20 Unusual Entrepreneurs Which Will Inspire You5081519
I only took one entrepreneurship class in college (I was a Women's Studies major at Washington University in St. Louis...we will skip THAT story for now). It was a course that is solid, but in several situations it was a parade of traditional entrepreneurship. For example, here were common steps heard throughout the semester:
Develop an idea.
Research the heck out of the notion, compose a massive business plan, raise money, create business.
Wave farewell to family and friends as your life is your business. Yay.
Expand business by hiring one zillion folks, after creating business and move into every market on earth.
Following your huge expansion into a worldwide domination, sell your business for top dollar.
Post-sale, retire to your own preferred island or return to step one and wash, rinse, repeat.
Now, there's nothing wrong with this particular advice per say. Actually, there was a parade of special guests throughout the semester that shared their narrative that fit into those steps one way or another.
There are entrepreneurs who create a company to franchise it (the E-Myth philosophy). Examples where I am from in St. Louis comprise 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 that are in more traditional businesses that have no aspirations of selling but rather look to make a living brick and mortar style. An example may function as the corner bakery or a clothes boutique.
There are Internet entrepreneurs focused on creative passive income by any means necessary to make a living (and possibly enjoy life on the beach or something). Example might be someone who sells vitamin supplements online.
However, there's an alternative group all together that I bet you are a part of (I understand I 'm). And that is the entrepreneurs that are unconventional. Features of the group comprise:
Doing work that questions. Not just work to make a dollar (such as selling weird vitamin supplements online..unless you're ridiculously enthusiastic about vitamins, and in that case rock on). Work that you're enthusiastic about. Work that makes a difference. Work that is artwork. Money follows fire and not the other way around.
Challenging the way it's been done. Doing it your way. Changing businesses that have been stayed for years (or decades or centuries).
Enjoying the fruits of our job. No, this doesn't conventional entrepreneurs do not work hard. It simply means we understand and live by the doctrine that there surely is more to life than just work (fires and hobbies outside work, friends as well as family, enjoying life the way you would like to).
Does this mean as an unconventional entrepreneur which you can't sell your business or hire a group of people? Not in any way. It just means that you aren't conforming to the boundaries of traditional entrepreneurs.
Since 2008, I Have had the unbelievable opportunity to interview over 300 entrepreneurs of sizes and shapes. Conventional and non-traditional. Huge companies and solopreneurs. People that have sold others and 50 businesses that have started one. But I'd have to express, if I had been hard pressed, my favourite ones are the non-traditional ones (and that's where most interviews will drop in the immediate future).
The situation, as I see it, is less instead more and in validity of the guidance in the limitations of it. Significance, feel like entrepreneurship surely doesn't have to look like, be like or follow most of those steps. The only real sport is baseball, although it is like offering a class on sports.
Fact is, there are many types of entrepreneurs.
There are entrepreneurs whose entire goal would be to build a business and sell it for as much as you can or take it public. These are the "enormous exits" we hear about in the tech world. Tommy Caufmann This is a listing of 20 of them, in no specific order, that I bet you'll pick up insights, ideas and inspiration from. Appreciate!
Why? Successful not yet fulfilled from his previous endeavor, Andrew has made it his life's mission to inspire and help startups.
Interview with Andrew
- 2: Ishita Gupta - fear.less
Why? Who says magazines must be in print? Consistently a disrupter, Ishita is changing the publishing world through her unique magazine panic.less.
Interview with Ishita
- 3: Tucker Max - TuckerMax.com
Why? Rejected by everybody in the publishing world, Tucker didn't give up. Instead, he took his wild, hilarious stories to the Net and results have been astounding.
Interview with Tucker
Why? Leader and the quintessential disrupter, Seth Godin is throwing a wrench to the publishing business together with The Domino Project.
- 5: Neil Strauss - NeilStrauss.com
Why? Might it be possible to earn an income by learning and infiltrating in the secret world of celebs, pick up multiple and artists -passport sneaky world travelers? It has been done by Neil.
Interview with Neil
Why? Becoming a specialist writer in significantly less than one year? Inspiring others to not live conventional lives?
Interview with Chris
Why? Matt has created an empire from his unique and hilarious comic strips by doing it his way.
Interview with Matt
- 8: Rob and Kim Murgatroyd - JetSetLife.TV
Why? They created one of the coolest jobs ever Traveling to the poshest areas in the world and writing unique, insider guidebooks. Sweet.
Interview with Kim and Rob
- 9: Jason Sadler - IWearYourShirt.com
Why? Exactly what does all day, Jason get to do? Create all sorts of interesting videos along with other goodies online and he's paid to wear shirts. Sweet.
Interview with Jason
Why? Yes, we all understand Tim has inspired an amazing number of visitors to work less, live more (and more lately, get in great shape), however there is a great deal to understand from how Tim has created his own company and lifestyle. He's a walking model of unusual entrepreneurship.
Why? The man who has built an empire around counting and wearing a name tag everyday for the previous 10 years. You've got to see it to believe it.
Interview with Scott
- 12: Michael Buckley - What The Dollar
Why? Michael turned it into his dream profession and took a love. His show, What The Dollar, 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 company? Leave it to Adam Baker to turn it into one.
- 14: Chris Ducker - Virtual Company Lifestyle
Why? Chris talks the talk and walks the walk. His company is probably running from a shore somewhere, as I type this.
Interview with Chris
- 15: Gregory Ng - Deep Freezer Burns
Why? That is exactly the subject matter of the unusual entrepreneur's web show.
- 16: Elizabeth Marshall - Author Telesminars
Why? She turned it into an amazing career and found her passion for books. The top part might be she gets the pick of the litter in regards to her customers.
Interview with Elizabeth
- 17: Vanessa Van Petten - RadicalParenting.com
Why? Vanessa didn't wait to be picked. When she was a teenager she composed a parenting publication from a teenager's view. Her empire has incredible grown since then and she gets to do every day, what she loves.
Interview with Vanessa
Why? The entrepreneurial musician. His business model allows him to create (and make money from) the music he needs without the confines of a label.
Interview with Jonathan
Why? The man who is redefining the world of cartooning. And it is being done by him on his terms.
Interview with Scott Kurtz
- 20: Nate Houghteling and Kai Hasson - White Collar Brawler
Why? Quitting their day jobs to become amateur boxers and make movement and an online web series? This stuff is just wonderful.
