5 important things to know about working with passionate entrepreneurs

Business founders and entrepreneurs are some of the most passionate people you’ll ever work with, and it takes a special kind of work ethic to keep up with their eagerness to succeed.

I really enjoy working with business founders and leaders who are disrupting their industries and challenging the status quo.

As a 19-year-old uni student, I got my first job in brand marketing with Australian entrepreneur Sue Ismiel, founder of iconic Australian startup success story, Nad’s Hair Removal. Little did I know that a few short years later I would be a startup founder myself, taking out a bank loan to co-found my first business, an organic skincare and healthcare consumer company at the age of 23.

Fast forward several years and my love of working with founders to tell their stories saw me launch The PR Hub in 2013. Channeling my passion for working with founders, industry experts, and business leaders into a sustainable business model quickly became my life.

I love what I do. The opportunity to learn about new industries; the pace and energy of getting to know and work with founders; unpacking their business objectives and then creating a PR strategy that helps deliver on them. There is a certain thrill that comes from being uncomfortable with the unknown and it has served me well when working so closely with founders over the years.

5 things to remember if you work with a founder or entrepreneur

If you work with a founder, either as part of their business or providing a service, then the following list is for you to ensure you get the most out of working with them and have fun along the way.

1. Keep it short, precise and to the point

Keep your communications with founders short, sharp, and to the point. They won’t always have time to read every email or brief in full, or at all, so put the most important information first. This advice is true also for anyone wanting to get the attention of a producer or journalist.

Highlight something if you want it to really stand out. I’ve had healthy debates with my team about how this may look ‘messy’, but from my personal experience, founders are focused on streamlined solutions, so communication that presents facts as quickly as possible is always preferred to a long, beautifully-presented presentation.

2. Let them have their big ideas

Entrepreneurs are passionate about what they do. Most have started a business because they identify a gap in the market or want to solve a genuine pain point in their chosen industry.

Big ideas – and with them fresh opportunities – will be free-flowing, so make space for them. It’s not uncommon for me to get a call from a client to let me know about something they’re thinking about doing (which is still under wraps) or an upcoming development in their business, asking for my feedback from a broader strategic perspective as well as a more defined PR focus.

3. Keep your foot on the gas

Keeping your foot on the gas is essential if you want to work successfully with a founder or entrepreneur, or for anyone else. This doesn’t mean sacrificing attention to detail for speed, more that being well-prepared and responding swiftly to problems and opportunities will deliver better outcomes, more quickly.

You’ll also establish a reputation as a doer; someone who is reliable and dependable. As one of our long-standing clients, 5-times Young Rich Lister and international digital agency group owner, Nick Bell, recently posted on his LinkedIn: “Whoever moves the fastest, wins” and “Do things today, not tomorrow”.

4. Learn as much as you can

Working alongside a founder is an opportunity to develop your own skills and insights. It’s also an incredible opportunity to enhance your own network, your understanding of the category the business is operating in, and more generally, expand your own commercial knowledge.

Successful people never stop learning themselves, including from those around them. You may have heard the saying, “Never be the smartest person in the room”. My innate curiosity has definitely fed into my business success, so tap into your own drive for knowledge. Keep learning – and don’t be afraid to share those learnings.

5. Expect the unexpected

Entrepreneurs can move at a hundred miles an hour, so working with one is your personal challenge to embrace change.

I’ve never worked for a big corporation, nor have I had any official training in running a business or being a leader, which means I don’t necessarily do things ‘by the book’. The beauty of this is a freedom to forge a new path for my business, and the same goes for every person on my team. The possibilities are literally endless.

And who knows, one day the entrepreneurship bug might bite you, too!

This article first appeared via my monthly column for Kochies Business Builders here