“The fastest way to succeed is to double your failure rate.” Thomas J. Watson
No one likes to fail. So when you start your own small business and it doesn’t work out, it’s a difficult pill to swallow. I know because I’ve had my share of business failures. After sacrificing so much of your time, energy, passion and resources, a failed business venture can make you feel like crawling under the covers and never coming out again.
Many of you know me as an entrepreneur — others as a journalist. In reality, I’m a hybrid. My company, SBTV.com, is an online media outlet for small business news and information. Additionally, I write for several national media outlets and I’m a small business contributor for ABC News. Therefore, I get hundreds of pitches every week. But I also pitch to the media to help build by business and personal brand. I see the process from a unique vantage point. I know what works and what doesn’t. So I decided to share a few insider tips to help you capture the media you desire.
Entrepreneurs frequently start businesses because they see unique solutions to everyday problems. That’s true for one musician turned inventor.
“My iPhone crashed. I lost all my photos and calendar. I was frustrated by having to manually input all my contacts. I decided there has to be a better way,” explains Amos Winbush III. And that’s what sparked the idea for this young musician from Shreveport, La., with no technology background, to create a solution — CyberSynchs, a universal data transfer and synchronization company.
The dictionary defines a celebrity as someone with fame — renown. In the past achieving celebrity status was enjoyed only by people who soared to the top in fields such as acting, national sports, politics and journalism. People whose faces, names and voices appeared regularly in our homes on television, in newspapers and magazines and on radio.
Traditional media coverage is no longer necessarily needed to build celebrity status. With the advent of technology and social media almost anyone can become a recognized expert — mini-celebrity — in their field. Yes, that means even you can propel yourself to stardom and fame. But it takes hard work, dedication and most of all patience.
The heat has been brutal so far this summer in many parts of the country. Too hot for the kiddos to play outside. In my community, the swimming pools even closed. Many parents told me their children were going stir crazy — anxious to find something to do with their time.
Even under normal weather circumstance, the summer months often create challenges for small business owners. How do you balance the conflicting demands of running your business and spending time with your children. Many who are working tirelessly to build their businesses, feel guilty and conflicted over the lack of time they have to spend with their children. So let me ask: Why not let them work with you this summer? You get to spend time with them. The children get valuable experience. And there may be tax advantages as well.