Tips for Entrepreneurs to Put Your Small Business in the Winner’s Circle

Hats off to YOUR small business! National Entrepreneur Day is about folks like you who take the risk and have the spirit, the strength—and the hutzpah!—to start your own small business and keep it going, through good times and bad. If you’re a new entrepreneur or a seasoned pro, enjoy a few inspirational tips for small businesses, designed to keep you in the game for decades.  But first, a few questions to be answered! 

What Is National Entrepreneur Day?

Established in 2012 to recognize the enormous contribution entrepreneurs make to the economy and quality of life of millions, National Entrepreneur Day is an annual event occurring on the third Tuesday of November. The day honors people who have taken the risks to build something new from nothing—could be a shop, a cell phone, a social medium, or a restaurant. The corner burger joint that offers a plant-based option is just as impactful as the gal getting Spanx in the hands of millions. New products, services, and experiences like those you provide as a small business owner, speak to our interests, enrich our minds, and are part of the fabric of our lives.  

What Is the Best Advice for Entrepreneurs?

We see every small business owner as an entrepreneur, replete with the stresses, risks, and rewards of the lifestyle. Whether you plan to stay small or want to dominate your industry niche, entrepreneurs experience a degree of responsibility and a depth and breadth of tasks that most non-entrepreneurs do not. Accordingly, our tips for new entrepreneurs as well as seasoned pro’s focus on staying in the game for the long-haul. Our best tips: 

Pivot

Small businesses have an advantage in the area of changing approach, pricing, or products. Flexibility can be easier for a smaller team. The key is to be open to change. There’s an expression in writing called “kill your darlings,” that encourages a writer to let go of writing that doesn’t serve the goal. Similarly, if a business approach you thought would work isn’t bringing in the revenue you thought, let the market move you. One of the most important entrepreneur tips to keep in mind as you pivot is to stay true to your values, like a low carbon footprint, fair hiring practices, top quality merchandise, or unstoppable customer service.  

Persist

Keep showing up. The small business superheroes we celebrate on National Entrepreneur Day carry a daily burden that is unique. Being an entrepreneur can feel like the most thrilling amusement park ride and also like the weight of the world on your shoulders. Expect that some days you’ll be on a roller coaster ride and others you’ll be pushing a boulder up a hill. Still other days will see you cruising on wide open roads. As the months and years and decades continue, you can look back and realize the value of walking through the highs and lows, keeping an open mindset and a growth mindset, and giving yourself a break when you need one to recharge.   

Trust Your Team

Maybe you’ve found a few folks to help you, or you’ve got an entire arsenal at your service. Perhaps you vetted each freelancer thoroughly including a panel-style interview, or maybe you just asked them to fog a mirror as a condition of full employment. No matter the case, your team is in place to help you and help you, they can! Identify their strengths and play to them as much as possible. To the extent that you can empower an employee to make decisions and resolve issues on their own, you’re freed up to learn more, plan more, think bigger and get inspired. Overall, good  advice for entrepreneurs should include respecting everyone on your team (starting with yourself!), especially their time, pride, and opinions. 

Outsource the Stuff You Hate

One thing National Entrepreneur Day can’t overlook in the small business reality of “not my forte but it’s on my plate.” Whether you’ve got a tax preparation business, a muffler shop, or a used car lot, every small business entrepreneur is faced with these natural joys and/or inalienable headaches: sales and marketing; finance, accounting, and payroll; product and service development, pricing and sourcing; and management and teambuilding. 

We’re not trying to practice new math, but… if you can get something off your plate that steals your mojo and your time, you can apply that energy in the areas that come quickly and naturally to you. In this case, subtracting something from your plate means a bigger pie gets made. In other words, 1 – 1 = 3. Something like that!   

Celebrate Success

Be sure to set realistic goals and take a moment to recognize progress. Share milestones met with your customers and employees so everyone can feel good about their contributions big and small. Hot tip for new entrepreneurs and established small businesses? Have promotional products on hand to show appreciation to customers and team members. We like these:  

Full Color 11 oz. Ceramic Mug: Add your full color logo and design or select from over 99 fun design templates. There’s one to suit your small business and your special occasion. Share every success with those who helped you grow! 

Full Color Charon Notebook & Metal Pen Gift Set: Show customer appreciation and celebrate milestone. with this trendy, two-tone, stitched notebook and matching metal pen. Both feature your full color messaging for small business branding from every angle. 

3-in-1 Chrissy Tote Bag & Backpack: This branded giveaway can be worn as a tote bag or a backpack, and folds up into a convenient pouch for keeping close at hand. 

Design Wrap Colorama Pen: You’re an entrepreneur with your own flair and approach, and your promotional pen should reflect that! Design your giveaway just the way you want it with this pen’s fully customizable wraparound barrel art.  

Mineral Soft Touch Diamond Stylus Pen with Rose Gold Trim: You’re an entrepreneur who’s going places! Say it with this this top-tier, professional pen, featuring rich mineral barrel colors with color-matched stylus, rose gold trim, chrome rings, and a diamond patterned grip. Your loyal, lucky recipients will treasure your gift, saying, “I knew them when they were just starting out!” 

17 oz. Stainless Steel Noe Camp Mug with Lid: Your best customers and top employees deserve a gift with staying power, like this double-wall, vacuum-insulated, stainless steel mug featuring a powder finish that’s the height of style in customized drinkware.  

Entrepreneur Tips Start and Stop with Self

If there’s one non-negotiable ingredient for success as a small business owner, it’s self-motivation. It’s your get-up-and-go that’s gotten you where you are. Every person you work with benefits from your bravery and leadership. Cheers to you on National Entrepreneur Day and every day!  

P.S. For more resources on small business success including tips, challenges, and ideas related to working from home, check out our blog, Small Business Article Roundup: Saving Money, Working from Home & Leading Teams amid COVID-19.