by Curtis D. Tucker

The secret to learning as an entrepreneur is to mix equal parts of inspiration and perspiration. Hard work without a vision is futile, while a great idea without execution is similarly worthless. Check out these TED talks, you'll find the inspiration you need and the know-how to get it done.

TED is a small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design.

Check out TED talks by these inspiring figures: Seth Godin, Dean Kamen, Tony Robbins, Gary Vaynerchuk, Richard Branson and others.

10 Essential TED Talks for Entrepreneurs

Labels: Entrepreneurship, Ideas, Teaching, Thinking

by Curtis D. Tucker

There are many reasons to become an entrepreneur and even a few as to why not to become an entrepreneur. I'll describe the best reasons to be an entrepreneur and hope they give you the inspiration to become one yourself.

Enjoy the read and throw in your own ideas as to why entrepreneurship is a great way to make a living.

1) Being your own boss. There's hardly a better reason to work for yourself other than the fact that you are the boss and you call the shots.

2) Income potential. One of the top reasons to be an entrepreneur is that you are not saddles into a yearly salary. You are free to work hard and earn more money. In many cases there is no limit to the amount of money you can earn.

3) Freedom. You are free to set your own hours, free to work on the things you feel are important, free to try new things, free to experiment. There's freedom to spend more time with family.

4) Diversification. You don't have to put all of your marbles in one jar. You can start multiple streams of income, eliminate ideas that do not work and create residual income that makes you money while you sleep.

5) Excitement and fun. Doing something that you love makes work feel like play. If you can work at something that you enjoy you'll never dread working hard and waking up every day. There's excitement in thinking of new ways to make money.

6) Confidence. Showing yourself and others that you can make a living on your own merit can build great self esteem. Being an entrepreneur will help you become better leader.

7) More creativity. You will become more creative once starting your own business. You'll need to think outside the box and create solutions on the fly. Your creative juices will be in full force as you work your way through marketing, innovating, promoting and problem solving.

8) Satisfaction. There's something to be said for helping out other people. Your product or service will benefit or improve the life of another person which will be very satisfying. Accomplishing your goals and actually having a successful business brings its own satisfaction.

9) It's a challenge. Becoming an entrepreneur will be very challenging and you will run into many road blocks. You'll enjoy figuring things out and overcoming adversity.

10) Security. There won't be much security in the beginning but in the long run you will control your own fate. There are no layoffs, no downsizing and no wondering if your job is on the line. A successful entrepreneur will not only bring security to himself but can also bring security to the family and children that might one day take over the business.

Labels: Entrepreneurship

by Curtis D. Tucker

One of the best shows on television today for entrepreneurs is a show called Shark Tank. This is a great show for finding fun business ideas and also seeing what others have come up with. Watch as young entrepreneurs pitch their businesses and ask for money. Be sure and note the amount of money they ask for and how much control of their companies they lose.

Not only does the show give you start up ideas but the Sharks on the show give some very useful advise and they ask even more important questions. All of the Sharks on the show have made millions or billions on their own and they are using their own money to finance these start ups.

When you watch the show be sure to note the questions being asked. These are the same questions you will need to answer when you go looking for financing your business. The show can give you clues as to which types of products and services the entrepreneurial gurus feel have potential.

Hop on over to this page to see many of the past business ideas and then be sure to start watching the show. Shark Tank Business Ideas.

Labels: Business Start-Ups, Entrepreneurship, Ideas, TV

by Curtis D. Tucker

I don't believe just anyone can be an entrepreneur. Well, anyone CAN be an entrepreneur but not everyone will have the motivation to become one. These traits can be found in just about anyone but the people that put them into practice are the ones that will become entrepreneurs.

All entrepreneurs won't have all of these traits, but if you fall into a few of these categories you might have a future as an entrepreneur:

1. Positive attitude. Negative people are most likely not going to make very successful entrepreneurs. A positive attitude will rub off on fellow employees, clients and customers. Show some excitement about your business and others will see it and want to be a part of it.

2. Dreamer. An entrepreneur has dreams. They are not content with the everyday and mundane. Deep down they want more and they are always thinking of ways to get it. They expect more than they have and see a path to getting there. Entrepreneurs do not settle for what everyone else has, they strive for more.

3. Hard worker. Most entrepreneurs ignore the 40 hour work week. They do what it takes to get ahead and the create the steps it will take to reach the top. Entrepreneurs don't complain about having to work hard to achieve their dreams. Hard work is the foundation that leads to a life of leisure once the goal is achieved.

4. Never give up attitude. Every entrepreneur that has given up has failed. Failing is a part of success and an entrepreneur can see that fact. Small failures help you see where the successes are. A true entrepreneur most likely couldn't give up even if they tried. It's in their blood.

5. Doer. An old friend always told us that were talkers and there were doers. An entrepreneur does more than talk. They actually put a plan into action. The best time to get started is immediately. The longer you wait the more chances there will be for interruptions.

6. Creativity. Entrepreneurs are by definition out-of-the-box thinkers. An entrepreneur has to innovate a new way of doing something or improve upon an existing product or service. Entrepreneurs also create things that have not been thought of before. If you are a creative thinker you most likely are an entrepreneur.

7. Multi-tasker. I believe an entrepreneur is a multi-tasker. When creating a business, service or product there are many facets involved. An entrepreneur has to perform many duties while creating their dream and they must perform multiple tasks at the same time.

8. Self motivated. Entrepreneurs do not need to be pushed. They push themselves and want to strive for success because that can't help it. Self motivation separates entrepreneurs from pretenders.

9. Passionate. If an entrepreneur isn't passionate about their business they most likely will lose motivation. An entrepreneur usually creates a business out of something that really interests them. Passion creates drive.

10. Luck. The wild card of entrepreneurial traits is luck. Some people make it to the top on pure luck. They create the right product at the right time or they get to meet the right person to help market their ideas. Luck doesn't always play a role in creating an entrepreneur but it can never hurt.

If you have all or many of these traits you might the next great entrepreneur. There are many traits that I left off because I do not believe they fit the everyday typical person. For example, risk taking. I do not believe you must be a risk taker to become an entrepreneur. If you have a plan and follow it there will not be much risk at all.

Innovative is another trait I left off. I don't believe you have to innovate anything to become an entrepreneur. Most products and services are already there. If you'll just improve upon one of them you can become an entrepreneur.

And as stated above in trait number 10, sometime it's just pure luck that creates a sensation. But luck will not help you if you're not creating something. So get out there and start thinking of ways to become the next great entrepreneur!

Labels: Entrepreneurship

by Curtis D. Tucker

If you don't think like one, how can you become one? I spent many years saying to myself, "I wish I was an entrepreneur." I never thought, in my mind, that I would become one. That is the mistake many people face today. How are you going to become a successful entrepreneur if you don't wake up every morning thinking like one?

The first step in anything is believing that you can do it. You MUST say to yourself every day that you are an entrepreneur and you are creating the steps that are building your empire. You must believe that you can do it before any else is going to believe it.

An entrepreneur is always looking for business ideas and new ways of improving their current position. Entrepreneurs research new ideas and look deep into creating new concepts and improvements on existing ideas. Don't waste a single day sitting idly by waiting for an idea to come to you. You have to make the idea happen!

Think of ways to create a service that has never been offered before. Combine two services to create a new one. Find a way to improve an existing product and make it better than ever before. Discover a way of doing something that has never been tried. These are the types of ideas that create successful entrepreneurs. You must make something remarkable, memorable and mentionable.

That's thinking like an entrepreneur. You should be jotting down ideas at every red light, every lunch and every place of business you frequent. Always write down your ideas. If not, you WILL forget them. Research, study and read. The more information you have the more powerful you will become. I promise!

Stop thinking like an employee and start thinking like an entrepreneur! Every person on the planet COULD start their own business if they believed they could. What do you believe?

Labels: Entrepreneurship, Ideas, Thinking