Entrepreneurial Spirit: Is it in You?
by Dolly Allison in Business on February 10th, 2010
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TweetDear Entrepreneurers,
Choosing to start your own company is a decision you have to come to terms with within yourself. Other people can not decide this for you. It has to be what you want and believe.After about a year of asking, “What should I do with my life?” and annoying everyone around me with questions about what they think I would be successful in pursuing, I finally came to the realization that no one’s expectations for me were as high as my own. So, I set to work on my true passion, baking.
At first I had no idea where to begin. Do you just start selling cookies? Well, not exactly. I still wasn’t confident that the cookies were amazing. I liked them, but would anyone else? I began to make cookies for birthdays, Christmas, Get-Well-Soon, any holiday or excuse to bake was good enough for me. As each person sampled my cookies I observed their reaction. Did they go back for more? Did they share them just to get rid of them? The details in this research process were of infinite importance. As it turns out, my cookies were incredible by everyone’s standards. This gave me the motivation and confidence to move forward. Without the known support of others I probably would have quit. Giving yourself a reason to be confident in your product will push you to move forward with your ideas.
After a big move across the country I decided it was time to sit down and build a website. As you know, if you don’t have a website, you don’t have a company. Seeing as my company would be based on internet sales, I put this as a top priority on my to-do list. The internet is a form of validity in today’s business. It was very important for me to have something that looked professional, was easy to use, and most importantly inexpensive to make. My company began with zero dollars so I had to make due with my own skills. It’s funny, you just never know what you can accomplish once you decide it’s time to get busy. For example, I needed a logo. I couldn’t afford a design specialist so I learned Photoshop in a week by watching YouTube tutorials and created something I believe to be beautiful and perfect for my company. I found a free flash design web tool that hosts my website and allows me to have full creative control. Everything you see with JBD Cookies is made from scratch by me. Hard work will make all the difference in the world and people appreciate it.
It took me about a year to get everything in place…testing cookies, building a website, finding the proper packaging to protect my cookies in shipment, and gaining the confidence I needed to talk to people about it. One of my goals is to tell someone new about JBD Cookies everyday. Promotion of your business starts with you. You’ll be surprised just how many people support what you’re doing. Not everyone has the entrepreneurial spirit and those, near and far, will be excited that something new is falling into their lap. Being an entrepreneur is something to be admired. Failure is what is at stake and people know it. Entrepreneurs are courageous and that is a quality that other people wish was instilled in them. There will be a few people that will doubt you and say your company or customers won’t last, but ignore them and keep running. You can be successful and you will be successful. You just have to do it and believe it and KNOW it.
In it’s first week, JBD Cookies received 17 orders. I was expecting 5. All I do these days is bake and bake and bake. I feel so lucky to be doing what I love full time. Just remember that success comes from within you. If you believe it, you will be successful. Others will take notice and help. Know your business, know yourself, know your goals and by all means SHARE your aspirations with other people. Try your hardest and face your fears. Failure isn’t an option when it comes to your goals.
Go get ‘em!
Always,
Dolly
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