Notes from The Art of Entrepreneurship Conference 2014
Yesterday, I attended The Art of Entrepreneurship Conference, where they had a good line-up of dynamic speakers, who gave the audience useful tips that they could implement immediately. I received two complimentary tickets from Ron Bester, a LinkedIn contact, who gave me a ticket to attend last year's The Art of Small Business (Key Takeaways from the Art of Small Business Conference). Although they had very good speakers last year, my biggest criticism was that women were visibly absent from the list of speakers. TheArtOf improved this year, and they secured Debbie Travis as a speaker, and Catherine Graham was one of the panelists.
Conferences like the ones organized by TheArtOf are important because we are exposed to new thinking and ideas. Here are my key takeaways from The Art of Entrepreneurship Conference!
Key Takeaways
Eric Ryan, Co-Founder & Chief Brand Architect, Method
Book: The Method Method: Seven Obsessions That Helped Our Scrappy Start-up Turn an Industry Upside Down
, Squeaky Green: The Method Guide to Detoxing Your Home
- Learn to say, “Yes and” instead of “Yes, but” a concept taken from Improv. Years ago, I took an introductory improve class at Second City. I highly recommend it.
- To build a successful business, culture is important.
- Aesthetics is very important, so pay attention to design.
- Innovation is the transfer of emotion!
Chris Guillebeau, Founder of World Domination Summit, Entrepreneur, Modern-Day Explorer
Books: The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future
, The Art of Non-Conformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World (Perigee Book.)
,and The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest That Will Bring Purpose to Your Life
- Give your customers what they really want.
- Entrepreneurs are motivated by independence and freedom.
- Focus on helpfulness.
- Some people are talkers and not doers, they are called charlatans, some people do not talk, but are doers, they are martyrs, and hustlers are those who know the correct balance between talker and doer. Be a hustler, because that is one way to success.
- Create a referral system to increase sales.
Debbie Travis, Design Superstar & Entrepreneur behind the Largest Celebrity Brand in Canada
Book: Not Guilty: My Guide to Working Hard, Raising Kids and Laughing through the Chaos
- Dream it, do it, live it!
- Embrace your mistakes because they often lead to success.
- Learn from the best people.
- Have a sense of humor because it is a form of survival.
- Get the support you need.
Alexis Ohanian, Co-Founder of reddit, Entrepreneur, Investor, Activist
Books: Without Their Permission: How the 21st Century Will Be Made, Not Managed
- Trust your gut when you don’t have all the data – start from where you are.
- Create great content, chime in and be helpful.
- Find opportunities in the down moments.
- Entrepreneur is French for, “Has ideas, does them!”
Gary Vaynerchuk, Co-Founder & CEO of VaynerMedia, Founder of Wine Library, Entrepreneur
Books: Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion
, The Thank You Economy
, and Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World
- Selling is about the depth of your relationships.
- Stay in your lane – know what you are good at and hire people to perform the tasks that you are not so good at.
- What’s on the home page of your smart phone? The home page of your smart phone says a lot about you!
- Social media starts with the ear and not the mouth.
- Pay attention to the behavior of your audience – watch people’s behavior and respect them.
- Market in the current year, which means that you use the marketing strategies of the day.
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Author Bio: Avil Beckford, an expert interviewer, entrepreneur and published author is passionate about books and professional development, and that's why she founded The Invisible Mentor and the Virtual Literary World Tour to give you your ideal mentors virtually in the palm of your hands by offering book reviews and book summaries, biographies of wise people and interviews of successful people. Connect with me on Facebook and Twitter.
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