20 Unconventional Entrepreneurs That'll Inspire You8001697
I only took one entrepreneurship class in school (I was a Women's Studies major at Washington University in St. Louis...we will miss THAT storyline for now). In lots of cases it was a parade of traditional entrepreneurship, although it turned out to be a class that is sound. For instance, here were common measures heard throughout the session:
Develop an idea.
Find out more about the heck out of the notion, compose a gigantic business plan, raise money, create business.
Wave goodbye to friends and family as now your life is the company. Yay.
After creating company, expand company by hiring one zillion folks and move into every market on earth.
Following your enormous expansion into a domination that is global, sell your company for top dollar.
Post-sale, retire to your own preferred island or go back to step one and wash, rinse, repeat.
Now, there's nothing wrong with this particular guidance per say. The truth is, there was a parade of special guests through the session that shared their narrative that fit into those measures one manner or another.
The problem, as I see it, is less instead more and in cogency of the advice in the limitations of it. Meaning, be like, feel like, entrepreneurship surely does not have to look like or follow most of those steps. It's like offering a course on sports, but the only sport covered is baseball.
Fact is, there is a variety of of entrepreneurs.
There are entrepreneurs whose entire goal is really to develop a business 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 technology world.
There are entrepreneurs who create a company to franchise it (the E-Myth philosophy). Examples where I am from in St. Louis include a chain of tanning salons and massage parlors.
There are. Maybe the factory makes cups or hats or something of the like.
There are entrepreneurs which can be in more traditional industries that have no aspirations of selling but rather look to earn a living brick and mortar style. An example could be a clothing boutique or the corner bakery.
There are Internet entrepreneurs focused on creative passive income by any means required to make a living (and perhaps 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 a part of (I know I 'm). And that's the entrepreneurs that are unconventional. Characteristics of this group comprise:
Doing work that matters. Not simply work to make a dollar (such as selling strange vitamin supplements online..unless you are ridiculously enthusiastic about vitamins, and in that case stone on). Work that you are enthusiastic about. Work that makes a difference. Work which is art. Money follows fire rather than the other way around.
Challenging the way it has been done. Doing it your way. Changing businesses which have been stuck for years (or decades or centuries).
Appreciating the fruits of our labour. No, this does not mean non-traditional entrepreneurs do not work hard. It simply means we understand and live by the philosophy that there surely is more to life than just work (fires and hobbies outside of work, friends as well as family, enjoying life the way you would like to).
Does this mean as an unusual entrepreneur that your business can't be sold by you or hire a group of people? Not in any way. It merely ensures that you aren't conforming to the boundaries of conventional entrepreneurs.
Since 2008, I've had the unbelievable opportunity to interview over 300 entrepreneurs of all shapes and sizes. Traditional and non-conventional. Huge businesses and solopreneurs. People that have sold 50 businesses and others which have started one. But I'd need to state, if I had been hard pressed, my favorite ones will be the unusual ones (and that is where most interviews will fall in the immediate future). Tom Caufmann This is listing of them, in no specific order, that I wager you'll pick up insights, ideas and inspiration from. Enjoy!
- 1: Andrew Warner - Mixergy.com
Why? Successful unfulfilled from his previous venture, Andrew has made it his life's mission to inspire and help startups.
Interview with Andrew
- 2: Ishita Gupta - panic.less
Why? Who says magazines have to be in print? Consistently a disrupter, Ishita is changing the publishing world through her exceptional magazine fear.less.
- 3: Tucker Max - TuckerMax.com
Why? Rejected by everyone in the publishing world, Tucker didn't give up. Instead, he took his wild, hilarious stories to the World Wide Web and results have been astounding.
- 4: Seth Godin - SethGodin.com
Why? Leader and the quintessential disrupter, a wrench is throwing to the publishing industry with The Domino Project.
Interview with Seth
Why? Is it possible to make a living by learning and infiltrating from the secret world of celebs, pick up multiple and artists -passport world travelers that are sneaky? Neil has done it.
Interview with Neil
- 6: Chris Guillebeau - ChrisGuillebeau.com
Why? Being a specialist writer in less than one year? Inspiring others to not live conventional lives? Check, check and check.
Why? By doing it his way, Matt has established an empire from his unique and hilarious comic strips.
Interview with Matt
- 8: Rob and Kim Murgatroyd - JetSetLife.TV
Why? They created one of the coolest jobs ever writing unique, insider guidebooks and Traveling to the world's poshest places. Sweet.
Interview with Rob and Kim
- 9: Jason Sadler - IWearYourShirt.com
Why? Exactly what does all day, Jason get to do? Create all sorts of fun videos as well as other goodies online and he's paid to wear shirts. Sweet.
Interview with Jason
- 10: Tim Ferriss - FourHourWorkWeek.com
Why? Yes, we all understand Tim has inspired an incredible amount of people to work less, live more (and more lately, get in great shape), but there is a great deal to learn from how Tim has created his own company and lifestyle. He's a walking model of unusual entrepreneurship.
- 11: Scott Ginsberg - HelloMyNameIsScott.com
Why? The guy that has built an empire around wearing a name tag everyday for the past 10 years and counting. You have to see it to believe it.
Interview with Scott
- 12: Michael Buckley - What The Buck
Why? Michael turned it into his dream career and took a love. His show, Exactly What The Dollar, is among YouTube's most popular
Interview with Michael
- 13: Adam Baker - Guy Vs. Debt
Why? Can the act of sharing the insights become a company and getting yourself? Leave it to Adam Baker to turn it into one.
Interview with Adam
- 14: Chris Ducker - Virtual Company Lifestyle
Why? The walk walks and talks the talk. His business is probably running from a shore somewhere as I type this.
Interview with Chris
- 15: Gregory Ng - Deep Freezer Burns
Why? Two words: Frozen food. That is the subject matter of the unusual entrepreneur's web show.
- 16: Elizabeth Marshall - Author Telesminars
Why? She found her passion for novels and turned it into an incredible profession. The top part might be she gets the pick of the litter as it pertains to her customers.
Interview with Elizabeth
Why? Vanessa did not wait to be decided. When she was a teen, a parenting book was written by her from a teenager's perspective. Her empire has unbelievable grown since then and she gets to do what she adores every day.
Interview with Vanessa
Why? The musician that is entrepreneurial. His business model allows him to create (and make money from) the music he wants without the boundaries of a label.
Interview with Jonathan
Why? The guy who is redefining the world of cartooning. And it is being done by him .
- 20: Nate Houghteling and Kai Hasson - White Collar Brawler
Why? Quitting their day jobs make movement and a web-based web series and to become amateur boxers? This items is just awesome.
