What advise would you give to your younger self to be better makers/entrepreneurs?
Corvin Deboeser
25 replies
Hey guys,
There are so many great makers and entrepreneurs in this community! I was wondering what is your top advise? I'm sure there are loads of people who have awesome wisdom to share 🤗
Replies
Luca Rossi@lucaronin
Don't focus on the product only, but figure out distribution and how to make money too
(hey corvin 👋)
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@lucaronin That is so true! There is this wonderful saying: First time founders focus on product, second time founders focus on distribution. It's such an underrated problem you'll need to solve.
Blend Social
Hi Corvin,
Thanks for a great question.
Recently my son asked me the same one. And my answer was: be more patient)
Sometimes all we need is to calm down & think.
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@yaroslava Spot on! I agree 💪🏼 I think I'm not alone saying that I was always impatient to get ahead. Great things take time and everyone operates on their timeline.
Price2Spy
Work on time management, take regular breaks, learn to prioritize, learn skills other than development (marketing, writing, etc.).
Don't go and join that Corporate you're thinking of joining...
I am associated with the food industry and the one important piece of advice that I would give my younger self is " focusing more on customer retention strategies from the very beginning" after the lockdown was lifted the worst impact that I have observed in the business is customer retention failure as it was secondary for me once I started off.
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Thanks all for sharing your wonderful pieces of advise 🙏
Here are some things that I'd tell my younger self:
1/ Start building a personal brand - today.
2/ Spend less time learning, more time doing. Dare to be naive and optimistic.
3/ Shut out your ego.
4/ Read the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
5/ Actively improve your communication - comms are everywhere.
This is the full version of it:
https://twitter.com/CorvinDeboes...
@corvin_deboeser I would rephrase 2/ as “Less theory, more practice.” because doing is often the best way to learn something.
💯 agree with 5/. Without a good communication, our options are very limited. This is connected to other advice already mentioned:
• Start writing daily. You get used to explaining things and it motivates you to fill in the gaps.
• You advice 1/ about personal brand. When you build your personal brand, you communicate who you are and what you can do for others.
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@klavikova that's a wonderful way of saying it better! Thanks for the input 🙏🤩
1, 5, and your advise to write daily really create nice synergies and loops! 😊
As a marketer, a lot of the clients that I work with do not follow up with leads. My advice to anyone running a business would be to not fall into that trap. Particularly in B2B sales, companies/people are busy and people won't always respond the first time. Do not be afraid to follow up.
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@stelian_dobrescu1 That indeed is so insanely important! It makes so many things easier down the line!
@corvin_deboeser So much improved on all fronts since I started doing this.
It sucked at first, but once it became a habit I noticed how gradually easier things started falling into place.
I haven’t started yet. I am all in my head so I’ll advise myself to start and make it happen.
In my opinion, the quotation of Tony Hsieh is good for younger makers/entrepreneurs
"Stop chasing the money and start chasing the passion."
Tixio.io
Don't go for a corporate job! Trust your instincts
Break down tasks in $10/hr tasks, $50/hr tasks, $100 tasks, and $1000/hr tasks. Outsource anything under a $100/hr task.
Build up a community of users prior to launching anything
Raise 3x the money than you think you'll need
Plan for 3 years of no salary
Exercise more
Choose partners who are experienced in the field you want to go into
Follow the sales. The first version should address the current problem. Later versions can address the problems you think clients want to solve
Build a great advisory board
Don't get discourage by hearing no. Most people don't have the ability to see what's not there yet
Talk to as many customers as possible early and often
Don't worry so much about the competition. The world is huge.
Do 1 or 2 things great. Don't boil the ocean.
Work hard in right direction and with consistency, because consistency is the mother of glory
Get a reference from other customers for any strategic vendor or partner :)
Okepos
Learn to sell anything.