Entrepreneurship

Your senior year of high school is a time for preparing yourself for college and really having a good think about what you want to do with your future. Although you might not be ready to jump right into building your career, which is understandable, there are a few things you can do to get yourself a head start on building your career in the most effective way. Here are some tips that will propel you ahead of your colleagues, and help you excel at business even before your career gets off the ground.

Connect With Influencers and Business Owners

The world is moving more and more towards individual influencers and entrepreneurs, so it’s a good idea to start watching and with connecting with them. Since you’re most likely already  on Instagram, it’s a good idea to start following influencers and other profiles that were successful in areas of interest to you. If possible, try to connect with business owners (through Instagram or other means) and get the inside scoop on their day to day routines.

Get Experience Interning or Volunteering

The prospect of working for free might be a turnoff to some, but there is something invaluable about an internship or volunteering. As an intern at a place of business, you get the rare opportunity of learning the inner workings of that company without the necessary qualifications to get a paying job. Not to mention, an internship or two looks incredible on your resume. If you have the opportunity (and the time) to do an internship or volunteer somewhere, definitely go for it.

Actually Start Your Business

If you’ve been planning and thinking about your business for a long time, and the only thing stopping you is that you think you’re too young or that you need to finish school first – start anyway! Even if you are not ready to go full time, start building your website. Begin making connections and talking to like-minded people about your ideas. You can even start a Kickstarter campaign in the meantime to gather funding for your project. If you feel like you can get started now, give it a try! Worst case, you’ll gain some great experience and give it another go when you’re more ready.

You’re young and you have the whole world ahead of you. Now is the time to get yourself a headstart so, by the time you are ready to walk out into the wide world of business, you will be more than ready.

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Your senior year of high school is a time for preparing yourself for college and really having a good think about what you want to do with your future. Although you might not be ready to jump right into building your career, which is understandable, there are a few things you can do to get yourself a head start on building your career in the most effective way. Here are some tips that will propel you ahead of your colleagues, and help you excel at business even before your career gets off the ground.

Make Yourself a LinkedIn Profile

You probably already have accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, but you really want to make yourself a LinkedIn profile. Once you create yourself a profile with a professional image of yourself, (even if you don’t have any working experience quite yet), you can utilize LinkedIn for its excellent networking opportunities. You can start joining groups surrounding topics you are interested in, and you can begin making connections (aka friend requests) to people in fields you might find relevant to you and your future career dreams.

Get a Job – Even If It’s Not The One You Want

Although miracles do happen, more likely than not, you won’t find yourself landing your dream job right out of high school. That being said, it’s a really good idea to get yourself a job, even one that’s part-time as soon as possible. Having a “real job” (one with a boss, when you are actually on the clock) will prepare you for the working world after you finish school. You will be able to dip your toes into the world of hours, shifts, taxes, bosses, and all types of coworkers. Not to mention it’s a great feeling to start earning your own money, and it might give you  that extra drive for success once you start your real career.

Find Yourself a Mentor

It could be a favorite teacher or professor, or it could be your best friend’s mom. Whoever it is, finding yourself a good mentor who you admire and trust is worth its weight in gold. Not only will you be able to see and learn, first-hand, from someone who has already been through it, but you will always have that person to ask questions to and to bounce ideas off of. A second (knowledgeable) opinion is priceless.

You’re young and you have the whole world ahead of you. Now is the time to get yourself a headstart so, by the time you are ready to walk out into the wide world of business, you will be more than ready.

Ready to take the first step to reaching your financial goals? Click here for a FREE quote from Onebox Funding, and find the best loan with the lowest rates, today!

In an ideal world, everyone who ever put their hearts and souls into a company would have the reward of business success for all their hard work. Unfortunately, this simply is not the case. For many business owners, despite the blood, sweat, and tears they put into their work, their companies begin to falter and, eventually, come crashing down. However, there are signs to look for to see if your company is beginning to take a turn for the worse, and it is possible to stop it in its tracks and turn it around for the better. Here are 3 signs that your company is losing steam, and what you can do about it.

1. You Are Losing Business To Your Competitors

Competition in business is a natural thing. It keeps us on our toes and always progressing. However, if you start seeing that you are losing a huge bulk of your business to other companies in competition with you, it might be a sign that something is going wrong. Take a look at your competitors, and try to find differences in how they market and manage themselves. There must be something that consumers appreciate and would rather pay for, something that you might be missing. It’s always a good idea to do continuous competitor research, even if you re still ahead in the game.

2. You’ve Stopped Growing

No company is able to keep a continuous incline in their growth, it would be impossible. However, if you notice that your growth has stalled for a long period of time, it might be a sign that your company is starting to fail. Although you might still have your loyal customers with you, staying at the same level for so long will only allow others to surpass you and, eventually, beat you out. When you start to see that your growth has gone stale, that’s a sign to start looking for something new to add to the mix. Your old processes have worked for you in the past, but with stagnant growth, you might need to begin looking for other ways to go about your business.

3. You’re Working Extremely Hard with No Benefits

It’s always good to work hard for your business, but sometimes your hard work stops paying off and starts hurting you. If you find yourself putting in more and more hours with little to no reward, you need to take a step back and rethink your strategy. Hard work does help, but when you’re beating a dead horse, you’re not going to reap any rewards from your efforts. Instead, try refocusing your work ethic on new ideas that might prove more profitable.

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Anyone can start his or her own business, but not everyone can be successful at it. Although everyone has a different story, the most successful business owners and entrepreneurs all have a few specific habits they do every day, that make them successful in their company operations and allow them to meet their financial goals. Here are three habits successful business owners do every day that help guarantee them good results.

1. Create a Routine and Stick To It

Although nothing is ever certain or static in the world of business, it’s important to have some sort of daily routine that you can stick to as best you can. While always leaving room for unexpected changes, a routine can help you to make sure that you are making steady progress each day. Not only that, but the daily tasks that fall within your routine will start becoming like second nature to you, which will allow you to complete them faster, and with more efficiency.

2. Start With The Hardest Task First

Although it is much more tempting to get the “low hanging fruits” out of the way first, it is a habit of the most successful business owners to start with (and complete) the most difficult task beforehand. This way, you start off the day with fresh energy and a clear mind, which will allow you the stamina to tackle the most daunting task. When you’ve finished it, and your energy levels are much lower, you can still successfully complete many more, simpler tasks. Doing it in reverse will only cause you to push the difficult task off later and later, and you’ll find you won’t have the strength to deal with it by the end of the day.

3. Keep Track of Your Progress

While working on a daunting project (such as starting a company), sometimes it’s hard to see the progress you’re making, as your daily steps are considerably small in comparison to your end goal. To keep up your motivation, it’s a great idea to keep track of your successes and your progress along the way, so you can look back and see just how far you’ve come in whatever amount of time it’s taken, even if it feels like you’re getting nowhere.

Of course, every entrepreneur is different and has his or her own way of working. However, these tips can help propel your business forward and put you in the ranks with the most successful business owners out there.

Ready to take the first step to reaching your financial goals? Click here for a FREE quote from Onebox Funding, and find the best loan with the lowest rates, today!

Anyone can start his or her own business, but not everyone can be successful at it. Although everyone has a different story, the most successful business owners and entrepreneurs all have a few specific habits they do every day, that make them successful in their company operations and allow them to meet their financial goals. Here are three habits successful business owners do every day that help guarantee them good results.

1. Embrace Changes Constantly

The world of business is always changing, every single day and business owners who are not constantly able to adapt will soon fall behind. Whether it’s a new technology, a new strategy, or a new way of thinking altogether, it’s important that you never become complacent in your routine. Just because something has been working for the past 3 years, doesn’t mean that one day 1 of year 4, it will continue that way. Business owners who are not afraid of change, even if it’s completely unknown to them, are always able to keep up with the times.

2. Understand All Finances

It’s simply not enough to look at your expense report or your monthly revenue and claim that you have your finances under control. Successful business owners understand that every cent coming in or out of a company needs to be accounted for. It’s imperative to look at every single expense daily, weekly, monthly, and annually to seek out patterns in your spending, or discover places to cut back. Have you borrowed any funding? Loans come with terms and interest rates that need to be accounted for. Keeping tabs on all of the cash connected to your business will guarantee that you keep afloat and don’t find yourself in any sticky situations with your money.

3. Take Calculated Risks

The very essence of risk-taking is, well, risky. However, all successful business owners have taken more than a few risks within their companies. Of course, that’s not to say you should throw all caution to the wind and take wild risks. But a well thought out, calculated business risk could be the difference between staying safe and making it big. Taking a calculated risk shows creativity, intuition, and faith in your own business and your team members. Being able to predict outcomes and take a leap of faith (and educated one, that is) could bring huge success or valuable lessons in what not to do in the future.

Of course, every entrepreneur is different and has his or her own way of working. However, these tips can help propel your business forward and put you in the ranks with the most successful business owners out there.

Ready to take the first step to reaching your financial goals? Click here for a FREE quote from Onebox Funding, and find the best loan with the lowest rates, today!

When running your own company, there is never a shortage of work to do. However, even though the number of tasks seems to grow as you complete them, there are ways to stay organized and complete your work in the most efficient way possible. Here are three tips to work smarter, instead of harder, by eliminating the busy work and running your business in the most optimal and effective way.

1. Learn Which Tasks Are Necessary

Most business owners have more tasks at hand than they know what to do with. The unfortunate thing is, many of them keep on completing old tasks and habits that have become obsolete or unnecessary just because “that’s how they’ve always done them.” It’s a good idea to start keeping track of which tasks make you more productive and profitable, and which ones you could do without. You will start to see patterns after a few days or weeks, and you can begin eliminating tasks that are no longer serving you.

2. Get Another Opinion

Even though your company might be your baby, and you trust only yourself to get the job done right, it’s a great idea to ask the opinion of someone else. A fresh pair of eyes with a different perspective could easily pick out mistakes or redundancies that you might have missed. Especially if you’ve been working for hours on end on the same task, someone else with a new perspective might be able to come at it with a new, fresh take.

3. Get a Dream Team

No one person can do everything him or herself, because no one person is excellent at everything. While running a company, it’s best to surround yourself with a trusted team of people, all with different strengths that can benefit your business. For example, if you are very creative but not so good at organizing yourself, it’s good to have another reliable team member to make sure you are staying on track. Building yourself a solid team of people who all have impressive skills is a recipe for a very successful company.

Although it’s important to work hard in your business, it’s more profitable and efficient to cut the unnecessary chaos, and be as productive as possible. Work smarter, not harder, and you’ll find yourself running a successful company, in the most efficient way possible.

Ready to take the first step to reaching your financial goals? Click here for a FREE quote from Onebox Funding, and find the best loan with the lowest rates, today!

When running your own company, there is never a shortage of work to do. However, even though the number of tasks seems to grow as you complete them, there are ways to stay organized and complete your work in the most efficient way possible. Here are three tips to work smarter, instead of harder, by eliminating the busy work and running your business in the most optimal and effective way.

1. Learn Which Tasks Are Necessary

Most business owners have more tasks at hand than they know what to do with. The unfortunate thing is, many of them keep on completing old tasks and habits that have become obsolete or unnecessary just because “that’s how they’ve always done them.” It’s a good idea to start keeping track of which tasks make you more productive and profitable, and which ones you could do without. You will start to see patterns after a few days or weeks, and you can begin eliminating tasks that are no longer serving you.

2. Cut Meetings Times

Unless you are working entirely by yourself, and you never have interactions with your clients, you will most likely have to conduct meetings here and there. Depending on the frequency of your meetings, it’s a good idea to try and keep them as efficient as possible by using the “short and sweet” method. Use your time wisely and efficiently by limiting face to face interactions to only the necessary issues. Anything else can simply be sent via email!

3. Take a Breather

Not doing work when you have mountains of it can seem counter-productive, but there comes a point where taking a total break from all of it is necessary to keep up productivity. Avoiding worker’s burnout and mental block is imperative to keeping your productivity flowing. And sometimes, this requires you to step back from your full schedule and do something else for a while. This will help your brain (and your body) recover to its full strength and mental capacity. Allowing for you to have a more productive time when you do return to work.

Although it’s important to work hard in your business, it’s more profitable and efficient to cut the unnecessary chaos, and be as productive as possible. Work smarter, not harder, with these tips, with more to come in the following Part III of our blog post covering Ways To Reduce Busy Work and Be More Productive.

Ready to take the first step to reaching your financial goals? Click here for a FREE quote from Onebox Funding, and find the best loan with the lowest rates, today!

When running your own company, there is never a shortage of work to do. However, even though the number of tasks seems to grow as you complete them, there are ways to stay organized and complete your work in the most efficient way possible. Here are three tips to work smarter, instead of harder, by eliminating the busy work and running your business in the most optimal and effective way.

1. Focus on One Thing at a Time

When you have a thousand and a half things to take care of, it’s only natural to want to have your hands in all of them. Unfortunately, this is not the most efficient way to get through your work. In fact, multitasking effectively is almost impossible for the average human being, and simply results in many tasks getting done, half-assed. The best thing to do here is to tackle one thing at a time, and give all of your focus and energy to it. This will result in a completed task, done correctly the first time, in less time than it would take to try and complete it with only a piece of your brain.

2. Take on Your Biggest Challenge First

It may seem tempting to take on what some would call the “low-hanging fruits” first, and leave the big tasks to the end. However, this can actually cause you to use all of your energy and focus on the smaller, possibly less important tasks, leaving none for the more intimidating, bigger issue. Although it may seem scary, it’s best to buckle down and take on your biggest challenge(s) first and get them out of the way early. This way, when you’ve completed the big guys, you won’t have to use so much of your time to tie up the loose ends, and you’ll get a lot more done in a shorter amount of time.

3. Write a List of Your Tasks

Some might look at this as adding more work to your day, however writing a list of your tasks for the day, week, month, and year will actually save you a lot of grief. Writing a list will help you organize your thoughts, and take what may seem like a mountain of work, and make it more graspable and organized. Also, having everything written down will ensure that no task slips through the cracks when business stress comes calling.

Although it’s important to work hard in your business, it’s more profitable and efficient to cut the unnecessary chaos, and be as productive as possible. Work smarter, not harder, with these tips, with more to come in the following Part II of our blog post covering Ways To Reduce Busy Work and Be More Productive.

Ready to take the first step to reaching your financial goals? Click here for a FREE quote from Onebox Funding, and find the best loan with the lowest rates, today!