20 Unusual Entrepreneurs That Will Inspire You3773837
I just took one entrepreneurship class in school (I was a Women's Studies major at Washington University in St. Louis...we will miss THAT story for now). It was a strong course, but in several situations it was a parade of traditional entrepreneurship. For instance, here were common steps heard throughout the session:
Develop an idea.
Find out more about the heck out of the notion, compose a business plan that is massive, raise money, create business.
As your life is the company wave goodbye to family and friends.
Expand company by hiring one zillion people after creating business and move into every marketplace on the planet.
Following your massive expansion into a domination that is worldwide, sell your business for top dollar.
Post-sale, return to step one or retire to your own preferred island and wash, rinse, repeat.
Now, there is nothing wrong with this particular advice per say. Actually, there was a parade of special guests throughout the session that shared their narrative that fit into those measures one manner or another.
The problem, as I see it, is less in validity of the guidance and instead more in the limits of it. Meaning, be like, feel like, entrepreneurship surely does not have to look like or follow most of those measures. It's sort of like offering a class but the only sport covered is baseball.
Fact is, there are lots of types of entrepreneurs.
There are entrepreneurs whose entire goal will be to build a business and sell it for as much as you can or take it public. All these are the "huge 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'm from in St. Louis comprise a chain of tanning salons and massage parlors.
There are. Perhaps the factory makes hats or cups or something of the like.
There are entrepreneurs which are in more traditional industries who have no aspirations of selling but instead look to make a living brick and mortar style. A good example may be the corner bakery or a clothes boutique.
There are Internet entrepreneurs focused on creative passive income by any means necessary to earn a living (and perhaps enjoy life on the seashore or something). Example might be someone who sells vitamin nutritional supplements online.
However, there is another group all together that I wager you're part of (I know I 'm). And that's the entrepreneurs that are unconventional. Features of the group include:
Doing work that matters. Not only work to earn a dollar (such as selling unusual vitamin nutritional supplements online..unless you're ridiculously passionate about vitamins, and in that case rock on). Work that you are passionate about. Work that makes a difference. Work which is art. Money follows passion and not the other way around.
Challenging the way it's been done. Changing businesses that have been stayed for years (or decades or centuries). Creative disrupters.
Enjoying the fruits of our labor. No, this doesn't conventional 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 work, friends as well as family, enjoying life just how you would like to).
Does this mean as an unconventional entrepreneur which you hire a group of people or can not sell your company? Not in any way. It only means 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 all sizes and shapes. Conventional and non-conventional. Huge companies and solopreneurs. People that have sold others and 50 firms which have started one. But I Had have to express, if I was hard-pressed, my favorite ones will be the unconventional ones (and that's where most interviews will drop in the immediate future). Thomas Caufmann Here is record of them, in no particular order, that I wager you will pick up ideas insights and inspiration from. Enjoy!
- 1: Andrew Warner - Mixergy.com
Why? Successful not yet fulfilled from his previous venture, Andrew has made it his life's mission.
Interview with Andrew
- 2: Ishita Gupta - fear.less
Why? Who says magazines must be in print? Always a disrupter, Ishita is altering the publishing world through her exceptional magazine anxiety.less.
Why? Rejected by everybody in the publishing world, Tucker did not give up. Instead, he took his crazy, hilarious stories to the Internet and results have been astounding.
Why? Leader and the quintessential disrupter, a wrench is throwing into the publishing business with all The Domino Project.
Interview with Seth
Why? Might it be possible to make a living by learning and infiltrating in the secret world of stars, pick up multiple and artists -passport sneaky world travelers? Neil has done it.
Interview with Neil
Why? Becoming a specialist writer in significantly less than one year? Inspiring others to live unconventional lives? Check, check and check.
Interview with Chris
Why? Matt has generated an empire from his unique and hilarious comics by doing it his way.
Interview with Matt
- 8: Rob and Kim Murgatroyd - JetSetLife.TV
Why? They created one of the greatest jobs ever writing unique, insider guidebooks and Traveling to the world's poshest areas. Sweet.
Interview with Rob and Kim
- 9: Jason Sadler - IWearYourShirt.com
Why? What does Jason get to do all day? He's paid to wear shirts and create all sorts of other goodies along with fun videos online. Sweet.
- 10: Tim Ferriss - FourHourWorkWeek.com
Why? Yes, all of US 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 unconventional entrepreneurship.
- 11: Scott Ginsberg - HelloMyNameIsScott.com
Why? The man that has built an empire around wearing a name tag everyday for the previous 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 for pop culture. His show, What The Buck, is one among YouTube's most popular
Interview with Michael
- 13: Adam Baker - Man Vs. Debt
Why? Can the act of sharing the insights become a company and getting yourself out of debt? Leave it to Adam Baker to turn it.
Interview with Adam
- 14: Chris Ducker - Virtual Business Lifestyle
Why? The walk walks and talks the talk. His company is probably running from a shore somewhere, as I type this.
- 15: Gregory Ng - Freezer Burns
Why? Two words: Frozen food. That is just the subject matter of the unconventional entrepreneur's internet show.
Interview with Greg
- 16: Elizabeth Marshall - Writer Telesminars
Why? She found her passion for books and turned it into an incredible career. The best part might be she gets the pick of the litter when it comes to her clients.
Interview with Elizabeth
- 17: Vanessa Van Petten - RadicalParenting.com
Why? Vanessa didn't wait to be decided. When she was a teen, she composed a parenting book from a teenager's perspective. 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 allows him to create (and generate profits from) the music he wants without the bounds of a label.
Interview with Jonathan
- 19: Scott Kurtz - PvP
Why? The guy who's redefining the world of cartooning. And he is doing it on his terms.
- 20: Nate Houghteling and Kai Hasson - White Collar Brawler
Why? Quitting their day jobs to become amateur fighters and create movement and an online web series? This stuff is simply amazing.
