THE SMALL BUSINESS STRUGGLES OF
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE

From Rachel Zoe to Steve
Blank, here's how successful people triumphed in SMALL BUSINESS.

"Treat your team like a
family (even when things are tough) and be quick to help someone out whenever you can. Be polite and cordial always. The fashion industry, like all industries, is a very small world, so you never know who you are going to work with again down the line." Read More Rachel Zoe  CEO, Rachel Zoe, Inc.

"In the long run, the
entrepreneurial journey is more rewarding than any particular milestone. Enjoy each day as it comes. Build some fun into your work schedule. Also, the quality of the people you hire and partner with is the most important indicator of whether your business will succeed. Hire smart and treat your team right." Read More Angie Hicks  Founder and CMO, Angie’s List

"Most Etsy businesses start out
as one person with a dream, but they grow in powerful ways. Sixty-eight percent of Etsy sellers report that the money they earn matters to their families, and the American Independent Business Alliance reports that — compared to chain stores — independent businesses return more than three times the money into local economies. In a very real way, how you choose to shop has the power to change the world." Read More Chad Dickerson  CEO at Etsy

"There are some strong parallels
between failing a business venture and failing to lose weight. Startups need to better look at the numbers, carefully monitoring profit margins, cash flow and customer feedback." Read More Bernard Marr Best-Selling Author and Enterprise Performance Expert

"If your customers like you,
why not ask them to refer a friend? I’m not recommending big asks — just using your customers as the marketing team you can’t afford. Not only will they say yes, they’ll be excited to help. Because you didn’t just ask them to help, you invited them to become something more than just a customer. Part of something bigger than themselves. And that is something everyone can get behind." Read More Jonah Berger Marketing Professor, Wharton

"When I started RedBalloon, I
would start thinking about Christmas in late July. What I have learned is there will be another Christmas. Do the best with what you have, and enjoy the journey." Read More Naomi Simson  Founder, RedBalloon

”Quality is really in the
eye of the beholder. For a for-profit company, quality is defined by what the customer wants. So if we are misaligned with what the customer wants, then all the extra time we take to polish all the edges and get everything right is actually wasted time." Read More Eric Ries  Author of The Lean Startup

"When I was running a
startup, I introduced the ‘bat phone’ — a red cell phone that rang with the theme song from Batman every time someone called in with a question or complaint. The premise was that if customers were our most important priority, we should treat calls from them as critical — like Batman would when his bat phone rang." Read More Jennifer Dulski President & COO  Change.org

"The 'Startup Hotel' was the
hole-in-the-wall that we stayed in to pinch pennies in those beginning months of a startup company. They were great because they were a tangible adventure in the early stages — and it was also a living example to investors and others that you were making sacrifices to make your company work." Read More Chris Seper CEO, MedCity Media

"I love my job, but
it sometimes troubles me how little empathy or sympathy small business owners get in return. Contrary to hired CEOs, small business owners have no choice but to stay aboard their own ship and keep sailing, whether the weather is excellent or a huge storm is at the horizon. Yet there’s a huge difference in salary." Read More Inge Geerdens  Entrepreneur

"For the rest of my
career when things got tough in a startup (being yelled at, working until I dropped, running out of money, being on both ends of stupid decisions, pushing people to their limits, etc.), I would vividly remember seeing that empty spot on the flight line. It put everything in perspective." Read More Steve Blank  Co-Author, The Startup Owner’s Manual

"Every small business in our
town, and everywhere, is owned by someone with a family that needs support. When you shop small, you support families in your own town... This year, shop small for Uncle Leo, Frankie, Dvora, Cousin Julie, and Allie.” Read More Dave Kerpen  CEO, Likeable Local