Saturday, November 30, 2013

What do the Experts say?



As I approach the end of my Master’s Degree in Entertainment Business, I feel it is important to hear what the experts are saying about having a successful business plan. Whether it is a small or large business everyone started with an idea. It is imperative to do what works best for you and your plan. Not every business started out with a formal business plan, there are other ways at achieving the same end result. It is important to have everything aligned in order to productively move for with your business plan.

Expert 1: Russell Simmons                        
Russell Simmons is a business mogul, activist and best-selling author, his message for small business owners; is getting rich is a lot easier than people think. Although not all business owners are in it to get rich, it is important to know that anything is possible with the right frame of mind.

In Russell Simmons book “Super-Rich: A Guide to having It All,” Simmons says that a positive attitude, passion and openness to wealth—both spiritual and material—are some of the qualities needed for entrepreneurial success.

Russell Simmons offered the following advice for all entrepreneurs: young, old, big and small.
  • Do a business you believe in: “I’m an entrepreneur who is moved by passion, but not numbers. I am constantly being approached with business ideas that will make money, but if I don’t believe in the business, I won’t do it,” said Simmons
  • Be passionate about what you do.
  • “Stay on your hustle,” said Simmons. “Don’t quit.”
  •  Give away your business products and services for free. “If you are a good giver, you will be great getter,” Simmons said. “The less you need, the more you attract.”
  • Find business that lift people up.
  • Don’t worry about the results. Focusing on results distracts the entrepreneur, from building his or her business, said Simmons.
  • “Quiet the mind,” said Simmons. The entrepreneur who has a still mind is the entrepreneur who can do anything, he said.



Expert 2: Reid Hoffman 
Reid Hoffman is the co-founder of Linkedin and, according to TechCrunch, “undoubtedly one of [Silcon] Valley’s most profiled angel investors.” Reid wrote an article for TechCrunch giving advice to those developing a business plan. He has three key components he looks for when determining if a plan is worthy for his investing. 
How will you reach a massive audience?
        Reid writes, “In the old days of business, everything was about “location.” In the new days of Internet business, it is all about “distribution.” How will your business stand out from all the rest on the Internet? Reid says, “Every Net entrepreneur should answer these questions: How do we get to one million users? Then how do we get to 10 million users? Then how will you get deep engagement by your users [?]”
        What is you unique value proposition?
“When building a business product for the Internet, make your product innovative enough to distinguish your product from all the others out there. Don’t make your product too innovative, however. If the product is too far ahead of its time, it won’t be accepted by the general populace and it will risk failure."
Will you business be capital efficient?
        “Even if a business has both a large audience and the right product, without cash f low, everything will end in failure. The business plan must make allotments for not only the initial funding but ongoing stable funding. By having available capital, a business can continue to operate and grow no matter what unforeseen changes may take place.”