Starting a business is never an easy
task but is most defiantly a fulfilling reward especially when you are pursuing
your dream. It is always important to seek experts advice when starting your
own business as they can give you tips and pointers to help guide you through
the process. The two experts that I have chosen to follow are widely known for
their innovative business mind but it is the way that they have branded
themselves that truly inspires me.
Mark Cuban is widely known to the
world as the manager for NBA Dallas Mavericks but he is a innovative
entrepreneur as well. Mark was brought up in a middle class home, and learned
the aspect of business through his father and grandfather. His father worked at
a car upholstery shop and his grandfather was a immigrant from Russia who was a
hard worker and always tried to make the best deal to provide for his family. Mark
excelled through out the years in academics which translated into his business
skills.
He had numerous successful business
ventures but is known for his management skills with the Dallas Mavericks. In
2000, he purchased the NBA team for $285 million dollars. When he purchased the
team it was in rough shape but he revamped the entire franchise and lead them
to the finals twice.
Recently, Mark Cuban gave his insight
into startups to Entrepreneur.com. He made some really valid points and some
not so much. One of the first points that I 100 percent agree on is “Don’t
start a company unless it’s an obsession and something you love.” This is so
true because work will never feel like work. He also goes to mention about not
having offices, making the job fun for the employees, etc. The major key point
I disagree with is that he does not think it is beneficial to hire a PR firm. I
personally think it depends on the business, the size and the direction. It is
true that not all startups need a PR consultant but this could drastically
change your business.
Oprah Winfrey has built a huge empire
for herself with the highest rated talk show program in history and is also
ranked the richest African-American of the 20th century. She had
really rough beginnings but this most defiantly was her source of motivation
and played a huge factor in her talk show.
It is easy to understand Oprah’s view
when it comes to starting a business. First you have to write everything out so
you can prepare for any type of situation that might happen. This will help you
when difficulties come and will better prepare you. She offers great advice
like finding a mentor, and developing a prototype. One key point that she
brings up is test your competitor’s services to see exactly what they are
lacking to make sure that you are a head of them. This is brilliant and of
course makes a lot of sense.
