20 Non-Traditional Entrepreneurs Which Will Inspire You3477733
I just took one entrepreneurship class in college (I was a Women's Studies major at Washington University in St. Louis...we will miss THAT storyline for now). It turned out to be a sound class, but in several cases it was a parade of traditional entrepreneurship. For instance, here were common steps heard throughout the semester:
Think of an idea.
Find out more about the heck from the idea, compose a business plan that is massive, raise money, create company.
Wave good-bye to family and friends as now your life is your business. Yay.
After creating company, expand business by hiring one zillion folks and move into every marketplace on the planet.
Following your massive expansion into a domination that is worldwide, sell your company for top dollar.
Post-sale, wash, rinse, repeat and retire to your own chosen island or return to step one.
Now, there's nothing wrong with this particular guidance per say. In fact, there was a parade of special guests through the semester that shared their story that fit into those steps one way or another.
The problem, as I see it, is less instead more and in cogency of the advice in the constraints of it. Significance, feel like entrepreneurship certainly doesn't have to look like, be like or follow most of those measures. The only sport is baseball, although it is sort of like offering a course on sports.
Fact is, there are many types of entrepreneurs.
There are entrepreneurs whose whole goal is always to develop a business and sell it for as much as you can or take it public. All these are the "enormous way outs" we hear about in the tech world.
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. Possibly the factory makes something of the like or hats or cups.
There are entrepreneurs that are in more traditional businesses that have no aspirations of selling but instead look to earn a living brick and mortar design. An illustration might be a clothes boutique or the corner bakery.
There are Internet entrepreneurs focused on creative passive income by any means necessary to earn a living (and maybe enjoy life on the beach or something). Example might be someone who sells vitamin supplements online.
However, there's another group all together that I bet you are a part of (I understand I am). And that is the unconventional entrepreneurs. Characteristics of this group include:
Doing work that matters. Not only work to make a dollar (such as selling bizarre vitamin nutritional supplements online..unless you're ridiculously enthusiastic about vitamins, and in that case stone on). Work that you're enthusiastic about. Work that is art. Cash follows fire and not the other way around.
Challenging the manner it's always been done. Doing it your way. Changing industries which were stuck for years (or decades or centuries).
Appreciating the fruits of our labor. No, this does not mean unconventional entrepreneurs do not work challenging. It merely means we understand and live by the doctrine that there surely is a lot more to life than just work (fires and hobbies beyond work, friends as well as family, enjoying life just how you need to).
Does this mean as an unconventional entrepreneur which you can't sell your company or hire a group of people? Not in any way. It merely ensures that you aren't conforming to the confines of traditional entrepreneurs.
Since 2008, I've had the unbelievable opportunity to interview over 300 entrepreneurs of sizes and shapes. Conventional and non-conventional. Enormous businesses and solopreneurs. People who have sold 50 companies and others that have started one. But I'd need to state, if I was hard pressed, my favorite ones are the unusual ones (and that is where most interviews will fall in the immediate future). Mr Thomas Caufmann Here is a listing of 20 of them, in no special order, that I bet you will pick up inspiration, thoughts and insights from. Appreciate!
Why? Successful yet unfulfilled from his previous venture, Andrew has made it his life's mission to inspire and help startups.
- 2: Ishita Gupta - fear.less
Why? Who says magazines must be in print? Always a disrupter, Ishita is altering the publishing world through her unique magazine fear.less.
- 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 Internet and results have been astounding.
Interview with Tucker
Why? Leader and the quintessential disrupter, a wrench is throwing to the publishing business together with The Domino Project.
Interview with Seth
- 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 artists and multiple -passport sneaky world travelers? Neil has done it.
Interview with Neil
- 6: Chris Guillebeau - ChrisGuillebeau.com
Why? Moving to Africa? Being a specialist writer in less than one year? Inspiring others to not live conventional lives?
Why? By doing it his way, Matt has generated an empire from his hilarious and unique comics.
- 8: Rob and Kim Murgatroyd - JetSetLife.TV
Why? They created one of the coolest jobs for themselves: composing unique, insider guidebooks and Traveling to the poshest places in the world. Sweet.
Interview with Rob and Kim
- 9: Jason Sadler - IWearYourShirt.com
Why? Exactly what does Jason get to do? He is paid to wear tops and create a variety of entertaining videos as well as other goodies online. Sweet.
Interview with Jason
Why? Yes, we all know Tim has inspired an incredible number of visitors to work less, live more (and more recently, 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 entrepreneurship that is non-traditional.
- 11: Scott Ginsberg - HelloMyNameIsScott.com
Why? The guy that has built an empire around wearing a name tag regular for the past 10 years and counting. You must see it to believe it.
- 12: Michael Buckley - What The Buck
Why? Michael turned it into his dream profession and took a love. His show, What The Buck, is one among YouTube's most popular
- 13: Adam Baker - Guy Vs. Debt
Why? Can the act of getting yourself out of debt and sharing the insights become a business? Leave it to Adam Baker to turn it into one.
- 14: Chris Ducker - Virtual Business Lifestyle
Why? Chris walks the walk and talks the talk. As I type this, he is likely running his company from a beach somewhere.
Interview with Chris
- 15: Gregory Ng - Freezer Burns
Why? Two words: Frozen food. That's just the subject matter of this unusual entrepreneur's internet show.
Interview with Greg
- 16: Elizabeth Marshall - Author Telesminars
Why? She found her passion for novels and turned it into an amazing profession. The best part might be she gets the pick of the litter in regards to her customers.
Interview with Elizabeth
Why? Vanessa did not wait to be picked. When she was a teen, a parenting book was written by her from a teenager's perspective. 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 earn money from) the music he needs without the bounds of a label.
Interview with Jonathan
Why? The guy who's redefining the world of cartooning. And he is doing it on his terms.
Interview with Scott Kurtz
- 20: Nate Houghteling and Kai Hasson - White Collar Brawler
Why? Leaving their day jobs to become amateur boxers and make movement and a web-based web series? This stuff is simply amazing.
