Smarter Office Blog

As an entrepreneur or small business owner, the idea of stealing clients away from a big brand can seem like an impossible task. Often times, trying to compete on price is out of the question. 

You can't do everything as a entrepreneur. This very often is what entrepreneurs themselves refer to as “Entrepreneur Syndrome.” These are the men and women who are afraid to give up control and want to do everything themselves. From answering the e-mails to securing venture capital to buying the office supplies, they want to do everything themselves. This gets even more complicated when it comes to juggling finances, which distracts many entrepreneurs from the core of their business. 

As an entrepreneur, you will always be creating projects for yourself and your team. Whether you realize it or not, the business of running a startup is organized around a distinct grouping of tasks and exercises. A good startup needs to be well organized so that your tasks drive completion of your projects and your projects serve the larger goal of accomplishing your business objectives. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs don’t do their due diligence when it comes to project planning and try to do everything at once, which increases stress and drives down productivity over time. Here are some tips from experts on how to stay organized and in control of all your business projects.

Things can change quickly in the entrepreneurial world and it’s important for you to be able to adapt quickly. Nobody goes into business expecting for their entrepreneurial venture to fail. The very idea violates everything that the entrepreneurial mindset stands for, which doesn’t change the fact that 92 percent of startups fail. It’s because of these unkind statistics that it’s important for every entrepreneur to be realistic about their chances for success and develop alternative strategies to ensure the success and longevity of their business. Here’s how to build a backup plan in case your business needs to take a quick 360.

One of the most challenging aspects of being a small business owner is focusing less on the finances and more on how, where and when you engage and welcome new customers. Differentiating yourself from competitors is the only way to reach out to new customers and win new business. Here are some tips to improve your approach.

If you’re looking for a small business loan or other financial resources, before you apply you need to accurately understand how much you need to get to the next level. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common ways of funding a startup business that don’t involve the murky dealings of angel investors or venture capitalists.

When it’s time to choose a business structure for your startup, things can quickly get confusing. From sole proprietorships to LLCs, it can be very difficult figure out what business structure is right for you. While there are many options, there’s no one best choice for the type of business entity you choose to legally operate under. There may be, however, a best choice for your particular company based on your business or performance goals. Let’s outline the most common types of business structures to help you decide on the best one for your startup now and in the future.