When it comes to finding tips on how to be successful in business, there’s no shortage of articles that contain a number of rather generic pieces of advice.
As someone in the Gen X, Gen Z or Millennial generation, you understandably want to spend your time reading about business habits and tips that have helped others with similar skills and years of experience.
So, without further ado, check out the following business habits of three young entrepreneurs who are part of large and successful companies:
Karlene Agard: Don’t Shy Away from Automation and Outsourcing
While attempting to get your business off the ground, you may be determined to do everything yourself. You may also have the adrenaline at this point in the game to burn your candles at both ends and work long hours, seven days a week.
But as Karlene Agard, senior risk and value management consultant at ARAVUN explains, you should make it a point to embrace outsourcing and automation as early as possible. For example, once you have a steady flow of customers, you’ll likely find you’re undertaking a number of tasks — payroll, invoicing, billing — on a regular basis that could easily be automated.
Outsourcing some of your work will also free up your valuable time, which, in turn, will allow you to focus on other important tasks related to growing your company. Let’s say you and your team spend an inordinate number of hours every day fielding customer service calls. Well, outsourcing your customer service to a cloud contact center is a solid option.
Cloud contact centers feature some pretty innovative features, including IVR, that are designed to provide a more personalized customer experience. In particular, modern IVR software can predict intent and adapt to each caller’s experience level, which all adds up to great customer care.
Mark Zuckerberg: Test All Your Ideas
The self-made billionaire CEO of Facebook knows a thing or two about running a successful company. As Mark Zuckerberg told Insights for Professionals, in the business world, a “sure thing” does not exist. Even if you’re convinced you have the best product or idea on the planet, you should always run plenty of studies to determine if consumers will actually buy what you’re selling.
Consumer feedback is an invaluable thing, Zuckerberg notes, adding that it’s okay to start testing as early in the process as possible, so you can determine if you’re headed in the right direction with your company and its products. Once you’ve run the tests and have feedback, Zuckerberg says entrepreneurs must react to what works and what doesn’t, all of which will help your company move forward and be successful.
Brian Chesky: Think of a Problem Before Creating a Solution
As CEO of Airbnb, Brian Chesky has a lot of knowledge about the business world. As he notes in an article on Pressfarm, Airbnb has been quite successful in large part because it solved a problem with and created a fresh, new avenue for lodging.
As a bonus, Airbnb has helped create an extra source of income for people who decide to rent out their properties. When entrepreneurs come up with ideas for their own companies, instead of first deciding on creating or fine-tuning a product or service and then trying to solve a societal ill, it’s best to think of solving a problem right off the bat — and then develop a solution that can become the basis of the company.
Embrace the Advice of Successful Young Entrepreneurs
To be inspired to do well in business, you don’t have to pore through dozens of generic tips from successful company owners who are decades older. Fortunately, a number of entrepreneurs with similar skills and years of experience as you are more than willing to share their tips and advice. From outsourcing and testing ideas to focusing on solving a problem rather than a solution, you’ll be well on your way to being a successful young businessperson.
