Does part of the definition of being an entrepreneur include doing something for a greater good?

September 28, 2009

After attending the Inc. 500 / 5000 conference last week, I was amazed at the depth of which successful entrepreneurs will go to reach out and help other entrepreneurs at any stage in their business lifecycle. 
Maybe it’s because we all “chew the same dirt” and face such similar obstacles that must be overcome in both launching [...]

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At Inc. 500 Conference, David Ingram interviewed by Kauffman Foundation’s Build a Stronger America

September 27, 2009

As one of several other business owners being interviewed this week, I had the distinct honor of sharing my entrepreneurial story with the great team at Kauffman Foundation’s Build a Stronger America Toward an Economic Recovery initiative.  According to Kauffman, we as “entrepreneurs are the keys to a sustained recovery — to grow the economy, to [...]

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Andrew Carnegie once said…

September 25, 2009

No person will make a great business who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit.
Remember: The people who work for you have their own dreams, so do your best to fulfill them within your company – especially if they’re great people.
When you start up a company and begin hiring folks to help [...]

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Author David Ingram attends the premier event for entrepreneurs: the Inc. 500 / 5000 conference.

September 23, 2009

Beginning today through Friday, 15 Bedtime Stories author, David Ingram, will be attending Inc. 500/5000 Conference in Washington, DC.  This conference has been billed as the premier event for entrepreneurs with speakers like the who’s who of the industry, including Tony Hseih of Zappos and Jim Collins, author of Good to Great. 

It’s no coincidence that [...]

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The Greater Good

September 23, 2009

Make charitable giving part of your culture.
Sure, times are tough, but that’s no reason to go back on your company values and mission.  As an entrepreneur, giving to the community is of high importance.  We have an entire wall in our office board room filled with “Thank You” letters from various nonprofit and charitable organizations, [...]

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Joseph Jubert once said…

September 21, 2009

Never cut what you can untie.
In small business, if needed, we can achieve results by cutting corners, taking the easy way out, and ignoring the obvious answers.  I’ve found that I have the ability to blast through a brick wall to achieve an objective, but sometimes it’s better to just open the door and walk through it.  [...]

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Your Life, In Time

September 16, 2009

Fill out your “lifeline.”
Years ago, during one of my first meetings at the local CEO council, we were instructed to fill out a “Lifeline,” as described by veteran networking facilitator Mo Fathelbab.
This is a “+”-shaped graph like you’d see in high school algebra class, where the horizontal axis represents “Time” from birth until now, and [...]

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Be Not Afraid

September 14, 2009

The seasoned entrepreneur isn’t surprised by anything that comes across his or her plate.
The bigger the company and the more people you work with, then the more exposure to situations of the odd, fantastic, truth-is-stranger-than-fiction variety you will find. Business owners constantly encounter challenging situations, large and small, mundane and fantastic – downright  weird – and [...]

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Publilius Syrus once said…

September 10, 2009

Many receive advice, only the wise profit from it.
One of the smartest things I ever did as an entrepreneur was to form an advisory board.
And one of the stupidest things I ever did as an entrepreneur was to not listen to my advisory board.
I’ll spare you the details, but here’s the gist: I have an [...]

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Risks: Calculate Them

September 8, 2009

If your business fails – and there is a high chance that it will – do you have a career to fall back upon? 
With my own skills in software sales management, I didn’t mind taking the risk to do my own thing, because I felt as though I could always fall back on my own [...]

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