Guerrilla Marketing Remix has been out for a couple of years, but if you haven’t read it, I strongly recommend it! It’s packed with practical information for all kinds of business owners, and it’s especially resourceful for microbusiness owners! Do yourself a favor and check it out!
Visit Amazon, your local library, or a nearby bookstore to pick up a copy.
By Anthony Hilb
Be extremely careful with the advice people share with you…this blog included! What has worked for others may not work for you. Our economy isn’t what it once was, and technology is drastically changing just about every industry. Many traditional rules no longer apply. People have told me to grow my businesses, to start a “real business” and to get a “real job.” Yet I’ve been profitable since day one, and I make more than the average person my age. What’s so unreal about that? These are the same people that want me to take on debt and hire employees I don’t need. And that’s probably why 90% of businesses fail. People new to the business world frequently listen to their elders and take antiquated routes. This isn’t always the case, but it has been often enough from my experience. Every adviser at my local SBDC has not been helpful. I would have never even started the profitable businesses I enjoy had I listened to many of my risk averse elders. 
Who has helped me with their advice? Incredible people who blog about business and authors who write about business. People like Seth Godin, Jason Fried, Jay Levinson, Gary Vaynerchuk, Tony Robbins, Richard Branson, Chris Anderson, Chris Guillebeau, Timothy Ferris, and many others have all been very helpful. They actually have experience and know what they’re talking about.
Take a route that works best for you. Pursue your business at a pace that works best for you. Some people are in a situation to start a traditional business with millions of dollars and employees, while other people prefer starting extremely small without debt. Determine a path that works best for you and get started! You may need to start your business part-time, or you may be able to start full-time. It’s all situational.
To traditionalists and many people older than myself, it may not appear like I own a “real” business. I don’t have 50 employees, and I don’t own a big office. I don’t buy everything I need for my businesses up front; I rent equipment and buy it used if I know I’ll need it regularly. Even if I do grow more and hire 20 people, those employees won’t have to come in to an office. As long as they get their work done, they can work from their home or from their own small office.
I started my first business two years ago, and now I pursue three microbusinesses each week. One of my microbusinesses gets the majority of my attention while the other two only need a few hours spent on them each week at this point. It only took a couple hundred bucks to start all of my businesses, and I hardly spend anything on marketing. I have no business debt, and I’ve always been profitable. All because I follow my instincts and grow at a pace that’s right for me.
Go out and live a little! Experiencing the outside world and getting to know people is vital to your success. Getting in touch with the world helps you understand changes and what needs people have. Doing this will help you learn what kind of businesses to pursue. If you’re interested in a certain area of business, go to a meeting that is about that specific interest. Check out meetup.com in your area and see what you can find.
You can learn about the world quickly by spending time on your phone and on the internet, but there are elements of a physical meeting that the online world can’t yet fully capture. You can learn so much from partying or spending time with a group of friends in person. It’s obviously important to only carve out a small percentage of your time for partying, but taking time for those experiences is important. Forget about social networking for awhile and be social for real. Get out from behind your desk and go meet new people in person!
By Anthony Hilb
I’m getting married this May, and I’ve learned that weddings cost a lot! Not many people compete on price. There’s a tremendous opportunity in my area for businesses who are willing to charge a little less than the competition when it comes to anything related to weddings. And it’s not a race to the bottom – the majority simply charge too much. It’s as if they’re price colluding. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were.
However, my fiancée and I have found some great people in our area. The Seasons Lodge in Brown County and Mary M’s here in Bloomington, IN have both been amazing to us. Thanks, guys!
Starting a microbusiness that services wedding related activities can give you plenty of work. It’s the perfect kind of business to start on the side while you’re working a day job. Photographers and DJs are two examples.
By Anthony Hilb
You gotta be flexible. Sometimes you MUST improvise. I’m improvising this entire blog post; I have no idea what I’ll say next at this moment, and I haven’t decided how I’ll end it. I’m only giving myself 10 minutes to finish this post. But so what! The importance of improvisation can’t be overlooked, and this is giving me a bit of practice.
Sometimes incredible opportunities unexpectedly present themselves to us. Often times these moments are when we’ll have to improvise. In conversations sometimes we just gotta improvise and go with it.
Not everything can be planned, and we have a restricted amount of time to work during the day. However, so much can be planned. To eliminate too much improvisation during your work week, set your priorities. Be ruthless about setting your priorities. This will help you predetermine what actions you will take in many circumstances.
When an amazing opportunity comes your way, you’ll be able to make an educated decision about your course of action. You might need to drop a current project or client in order to pursue a much better project/client. But you will still need to improvise and learn as you go no matter what you decide. There’s no doubt about that. Planning your every move won’t always work.
My 10 minutes is up. I hope you enjoyed my improvised rant. Get out there and take action! Set your priorities and improvise when you’re stuck!
“Be young, be crazy and launch your company now.” –Mike Michalowicz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XHcPYorSJw
By Anthony Hilb
We don’t listen to Mötley Crüe too much, but that’s not the point! Musicians are creative, and creativity invents new paths. When you’re looking for inspiration for your business or personal life, listen to music that inspires you and pumps you up! That music may even be relaxing music. Whatever it is, be sure to listen to it at some point during the day. Unless you hate all music, this habit will help your business, microbusiness, and personal life!
Microbusiness Owners 