How to Overcome the Top (Real) Reasons Why Entrepreneurs Fail [Part 10] Marketing is a Reality

Entrepreneurship is now the number one life choice for today’s millennials despite the fact that 95% of companies fail. As a result, entrepreneurs are desperate for shortcuts, strategies, and resources that can increase their odds of success. Unfortunately, top founders are not sharing their personal secrets as often as they should. As a serial entrepreneur with 80+press mentions, thousands in revenue and several accolades, I’m sharing my top startup success commandments. Here is number 10. Read number 1 here, number 2 here, number 3 here, number 4 here, number 5 here, number 6 here, number 7 here, number 8 here and number 9 here.

Thou shall embrace the fact that “marketing is reality”. 

Every single action you take can be branded to your benefit. Make sure to document behind the scenes experiences (the team coding, team meetings, Monday morning routines etc.) and share it so people can follow your story. Try to speak at events often and if the invitations aren’t rolling it- create your own opportunities by hosting events at local libraries, restaurants, and parks. Your personal brand can be the best foundation for launching companies, global speaking engagements, and exclusive influencer invitations. Make sure you have a personal site that is hosted (at a discount), searchable and providing additional sources of revenue. 

Though shall embrace the fact that “marketing is reality”. Why I live by this. 

As stated before, I have a habit of documentation. I took so many photos and videos of my startup journey that I had to get a hard drive dedicated to just Vendedy media. After 3 months of launching Vendedy, I realized that all of those videos and photos are the precise reason why we got the awards that we got over the years. Saying what you do is one thing but showing it is an entirely different thing. Images of our story and behind the scenes was circulated all over the net and I became very aware of the premium brand we were building over time. I received several interviews and partnerships just from a photo post alone. Branding requires a story and the best way to tell a story is through powerful visuals. I picked up on this early on and I can candidly say that it was a huge contributor to our progress.

This concludes the 10 part series where each day, I posted an issue and strategy for you to succeed. Loved these tips? Sign up for my newsletter via www.christinesntim.com :) Want to have me speak at your event- book via [email protected].

Christine Souffrant Ntim is an award-winning Haitian-American & Ghanaian, entrepreneur & startup ecosystem expert for emerging markets. She was selected and featured in Forbes 30 Under 30, AdAge 40 Under 40, Haiti Changemakers 1804 List, Singularity NASA, Entrepreneur Magazine, Huffington Post, Inc Magazine and more. She speaks on digital entrepreneurship, personal branding, and future tech for emerging markets at over 20+ global conferences a year- which includes former appearances at the United Nations, TEDx, SXSW, European Union Forum, US State Department Tours, Startup Grind Global, SeedStars World, and more.