http://kevinelliott.net/blogs/entrepreneurial The Entrepreneurial Spirit: Captured and Shared Fri, 07 Nov 2008 06:08:10 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en You can't achieve great things without setting goals. In order to accomplish great things, you need a roadmap for how to get there. To create a roadmap, you need to set goals first, so you know where you are headed. If you were building a railroad, you would research and determine ... http://kevinelliott.net/blogs/entrepreneurial/2008/11/06/goals-define-your-future-success/ Treat today like it is your last. Reach out and meet people in your industry. Finish that project you've been procrastinating on. Stop making excuses for why you're not ready to be successful. Take risks and chances that you've avoided taking out of fear. Occasionally when I'm writing, I find that ... http://kevinelliott.net/blogs/entrepreneurial/2008/11/02/seize-today-tomorrow-is-never-good-enough/ Chances are, you don't need a reminder from me to know that the economy is suffering, financial institutions are collapsing, the real estate bubble is popping, people have lost their jobs, getting access to loans and other credit is stiffening, and federal bailouts are occurring. There are those that choose ... http://kevinelliott.net/blogs/entrepreneurial/2008/09/26/times-are-rough-so-think-smart-and-profit/ I have heard people say it just takes a good idea followed by a lot of hands to make a successful company. This can't be further from the truth because building a thriving and desirable startup is really tough. Sure, it starts with an idea (hopefully one that is based on ... http://kevinelliott.net/blogs/entrepreneurial/2008/09/20/startup-metrics-prototyping-scaling-developing-marketing-and-funding/ Networking is one of the most important activities that an entrepreneur can do. The problem is that many people don't do it right. The current attitude of the "me generation" certainly lends to the passion and drive of the American Dream; the pursuit of wealth and success. But on the ... http://kevinelliott.net/blogs/entrepreneurial/2008/09/10/nurturing-your-network/ Building a company on conviction and meaning is to create a money making enterprise that also has balance with its employees, its clients, and its reason for existence. When your company means something, your clients will recognize that. Some companies suffer from an investor/management team that are willing to sacrifice ... http://kevinelliott.net/blogs/entrepreneurial/2008/08/28/building-your-company-on-conviction-and-meaning/ Something caught my eye the other day that I thought had a very important message to all entrepreneurs and small business owners everywhere; true team cohesion and an ability to build things at a quick pace that a team is enthusiastic about. This is a feat that is not a ... http://kevinelliott.net/blogs/entrepreneurial/2008/07/13/team-cohesion-and-building-great-things-quickly/ Somehow, countless startups are still getting funded by investors without financial business models that are sound, proven, or even make sense. Even a couple of my colleagues have questionable businesses that have received infusions from angels and VCs (although, the products they've built seem brilliantly designed). Don't get me wrong, ... http://kevinelliott.net/blogs/entrepreneurial/2008/07/07/you-wont-be-bought-by-google-so-quit-fooling-yourself-you-need-a-sound-financial-model/ Small Business Trends reported yesterday that Six Disciplines is offering a free book (up until July 6th only) titled 'Execution Revolution' which discussing execution strategies... what we believe our problems are with our businesses are possibly not what we think they are. This is a great promotion that is hard ... http://kevinelliott.net/blogs/entrepreneurial/2008/06/29/free-copy-of-the-book-six-disciplines-execution-revolution/ I recently stumbled across a free e-Book written by Michael Simmons and Sheena Lindahl, of Extreme Entrepreneurship Education Corp fame. They've been acknowledged by ABC, NBC, CBS, and Business Week for their efforts to reach out and educate budding young entrepreneurs. While their e-Book is mostly written for a college ... http://kevinelliott.net/blogs/entrepreneurial/2008/06/24/be-who-you-are-you-silly-entrepreneur-you/