20 Unusual Entrepreneurs That Will Inspire You1804697
I just took one entrepreneurship class in college (I was a Women's Studies major at Washington University in St. Louis...we will skip THAT narrative for now). It was a class that is sound, but in many cases it was a parade of traditional entrepreneurship. For example, here were common steps heard throughout the term:
Think of an idea.
Research the heck from the notion, compose an enormous business plan, raise money, create company.
As now your life is your business wave good-bye to family and friends.
Expand business by hiring one zillion people, after creating business and move into every market in the world.
Following your gigantic expansion into a worldwide domination, sell your company for top dollar.
Post-sale, wash, rinse, repeat and go back to step one or retire to your favorite island.
Now, there's nothing wrong with this particular advice per say. Actually, there was a parade of special guests through the semester that shared their narrative that fit into those steps one manner or another.
The situation, as I see it, is less instead more and in cogency of the advice in the constraints of it. Significance, entrepreneurship surely does not have to look like, feel like, be like or follow most of those measures. The only sport covered is baseball, although it is like offering a class on sports.
Fact is, there are many types of entrepreneurs.
There are entrepreneurs whose whole aim would be to establish a company and sell it for as much as you can or take it public. All these are the "large way outs" we hear about in the tech world.
There are entrepreneurs who create a business to franchise it (the E-Myth philosophy). Examples where I'm from in St. Louis contain a chain of tanning salons and massage parlors.
There are entrepreneurs that create factories. Perhaps the factory makes hats or cups or something of the like.
There are entrepreneurs which can be in more traditional industries who have no aspirations of selling but rather look to make a living brick and mortar design. An example may function as the corner bakery or a clothing boutique.
There are Internet entrepreneurs focused on creative passive income by any means essential to earn a living (and maybe enjoy life on the shore or something). Example might be someone who sells vitamin nutritional supplements online.
But, there is another group all together that I wager you're part of (I understand I am). And that's the unconventional entrepreneurs. Features of the group include:
Doing work that matters. Not merely work to make a dollar (such as selling bizarre vitamin nutritional supplements online..unless you are ridiculously enthusiastic about vitamins, and in that case rock on). Work that you're passionate about. Work which is art. Money follows passion and never the other way around.
Challenging the way it's ever been done. Changing industries that have been stayed for years (or decades or centuries).
Enjoying the fruits of our labour. No, this does not mean unconventional entrepreneurs do not work hard. It simply means we understand and live by the doctrine that there is more to life than just work (passions and hobbies beyond work, friends as well as family, enjoying life just how you would like to).
Does this mean as an unconventional entrepreneur that your company can't be sold by you or hire a bunch of people? Not at all. It only implies that you aren't conforming to the limits of conventional entrepreneurs.
Since 2008, I've had the unbelievable chance to interview over 300 entrepreneurs of all shapes and sizes. Traditional and non-traditional. Enormous companies and solopreneurs. People who have sold others and 50 firms that have started one. But I Had have to state, if I had been hard pressed, my favorite ones will be the unusual ones (and that's where most interviews will drop in the immediate future). Tommy Caufmann Here is listing of them, in no particular order, that I bet you will pick up inspiration, thoughts and insights from. Enjoy!
Why? Successful not yet fulfilled from his previous endeavor, Andrew has made it his life's mission to inspire and help startups.
- 2: Ishita Gupta - anxiety.less
Why? Who says magazines must be in print? Always a disrupter, Ishita is altering the publishing world through her exceptional magazine fear.less.
Interview with Ishita
Why? Rejected by everybody in the publishing world, Tucker didn't give up. Instead, he took his outrageous, hilarious stories to the Net and results have been astounding.
- 4: Seth Godin - SethGodin.com
Why? Leader and the quintessential disrupter, a wrench is throwing into the publishing business together with The Domino Project.
Interview with Seth
Why? Might it be possible to earn a living by learning and infiltrating from the secret world of celebrities, pick up multiple and artists -passport world travelers that are sneaky? It has been done by Neil.
- 6: Chris Guillebeau - ChrisGuillebeau.com
Why? Becoming a professional writer in significantly less than one year? Inspiring others to not live conventional lives? Check, check and check.
Why? By doing it his way, Matt has created an empire from his hilarious and unique comics.
Interview with Matt
- 8: Kim Murgatroyd and Rob - JetSetLife.TV
Why? They created among the greatest jobs ever for themselves: composing unique, insider guidebooks and Traveling to the world's poshest places. Sweet.
Interview with Rob and Kim
- 9: Jason Sadler - IWearYourShirt.com
Why? What does Jason get to do? He's paid to wear tops and create a variety of interesting videos as well as other goodies online. Sweet.
- 10: Tim Ferriss - FourHourWorkWeek.com
Why? Yes, all of US understand Tim has inspired an incredible number of people to work less, live more (and more lately, get in great shape), but there's a whole lot to understand from how Tim has created his own business and lifestyle. He is a walking version of unconventional entrepreneurship.
Why? The man who has built an empire around wearing a name tag everyday for the past 10 years and counting. You've got to see it to believe it.
- 12: Michael Buckley - What The Buck
Why? Michael took a love and turned it into his dream career. His show, What The Buck, is one among YouTube's most popular
- 13: Adam Baker - Guy Vs. Debt
Why? Can the action of getting yourself and sharing the insights become a business? Leave Adam Baker to turn it with it.
Interview with Adam
- 14: Chris Ducker - Virtual Company Lifestyle
Why? The walk walks and talks the talk. As I type this, he is probably running his company from a shore somewhere.
- 15: Gregory Ng - Freezer Burns
Why? Two words: Frozen food. That's just the subject matter of this non-traditional entrepreneur's internet show.
- 16: Elizabeth Marshall - Author Telesminars
Why? She turned it into a fantastic career and found her passion for novels. The top part might be she gets the pick of the litter in regards to her clients.
Interview with Elizabeth
Why? Vanessa did not wait to be decided. When she was a teenager, she wrote a parenting publication from a teenager's view. Her empire has incredible grown since then and she gets to do every day what she adores.
Interview with Vanessa
- 18: Jonathan Coulton - JonathanCoulton.com
Why? The entrepreneurial musician. His business model permits him to create (and generate income from) the music he desires without the confines of a label.
Interview with Jonathan
Why? The guy who's redefining the world of cartooning. And he's doing it .
- 20: Kai Hasson and Nate Houghteling - White Collar Brawler
Why? Leaving their day jobs to become amateur boxers and create an online web series and movement? This items is simply amazing.
