Learn From The Greats When Going Into Business For Yourself

There are many ways to increase your chances of success when going into business for yourself. One of the best ways is to research and gather information about other entrepreneurs and take advantage of their experience. If you pay attention to their tips and expertise, you can more easily avoid common mistakes and do a better job of starting and running your own business.

Famous entrepreneurs

What makes an entrepreneur famous? In some cases, it is the individual personality who is famous, and that personality is famous mostly for being famous. In most cases, though, an entrepreneur is famous or well known for the product or business he or she created. It is common to not even know the person's name, but instead recognize the name of the business.

Here are some examples for you to consider:

Donald Trump - Repeatedly made and lost millions of dollars in real estate, casinos, and other ventures; best known and most famous for his books on entrepreneurship and self- promotion as an exceptional businessman.

Martha Stewart - Created a business empire based on her signature style and tips for living well; after running afoul of stock trading laws, she emerged to renew and rebuild her personal image as well as her business ventures.

Fred DeLuca - At 17 years old he asked a family friend for advice on how to pay for college, and based on that advice formed a partnership and started a sandwich-making business called Subway.

Michael Dell - At 18 years old he established Dell Computers, turning it into successful business that used an entirely new sales model for computers - working directly with customers and building their machines to order.

All of these individuals are extremely successful entrepreneurs. It is easy to learn more about their steps to success and tips for running a business by visiting their web sites or reading any number of books written by and/or about them.

Closer to home

Reading up on famous entrepreneurs is helpful, and you can learn a lot about going into business for yourself this way. What is not so easy, though, is to spend time with a famous entrepreneur and interact with him or her as a personal business mentor. For personal mentoring, advice and guidance, you need to look closer to home for successful entrepreneurs.

There are several ways to seek out and find an entrepreneur located near you. Your local Chamber of Commerce is a good starting point, as is any other local business or development association. Do some research to determine who in your community has been successful at starting and running a business, and then decide who might be a good source of information for you.

Most business people will be happy to offer you tips and insights if you ask them politely and respectfully for thirty minutes of their time. Prepare a list of questions in advance, and during your time together learn as much as you can about his or her activities. Talk about your own business goals and solicit input. Over time, as you talk with more and more entrepreneurs you will gain a great deal of knowledge about starting and running a business. Even more importantly, though, you will create a network of business contacts you can turn to for future advice and insight as your business grows and develops.

Click here to go to the next entrepreneur article - Owning Your Own Business Requires A Leap Of Faith