerplanning.about.com/od/bosscoworkers/tp/get_along_with_colleagues.htm

Until next time…

For more information on Emerge212's real estate services, visit our official website at: http://www.emerge212.com/

How to Overcome Your Fear of Failure in Business

It’s not failure that holds us back but more often it’s the fear of failure that holds us back, especially as an aspiring entrepreneur.  As humans, we’re innately conditioned to fear failure especially when high expectations have been placed upon us at a young age and we then have high expectations for ourselves as a result.  A lack of failure is equivalent to a lack of risk-taking.  While it might be a very difficult challenge, you should never fear failure in business because it is guaranteed to happen at one point or another and if you do, then it will indeed hold you back from taking risks and if you don’t take risks, then you can’t achieve your dreams.  Many aspiring entrepreneurs struggle to overcome the fear of failure before they even start their own businesses probably because of the scary statistics that somewhere in the range of nine out of every ten new businesses fail within the first three years of inception. The reasons for these so-called “failures” are many, but the fear of failure alone should never be enough to stop an aspiring entrepreneur from starting their own business.  It is perfectly natural to occasionally have feelings of uncertainty about what you’re getting yourself into as a startup entrepreneur, but it can be dangerous to hold onto those feelings.  If you hold onto that fear of failure for too long, it can overtake you and make the thing that you are afraid of become your reality.  So how to overcome the fear of failure in business?

First off, redefine what it means to fail.  Failure doesn’t always have to be viewed as a negative thing.  Often, it’s beneficial to turn it into a positive thing and learn from it.  One of the many reasons aspiring entrepreneurs allow the fear of failure to derail them from starting their own businesses is because they view failure as solely a negative.  Interestingly enough, most successful entrepreneurs have had careers riddled with failures before they succeeded.  Remember, failure is not the opposite of success.  Rather, it is a part of success.  Think of failure as feedback.  Failure is merely nothing more than a result of getting what you don’t want.  It’s neither good nor bad.  Look at failure as a way to learn lessons and use those lessons to help you try again in a different way which can lead to success.

Stop comparing yourself to others.  In order to be successful in business, you must hold onto the things that make you unique as an individual.  It’s unwise to compare yourself to others simply because you are not them and you shouldn’t try to be like them either.  Just be yourself and success will follow.  Have confidence in your own abilities and stand out from the crowd.  While you should always try to learn from experts in any industry, try to steer clear of comparing yourself to them.  While you should admire the success of others, just because you might not be where they are yet, don’t envy them.  Recognize that they too have likely gone through failure but have learned to overcome it.  Respect the results that other entrepreneurs are able to create, but focus your attention on the results that you want to create.

Don’t give up; rather, keep going.  The best way to overcome your fear of failure in business is to take action in spite of fear.  When doubts or other negative thoughts fill your mind, don’t let them consume you.  Release them and focus on the positives and your innate capabilities and competencies.  Always stay focused on taking action.  Remember, fear is a common feeling when you’re trying new things because you leave your comfort zone and enter the unknown but instead of retreating back into familiar territory, embrace what lies ahead even if you are unsure of what that is.  By facing your fears and taking action, you expand your comfort zone and eventually, you will find that new experiences begin to feel familiar and your fear will subside.  Always use fear as a motivator.  That is how any entrepreneur becomes successful.

Instead of focusing on your problems, find solutions to them.  The goal of most businesses is to solve problems in the marketplace and give consumers what they’re not already receiving from someone else.  That said, it makes sense that as an entrepreneur you must learn to embrace problems too if you are ever going to learn how to fix them.  Learn to think of problems as an opportunity to create a solution not as something that you will not be able to overcome.

Start small.  One of the best ways to overcome your fear of failure is to start by focusing on the little things and build momentum that way.  “Go big or go home” is not the best motto for an entrepreneur.  This leaves you with only two options: taking massive action or taking no action at all.  It is particularly wise as an entrepreneur to begin with smaller goals and then build upon those successes.  Remember, success breeds success so if you can overcome and meet small challenges, you can slowly start to build up confidence and learn to rid yourself of your fear of failure.  By consistently achieving positive results on a smaller scale, you build momentum. That momentum is what will help to create the larger successes later.

Lastly and most importantly, always stay positive.  An entrepreneur should always maintain a positive attitude or at least project one to the outside world regardless of whether or not you are having doubts.  “As a leader of an organization and as the visionary for the future of your business, you must remain focused on the possibilities of the future and not so much the challenges of the present.”  If you learn to expect setbacks and obstacles, then you’ll learn that overcoming them is way to succeed.  Always lean on your positive attitude to look for the hidden opportunity within that reality.

So how have you overcome your fear of failure in business?  Have you used some of the suggestions mentioned here today or have you found your own route to overcoming fear?  What are the key elements that helped you succeed by embracing failure?  Leave a comment and let’s start a conversation.  Your feedback is always welcome!

Here are some are some articles you might want to check out about overcoming your fear of failure in business:

“How to Overcome the Fear of Entrepreneurial Failure”: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sramana-mitra/how-do-you-overcome-the-f_b_4037799.html

“Five Ways to Erase Your Fear in Business”: http://www.synnovatia.com/business-coaching-blog/bid/145024/Five-on-Friday-Five-Ways-to-Erase-Your-Fear-in-Business

“How to Overcome the Fear of Failure in Business”: http://www.cornerstoneadvisoryservices.com/blog/how-overcome-fear-failure-business

“5 Ways to Conquer Your Fear of Failure”: http://www.forbes.com/sites/glassheel/2013/04/23/5-ways-to-conquer-your-fear-of-failure/

Until next time…