What better time to talk about Entrepreneurs, with EWeek right around the corner! EWeek Maine, encourages and supports entrepreneurs with panel discussions, workshops and networking events, designed to foster entrepreneurial education and lifelong learning. Go to http://www.eweekmaine.com/ for a complete listing of events.
Not many of us have one-dimensional lives. Most of us have expectations and requirement coming from many directions; bosses, employees, spouse, children, parents, teachers, students, neighbors, etc… In order to ensure all of these responsibilities are fulfilled and expectations are met, we have to be organized. This holds true, and is even multiplied, if you are the business owner.
Business owners now need to consider not just how to complete an order and the process of making the widget, but also the marketing, security, finances, regulations, taxes, etc… that go into running a company. While these tasks may grow with regards to the company size, they exist on some level at any size. So what is an Entrepreneurs or Solopreneurs (single person company) to do? How can you effectively wear all of these hats?
Here are some options/suggestions;
- Take the time to learn all of the functions of running a successful business. Just bite the bullet, take classes, attend seminars, and make time to learn the material.
- Find a mentor or business counselor that can help you find resources and give you tips. It’s important to find someone that will be honest with you, someone who continues to expand their knowledge and share that with you.
- Hire a consultant or business coach that has experience in running a business or in a particular aspect that you are struggling with. Again, It’s important to find someone that will be honest with you, someone you can trust to help keep you on track.
- Get a partner or hire an employee to help share the work load. When choosing to work with others, you add the human resource function to your plate, so be sure that is something you are prepared for.
Here are some websites that I have found helpful as tools and resources for getting started, getting organized, and learning how about the many aspects of running a business;
National Resources
- Business Owner’s Tool Kit
- Small Business Administration
- Service of Retired Executives (SCORE)
- Association of Small Business Development Centers
- Go Small Biz
Local (Maine) Resources
- Coastal Enterprises Inc
- Small Business Administration
- Service of Retired Executives (SCORE)
- Maine Small Business Development Center
- MaineTech
- Maine and Company
- Maine Center for Enterprise Development
If you are not already a member of the Maine Entrepreneurs Group or the Maine Successful Thinkers Group on LinkedIn, I would highly suggest it. There are some great resource discussions.
Feel free to comment on additional resources that you have found helpful!
