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Photo Credit: Ankur Agarwal

Doing what you said, by the time you said you would do it

We give utmost importance to Integrity in our business. Integrity can be simply defined as ‘doing what you said, by the time you said you would do it’. We practice this both internally and externally. We believe impeccable Integrity is the most powerful way to exist and we take it very seriously as a company. We demand high levels of integrity from our people, this means even taking up responsibility for expectations that were built up even without one committing to a task. This single value has ensured that we earn respect from our customers, media and at the same time build a strong close-knit team.

Thanks to Ankur Agarwal, PriceBaba

Photo Credit: Tomasz Smykowski

Evangelize our clients about business ethics in a practical way

I run a small social media marketing agency. Marketing is an area where nowadays ethics plays a very important role. Many companies are despaired to get new customers on high competition markets in an age of recession and use risky solutions like spamming, using aggressive marketing and so on. We felt from beginning that social media marketing is a new way that enables companies to gain new clients in a honest and upright way. So we choose carefully from all possible solutions for our clients those, that will benefit not only for short term sales, but also will show our clients as trustworthy and safe companies. It is sometimes hard to influence client to step back from some risky campaigns, but it’s worth it, especially when clients see long term benefits of this approach. So my most important ethics rule is to evangelise our clients about business ethics in a practical way.

Thanks to Tomasz Smykowski, Websoul

Photo Credit: Harry Schuhmacher

Always answer all calls and emails in a timely fashion

Our most important ethical rule is to always answer all calls and emails from clients in a timely manner. When you have a paying client, you have a de facto obligation to answer their questions or help resolve their problems. It is not always easy, particularly as a small niche publisher with thousands of readers. With may 10% of them needing help or asking a question at any given time, we sometimes get hundreds of calls and/ emails a day and it can become chaos. But we all chip in — in including the editors and myself if we have to — to make sure our customers are taken care of. It’s the right thing to do.

Thanks to Harry Schuhmacher, BeerNet

Related Post: How to Use Email Marketing

No cheating, lying or stealing to get ahead

The most important thing in business is to always do the right thing. That means never cheating, lying, or stealing to get ahead. There are always opportunities to do the wrong thing because it might speed up growth or put more money into your pocket, but you must always do what’s right and be HONEST.

Thanks to Tyler McGauley, Dealetin

Photo Credit: Bob Fiacco

Ask yourself if anyone is getting hurt by this

To me, and my simple-mind, it boils down to this: is anyone getting hurt unjustly by what is being done? In my world, a fast talking, “slickster” can get anyone to sign anything, if the timing is right. The ramifications of signing can destroy an innocent person or family but it can be perfectly legal. Looking at morality, the hardest issue to deal with is the fact that morality lies in the heart and soul of each man and woman. Morality is not something you and I can easily control within another person. Sadly, all moral or legal issues, at their core, stem from want (greed). Revenge, money, love, possessions, or the desire of one to posses something that another has, are things that can lead one to either break the law or ignore social morality. But as Miller said “peace is found in being not having”. Crimes of greed are all too common in the world today, and we can see and hear them at anytime on the national news. But, what truly pains my soul is to see morally bankrupt individuals who can hide behind the law and destroy others with a clear conscious. It is this simple, in any decision. Ask this one simple question “is anyone getting hurt by what I do?” If you do this and then follow your moral compass, you will find peace.

Thanks to Bob Fiacco

Photo Credit: Masroor Ahmed

Be honest about your skills

As an experienced conversion optimization analyst and web developer I always make sure to be honest about my skills and explain them clearly to my prospective clients. If you aren’t good at something or cannot meet your client’s needs. Don’t hide it and recommend them a better provider for their requirements. They will definitely appreciate your honesty and transparency and will contact you or recommend you to someone in their network if they get something new for you in future.

Thanks to Masroor Ahmed, Invesp

Related Post: The Right Time to Ask for Help and Hire a Consultant

Photo Credit: Richard O’Malley

Deliver on your promises

For me this one is easy. Prior to starting my own company, I was hired by a prop and furniture rental house to run their sales and operations departments. This company hired me, in part, for my sterling reputation, because theirs had been eroded thru poor service. After immediate changes to policies, training and culture, or service improved and our sales were up. We also were able to get former customers to return. Until our owner started to “double book” rental items and send different items to our clients as a “mistake”. The first time, I even treated it as such, the second time, I realized she was causing these mistakes by design and the 3rd time she had my letter of resignation on her desk. My mantra, “Just deliver on your promises”. Once I realized she would not change, I had to walk away from a 6 figure salary and a generous bonus structure. My word is not for sale.

Thanks to Richard O’Malley, The O’Malley Project

Photo Credit: Jeremy Kingsley

Integrity matters

Rule #1 – INTEGRITY Integrity matters to all of us. People in positions of authority-government officials, teachers, parents, and the boss at work-are especially on the hot seat. They are constantly observed and analyzed by the people around them. If they display deception, dishonesty, and selfishness, the men, women, and children they hope to influence will instead turn away. No one trusts a cheater and liar. No one wants to give their all for a person who is only about himself. A leader of integrity, however, is a different story. The man or woman who not only talks a good game but also lives it out earns our admiration and respect. This is someone we want to be around. This is someone we can learn from. This is someone we will invest in.. At the corporate level and in your individual interactions with your team, integrity is everything. Your people will follow you anywhere if they know you are honest and trustworthy. They will produce because they believe in who you are as a person. Human beings can usually tell instinctively whether someone is open and genuine or deceptive and inauthentic. Our senses warn us when someone has a personal agenda that he or she is trying to hide. When that person is our boss, we hardly feel inspired to go the extra mile, to stay the extra hours needed to make projects truly excellent. That’s why, as a leader, it’s so important for you to cultivate an attitude of honesty and openness. There’s an undeniable link between truth, transparency, integrity, and trust. If your team sees you leaving out one of these traits in your interactions at work, the chain is broken. They’ll turn away-or maybe even turn on you. Candid speech and transparent actions, on the other hand, are inspiring. They unlock commitment and creativity, bringing out the best in the people around you. Integrity is especially critical during your company’s worst moments. Every organization faces crisis sooner or later, but some seem to avoid catastrophes more easily than others. People don’t quit on organizations. They quit on people. If you are deceptive and dishonest in your dealings with your staff, expect them to move on quickly. On the other hand, if you display integrity in every interaction with your team, they’ll be motivated to earn your praise and respect.

Thanks to Jeremy Kingsley

The Golden Rule

The most important ethical rule has always been The Golden Rule – to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you will treat clients and potential clients with kindness, patience, respect, as if their time is important, and be honest and fair in all your dealings, they will want to do business with you.

Thanks to René Girard, Hesed Insurance Solutions

Related Post: Entrepreneur’s Cookbook: How to Make a Leader

Photo Credit: Melissa Picoli

Being adamant in our transparency

I have worked in the beauty industry for over a decade, and it is riddled with unethical behaviors which depend on women’s ancient desire to look their best. Marketing claims based on fluff, ingredient labels distorted and, worst of all, damaging ingredients hidden amongst “natural” ingredients. BijaBody is adamant about transparency, which in this industry, is increasingly difficult. Among the sea of beauty products at our disposal, there are a few handfuls of great ones, created by true product lovers and beauty experts such as estheticians. It makes our marketing efforts more difficult, but worthwhile, because our ultimate goal, our backbone, is great beauty products, ethical ingredient sourcing, and remembering that first and foremost, as an esthetician driven company, we are the client’s skin advocate, not just their product seller.

Thanks to Melissa Picoli, BijaBody

Each business has a story. No matter if the business is a Goliath like Wal-Mart, or a local business owned by a couple or family, the business has roots in an idea. For each business owner, the story of their journey can range from monetary needs or the passion for a unique project. Each story is different though the reasons may remain the same. No matter the tale, the background behind each and every business is what fuels each entrepreneurship and brand.

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Photo Credit: Dan Gross

To bring educational games to the middle school market

The concept for Dig-It! Games grew out of my own personal experience as a trained archaeologist and former middle school teacher. Archaeology is a wonderful teaching tool for social studies: it brings history to life while encouraging students to use skills from multiple disciplines such as math, science and language arts. Students responded well when I used archaeology in the classroom, but I quickly realized there are not a lot of options for teachers who are not also trained archaeologists. So, I set out to create entertaining, interactive games that can be played at school or at home to truly engage middle school-aged children in the experience of archaeology and educate them about civilizations and cultures in an immersive way that goes beyond what they can experience from a textbook or film. My ultimate goal is to change the way history and science are taught. The kids who play these games don’t realize the depth of what they’re learning about archaeology and historical cultures. But by playing, they’re walking away with a wealth of knowledge. And they’re having fun doing it.

Thanks to Suzi Wilczynski, Dig-It!

Related Post: Getting Your Teen Started with Entrepreneurship

Photo Credit: Cheryl Milone

Knowing there had to be a better way

In the 1980s, armed with an electrical engineering degree, I marched off to law school. I then started working at a law firm as a patent lawyer. One day, I was doing patent research. It was a laborious process. Not only did I have to type in scientific terms to see what a computer would spit out, but I also had to travel to the ‘Patent Search Room’ at the US Patent Office. There, they stored physical or hardcopies of patents in ‘shoes,’ because historically patents were kept in shoe boxes. As I spent my days leafing through dusty old patents, trying to find descriptions about technology, I felt like I was looking for a needle in a haystack. I thought: there has to be a better way. What if I could ask each piece of hay if it was the needle? I realized that crowdsourcing would enable me to do that, and the concept of Article One was born.

Thanks to Cheryl Milone, Article One Partners

Photo Credit: Julia Drake

Because the demand was there

Born in Germany, I came to the States on adventure when I was 19, because I loved writing, storytelling and the arts. I got accepted to UCLA film school and earned my Masters of Arts at the American Film Institute. To earn a living after graduating from college, I started working as an assistant to a local writer who needed someone to help with the PR campaign for her upcoming novel. I had never done PR before, but I knew how to write and had a sense of the audience for the author’s book, so I kept saying, “yes no problem I can do this,” to whatever she asked of me and then jumped to research how to actually pull it all off afterwards. The campaign was very successful and during the year of working with her, more of her author friends asked me to help them with their own books. After about 5 people in a row raised their eyebrows in astonishment, “What?! You don’t have your own company?” I decided, oh well, maybe I should. That’s how Julia Drake Public Relations started.

Thanks to Julia Drake, Julia Drake Public Relations

Photo Credit: Miranda Coggins

A cure for chronic chapped lips

The Lano Company was literally “cooked up” in 2005. My whole life I had searched for a cure for my severe chronic chapped lips. A new mom with a need for a cure, I suffered from chronic chapped lips and reached for the lanolin while breastfeeding my newborn daughter. Feeling relief, I began searching for a lanolin-based lip balm. When I came up empty handed, I began creating lip balm on my kitchen stove with a simple set of ingredients from a local health store. After trial and error, I found a formula that worked and The Lano Company was born. Specializing in medical-grade lanolin based cosmetics, The Lano Company strives to create beautiful products with natural ingredients that nourish the body, mind and soul. My goal has always been to change the way people feel about natural cosmetics and make them affordable to everyone.

Thanks to Miranda Coggins, The Lano Company

Photo Credit: Art Koff

To provide information and resources to boomers, retirees and people planning their retirement

The main resource to date has been AARP.org which pretty much serves its membership with partner vendors to purchase both goods and services. I wanted to serve content to our visitors on just about every subject of interest to older Americans and include links where additional content could easily be found. Areas of particular interest to this age group include: health care costs, arthritis pain, type 2 diabetes, memory loss, employment, working at home, scams that target seniors, senior discounts, etc. It has been most gratifying as I hear from hundreds of our visitors each week asking for additional information, providing us with useful content and thanking us for the resources we provide. As a result I have been interviewed often on the challenges being faced by an aging population and now provide free seminars on many of the subject areas we cover.

Thanks to Art Koff, RetiredBrains.com

Related Post: Business Plan 101: Financial History

Photo Credit: Jenna Dalton

Because I know first-hand how lack of confidence can hold someone back

I became a confidence and courage coach for women entrepreneurs because I know first-hand how lack of confidence can hold someone back from going after their dream life and dream business. I was the woman constantly asking myself, “Who’s going to listen to me?” I never felt like enough of an expert to confidently put myself out there. I felt like things were never perfect enough to launch, so I never launched them. This meant I stayed stuck and my business never took off. One day I realized that taking another marketing course wasn’t going to help. I needed to work on my lack of confidence if I was really going to be successful. Once I did that, things started to fall into place. I got clients, I closed sales, I made money. Now I help other women gain the confidence to do the same.

Thanks to Jenna Dalton

Photo Credit: MJ Pedone

Because of a passion I have for sports and nonprofits

I started my business because of the passion that I have for sports and nonprofits. I love working with athletes and assisting them with their charitable efforts as well as producing their fundraising events for their charities. I’m passionate and having a driving force with everything I do and when I see the results of my hard work and success of my clients, it makes me keep striving harder and harder. I couldn’t imagine my life without working on the major projects that we get to work on and not being able to put my talent and skills to good use.

Thanks to MJ Pedone, Indra Public Relations

Photo Credit: William Rodriguez

To make media buying and local store marketing easier and more accessible

When my business partner and I started Silvercrest Advertising in February 2011, we were lucky in that we shared some common goals. The first was a personal one: to own our own business. After working for various companies in the advertising arena for years, we were ready to partner our marketing and IT skills and make our mark in the industry. On a professional note, our objective was more far-reaching. We wanted to simplify the media buying and local store marketing processes so that they’d be accessible for any type of retail or service businesses – from large international corporations and franchise organizations to small local resellers, affiliates and independently owned businesses. And I’m proud to say that we’ve delivered on our promise! We provide tailored, results-driven and cost-effective media planning and buying solutions … and our Localized Media Automation Platform (LMAP) takes local store marketing to an entirely new level by allowing end users not only to design and archive creative, but also to identify budgets and purchase media directly from our portal. Are we done yet? Not a chance. We’ve come a long way over the past two years, but we’ll continue to evolve our services to incorporate the newest technology and best meet our customers’ dynamic needs.

Thanks to William Rodriguez, Silvercrest Advertising

Related Post: Top 9 Social Networks for Business

Photo Credit: Rhonda L. Nails

To help other hungry people unmask and build the business inside of them

Building a nationwide business while in the muck of bankruptcy was the ironic resiliency I needed to share, teach and help other’s build their businesses. I realized that my Entrepreneurial journey was not about how big I could build my business but the fact that it could be done despite my financial situation. When I hear other’s say how they “don’t have the funding” or they are “waiting for an opportunity” it reveals that they are not hungry enough. The reason I created Project PUSH was to help other hungry people unmask and build the business stuck inside of them.

Thanks to Rhonda L. Nails, Project P.U.S.H

Photo Credit: Donna Cutting

Because everyone deserves the star treatment

I originally started my speaking business because I loved the feeling it gave me to be on stage presenting and performing and engaging with an audience. I stayed in business when I realized that EVERYONE deserves to feel important, encouraged and noticed for their contributions. While I started out as a speaker under the company name of Donna Cutting Presents, my current company Red-Carpet Learning Systems teaches business leaders how to earn repeat business and referrals by rolling out the red-carpet for employees and customers. It’s really all about treating people kindly; being present and attentive; and making special memories – or “movie moments” – for them. We tell our clients that red-carpet service means making that person in front of you feel like the most important person in the room. Then we give them the tools and the training they need to do just that. It’s been an incredible journey going from part-time presenter to the Founder of a training/consulting company, complete with ups and downs. Having my own company has not always been what I expected. No one told me I was going to have to learn bookkeeping, finances, sales or that I would have many sleepless nights along the way. However, when a client tells me that their customers are WOW’d by the Star Treatment they are receiving – I realize it’s all been worth it.

Thanks to Donna Cutting, Red-Carpet Learning Systems

Photo Credit: Racheal Kash

Getting away from the chemicals

I started my business when I went on a raw diet becoming a vegetarian. I became very aware of the chemicals in our everyday products so I decided to start creating my own. I started giving them out as gifts to find out that they were a hit! It encouraged me to start my own business selling the all natural vegan/vegetarian beauty and bath care products that I had created. I am currently selling these products to retailers across the US and Canada.

Thanks to Racheal Kash, Lulu Blossom Inc.

Photo Credit: Janine Zappini-Rosa

Giving people the right nutrition

56% off the Australian population die from diseases and obesity due to poor nutrition. I’ve lived a plant based diet for 7 years and feel the best I have in my life. I’ve seen thousands of people curing a long list of diseases by changing their diet and cutting out processed foods. I am very passionate about health, food, nutrition and educating others to feel their best. I was on a mission to provide a product to the world that was not just healthy, but also made of the best quality ingredients our earth has to offer filled with nutrition, energy and full of flavours that make your taste buds dance. From one day to another, Simply Raw was born. We are an Australian owned company offering a range of 100% organic, raw, handmade, vegan superfood bars Australia wide. The flavours are unique and the range caters for all types of dietary restrictions, from Gluten and lactose intolerance to Nut allergies and plant based diets. Something for the entire family to enjoy! It makes me so happy to know, we are making a difference to peoples life’s for the better!

Thanks to Janine Zappini-Rosa, Simply Raw

Photo Credit: Jodi and Ernie

After the loss of my service dog

Clock Timeless Pets, is a stand alone pet loss memorial center , that was started after my sheltie Max died. Max, was a certified therapy dog, who was one of the very first therapy dogs to work in funeral service. His role was to meet and greet families as they came into the funeral home to make arrangements and simply be present at the visitation to provide comfort, tail wags and dog kisses. When he died of kidney failure in 2008 two things became very clear. First, the value option that the vet clinics provided were unacceptable. The cremation offering many of them provided were at best communal. As a pet parent I was unable to be present during the cremation. There was no guarantee that the cremated remains I would receive back were those only of my furry child. Second, Max was a well know entity in the community. Our funeral home received many inquiries wondering if we were going to hold a memorial service in his honor. The rest , as you may guess is history. Today, Clock Timeless Pets is a pet loss memorial center that only offers private pet cremations and assists with pet burials. Pet parents reach out to us to help them walk the difficult journey of their feathered of furry pet’s death. Our care team will go to the home or the vet clinic to receive their pet into our care. We will have arranged everything from private family viewings, hero K-9 police service dog’s funerals, to pet graveside memorial services for families. Each family receives a clay paw print (even a bird’s feet), a fur or feather clipping, a certificate that documents the day, date and time their pet was individually cremated along with the cremated remains returned in a urn. Our website offers a guestbook for families to let their friends know they have lost their pet and invite them to share a thought or a memory. We also offer custom keepsakes. As a by product of Clock Timeless Pets, we have found a need for pet grief thera py. Our team has become certified in pet thaneology and has been asked by our local hospice to become a regular part of their grief support team.

Thanks to Jodi Clock, Clock Timeless Pets

Photo Credit: Kevin Beaman

Because I wanted to make a real difference to the quality of people’s lives

Several years ago my mother was very sick and hospitalised. Her appetite was heavily reduced and she could not face eating most food served to her. She did, however, always manage two desserts. I wanted to build our company on the premise of creating really appetising food that would encourage patients to eat and also provide significant nutritional benefit. What better category to focus on than dessert. After all, just as my mother showed, everyone loves dessert. In fact, it is often the first thing consumed from a patient’s meal tray. We have now developed what is possibly the most comprehensive offer in our category and are recognised as a leading supplier of nutritional desserts to the healthcare sector. We invest a significant sum in research and development and the wheels are in motion for some exciting new product releases, all of which are designed to assist in more rapid recovery from hospital stays. Thanks to our expertise in nutrition and food science, we have also recently launched a healthy snack range especially for children – That!™ Dairy Snack

Thanks to Kevin Beaman, ProPortion Foods

Photo Credit: Kate Theofanes

To provide an affordable consulting service to small business owners

For years I saw small businesses struggle with the day-to-day effective running of their businesses. What did they all have in common? They all started a business because of a trade, passion or hobby but they didn’t really know how to run a business effectively. I wanted to use my experience in the commercial world, to give small business owners relevant, practical and affordable solutions to give them a better work/ life balance. If I won the lotto, I’d be doing this for free … but until then, I try and keep my costs low to make my service affordable to small businesses. I get a real kick out of seeing others succeed with the support and guidance I provide.

Thanks to Kate Theofanes, Effective Business

Related Post: How to Know the Right Time for Hiring a Consultant

Photo Credit: Rob Rawson

To get rid of my office and have the freedom to work anywhere

I started Staff.com because I actually had an office and wanted to develop software to hire and work with staff working from home. So I wanted to work from home, and I wanted my staff to work from home. I also wanted to work while traveling around the world. I developed the software and tools to manage my own staff who are working from home in many countries around the world, and then started helping other companies to do this also. The other reason I started Staff.com is that I couldn’t afford to hire a $100,000 per year developer to work on my website, so I was looking for lower cost alternatives. I was trying to find a more affordable way to hire staff and still get the same quality of output. I managed to do this myself, and now are helping other companies to do it as well.

Thanks to Rob Rawson, Staff.com

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin

So my work could fit around my life

When I became a mom, I sold my half of a successful ad agency to my business partner and founded Tribe, Inc. After years of putting my career before anything else, the idea behind Tribe was to have a business that fit around my life, rather than fitting life in around the demands of business. The firm is now 11 years old. As my son has grown, so has Tribe. The company has gone from a loose association of freelancers run from my screened porch to a multi-million-dollar company housed in a glass high-rise – complete with a meditation room, feng shui-influenced decor and a strong focus on work-life balance, including making time for and even providing incentives for health and wellness.

Thanks to Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin, Tribe, Inc.

Photo Credit: Erica Duran

Because I wanted control over my time and place

I started my business to have control of my time and place. What I hated most about the corporate world was finishing my job for the day in the first two hours and then having to stay in the office and “look busy” until 5 PM. Many times, I even had to stay later beyond quitting time because my co-workers who would goof around and chit-chatting all day. My co-workers would not get their work done during the office hours and then they actually looked like “loyal hard-working people” in the boss’s eyes because they stayed late scrambling to get done what they should have got done earlier! I always looked like my desk was clear and empty and had nothing to do even though my sales were always the highest in the office. > Also, I never liked the idea of going to the same place everyday and feeling like I was stuck in a certain city. A job is a big part of one’s life, but I don’t think your life and where you live should revolve around it. My biggest ambition when I started my own business was to be able to work from anywhere. With technology today, there is absolutely no reason why I couldn’t make that happen. I love working on my schedule with my dogs lounging under my desk.

Thanks to Erica Duran

Photo Credit: Kenny Ackerman

Because I wanted something I had a true passion for

I opened Ackerman’s Fine Art after having spent 20 years on Wall Street as a trader. I started my career as a trader because I wanted to do something that I had a real passion for. Trading was my passion for many years. I didn’t look at it as a job, but as an adventure, since no two days were ever the same. However, something changed, and I stopped enjoying the work as I did before. When it became a chore, I wanted to walk away, and I did. I could no longer run in the Wall Street rat race. I was blessed to have done well financially, so I was able to spend time at home with my two children, changing diapers and rocking them to sleep. My wife challenged me to find something to do, but I resisted and said I was waiting for something to come along that I truly enjoyed doing. It was during a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art one day that it hit me. I was smitten with the paintings in the European and American Galleries. From that day on, I began purchasing art and visiting galleries and museums, flying around the United States to do so. A few years later I started to sell on the Internet. I decided to make a real go of building a successful business, buying, selling and advising others interested in collecting fine art. It has been very challenging and by no means an easy task. 2013 is turning out to be a pivotal year for me, as business has quadrupled from 2012. I am thoroughly enjoying the art business. I have had the pleasure of meeting and working with some terrific people, and every day I am learning and building my knowledge base. And not unlike Wall Street, every day is an adventure.

Thanks to Kenny Ackerman, Ackerman’s Fine Art

Photo Credit: Chris Ling

Providing couples with extraordinary dates

Last year when I was planning my anniversary for my girlfriend, Caroline, I was having a difficult time figuring out the itinerary for our special date. Like many people, I was busy with work and other social obligations, so I didn’t have time to spend searching for hours. My date planning usually involved the combination of Yelp, OpenTable, a few blogs, and asking my friends. I realized that taking a date idea and transforming it into a reality takes countless hours. As a result, I wished I could have found a resource or service that provided me with that extraordinary experience, something that was not normally offered (ex. chef tour, off-the-menu items, private demo). This would be fitting and appropriate for a special day or night out with my girlfriend. So I established my own company that did just that. The initial concept started by taking our couple friends on dates, because if we couldn’t even convince our friends to go on our dates, nobody would. The feedback we received was incredibly positive, which led to our established service, Datepress, that is currently operating in San Francisco with dates hosted by some of the best merchants.

Thanks to Chris Ling, Datepress

Related Post: How to Romance Your Customers [Infographic]

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Photo Credit: Karen Swim

The ability to leverage my collective experience

My favorite part of business is the ability to leverage my collective experience and contribute without the limitations of a narrowly defined role. I have the ability to operate without boundaries in my core strengths even when those strengths cross disciplines and traditionally soloed roles. This freedom extends to my team and allowing them to operate in their strength and passion while continuing to challenge themselves without regard to a pre-defined role.

Thanks to Karen Swim, Words For Hire

Photo Credit: Laura C. George

Getting to deliver on what you promised

I love that feeling of totally delivering on what you promised. You see that glint in your client’s eye and you know they just had an amazing time with you and that you exceeded their expectations. There’s nothing like pleasing the client, knowing it’s going to better their life, and knowing you rock at what you do!

Thanks to Laura C. George

Related Post: Great Tips on Good Customer Service

Photo Credit: Anna Butler

The autonomy and freedom that comes with running my own business

I love the autonomy and freedom that comes from running my own business. I always used to get frustrated that I could never implement my “visions” when working for other people. Working for myself means I get to call the shots and take risks that previous employers were never able to. It’s very liberating! I also love the flexibility. I can change my business direction, learn more about emerging fields related to my industry, or step outside my comfort zone (like speaking at seminars) whenever the opportunity arises. Each week brings new challenges and it keeps things exciting and new, which also keeps my passion burning. I couldn’t imagine having to work for someone else again.

Thanks to Anna Butler, Copy Break

Photo Credit: Kate Toon

Getting to help others

What I love best about my business is that I get to genuinely help others. No I’m not curing cancer, or saving the whales, but I am offering other business owners sound, reliable, trustworthy advice. I love the ‘ah ha’ moment when I help clients click about something that’s long confused them. It’s genuinely satisfying to see my clients thrive whether it’s by winning new customers, finally understanding what Twitter is all about, or jumping up the Google rankings after I’ve identified an SEO problem. Every testimonial I get back is like receiving an A+ from a your favourite teacher. It’s a great buzz to know that I’m part of so many others business in some small way. Making those connections with other clever, cool business folk. is what I love most about my business.

Thanks to Kate Toon

Photo Credit: Joshua Adams

Getting the chance to innovate

My favorite part of business is the chance to innovate and do something better, faster, more cost effectively and more efficiently than before. Building teams and systems to accomplish big things and bring value to my clients is what it is all about.**We don’t just go in to work and sit behind a desk. We don’t just design websites. We do something different and challenge the status quo. That’s my favorite part of business

Thanks to Joshua Adams, Rock Paper Simple

Related Post: Entrepreneurs Share How They Buck the Norm in the Workplace

Photo Credit: Trent Bryson

The people

My favorite part of the business is the people. I’m always fascinated to learn how many entrepreneurs find ways to make money. We are in the employee benefits consulting business so we are fortunate enough to deal with CEO’s from all industries. What makes it so special for me is seeing how many different styles can be effective. Also, we are in a position where we can see businesses failing long before the CEO’s know it, which is scary and hard for us.

Thanks to Trent Bryson, Bryson Financial Group

Photo Credit: John Tice

Coaching my clients through the same process as I went though

One day in October 2012 I suddenly realized I had been selling the wrong thing! You see, after building an international extreme sports company that we sold to Canadian investors in 2006, I started my own internet production company. At the time Duvall Media was focused on web and video production services. This meant I was forced to compete “in the weeds” with every other web and video company out there. What I finally understood was that my clients wanted and were willing to pay handsomely for my advice, consulting and coaching. This simple shift transformed my business in a matter of two weeks. Today, my favorite part of business is coaching my clients through the same process of winning mind share and earning market leadership in their industry. It’s incredibly rewarding when clients tell me how much new business they’re getting and how fast they’re growing or the big, new sales they’re closing because of my guidance. The personal and financial freedom I feel as a result of owning my own business are huge perks as well.

Thanks to John Tice, Duvall Media

Photo Credit: Ellis Lleras

Controlling my destiny

I’ve had many successes and failures running businesses for other people.. As rewarding as it has been to overcome challenges and build relationships that grow a profitable business, I never found complete happiness knowing that my own rewards were somehow capped. Sometimes this meant that my salary didn’t reflect the success of the business. Other times, it meant that I was less influential in some decision making processes. More often than not, the terms from which I had to manage the business were decided for me. Establishing Stories In The Mail LLC has been among the best decisions I’ve made in my life. Although it’s true that owning a business is a lot of hard work that never ceases to end at times, knowing that the accountability is completely on my shoulders has provided an incomparable amount of satisfaction. I get to decide the terms under which I operate. I get to decide the level of effort I put in to operations, marketing, building relationships, etc. In the end, these decisions (small and large) end up meaning a lot more than how the bottom line is being hit. It means that how I react to obstacles, how I grow, and the choices I make – in effect, my destiny, is completely in my own hands.

Thanks to Ellis Lleras, Stories In The Mail LLC

Photo Credit: Misty Young

Systematic leadership

My favorite part of business is systematic leadership! I have recently written about and created “The Five Irrefutable Laws of Small Business Success,” which are: Leadership; Products/Services; Operations; Financials; Marketing. It’s my belief that without excellent leadership, a business can’t become successful into the four other categories. We’ve got to be systematic and dedicated in our approach and diligent on a daily basis, developing our leadership every day, on every agenda. Leadership – the ability to influence. Our job as business leaders is to model personal growth and expect successful behavior while we develop and hold ourselves, and our associates accountable.

Thanks to Misty Young, Squeeze In

Photo Credit: Paul Jan

Marketing is my favorite part

My favorite part of the business is marketing. Marketing could be described as figuring out how people think and come up with a strategy to attract them. I came from a supply chain consulting background, received my undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Chicago and master’s degree in supply chain management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Marketing was foreign to me until I started my own business. The service that my company offers is unique and new so it was hard figuring out the outlets that are most effective to reach the targeted customers. Since my business is still small, I had to be creative and nimble in how I test my marketing theories. I had to change my mindset from consulting for Fortune 100 companies to an owner of a small business. I had to be creative, think of ways to market my company without spending a dime. Every penny counts for small business owners. Through this process, I discovered many ways to market my company without incurring any cost. I also spent my marketing budget more wisely, and carefully selected a marketing partner that has higher probability of getting me the traffic and name recognition that I desire for my company. I will continue to enjoy the marketing process as people are always changing, and that keeps coming up with new and differentiated marketing strategy exciting.

Thanks to Paul Jan, Milaa

Related Post: Experienced Entrepreneurs Give Their Best Marketing Tips

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Photo Credit: Teja Yenamandra

Having persistence

Persistence is probably going to be the #1 quality you’ll hear the most from your submissions. Generating sales, unlike other (more technical) skills, doesn’t require a lot of know-how or specific expertise. Instead, appropriate temperament (persistence and drive) rather than a lot of tangible skills — are, in our experience, what is common among the most effective sales people.

Thanks to Teja Yenamandra, Gun.io

Photo Credit: Mindy Crary

Showing up ready to help

When I first started out in the financial services industry, I attended daily (required) classes on how to “sell” to people. The idea was that if we performed our sales tactics correctly, our prospects would be powerless to resist us. And some were, but what I found is that most tactics used fear or motivated the prospect to act quickly in order to avoid a negative consequence. At the end of the day, those tactics didn’t feel good. What I discovered on my own was that the more I focused on the possibility of a prospect’s situation, and really listened to what they wanted, the more I was able to talk to them from a place of collaboration. When I “sold,” my primary concern was getting them to buy. When I listened to their unique, individual issues, my goal became to “solve.” The responsibility for action shifted from them to me, and I realized that the more I showed up ready to help, the better salesperson I became.

Thanks to Mindy Crary, Creative Money

Related Post: Can You Learn to be an Entrepreneur?

Photo Credit: Jenifer Kramer

Be a good listener

Having been in sales in some capacity for over 15 years, I would have to say that the most important qualities are being a good listener, being organized which leads to good follow through, being creative when faced with a challenge and making the person to whom you are selling feel important. Often a prospect will give you important feedback about what you are pitching but salespeople don’t always hear it. I have found that truly listening to what I am being told is the difference between a hard “no” and a “call me later.” Follow up and follow through are critical as you want to show that you are reliable but it also tells the prospect that you believe in what you are selling. This often results in them wanting to listen to you perhaps more than other salespeople. At times a little creativity is required especially when a product or service don’t exactly match a customer’s need, however if there is desire to make something happen, there are always creative ways to create a win-win for all parties. Last, making the person you are selling to feel special (and not just like another phone number on a call sheet) is a sure way to get to the next stage in the sales funnel. Doing a little research on the company or person themselves never hurts either.

Thanks to Jenifer Kramer, Jenerosity Marketing

Photo Credit: Tom Hopkins

A high standard of business ethics

The best qualities to look for in salespeople are often not that obvious. Honesty, integrity and having a high standard of business ethics are all very important because the actions of the salespeople you hire make a direct impact on the reputation of your business. While you want people with strong self-images that can sustain many doses of rejection yet keep their attitudes, beware those who are too strong or too outgoing. They may frighten your buyers away. Rather, seek out people with servant attitudes, above-average intelligence and help them learn the skills required to sell.

Thanks to Tom Hopkins, Tom Hopkins International, Inc.

Photo Credit: Ray Higdon

Stick-to-it-ness

The very best quality that a salesperson can possess is stick-to-it-ness. Over and over in my different businesses I have witnessed discipline trumping talent. Talent or potential is certainly not an indicator of success but give me someone hungry and consistent, and they can chip away at the success iceberg and beat out others with way more “so-called” talent!

Thanks to Ray Higdon

Related Post: Do You Have Inspiration?

Photo Credit: Stacey Alcorn

Motivated to help others, but not money hungry

1. Motivated to help others, but not money hungry. We’ve all had those sales people that are clearly motivated by financial gains. They look at you like a lion staring at a rare piece of meat. The best sales people are the ones that will do anything to help you achieve your goal, even if it means losing the deal. 2. Honest. The best sales people always share the good, the bad, and the ugly about their product or service. Nothing in the world is perfect. If you have a sales person that can’t offer you even ONE downside to choosing their product or service, then something’s fishy. 3. Listen. The best sales people are the ones that listen. The best way to spot the worst listeners is to watch how they respond to questions. Many sales people begin answering the question before the customer even finishes the question. When you spot this, run. You need someone who can zip it while you are sharing your needs. 4. Communicate. In shopping for a great salesperson you need someone who wants to communicate. If they are slow at returning your calls, evasive in their answers, or they don’t ask how you want to be communicated with (phone, text, email, tweets) then there is a good chance you have a bad sales person.

Thanks to Stacey Alcorn

Photo Credit: Barry Maher

Having empathy

I’ve hired and trained thousands of salespeople. Contrary to popular opinion, great salespeople come in all personality types. But to me there are two qualities that all the great ones have in common. The first is persistence: they have to know how to be winningly aggressive; that is, they have to be aggressive without appearing pushy. Second, they need empathy: they have to be able to see the world through their prospect’s eyes, and empathize with that position. I’ve seldom known anyone with both those traits to fail at sales.

Thanks to Barry Maher, Barry Maher & Associates

Photo Credit: Ira S Wolfe

Being able to connect the dots

Identifying the qualities of a top performing salesperson these days depend upon the markets, products, and services he or she is selling. For the transactional sale, characteristics like resilience, high energy, and interpersonal communication skills play a major factor. But in selling services and high end differentiated products, a high level of curiosity, critical thinking skills, ability to think on your feet, and emotional intelligence are essential. To differentiate oneself and a differentiated product and/or company brand, salespeople must have a strong grasp of the competition and the marketplace. This requires continuous research and an insatiable desire to become an expert and resource to their clients. Top performing salespeople also have high emotional intelligence. Not only do they have a strong self-awareness but are great observers and listeners. They are chameleons – responding to the buying styles of a diverse audience. Finally top performers salespeople can spot trends by “connecting the dots” and seeing opportunity between the lines when others only see white space.

Thanks to Ira S Wolfe, Success Performance Solutions

Photo Credit: Elinor Stutz

Being goal driven

Successful salespeople are very goal driven determined to achieve their distant star and beyond. Further defining the personality and deep within, the successful salesperson does soul searching to understand their motivating forces and then prioritize which to accomplish first. This becomes a forever commitment to education to be the best and do one’s best. When unusual ideas are presented, the successful are not quick to dismiss but instead possess an open mindset to consider possibilities. The attitude is, anything is possible with the right plan in place. Intuition is never ignored as the sixth sense is rarely wrong. Rather than talking much, the better salespeople question, listen and clarify for keen understanding. The more successful seek compatible clients in order to always find joy in their work. And when new opportunity is presented, the successful circle back to priorities and commitments already in place to always deliver excellent service that reaps repeat business, referrals and testimonials. This personality type is usually of high energy and uses the words Thank You prolifically.

Thanks to Elinor Stutz, Smooth Sale

Photo Credit: Cian McLoughlin

Optimism and patience

Contrary to popular belief, great sales people don’t magically appear in the world fully formed, ready to start hitting the phones and closing deals. Like most other people who rise to the top of their profession, great sales people are a product of their environments. Although these environments may vary greatly, depending on their target industry, whether its b2b or b2c, the prevailing market conditions, certain factors will be consistent. Great sales people are usually: 1. Great listeners – They ask intelligent questions, do their research before meeting prospects and genuinely listen to the answers they receive. This forms the basis of their ability to build a strong rapport with prospects and ultimately close more business. 2. Good multi-taskers – Most great sales people understand that balancing their pipeline is critical for long term success. This means that at any given point in time they are prospecting for new leads, qualifying existing deals in their pipeline and trying to close opportunities at the bottom of their funnel…not an easy task! 3. Honesty and ethics – This quality might surprise some people, but to be successful long term in the sales profession, your integrity and your personal brand are two things which great sales people are never prepared to discount, even if it means walking away from some transactions 4. Optimistic and patient – Sales can be a brutal and punishing business on occasions, but it can also be incredibly rewarding and stimulating. The majority of great sales people combine a healthy dose of patience with optimism, to keep themselves motivated and keep their heads in the game.

Thanks to Cian McLoughlin, Trinity Perspectives

Related Post: Are you Optimistic or Pessimistic About the Future of Business?

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Photo Credit: Kristen Fischer

Because it puts me in control and garners optimal success

I love my business because I’ve set it up in a way that puts me in control and has garnered optimal success. I began as a reporter and then got into copywriting. When I had enough copywriting clients coming in, I would devote extra time to pitching magazines–the result has been an even better platform for me, and more expertise for my clients because this editorial arm of business shows them I can tackle their technical and creative writing needs. I have also written three books, the latest being *When Talent Isn’t Enough: Business Basics for the Creatively Inclined*,which was published by Career Press–it looks great for business, and…I got to publish another book! My gig as a host at Freelance Radio has also helped me boost my platform even more. As I have built my copywriting aptitude, I have also developed my journalism skills–so now when I client asks if I can create technical copy and a fluffy piece to promote them in a trade magazine, I can accommodate it. I find it it fun to wear multiple writing hats, too–plus, I can do what I want–grow my business while I advance my writing career. That’s what I call ‘living the dream!”

Thanks to Kristen Fischer

Photo Credit: Stacy Mafera

Because it provides instant gratification

I love owning Errands Etcetera, because it provides instant gratification. My clients provide me with a list of tasks that they don’t have the time, energy, or resources to get done and I get to see the projects through to the end. Checking items off the list itself is rewarding, but hearing about how my client was able to spend their time, and knowing that I was able to provide them piece of mind is the icing on the cake of my business!

Thanks to Stacy Mafera, Errands Etcetera

Photo Credit: James Agate

Loving the ‘you’ about my business

I love the ‘you’ about my business. Meaning, business is very competitive, and the need for financial success is integral. However, I host aspirations, but I can’t operate a business alone. I can be a captain and help navigate, but the fate of the journey is contingent on my team members and our synergy in making goals a reality. It’s wonderful to make ideas come alive, and it’s more special when you can make something successful with other people.

Thanks to James Agate, Skyrocket SEO

Related Post: The Different Between Having a Job and Having a Business

Because I love making women feel beautiful

I don’t love my business.. I ADORE my business! I have been designing jewelry for over 10 years now and I love making women feel beautiful and special… I can’t think of anything I would rather be doing with my life. There have been so many times in my business when a customer has shared with me that one of my designs helped her through a tough time or made her day when she needed a “pick me up”… Its all worth it… Even with the pressures of owning your own business!

Thanks to Christi Gardner, Liz Henry Jewelry

Photo Credit: Kristin Pedderson

Because it allows me to be creative in assembling content

I love my business (Big Fuss Records, Inc.) and Company, because it allows me to be creative in assembling and producing content that makes other people feel good. Music is a helper that brings comfort and relief to the stresses of life, for those who appreciate and love it. Being the CEO of Big Fuss Records Inc. also allows me to help others fulfill their dreams. In a new music industry, it is rewarding work to sit on the cutting edge of all that is changing.

Thanks to Kristin Pedderson, Big Fuss Records, Inc.

Photo Credit: Dan Hurd

Having a solid embodiment of my success

As a sophomore in high school I wanted to get a job to begin generating my own income and gain some independence. I was shocked to see the limited opportunities and low pay that was available to a 15 year old at that time. So I figured out how to arrange a small loan and started a carpet cleaning business at the age of 15. Within a year I was setting my own hours and making 10 times the wage I would have made as an “employee” in one of the job opportunities I might have chosen! Now I am the president of Complete Tablet Solutions which is a technology products and services company at the forefront of the mobile technology and we are supporting businesses, schools and governmental entities on a national basis. Owning your own business isn’t for everyone but for me it is the perfect vehicle to allow me to create and manage something that I can reflect on as the embodiment of my success. There is nothing like it.

Thanks to Dan Hurd, Complete Tablet Solutions

Photo Credit: Diane Conklin

Because I get to change people’s lives

I love my business because it allows me to make a difference in other people’s lives in ways that I couldn’t doing anything else. Yes, my business provides me a good living and some freedom and all the other things we say when we go into business for ourselves, but even with all that, it’s about making an impact on others and in the world. I’m most fulfilled as a human being and as a business owner when I’m serving others.

Thanks to Diane Conklin, Complete Marketing Systems

Photo Credit: Tim Holliday

Because we get paid to play

We have run Children’s World & Children’s World Uniform Supply. Our business sells school, work, sport and Boy Scout uniforms, as well as specialty toys and games for the whole family. Children’s World has won many awards, including being the 2012 National Runner-up Independent Small Business of the Year. Awards like that are certainly reasons to love what we do, but even more so, is when we work with the kids. It is amazing to help outfit a little child for their first day of school, and see them so proudly dressed in their new uniforms. Equally amazing is to play a game with a child and see them just glow as they learn it and enjoy it. Both of these things happen daily to us and our staff, which is why we love what we do. As we often say, “we get paid to play”, and so do our employees. How can you not love that?

Thanks to Tim Holliday, Children’s World & Children’s World Uniform Supply

Photo Credit: Philip Masiello

One word: Freedom

The primary reason I love my business can be summed up in one word…..Freedom. Being an entrepreneur is never easy. Entrepreneurs need to be able to handle pain, aggravation and rejection on a daily basis and need to push through even when times look their worse. Trying to convince potential investors to invest, trying to convince consumers to become customers and trying to convince their partners that success is just around the corner can be emotionally challenging at times. But in the end, the freedom to create and make mistakes; to develop ideas and break new ground; and the freedom to grow and learn, far outweigh any negatives. I wake up every day knowing that I am in control of the eventual outcome of the business and am fully prepared to succeed or falter. My latest business, 800razors.com, is providing value to our customers with a unique and quality shaving product for both men and women and we continue to improve every day.

Thanks to Philip Masiello, 800Razors

Related Post: How to Maintain Balance

Photo Credit: Courtney Powell

Because it helps consumers get what they want

I started my business after a terrible experience with Time Warner Cable. They charged me for a modem that I never had and auto-drafted $900 out of my account. It took me three months to get it back. I knew that countless other individuals had suffered from less than stellar customer service as well, and something had to be done about it. With that in mind, I started PublikDemand, a complaints platform that aims to unite irked customers to collectively demand resolution to shared problems. Every day, we help customers start conversations with large corporations through our platform. We are learning and growing every day, and I love being a part of an improved customer experience.

Thanks to Courtney Powell, PublikDemand

Photo Credit: Stephan Aarstol

No huge surprises

What I love about Tower Paddle Boards is no huge surprise as I pretty much designed it with the idea of, “If I could have any job in the world, what would it be”. My answer about 2.5 years ago was to be the CEO of a surf company. It’s a laid back business focused around an action sport. Work hard, play hard mentality. A fun, talented staff, fat beachfront offices, traveling to exotic locales, beach parties, a fashion element, and a fun place to work that builds products that absolutely enhance the lives of our customers. They say the best way to predict the future is to create it, so that’s kind of what transpired. Today, under 3 years from launch, we’re an up and coming brand that’s been featured on major TV shows such as Shark Tank and The Price is Right, and we’ve been mentioned in Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine, and the Howard Stern show to name a few. We’ve got a billionaire investor/partner which we landed on ABC’s Shark Tank and we’re on pace to do $3M-$4M in revenues this year. We just moved into a beautiful new showroom a half block from the beach. We’ve got a super talented and energetic team of four. Our “board meetings” involve grabbing some paddle boards and knocking off early on a Friday to hit the beach. We carefully select our “business trips” by the appeal of the location and have hit places such as London, Miami Beach, Newport R.I., and Chicago to name a few over the past year. Next up, we’ll rolling Tower into a action sports apparel brand. There isn’t much I don’t love about Tower, and we’re just getting started!

Thanks to Stephan Aarstol, Tower Paddle Boards

Photo Credit: Dr. Carmen April

Because it’s my business

I love my business because it’s mine! I am a physician and started my own medical practice because I want the freedom to make the best healthcare decisions for my patients and run the practice the way I feel is best. From day one, I have had the freedom of creativity in marketing, managing my employees and care of my patients. My patients love the individualized care that I give them and they are one of my biggest referral bases. I enjoy being the face of my practice and crafting that professional brand for myself.

Thanks to Dr. Carmen April, The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center, PC

Photo Credit: Shreyans Parekh

Because of the fun and unique trends in my field

I absolutely love the business that I am currently in, wedding and event supplies and decor, because of the fun and unique trends that continue to arise in the industry, along the challenge that we face here at Koyal Wholesale, to ensure that we are not only on top of these color and design trends, but that we focus on becoming the trend-setting company as well.

Thanks to Shreyans Parekh, Koyal Wholesale

Related Post: Entrepreneurs Share Future Marketing Trends

Photo Credit: Ellie Hanson

Because it’s a fulfillment of my dreams and passions

My business is the fulfillment of my dreams and passions. Ever since high school, I knew I had an inborn gift for colour & design, but life took me in other directions for many years. I became an educator, then became successful in sales & marketing. Eventually I even became a step-mom to three teenagers and lived to tell about it. But my creative side kept calling me into colour & design. I was over 50 when I realized that if I lived my whole life not having pursued my dreams, it would be a tragically unfulfilled life. This epiphany was what I needed to give myself permission to change direction and pursue my dreams & passions. I took training in Interior ReDesign & Home Staging and also trained as a Colour Trends Forecaster under one of the world’s most renowned colour experts. I’ve never been happier doing what I was designed to do. My business is the culmination of all my skills & passions: colour, design, marketing… and more recently I’ve been creating original custom acrylic paintings for residential & commercial interiors. I’m almost always working but because it’s so much fun living my dreams & passions, I never dread Monday mornings and I can’t imagine doing anything else. My biggest reward is creating the Before & After Interior Design Transformations and seeing my clients so thrilled & impressed.

Thanks to Ellie Hanson, NexTrend Designs

Photo Credit: Patrick Coombe

Because we get to hear the stories from our clients

I am the proud owner of a booming marketing agency located in beautiful sunny South Florida. I work with my beautiful wife every day and get to make my own schedule. I go into work and interact with some of the smartest people I’ve ever known, and get to work on projects I find personally stimulating, as well as challenging and rewarding. Our office always has great food, snacks, and drinks – and we work in the same building as several tenants that turned out to be our greatest clients! I work about 3 blocks from my house, and get to ride my bike to work whenever I want. The biggest reason I love my business is that it gives back – our clients love us, and we get to hear stories from them all the time about how we helped them.

Thanks to Patrick Coombe, Elite Strategies

Related Post: How to Serve Customers the Right Way

Photo Credit: Melissa Robson

Because of the freedom, flexibility and independence

Freedom, flexibility and independence. My business is turning 13 this year and in this time I have had 3 kids, been divorced, remarried, traveled, and found myself… all while armed with a laptop and iPhone and working from wherever I might be to keep the business alive and well and the money coming to feed this thing called life! I could not have done all these things and maintained my sanity and the mum I want to be if I didn’t have my own business. I work in the creative field of graphic design and web development, and my clients are typically other small and medium sized business owners. I am passionate about helping other businesses by providing them with solid marketing, branding and online solutions so they really stand out from the crowd. My business has allowed me to be both a mother and a business woman, to meet other amazing business people and operate my life to my terms and conditions. I wouldn’t have it any other way and I hope t hat I can inspire other women to make their life different and be in control, by having their own business as well.

Thanks to Melissa Robson, Divine Creative

Photo Credit: Alexandra Mills

I love working with flash sales

I love working with flash sales, it’s a very hectic but exciting atmosphere! With new sales going live almost every day, we have tight deadlines to meet and need a quick turnaround for styling and product images. We’re also constantly trying to find beautiful new brands to work with so we can offer their products to our members – at low prices, nonetheless, so I need to use a lot of bargaining tactics! Thankfully, I have an incredibly dedicated team to back me up. Everyone has their ‘role’ but there are always times when we all roll up our sleeves and help each other out. I answer customer service mails or help packing when needed, and sometimes spend my evenings uploading images if we have a big sale live the next day. But I love every minute of it, as it helps me stay close to the workings of every part of the company rather than just strategy and figures. At the end of the day, I have the pleasure of being able to provide stunning homeware products at incredible prices, and it’s almost addictive staring at my computer screen and being notified when new members join! I also love how we style our products – we are different to an online department store or a physical store in that we can really show our members how to use the products, what to combine them with and how to display them in our beautiful and sophisticated imagery.We inspire them with our brand images (I get inspired everyday to reinvent my apartment!) and show them how they can create a look they love at home with this help from our professional stylists.

Thanks to Alexandra Mills, The Home

Photo Credit: Janine Zappini-Rosa

Because I get to make a difference in people’s lives for the better

Knowing that 56% off the Australian population die from diseases and obesity due to poor nutrition breaks my heart. I’ve lived a plant based diet for 7 years and feel the best I have in my life. I’ve seen thousands of people curing a long list of diseases by changing their diet and cutting out processed foods. I am very passionate about health, food, nutrition and educating others to feel their best. I knew I needed to do something with the knowledge and passion I have. I was on a mission to provide a product to the world that was not just healthy, but also made of the best quality ingredients our earth has to offer filled with nutrition, energy and full of flavours that make your taste buds dance. From one day to another, Simply Raw was born. We are an Australian owned company offering a range of 100% organic, raw, handmade, vegan superfood bars Australia wide. The flavours are unique and the range caters for all type s of dietary restrictions, from Gluten and lactose intolerance to Nut allergies and plant based diets. Something for the entire family to enjoy! It makes me so happy to know, we are making a difference to peoples life’s for the better!

Thanks to Janine Zappini-Rosa, Simply Raw

Photo Credit: Madeleine Suzanne

Because I get to wake up and know I’m working towards creating positive change in the world

Every day I get to wake up and know I am working towards creating more positive change in the world. Our clients are not just “customers” they’re “change makers” – passionate people that make things happen, who think and dream big and work with the constraints they’ve been given to achieve the very best outcome. Knowing that our clients are striving for more than just the bottom line is enough reason to get out of bed every single day…excited.

Thanks to Madeleine Suzanne, Zealous Communications

Photo Credit: Matthew Garvey

Getting to watch staff members grow and develop into different roles

I set up and have been running Four Corners since 1997. We established offices in Australia, the UK, South Africa & the Netherlands back then. We now have offices in Australia & South Africa. A real interest in and enjoyment of people – both employees & clients – really drives me. Managing different cultures and expectations across the globe to find solutions is a big motivator. We have continually listened to our clients and developed our services and the use of technology. This keeps it interesting and challenging after 16years. I particularly enjoy watching good staff members really grow and develop into different roles.

Thanks to Matthew Garvey, Four Corners

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Photo Credit: Heather Hans

Helping someone off the ledge

For Heather Hans, one of her happiest moments was with a client she had who was nearly suicidal and constantly dwelling on the past whom she helped discover his strengths, gifts and talents, as well as provide him with the connection he needed to go out into the world and create the life he thought he would never have. Inspiring her clients to recognize and accept the value and gifts that they already possess and offer to the world is the most rewarding aspect of her work.

Thanks to Debbie Trout, HeatherHansTV

Photo Credit: Nellie Akalp

Changing a life

The most inspiring part of being a business owner is when I ran into the father of one my sales lead employees. He stopped me in a store and told me that I had changed his daughters life. He said that prior to his daughter working for my company, Corpnet, she did not have any motivation to work and did not really get excited about anything. He said that ever since working and finding this job with my company, I have changed his daughters life. It’s an amazing feeling knowing I have really made an impact on someone’s life and I am so happy she is part of my team!

Thanks to Nellie Akalp, Corpnet

Photo Credit: Audrey Darrow

Inspiring others to connect in love and spirit

In 2008 my daughter Jaymie Rose passed suddenly at the age of almost 20. My inspiration helped me get back up and create a chocolate bar in her name to inspire others to connect to one another in love and spirit. The Rose Bar has been a huge hit and with the inspirational message inside the wrapper we are inspiring men and women around the country. The story and photo are on our website.

Thanks to Audrey Darrow, Righteously Raw

Photo Credit: Stephanie Adams-Nicolai

Knowing our business is motivated by the love for our son

My most inspiring business moment has been waking up to see my toddler son sleeping peacefully and knowing that all the businesses my husband and I own are spiritually motivated by our love for him. The first year my husband and I were married, he endured a near fatal accident when I was pregnant. It didn’t help that I too suffered from an injury years before meeting my husband, mine deemed permanent by prior professionals, as I passionately fought a high profile legal case in court regarding my assault. To add to matters, I was also fighting a highly emotional case in court, for the guardianship of my legal guardian who raised me since birth, who had become incapacitated. There was so much going on and so much to question. But then my prayers were answered. My husband fully recovered and we now also have a happy, healthy son. I won both cases in court and was successfully interviewed by various media afterwards. My husband’s a doctor and his medical profession involves natural treatment and healing, so he naturally provides daily care to me which has helped me tremendously. After almost three years of breastfeeding our son and being a stay-at-home mom with no nannies or help, we nevertheless managed to become founders of a new private practice that helps others overcome injuries as we did. I even continue authoring books and recently started a skincare line as well as a non-profit organization promoting peace and wellness. We’ve come a long way, but our wonderful, magical journey has just begun. And I truly live by my GODDESSY spiritual web site motto: Belief is only the beginning.

Thanks to Stephanie Adams-Nicolai, Goddessy

Photo Credit: Reuben Yonatan

Knowing my work makes a difference in other peoples lives

My most inspiring moment in business is knowing that the work I do makes a difference in the lives of others. Our business requires a lot of research and extensive testing to be able to provide accurate and useful data for our clients. At first glance, it may look like we’re just guiding people towards VoIP services and providers, but we know that the effects run deeper. These are the communication lines for businesses, which we’ve seen can vary at large. The quality of their phone systems can have a major impact in their bottom line, and overall operations, so we take pride in doing our best to steer these businesses in the right direction by offering in-depth reviews and comparisons of the leading services out there.

Thanks to Reuben Yonatan, GetVoIP.com

Photo Credit: Oliver Lee

Knowing I help make a difference

My most inspiring moment in business is knowing that one day a CEO of a multinational corporation would have participated as a sweaty faced student getting networking and leadership training outside the office through my company. Office Athletes helps corporations build culture through team sports while giving back to helping students and charities around them Knowing that team sports would have impacted these individuals in creating a more team oriented dynamic mindset. I love listening to people talk about a winning culture that a lot of companies like Google, Linkedin has created. Office Athletes helps corporates re-create that mindset.

Thanks to Oliver Lee, Office Athletes

Photo Credit: Sheila Duncan

Going on a mission of hope and comfort

My most inspiring moment so far this year — there have been so many over the years — was our second visit to Newtown, CT. this April. We donated Trouble Dogs, Houses and Children’s books to over 55 children — read the book to them, told them about Trouble the Dog — and his mission of hope and comfort — and you could have heard a pin drop … it was just amazing. The children instantly “got” the idea and proceeded to illustrate their feelings and emotions on Trouble’s House.

Thanks toSheila Duncan, Trouble Dog

Photo Credit: Jeff Gordon

Getting a win-win situation

We had a big negotiation not too long ago with a large ad network. We were looking to do some advertising on a client’s behalf but needed to stay within budget and our cost per customer allowable. We knew we wanted to work directly with this network since the target market made sense, but they were gouging us on the cost. We knew there was no possible way we can work with this network at their given price points and it seemed that they were holding all the cards. They had big brands working with them and it seemed that they weren’t willing to make any concessions to bring on a smaller client. After a few discussions I realized it was time to throw the hail-Mary pass. We went in with a spend guarantee over a six month period. It was risky on our side but since revenue was the client’s main driver we were able to satisfy their needs while bringing down our cost. We were able to sign the client up and are still today running a successful campaign!

Thanks to Jeff Gordon, Interactive99

Photo Credit: Crissy Saint

Seeing the faces of my clients light up

I am the Social Media + Communications Strategist for MM Identity Lab, a brand and marketing agency in Phoenix, AZ. For almost ten years, my career was on the corporate side of business where the red tape was thick and every action our company took was regulated. At MM, however, I am able to unleash my creative nature from the first second of interaction with a client until the day we finalize their project. There is nothing more inspirational than to see the faces of my clients light up when they see how we have woven together a brand for them that genuinely speaks to their audiences and represents who they are. So many times, we have entrepreneurs and business owners walk through the door bursting with excitement over their business plans, but without a clue of how to achieve their goals. When we help turn on the light bulb above their heads and I see how incredibly happy they are, I am thoroughly inspired to continue my work with people who are changing the world. I suppose you could say that my passion is guiding others to bring their vision to life, while arming them with the strategy and tools to do so effectively.

Thanks to Crissy Saint, MM Identity Lab

Photo Credit: Tamara Newing

The loss of a son

Cheesemaker Tamara Newing form Boatshed Cheese’s inspiration to start the business was her son Reagan. He died, aged 14, in 2010. Tamara, a mother of four, and chef, put her life on hold – for two years. Then she started experimenting with cheese. At an artisan cheese making course in the US, she was told that her son was looking over her shoulder. She then remembered Reagan loved cheese and soccer. Just over twelve months ago she began Boatshed Cheese and, remarkably is an award winning cheese maker. The best in Australia for her goats cheese. One of her cheeses, Chelsea Blue, is named in honor of her son, who loved the Chelsea (UK) football team. The profits of that cheese, go toward sending soccer boots and clothing to underprivileged kids around the world.

Thanks to Tamara Newing, Boatshed Cheese

The idea of exactly what your business is going to be usually comes first. Secondly, most often, is giving a title to your idea. What exactly is going to be the name of your business? Some people turn to their childhood for inspiration or a beloved family pet. It could be a made up word you dream of one night and feel it has the right ring to it. Even still there are some people who study foreign words for the perfect meaning behind their chosen business. Whatever the inspiration or relation may be, the naming of your business is one of the most important parts of becoming a CEO. Having a brand behind a strong title can make all the difference in the world.

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Photo Credit: Mint Advertising

A small tray of mints

As for how the start-up got its name, the story goes that The Co-Founders met at a Korean restaurant in Manhattan called Woo Chon after quitting their day jobs. Over a lengthy lunch they threw around ideas for company names, writing down those that stuck. The nouns and adjectives thrown into the ring circled around themes of purity, potency, and fun – they didn’t want the company to be seen as bureaucratic, run-of-the-mill, elitist or pretentious. “Mint” made the short list they’d scribbled down on a pad at the table, but The Co-Founders were still looking for a sign to point them in the right direction (a name is a big decision, after all.) Then the bill arrived on a small tray scattered with – you guessed it – mints. The stars had clearly aligned, and thus Mint Advertising was born!

Thanks to Mint Advertising

Photo Credit: Megan Cummins

You smell like…

I enjoy witty humor and, like anyone else, things that make me happy. I’m also a fragrance junkie. However, the beautiful bath products I loved were always snooty, overpriced, and made me feel unworthy of purchasing them. I made You Smell for myself and my girlfriends. I wanted it to reflect our personalities and be beautiful yet down to earth. Every side of the bars has elaborate fun copywriting, so we needed a name to reflect that. I brainstormed everything associated with the industry. Nothing came to me. I sat down and start dissecting who we were, who our audience was, and why they would come to us. The bottom line? Soaps are one of the top gift items since it’s a safe, useful gift. It’s a huge industry. I then took it a step further, looking at it through the lens of our company’s personality. I was talking to my friend and they handed me a bar of soap and I said “are you trying to say something?”. That was it. Just come out and say it- when you give someone soap, you’re implying they need it.. that You Smell. And how funny would it be to keep the luxurious look of the brand and use such a cheeky name? Who says you can’t be classy and still have a great personality? The front of our products say “You Smell”, and when you turn the products over they say “like a lemon” or “divine”. Our name alone has garnered us international press and taken our company from a side project to a successful national brand. It’s caught the eye of TV producers (abc Shark Tank), Magazine editors (we’ll be in People next week), bloggers and major buyers. We just write the name in the subject line of an email and they can’t resist reading it. When we do a cold call and our name pops up on their phones, they tell us they never listen to sales calls, but they had to answer and hear about us. It’s unique and unexpected. It makes people do a double-take and 99% of the time people laugh- and that’s an emotion we love people connecting with our brand.

Thanks to Megan Cummins, You Smell, LLC

Photo Credit: Michelle Gannon

Fun and learning at the same time

I purchased 22 other domain names before I settled on the Language Playground. At first, I was going to focus on the Mandarin learning aspect as that is the language the I am teaching my children, even though I don’t speak it myself and so I purchased names like, chinesetakout.org. Then I played around with the domain www.globetrottingkids.com as I loved the idea that children would travel the world with new languages in their pockets. But then it seems too similar to the Globe Trotters and we really have nothing to do with basketball! The Language Playground is a perfect name for our company as we help parents teach their children all languages and it is fun at the same time! We use the word “playground” to instill the idea that learning a second language as a child should be enjoyable and full of laughter. Like a playground, we suggest many different ways for children to engage with a language — not just on the same old swing time and time again.

Thanks to Michelle Gannon, The Language Playground

Related Post: Best Degrees for Entrepreneurs

Photo Credit: Simon Vainrub

Advertising is vain

I did several brainstormings to find the perfect name for my new advertising agency and shared the results with people I trust. My first inspiration was Copy2Client, the inspiration was another company called People2Places. Of course, eventually I realized that name didn’t work because most people don’t know what copywriter and copywriting means, so then I thought about “Shooting Ideas” since that’s what you do in the ad biz, but another colleague told me how “shooting” is controversial since it implies guns, and while I love guns, not everyone does. Other names I liked, but weren’t available on GoDaddy and I didn’t want to be a .US or ..Biz or .TV. Eventually I realized that my father used to call his private plane “Vain Air” because our family name is Vainrub. So then I decided, “why not Vain Advertising or Vain Ad for short?” Some critics told me about the negative connotations of the word “vain,” but since my last name is Vainrub and it’s easier to pronounce Vain, I decided to give it a shot.. Ironically, one perfect stranger told me that the name was perfect since advertising is vain.

Thanks to Simon Vainrub, Vain Advertising

Photo Credit: Fred L Clauss

A name to indicate what my business is all about

My business is a project/program management consulting firm that specializes in helping small growing firms create enterprise-level program management from scratch, emphasizing Agile methodologies. The Intuition part came from some discussions with a networking connection regarding the role of intuition in business success. Ruminating on this subject helped me realize that a big reason why Agile methodologies work is that they empower the application of intuition to business goals at all levels of the organization (or at least at the levels where they are applied). Once I had that insight, I started looking for a good name that captures the quality of this insight and had an available .com internet address to go with it. I chose Enterprise over several other similar words because it is generic enough to include other types of organizations (I’m interested in working with non-profits) and because it evokes not only organization but mission. So the name “Enterprise Intuition” indicates what my business is about–organizations with a purpose, and how I can help them accomplish their purpose–empowering enterprise-wide intuition.

Thanks to Fred L Clauss, Enterprise Intuition

Photo Credit: Ashley Schwartau

Inspiration from Harry Potter

It took weeks of trying to think of something that would make my company stand out from all the other design firms out there, and something that was personal and related to me as a designer and creative person. While design is a big passion for me, my other passion is storytelling (which is also a major part of the design process), so I started thinking about my favorite books, authors and filmmakers – could I pull something from a favorite book or movie that would be representative of my work but also a fun little inside joke for other fans of the book or movie? I pulled quotes from all my favorites, rearranging words, playing with character names, and getting super frustrated, until it just clicked — in the Harry Potter series, one of my all time faves, there is this magical map that shows everyone’s location inside of Hogwarts. To use the map you say “I solemnly swear I am up to no good” and when you are finished using the map you say “Mischief managed”. So I flipped it around and tell my clients that I’ll manage their mischief, designing whatever they need to tell their story in the best way possible.

Thanks to Ashley Schwartau, Managed Mischief, LLC

Photo Credit: Allison Koberstein

Less limiting to use my own name

I decided to use my own name for my business because it was less limiting. I’m a super creative type, so I am always torn between different projects and avenues I want to explore with my business – character design services? Fine art? My own graphic novel? Toy design? I want to do it all! However, I knew that the one element of my business that would always remain is – you guessed it – me! As an artist, I believe that the only one who can do what I do is myself, so choosing a studio name with the idea that I would someday remove myself from the equation does not seem practical or desirable to me. I also did not want to have a permanent brand name that would limit my audience and my creativity. I feel good about my decision because I know that I can always launch more targeted brand names for specific projects if I need to.

Thanks to Allison Koberstein

Photo Credit: Jamila El Maroudi

Named for my late grandmother

Our business name is Mira’s Hand and we offer authentic Moroccan Spa products to be used at spas and at home. In Morocco the hand is a strong symbol, it is a symbol that blocks the bad energy (evil eye) but is also used as a metaphor for being talented. When one is referred to as having a good hand, it means one is talented. Mira is the name of my later grandmother and she had many good hands, and excellent cook, knew many natural remedies and teached me how to perform Moroccan beauty rituals from a very young age.

Thanks to Jamila El Maroudi, Mira’s Hand

Photo Credit: Chetan Khemlani

A no brainer for our line of work

I came across this problem of bills and receipt management while running my small business. I wanted someone to take away all my bills out of my sight and manage them for me. Of course, I knew I still will be paying those bills! Relevant..interesting and intriguing was my criteria for choosing my new business name. Thus started my journey in to – No Bills Forever. Now that name itself can tell my story and our businesses’ ultimate aim – it is relevant as we work with bills. We all are so familiar with bills. Rather we are born with one – our mom’s maternity bill. So, bills interest us and more so the feeling of getting rid of those bills – thus NBF as a business name interests most of our visitors. No Bills Forever is quiet intriguing as a business name, it entices our viewers in to discovery of; How is that possible? Thus No Bills Forever was a no brainer choice for our business that receives, files, archives, pays and save on bills and receipts.

Thanks to Chetan Khemlani, No Bills Forever

Photo Credit: Jenn Ash

A blend of business and creativity

My marketing + communications company is called Gray Collective. The color gray is a blend of black & white, and my approach to work is a blend of business & creativity. Collective refers to the collection of services that I offer, each in a different shade of gray: Charcoal PR & marketing, Slate Personal Branding, Birch Design, Ash Media, also my last name. The business name should mean something to your customers as well as meaningful to you. My clients know I offer a blended approach across a wide range of marketing + communications needs. My last name is Ash, and I believe I will be just a piece of the overall company as it grows. I will be a part of the Gray Collective.

Thanks to Jenn Ash, Gray Collective

Related Post: How to Build a Creative Business

Photo Credit: Mairéad Kelly

A dismissive remark into something positive

I was on a business appraisal course in 2008 with 20+ other participants. We were brain storming on business ideas and I came up with something and mentioned it to the group. One of the guys in the group dismissed my idea with “that’s cute, honey, real cute!” I remember thinking to myself that I’d turn that dismissive remark into something positive at some time in the future. When I saw that there was a gap in the Irish market for business training specifically for work from home Mumpreneurs I set up Cute Honey (originally an acronym) and provide training for both Mumpreneurs and mums who would like to become Mumpreneurs.

Thanks to Mairéad Kelly, Cute Honey

Photo Credit: Fiona Mitchell

A feminine name to reflect my products

I wanted a name that was either artistic or feminine to reflect the handmade crafts that I sell. I brainstormed with lots of ideas and checked whether the ones I liked had websites and were probably therefore unusable. I then almost dropped the idea completely but had a bank meeting that I decided to attend anyway. Things progressed in the meeting and then they asked what name the bank account should be in. The only name I could remember from my long list of those not having websites was ‘Georgiana May’, which I wasn’t that keen on but said anyway. That evening I said to my husband “So now I apparently have a business called “Georgiana May”. It’s worked really well though. I now LOVE the name and I’ve managed to create a strong brand image around it with a well suited logo.

Thanks to Fiona Mitchell, Georgiana May

Photo Credit: Lisa Donoughe

Conveying a sense of story and narrative

I started LAD communications in 1999 as an accidental entrepreneur. Left a job I was unhappy in and needed to earn an income. So I used my initials as our company name and never liked it. Ten years later we decided to change our name. We wanted to convey a sense of story and narrative. The first name we came up with was Thread. We tested it on a few clients, friends, and family and everyone hated it. Then, in the shower one morning, I had the idea for Watershed — a moment when everything shifts. We loved the intrinsic nature of the word. It has its own internal momentum and is a great sounding, fun word.

Thanks to Lisa Donoughe, Watershed Communications

Photo Credit: Marianne Cantwell

Being outside the cage

Free Range Humans came up as my business name even BEFORE I knew I wanted to start a business… and Free Range Humans has since turned into my blog, my business and most recently my book (Be A Free Range Human was published this January and recently featured in Business Week, CNN Money Watch and national publications). How the name happened: I was commuting to work in London, UK. On the subway at rush hour it felt like I was commuting with the entire city: squished up against other suited commuters, no room to breathe (and I’m pretty sure someone wasn’t wearing deodorant). It was a beautiful summer day but here we were trapped in a metal box hurtling toward an office shaped box with no chance of getting outside all day. We were some of the most successful people of our generation yet this ‘cage’ was the life we had to live: right there and then the thought struck me “I want to be a free range human.” So, when I quit my job and started my business, I decided to start a little blog on the side, writing about what it was like to leave the office world for the first time. That blog was called Free Range Humans. Within 18 months it become more popular than my other ‘real’ business so I turned it into my full time business in its own right. The Free Range brand name has been a huge part of our success – turns out that was a worthwhile commute!

Thanks to Marianne Cantwell, Free Range Humans

A name that said more than digital oil paintings

I own a digital art studio, specialising in making oil paintings based on digital images. Our style is sophisticated, our work time consuming and requiring a painstaking level of detail. We wanted a name that said more than “digital oil paintings” and instead captured the essence of life. Still Living was the idea of my wife over yet another cup of coffee, and for several weeks after that conversation we just kept returning to it because it speaks about our work being still portraits as well as our work keeping alive special memories for people. It was also available as a web address, which is getting harder to find

Thanks to Bryan West, Still Living

Photo Credit: Jessica Andrews

Named after our children

Our business, owned by my sister and I, is named after our children, Bella and Rose. We own a small children’s boutique in a coastal tourist town, Nelson Bay. We came to this name quite quickly, it is 50/50 just like our partnership as we both obviously love the names of our children, it does not pigeonhole our store to any one product, it attracts a huge amount of attention for anyone named or parent or grandparent to Bella, Isabella, Isabelle and Rose, (these names have been incredibly popular over the past few years), it invites our customers to ask about our children and families, and we instantly find common ground with them. Lastly, it is a testament to our family, our little girls will have a store in their name, and it will be our legacy to them!

Thanks to Jessica Andrews, Bella Rose Boutique

Related Post: Balancing Children and Business

Incorporating my loves

Our business name is Spotted Dog Fudge. Human fudge, not dog food. The name came about by incorporating my loves. I wanted a name that is memorable, had something to do with the product, was easy to search online and quirky. I could develop a logo easily and make it trendy. I wanted a name that was modern and transferable. We could have called it Rosie Fudge, but when you go to sell your business, it is too personal. A business name that is transferable to the next owner is an asset to the business. A name that doesn’t date is also what I considered, as when I am ready to sell the business it would be to the next generation and it had to last the test of time and trends. Spotted Dog Fudge is easy to dress up, with dots on everything and our straight lined dog, he perfectly fits into the Computer era. Choose a name that is memorable, transferable, and easy to create a logo for, so not so much marketing money is needed to brand the name.

Thanks to Rosemary Cimino, Spotted Dog Fudge

Photo Credit: Catherine Blackford

Using creative license of the true meaning

I developed my business name ‘Bindle’ using creative license of the true meaning. A ‘Bindle’ is ‘a hand made bundle of possessions carried by a hobo’. Unlike hobos who have no prescribed boundaries, Bindle is a gift service defined with a sense of place that blends sustainability with style. Bindle gifts are created around themes and occasion and similar to the ‘hobo Bindle’ each gift is a hand made compilation of the perfect products to ‘run away from home’.

Thanks to Catherine Blackford, Bindle

Photo Credit: Suzanne Casamento

Like fantasy football for dating

After listening to my girlfriends complain that there were “no good guys in LA” and that they were “never going to meet someone,” I dared them to play a game. I said, “Think Fantasy Football. We’ll create a league, set stakes and compete against each other to earn points by dating. Like Fantasy Football, except it’s Fantasy Dating.” When their eyes lit up, I knew I had a winning name. Plus it worked, in 10 weeks, we went on more dates than we had in the precious two years! Booyah!

Thanks to Suzanne Casamento, Fantasy Dating Game

Photo Credit: Samantha Crowe

A passion for pirates

Reason one being that I have a passion for Pirates, the freedom and inability to stick to rules is inspiring to me and I adore the romance of it. Reason two being that I run my business from home, and my last name is Crowe so naturally my house is the “Crowes Nest”. The third reason is that as a third party PR, I can get a better view of how a client’s business is going in terms of publicity than the director may be able to, and where better to get that view from than the crows nest of a ship! And so Crowes Nest Communications was born.

Thanks to Samantha Crowe, Crowes Nest Communications

Related Post: Entrepreneurs Share How They Rebel in Business

Photo Credit: Hitesh Mohanlal

It will be focused on how efficient and different a business is

The future of business will be how efficient and different a business is. To be efficient businesses will have to control their cost base. With the prolific use of the internet and cloud based applications it means a businesses has the ability to outsource to other countries quickly and cheaply. It has already started but smaller business will start soon and it will have a profound effect of how we do business. A lot of administrative and back office work will be sent overseas. Any business also has to differentiate their business from others in their industry – other wise a customer or client has no real reason to choose you if you are the same as someone else.

Thanks to Hitesh Mohanlal, Wow Advisors

Photo Credit: Liz Blake

Business will diverge between what is cheaply made to highly personalized

I see business diverging between what is cheaply outsourced or automated, and highly personalized service. Big business will get bigger and more faceless while small business will proliferate in a balance of extremes. Our world is chat-rich and ‘cyber friend-heavy but in reality souls are increasingly isolated, physically removed and commitment is more about convenience. It is inevitable that as we live lives through technology, the need for personal touch and consideration increases. Personal attention says, “I value you”. Our Western stance of independence is only completed by community (tribes). Businesses who are savvy enough to use technology as a tool and not a toy, will have more room to notice the individual and deliver on the deep need to belong. Issues of security, safety and compliance will blur the lines between operations and vision; this tells me there will be a corresponding drive (or rebellion?) for self-determined freedom through entrepreneurship. I believe we will be faced with mind-blowing technology solutions but the big question is, do we have the moral infrastructure to support and even carry the responsibilities that go with such power?

Thanks to Liz Blake, Lateral Insights

Photo Credit: Elle Kaplan

A world that embraces the fact that ethics and profits aren’t mutually exclusive

The future of business will be a world that embraces this fact: ethics and profits are not mutually exclusive. I left my successful career on Wall Street after over a decade to found my own wealth management firm because I wanted to work for a bank that reflected my vision of a higher standard in finance. Today, Lexion Capital is setting that new standard with independent, ethical, transparent asset management. In a polluted industry, our mission-driven ethic has resonated significantly with clients, the public, and the press. This speaks to the importance of successful businesses like ours that make the headlines for being role models, not bad examples.

Thanks to Elle Kaplan, Lexion Capital Management LLC

Photo Credit: Neal Asbury

To become a global brand

The future of business is to become a global brand. The U.S. can only sustain so many products. Meanwhile, foreign markets clamor for U.S.-made goods, due to their innovation and quality. As a result, overseas consumers are willing to pay a premium for American-made goods. The most successful brands are those that have discovered new markets in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Today’s entrepreneurs need to be thinking about exports, where opportunities exist and trade boundaries are slowly being minimized or eliminated. There’s a reason that America enjoys a trade surplus with many countries. American-made goods are respected throughout the world.

Thanks to Neal Asbury, The Legacy Companies

Photo Credit: Tara Costa-Chambers

A hard and easy question to answer

I think this is a hard and easy question to answer. Hard because sometimes I feel like we’re all headed in so many different directions and easy because I know what I want the future of business to be. In my past professional life I worked to make money and people happy but that was about it. But now, I want to run a business that makes money but also tries to make a difference. IT-Recycle aims to do this by running a profitable business, recycling unwanted goods and make charitable donations all at the same time. Our business collects/purchases cell phones, smart phones, tablets, laptops and resells them (generally) to refurbishers who give them new life and sell them to new customers. Not only are we recycling but the companies involved are responsibly disposing of their electronic waste and getting money for their company or making a charitable donation. If these phones were not recycled, not only would they go into landfills but the minerals would have to be mined to create the new products. This is the same really for all electronics. I believe that business can make a positive contribution and leave the world better than we found it.

Thanks to Tara Costa-Chambers, IT-Recycle, LLC

Photo Credit: Ann-Marie Bland

More socially responsible companies

Disruptive technologies, social media, and mobile technologies are all changing how businesses operate. In fact, the changes are happening so quickly that it is hard to keep up . Not only are business operations changing, customer needs are changing as well. There has been a shift from a company driven to customer driven control. Now the customer is defining the product and services companies deliver to them. Customers are tired of corporate America and their business standards. The catastrophe of Enron and following business demises and their impact on the US financial state caused cynicism. Inflated corporate salaries, large company monopolies sustained with inferior products, and corporate irresponsibility are all things of the past. Younger generations are socially responsible and expect their product creators and service providers to be as well. Businesses are discovering social responsibility is becoming an integral part of their company and their brand initiatives. TOMS, a shoe company, is the poster child of a company doing it right. For every pair of shoes purchased, another pair is provided to a person in need. TOMS is ahead of the curve, but they are an example of the future of business. Companies have to give back. Customers are savvy. They expect more from their products and services and have quick and easy access to information and opinions about them. The companies social responsibility efforts will become part of their value proposition.

Thanks to Ann-Marie Bland, Think Good, Inc.

Photo Credit: Robert M Wenzel

The future will be based on smaller to medium sized independent companies

The future of business will be based on smaller to medium sized independent companies. Those companies will be oriented more on local business as well as being very specialised whilst using the internet to be globally connected. This development will change the complex infrastructures of the today’s multinational cooperation which will use the emerging services instead of having it internally. People who are employees today will face the loose due to the enormous pace in robotic development for example. They will reorganize themselves and founding the new companies. So is for example an high-tech specialist for scheduling based in Yorkshire, UK, but solving problems for a company in India or a local bakery offers delicious cakes and receives their ingredients directly from a supplier in Sweden.

Thanks to Robert M Wenzel, London Global Laboratories

Photo Credit: Paul Ohlson

The Cloud is the future

The Cloud is undoubtedly the future of business. After all, the Cloud creates the perfect storm which combines what businesses want – saving time, money, and effort – and what employees want – automation to make work easier and the flexibility to work remotely from home. With the improvements in Cloud security slated to calm data safety concerns, the only wind the Cloud is moving against now is awareness. Particularly, small business owners who aren’t yet aware of how the Cloud is transforming traditional business models into leaner, faster, more efficient versions of their former selves. Once this becomes common knowledge the Cloud will stop being a buzz word and will instead be a natural part of the business landscape.

Thanks to Paul Ohlson, SmallBusinessCloudTools.com

Photo Credit: John Goldberg

Diversity and globalization

The future of business is diversity and globalization. With rapid advances in transportation and communication technology we are emigrating/immigrating and engaging in global trade as never before. This requires that executives, managers, supervisors and employees have the skills necessary to communicate and effectively work with people of widely diverse nationalities, cultures and native languages.

Thanks to John Goldberg, John Goldberg & Assoc.

Photo Credit: Kathleen Brush

Broadening the borders

The challenges leaders are facing today are double and triple what they were twenty years ago. The salad days of operating in domestic markets with domestic customers, competitors, and suppliers, isolated from the world at large has left the building. Today businesses face virtually unlimited customer and supplier opportunities, and numerous threats associated with unfamiliar competitors and markets. The most successful businesses are fully equipped for these opportunities.

Thanks to Kathleen Brush

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Photo Credit: Max Teitelbaum

Getting to build something out of nothing

I love building something out of nothing. When you start a business, there’s nothing to show, just an idea. Over time with hard work, that idea blossoms into a company. With proper execution and the right team you create a thriving product or company that creates a legacy going forwards. Personally, my favorite part of being an entrepreneur is bringing a company into and past that stage of its life cycle.

Thanks to Max Teitelbaum, WhatRunsWhere

Photo Credit: Tony Ellison

Following your own personal vision

The best part of being an entrepreneur is following your own personal vision, passions, and convictions. You control your own destiny. Once you are an entrepreneur you are no longer part of the crowd, following others’ lead. You are setting your own path, and the journey is thrilling. It is very exciting to create and prove new concepts. I would say, the fulfillment that can be found from creating something successful from scratch, is unmatchable. You are doing something you believe in, and no one can take that away from you.

Thanks to Tony Ellison, Shoplet.com

Photo Credit: Wes Walker

The freedom to succeed on my own terms

After spending the majority of my career in large corporations, I found myself completely burned out. Not simply from the travel and long work hours, but from constantly having to conform to the corporate norms, and from having to implement decisions that I didn’t always agree with. Owning my own business offers the freedom to succeed on my own terms. If I had had the money to leave corporate life sooner and set out on my own, I would have. I am definitely not complaining about my past jobs, as they afforded me the opportunity to travel and make a healthy living, but I know I am much happier in business as my own boss, on my own terms. I love being an entrepreneur because building a business to be proud of and impacting people positively along the way is completely fulfilling.

Thanks to Wes Walker, Intelligent Office Boston

Related Post: Steps to Successful Walking Meetings

Photo Credit: Steve Appelbaum

Enabling thousands to begin their careers

The best thing I love about being an entrepreneur is that not only have I created two companies that have enabled thousands of people to launch successful careers, those people have also positively touched the lives of literally tens of thousands of dogs and their owners! The creative process, particularly generating something from nothing, really inspires me. Take my first company. I had a belief in the 1980′s that the pet industry was going to undergo a metamorphosis in which large corporate groups would become much more influential, especially on the retail side. I imagined a superstore concept that would include services like dog obedience and pet grooming. I had a dog training company at the time and my vision coupled with being in the right place at the right time allowed my company to connect with a large superstore chain. The result was that within 6 years I had 550 dog trainers in 45 states teaching obedience classes for this chain. A similar thing happened again in 1998. I realized that there was a real shortage of qualified animal trainers and a huge number of people who wanted to learn to work with animals. This resulted in Animal Behavior College, which has grown to be the largest animal career vocational school in North America. I love having a passion for helping those who love our four legged friends!

Thanks to Steve Appelbaum, Animal Behavior College

Photo Credit: Bill Diffenderffer

Getting my adrenaline fix

Over the last 30 years, I’ve taken a leading role (usually as the first CEO) in starting up two travel technology companies, a super low cost airline and now Silvercar, a next generation car rental company. Though quite different one to the other, they all shared one thing in common: I believed that each could become a global player and offer a world-class product/experience. And that is why I’m an entrepreneur — for me it’s about turning dreams into reality. Unfortunately not all dreams can be realized. I’ve won and lost. It’s really hard and the lows are really low — but the highs are pretty terrific. I need the adrenaline fix that start-ups provide. I can’t do slow and steady. I’m probably a crisis junkie.

Thanks to Bill Diffenderffer, Silvercar

Photo Credit: Marley Majcher

Discovering every once in awhile Monday doesn’t have to be a grind

What do I love about being an entrepreneur? Well, let’s face it, there’s plenty NOT to love – long days that can bleed into nights, weekends without socializing because you’re trying to hit a deadline and oh, yes, getting paid after everyone else in the whole blasted world, it seems. But what’s great? Getting an emergency manicure Tuesday afternoon because you have a hot date and your brain is fried anyway. It’s nice deciding that the best way to beat burnout is a quick trip to a limited time only exhibit at the museum you’ve been DYING to see. Lastly, discovering that every once in a while, Monday doesn’t have to be a grind because you can run your entire empire from your pjs in front of the fireplace. So, what do I love about being an entrepreneur? Pretty much everything, but most of all FREEDOM – ’cause you can’t put a price tag on that.

Thanks to Marley Majcher, The Party Goddess

Related Post: 5 Tips to Reduce Your Workload

Photo Credit: Maria Hoaglund

Loving all the freedom I have

What I love about having my own business is the FREEDOM that I have. I can do what I want to do when I want to do it; and I have no boss or structure above me telling how and what to do. This freedom means the world to me! I may need to subsidize my business with other work (financially), but I still find that the best way for me to work is For Myself!

Thanks to Maria Hoaglund, Change With Courage

Photo Credit: Debra Brown

Freeing myself from the rigidness of corporations

There are few things in the world that bother me more than the rigidness of corporations. I have spent countless hours listening to crappy hold music, waiting to talk to someone who must find the part of his or her script that best fits my question or dodges my concern. Then, inevitably when I explain what is wrong, or what I need, they fall back on the old “It’s not up to me” or “I don’t have the authority to do that” or the ultimate worst answer – “it is against our corporate policy to….” What I love most about being an entrepreneur is I don’t have to ask anyone’s permission to do something that will make a customer happy. I totally get the concept of not being able to be everything to everyone, but some of the best advances we have made with our group text messaging and mobile marketing services were because we took up a customer’s challenge to implement something new, or something better. We LOVE working with people that think outside the box when it comes to text messaging and mobile technology, and when we say “yes” instead of “we can’t do that” it tends to lead to some of our most fun and rewarding projects.

Thanks to Debra Brown, MobilizeUs

Photo Credit: Shawndra Russell

Getting to help entrepreneurs navigate the tricky field of social media

I love helping entrepreneurs of small businesses navigate the chaotic world of social media. Hearing and sharing their stories and helping them succeed makes every day feel like a win, and saving them time and frustration is so rewarding. I also enjoy using my experience as a writer to create engaging content for these businesses and that this career path allows me to work with my husband full-time.

Thanks to Shawndra Russell

Related Post: Predicting the Next Big Thing in Social Media

Photo Credit: Kailash Ambwani

A learning experience every day

An entrepreneur, by definition, is in uncharted territory – operating either in new emerging areas or in existing markets going through disruptions. I love being an entrepreneur in the social technology space because it’s doing both those things – impacting existing markets and creating new ones. Every day is a learning experience as I work with customers to address new opportunities to unleash social business.

Thanks to Kailash Ambwani, Actiance

Photo Credit: Michelle Hastie

The amount of personal and spiritual growth it has required of me

There are so many incredible perks to being an entrepreneur. The freedom, the choice to work when you want, where you want, the pride in choosing what your career is every single day… but my most favorite perk of being an entrepreneur is the amount of personal and spiritual growth it has required of me. I literally cannot serve the world in a powerful way, in a business I love if I am not constantly evolving and learning. There is nothing that asks you to step up and out like owning your own business and helping the world through your passion. For this I am eternally grateful.

Thanks to Michelle Hastie, Total Body Health Solutions

Photo Credit: Patrick McFadden

The making mistakes and becoming smarter is my job

What I love about being a entrepreneur is that making mistakes and becoming smarter is my job. Going into this world and doing projects and ventures that might not work excites me and keeps move pushing forward.  If you want to join the exciting ranks of being an entrepreneurs who can live out your passion and make extraordinary income, then step up to the plate and make more mistakes.

Thanks to Patrick McFadden, Indispensable Marketing

Related Post: Most Memorable Business Mistake

Photo Credit: Carissa Dunphy

Being responsible for my own success

There are many reasons why I love being an Entrepreneur, primarily because I am responsible for my own success. Working on my business at all hours, continuing to educate myself to stay on the cutting edge, and the freedom to work when and where I choose all enable me to succeed. The passion for what I do and the drive to reach my goals are a continuous reminder that being an Entrepreneur is what I am meant to be.

Thanks to Carissa Dunphy, Small Businesses Do It Better

Photo Credit: Roxann Abrams

It allows me to embrace and express my creativity

I love being an entrepreneur because it allows me to embrace and express my creativity while limiting my exposure to situations that I consider unproductive and/or negative. So you could say that owning my own business helps me to have a better quality life. As CEO of Roxann Abrams, Inc, a business services consulting firm, I am able to assist others in obtaining that same dream for their lives!

Thanks to Roxann Abrams

Photo Credit: Roberta Perry

Creating something that follows my heart

Scrubz Body Scrub, Inc.  was started because I was totally frustrated with other body care products on the market. I originally had no intention of going into the skin care business, but after sharing my creation with my sister Michelle, and some friends, I knew I had something special and decided to launch in July of 2006. When Michelle came on board, the product line has grown in both fragrance offerings and other products that share the same philosophy, great skin care can be natural and affordable at the same time. We are still amazed and humbled by the results. This growth, and the ability to create something that follows my heart, plus the chance to meet great people, is the best reason I love being an entrepreneur.

Thanks to Roberta Perry, Scrubz Body Scrub, Inc.

Photo Credit: John R. Stokka

It means we get to help others achieve their dreams

As an entrepreneur of several B2B companies, I love it when we are in a position to solve a customer problem, especially one that allows our clients to even the playing field against larger, better funded competitors. We like to bring ideas to the table that our clients didn’t think were available to businesses their size. When that happens you can often literally see their eyes light up. It’s worth doing for that reason alone, and because it happens here every day — I know that we are ensuring our own success. Problem solvers make their own destiny. Living and working that out here at DomiKnow is what wakes us in the morning and drives us forwards. When you love what you do and know why it matters, you are achieving success!

Thanks to John R. Stokka, DomiKnow

Photo Credit: Eugene T. Lee

The challenge of creative and building a business

For me, the best part of being an entrepreneur is the challenge of creating and building a business that is a direct extension of my defining traits and qualities. I love being involved in every aspect of my organization – from business development to operational management – with the freedom to mold my company in a manner consistent with my core values and ideals.

Thanks to Eugene T. Lee, ETL Associates, Inc.

Photo Credit: Phoebe Yu

It’s never boring

I’d always known I wanted to start my own business someday, but it was when I became interested in environmentally friendly living that I knew it was time to put my ideas into action. For me, the absolute best thing about running Ettitude is that the business stands for something bigger than myself. I get to be creative and bold, and work in a way that reflects my values and beliefs. Life as an entrepreneur is never boring – you get to learn something new every day, and from such a wide variety of people. You never know where your next business lesson is coming from. The freedom my work brings me is something I really value and try never to take for granted – I know how many people would love to have the opportunity to do something they feel this strongly about. When I see our customers using our products, or hear about how they’ve become a fan of our brand, it confirms to me that being an entrepreneur is the right path for me.

Thanks to Phoebe Yu, Ettitude