F is for FRESH [Z-A for Start-ups]

Learn to grow, grow to learn. Keep fresh in your knowledge and move with the times. In fact, move ahead of the times.

We’re in the age of the entrepreneur, but that prolonged moment could die out at any second, to make way for something new. The world is constantly changing and evolving; globalisation, politics, social media, it all has an effect, and though it might seem bigger than life and irrelevant to your little business, everything has a way of trickling down into the cracks of society.

Don’t be on the defence. According to Gary Vaynerchuk at The Entourage, it’s the biggest mistake young entrepreneurs can make. He says: “Quite simply, market conditions right now are not allowing for young entrepreneurs of today to cultivate strong business discipline.”

You need to be on the offense as much as possible and learn all you can about your industry, entrepreneurialism and the society and culture of your target market. Though it is important to take time out and disconnect, if you stay in a cave too long, you’ll miss all-important fluctuations and it could affect your business.

Times aren’t always going to be so easy; financial ebbs and flows are ahead of us. And in saying that, it’s important to always try to be ahead of the game. Don’t wait for things to happen and then think of a defensive way to combat it. Try to cover your bases and predict trends – good and bad – before they arrive.

Obviously, we’re not fortune tellers. But it’s imperative to stay on top of the latest developments in your field, as well as finance, legal and policy changes. If you’re not great with that stuff, look at hiring someone who is. Or “hiring your weakness”, as we mentioned earlier.

One of our clients, Glenn Livingstone from sustainable fashion start-up Identify Yourself, shares the gems of wisdom that he learned from the founder of Aussie Bums underwear:

“1. Breathe.

2. Listen twice as much as you talk (this hit home!).

3. Learn to do a lot yourself; that way if things aren't going well, you’ll still have some sense of accomplishment as you’ll be learning and achieving new things.”

Stay on top of your game as much as possible, enrol in short courses, go to events, visit galleries, meet new people. It all counts toward learning and growing.

As we’ll talk about in one of our next posts, creativity is key to leveraging your business beyond its obvious capabilities. It’s next-level innovative thinking that will help you stay on the offence, two steps ahead of industry and your target market. Make the trends, don’t follow them. Stay fresh.

“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”- Albert Einstein

Our favourite tools for new knowledge and motivation are General Assembly, TED talks, Cereal Entrepreneurs and Creative Mornings.

Don’t wait until the dogs are barking to do something. Banks don’t pass out umbrellas when it’s raining. – Jack Cowin

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