20 Unusual Entrepreneurs That Will Inspire You9436631
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 storyline for now). In several situations it was a parade of traditional entrepreneurship, although it turned out to be a strong class. For example, here were common steps heard throughout the term:
Think of an idea.
Research the heck out from the idea, compose a huge business plan, raise money, create company.
As now your life is your company, tide goodbye to family and friends. Yay.
Expand business by hiring one zillion folks after creating business and move into every marketplace on earth.
Following your enormous expansion into a global domination, sell your business for top dollar.
Post-sale, return to step one or retire to your own favorite island and wash, rinse, repeat.
Now, there's nothing wrong with this guidance per say. In fact, there was a parade of special guests throughout the session that shared their narrative that fit into those measures one manner or another.
The issue, as I see it, is less in validity of the guidance and instead more in the limitations of it. Significance, be like, feel like, entrepreneurship surely doesn't have to look like or follow most of those steps. It's sort of like offering a course on sports, but the one sport is baseball.
Fact is, there is a variety of of entrepreneurs.
There are entrepreneurs whose entire aim is always to build a business and sell it for as much as possible or take it public. All these are the "huge 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 comprise a chain of tanning salons and massage parlors.
There are. Maybe the factory makes hats or cups or something of the like.
There are entrepreneurs which can be in more traditional sectors that have no aspirations of selling but instead look to earn a living brick and mortar style. A good example may be a clothes boutique or the corner bakery.
There are Internet entrepreneurs focused on creative passive income by any means required 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 an alternative group all together that I bet you are a part of (I understand I 'm). And that is the entrepreneurs that are non-traditional. Characteristics of the group comprise:
Doing work that questions. Not only work to make a dollar (such as selling odd vitamin nutritional supplements online..unless you are ridiculously passionate about vitamins, and in that case rock on). Work that you are enthusiastic about. Work that makes a difference. Work that is artwork. Cash follows passion and not the other way around.
Challenging the manner it has ever been done. Doing it your way. Altering industries which were stayed for years (or decades or centuries). Creative disrupters.
Appreciating the fruits of our labor. No, this doesn't conventional entrepreneurs don't work challenging. It only means we understand and live by the philosophy that there is more to life than just work (passions and hobbies beyond work, friends as well as family, enjoying life the way you want to).
Does this mean as an unusual entrepreneur that your business can't be sold by you or hire a bunch of people? Not in any way. It only ensures that you aren't conforming to the limits of traditional entrepreneurs.
Since 2008, I've had the incredible opportunity to interview over 300 entrepreneurs of shapes and sizes. Traditional and non-traditional. Huge businesses and solopreneurs. People who have sold others among 50 firms that have started one. But I Had need to say, if I had been hard pressed, my favourite ones will be the non-traditional ones (and that is where most interviews will fall in the immediate future). Thomas Caufmann Here is set of them, in no special order, that I bet you'll pick up thoughts, insights and inspiration from. Love!
Why? Successful unfulfilled from his previous venture, Andrew has made it his life's mission.
- 2: Ishita Gupta - fear.less
Why? Who says magazines need to be in print? Consistently 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, Seth Godin is throwing a wrench to the publishing business with The Domino Project.
Interview with Seth
- 5: Neil Strauss - NeilStrauss.com
Why? Might it be possible to make a living by infiltrating and learning from the secret world of celebs, pick up artists and multiple -passport world travelers that are sneaky? Neil has done it.
Why? Moving to Africa? Being an expert writer in less than one year? Inspiring others to not live conventional lives? Check, check and check.
Interview with Chris
Why? By doing it his way, Matt has generated an empire from his hilarious and unique comic strips.
- 8: Kim Murgatroyd and Rob - JetSetLife.TV
Why? They created among the greatest jobs ever writing unique, insider guidebooks and Traveling to the poshest areas in the world. Sweet.
Interview with Rob and Kim
- 9: Jason Sadler - IWearYourShirt.com
Why? What does all day, Jason get to do? Create all kinds of other goodies along with interesting videos online and he's paid to wear shirts. Sweet.
Why? Yes, all of US know Tim has inspired an incredible quantity of men and women to work less, live more (and more lately, get in great shape), but there is a whole lot to learn from how Tim has created his own company and lifestyle. He is a walking model of unusual entrepreneurship.
Interview with Tim
- 11: Scott Ginsberg - HelloMyNameIsScott.com
Why? The guy that has built an empire around counting and wearing a name tag regular for the past 10 years. You have to see it to believe it.
- 12: Michael Buckley - What The Dollar
Why? Michael turned it into his dream career and took a love. His show, What The Dollar, is certainly one of YouTube's most popular
- 13: Adam Baker - Man Vs. Debt
Why? Can the act of getting yourself out of debt and sharing the insights become a company? Leave Adam Baker to turn it into one with it.
- 14: Chris Ducker - Virtual Company Lifestyle
Why? Chris walks the walk and talks the talk. As I type this, he is likely running his company from a shore somewhere.
Interview with Chris
- 15: Gregory Ng - Deep Freezer Burns
Why? That's just the subject matter of the unusual entrepreneur's web show.
Interview with Greg
- 16: Elizabeth Marshall - Writer Telesminars
Why? She found her passion for books and turned it into an amazing career. The very best part might be she gets the pick of the litter as it pertains to her clients.
Interview with Elizabeth
Why? Vanessa did not wait to be picked. A parenting publication was written by her from a teenager's view when she was a teen. Her empire has incredible expanded 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 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 fighters and create movement and an online web series? This items is simply wonderful.
