SBA Delivering Success: Top 10 Business Tips

>> The U.S. Small Business Administration
and the United States Postal Service present Delivering Success.
In this chapter you will hear from successful entrepreneurs whose tips will get you started
and keep you growing.
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>> Get a mentor.
Scottsdale education center.
>> New opinions put together make a stronger surface.
It's great to have somebody that really knows the business
like you do, to bounce things off of.
>> Test your idea.
Optima Lifestyles.
>> What I would tell people who want to start their own business or become an entrepreneur
and they have a favorite hobby or something they enjoy doing is to take that idea
and find a mentor or two and run it by them to see if it really makes sense.
Put a plan together, on paper and in your head, and walk that plan out to see
where you really want to be in life.
>> Hire quality.
BKG.
>> Don't settle for something less than what you really need for your company.
When it comes to any kind of a business partner,
whether it's an employee or an accountant.
Get the best people around you and they'll make you look good.
>> Stay on your game.
Blue Sky Spa
>> Most important thing in business, I think, is staying ahead of everyone else.
And by that I mean to knowing what your competitors do,
but also looking internally versus externally.
Because you're only as good as your last service.
You need to be on top of your game and worry
about what you're doing on a day-to-day basis.
>> Focus on your mission.
Cake Love.
>> I have a vision about what I want to accomplish.
And by working hard and by staying true to what my core mission is,
to make excellent cakes from scratch, I'm getting there,
and I'm very thankful for that.
>> Develop partnerships.
The Savvy Gourmet.
>> If you're thinking about opening a business with a partner,
whether it's somebody you know or somebody you don't know, take it very slowly.
Make sure you know what each other's expectations are.
And spell out the relationship in writing.
 
>> Plan for the future.
Scottsdale Education Center.
>> It's imperative that you know what you really want to do.
It's imperative that you're looking six years ahead, or seven years ahead,
rather than at the next six months of your business.
And to do that, you need a good mission statement.
You need to really know where you want to be.
And that's what we did.
 
>> Set goals.
Optima Lifestyles.
>> I think it's very important to have goals and to write them down.
And have them be long and short term goals.
But once we take them out of our head and put them on paper they become more visible,
they become more of a reality, and we know when we accomplish them.
>> Stay focused.
Superior Chocolates.
>> It's really important to be focused and know what you want to do.
And to stay focused.
To not get distracted.
It's real easy once you start to go off track.
>> Protect your brand.
Fairytale Brownies.
>> The name fairytale Brownies and the logo
of the brand are also a critical part of our success.
Because just having a good brownie recipe isn't enough.
It's the packaging and the branding that is I'd say half the sale.
And we spend most of our legal fees are on an intellectual property attorney
in protecting our brand through trademarks and copyrights, and enforcing infringement
on those if we find other companies trying to infringe on those rights.