People often start their businesses to be happier – to get more out of work and life.

Once they get going though, that focus, that determination to get more out of work, evolves into a determination to continually grow the business. In the world of entrepreneurship, ambition and the constant pursuit of more are rewarded and praised. The irony is that not only does a needless pursuit of growth not bring the happiness and satisfaction that people were after in the first place…it actually precludes them from having what they want. And a vicious cycle begins…the harder you work towards growth, the more dissatisfied you become, the more determined you are to achieve “success”, and the harder you work – all the while feeling like you aren’t getting anywhere!

If you have found yourself in this pattern before…STOP and take a break.

Ask yourself these 4 questions:

1. What is your definition of success?
2. How does a bigger company fit into that?
3. What has led you astray from your initial business goals and desires?
4. What is the right size business that can deliver the kind of happiness and satisfaction that you want?
   Is it what you’ve got, smaller, or larger and if it is larger – describe how much!

With all the work that you are undoubtedly putting into your business, it’s important that you have both feet pointed in the same direction. Your business is yours and should be designed to give you the rewards and life that you want.

-Adelaide

Pic via RealSimple.com

The NY Times profile of entrepreneur Angélica Moreno, owner of Talavera de la Reyna, is fascinating! Moreno’s company specializes in Talavera pottery, a type of majolica pottery of Puebla, Mexico, that dates back to the 16th century.   Moreno’s life path did not have the DNA of an entrepreneur — abandoned by her parents and raised by her grandparents — she started her professional life working for a financial firm.  She decided to use her earnings to take classes with Talavera artisans and then, she decided to become an entrepreneur in a country not known for embracing entrepreneurship.  Furthermore, she took her knowledge of Talavera to innovate the industry by partnering with painters, sculptors and graphic designers to bring their creativity to the pottery.

What resonates most about Moreno’s story is how she created her own path with passion, tenacity and patience. She’s a reminder of why we celebrate entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship every day.

Pic via.

As I launch my new consulting firm, The Sutter Company, I’ve been working with a talented designer, a friend of mine named Lauren Hammond (http://laurenhammond.weebly.com/), who is creating a graphic identity for me.

In the process, I’m getting a chance to play a new role, “The Client”.

Those of us who have only worked on the agency side of the client-agency relationship have a tendency to wonder what life is like on the other side of the equation. It’s been fun to be a client, but it has also revealed my shortcoming and has required me to learn a whole new set of communication and management skills. Here’s what I’ve learned:

1. Learn to articulate your point of view - Language can be remarkably limiting when it comes to something as subjective as design. On one of the first passes of the logo, Lauren tried something a bit edgy that I didn’t feel was right but I couldn’t articulate why. I took some time and showed it to some other people whose opinion I respected. One of them was an art director who is professionally equipped with the skills to provide this type of feedback. He summarized in a very rational way exactly how I felt and I was able to borrow that language to articulate my feedback in a constructive and responsible way.

2. It’s business, not personal – Too often I’ve been on the receiving end of insufficient criticism so that my team doesn’t have enough info to go on to adapt to the client’s needs. I’ve often felt that the reason is that the client doesn’t want to be the bad guy. The irony, however, is that this behavior ends up causing delay, misunderstanding and frustration. Finding myself in this new role, I was surprised at how difficult it was not to get hung up on the fact that this was one of my best friends. How could I tell her I didn’t adore everything she did? I had to consciously remind myself that I have a professional responsibility to communicate my point of view to keep us as a team moving in the right directions.

3. Do your homework – Your gut reaction should probably not be ignored, but a hasty response is not usually constructive. A good client respects her agency by making an investment in time and thoughtful consideration and understands that the right answer doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

In the end, it’s been a great experience and I am extraordinarily lucky to be working with someone who is experienced and who I know, like and trust. And, it’s given me a greater understanding about what makes a great client.

-Jody Sutter
The Sutter Company
@jodysutter

There’s a time in every new business when you have to don at least a dozen hats. It’s perfectly normal and comes with the territory of owning your own company. “Chief cook and bottle washer,” as the saying goes.

Yet, most entrepreneurs aren’t very good at recognizing when it’s time to move out of this phase and spend their time more wisely. Most people claim it’s about budget, but digging a little deeper often reveals another culprit: a hesitancy and confusion about how and what to delegate.

For many, delegating is a thorny issue that gets tangled up in feelings of control and perfectionism and trust. However, figuring out how to delegate effectively and comfortably is one of the most important lessons that an entrepreneur can learn.

Keep reading to know how to delegate with trust and authority!

-Adelaide

A couple weeks ago we moderated a panel on partnership at the Rock the World Conference in NYC. We discussed everything from formal partnership to strategic collaborations and the selection of investors. Our panelists were candid and funny about their experiences. Much of their advice rang true in our own experience. Here are five pieces of advice that are really worth sharing:

1. Don’t let anyone tell you that ‘it’s just business, it’s not personal.’ Business is personal! And if you really want to vet a partner before joining forces make sure you have a meal with them – see if you like them as a person and if you have compatible values. – Malia Mills, partner, Malia Mills
   
   
2. Be careful about seeing your partner through the lens of your own needs. We often see people as we want them/need them. This limits them and fails to take into to account what they fully bring to the table with regard to skills, experience, wants and needs. – Sally Wigutow, organizational and small business consultant
   
   
3. A sign of success is actually independent work. Many people partner up because they want to work on something with someone else. They figure that together it will be more fun and rewarding. But a truly successful partnership is one where both partners don’t have to be involved. Each of you has clearly outlined responsibilities and trusts the other to do what needs to be done and make good decisions. – Carol Mills, partner, Malia Mills
   
   
4. Spell it all out! Take the time before you start to outline your expectations, goals, and ALL the “what if?” scenarios. That way, when something goes awry you have a clear and agreed upon plan of action. – Allison O’Neill, founder, Bundle
   
   
5. Learn to recognize when you are “counting.” Are you constantly monitoring how much your partner is doing and asking yourself, “How many hours are they working?” “How many calls did they make?” “How many emails did they send?” Just like a dating relationship (Does he call me or do I always call him?”), if you find yourself in this position, something isn’t working – address it. – Malia Mills, partner,  Malia Mills

Partnership can be insanely tricky and insanely rewarding. And it’s not just a matter of finding the right person. In our experience, most partnerships falter because they fail to account for just how much deliberate work a partnership takes…even when both people are wonderfully hard working, talented, and committed. So if you decide to go the partner route plan to spend a good amount of time on personal and professional development…your business will be all the better for it!

 -Adelaide

Pic via.

I recently embarked on a project a bit different from Down-to-Earth Finance. While it shares the mission of empowering women through financial knowledge and success, the platform has changed. I applied for and was accepted to the Pipeline Fellowship.This group trains women to become angel investors through education, mentoring, and practice. Our goal is two-fold:

1. Invest in a woman-owned business

2. Pick a business that is socially conscious

What is Angel Investing?
Only 12% of angel investors are women and only 5% are minorities. This means the number of women-owned companies that are getting funded are minute! I’m setting out to personally change those numbers! Average angel investment is $50,000 vs. $1,000,000 of venture capital investment. Angel investing is for businesses that have just started and probably raised a minimum amount of funds from friends and family. It isn’t ready for a venture capital investment because it could dilute the equity of the owners and too much capital to start could force the company not to grow organically and strategically (remember the Dot-Com era of late 90’s?).

Susan Preston, CALCEF Angel Fund, previously Entrepreneur in Residence with Kaufman Foundation, gave an exceptional immersion presentation into angel investing at our first meeting. Her 20+ years of experience and non-condescending manner taught me so much in a short period of time. Her commitment to women owned businesses, socially responsible investing and ongoing education makes her a wealth of knowledge. In a few short hours, she covered the ins and out of angel investing, advantage of investing in a group or network (similar to buying a mutual fund versus an individual stock) and how to start rating deals.

Why did I embark on this venture? Learn Something New, Expand My Entrepreneurship and Give Back.

Learn Something New

I love my work with Down-to-Earth Finance. I have become a nationally recognized expert in Personal Finance and truly feel that I am helping my clients – tremendously. With that being said, when I learned about Pipeline Fellowship, my initial thought was excitement about learning a new skill and nascent part of the market. At our first day conference, I felt so energized learning about the intricacies and practical application of angel investing.

Expand My Entrepreneurship

I love being an entrepreneur. Both my parents (and grandparents and stepparents…) are entrepreneurs. While I worked in corporate America nearly 10 years and thrived professionally, I love the flexibility and unbounded ceiling of potential success that comes with working for myself. Working with the Pipeline Fellowship seemed a natural way to give back to entrepreneurs and share my 10 years of experience. It also affords me a way to learn about new businesses and follow trends.

Give Back

I was raised with the concept of “Tzedakah” – Hebrew word for charity but also the practice of always giving back to your community and those less fortunate than us. Since I started working at the age of 16, I have always given a portion of my income to those less fortunate. The last few years, I started getting involved with charities that were more aligned with my personal beliefs – it has been very rewarding. I loved that Pipeline Fellowship was dedicated to businesses that are socially conscious, because it lets me be personally involved in creating FOR PROFIT businesses that combine bottom line profits with helping sustain our community.

I will keep you apprised! Stay tuned for more about my journey and experience with Pipeline Fellowship and Angel Investing.

-Galia Gichon
Down To Earth Finance
@SimplyMoney

Reposted with permission from Galia Gichon.

Pic via.

Insightful information from Engineering Degree Resources.

Created by: EngineeringDegree.net

Thanks to @awesomepeter for sharing!

-Adelaide

Most corporate employees complain about the endless meetings and work protocols that stand in the way of their productivity. But anyone who works for herself will tell you that, even when all the corporate noise is stripped away, it’s still hard to get things done. Maybe even harder.

Freelancers and entrepreneurs often spend years trying to establish organization systems to stay on track and on task. And while no one approach works for everyone, I’ve learned there are a few universal tactics and rules that you can’t go wrong with.

Find out how you can save time and get great results!

-Adelaide

I’ve been talking a lot recently with aspiring entrepreneurs who are seeking to build wonderfully interesting businesses that are meaningful and engaging. I’ve also had tons of great coaching sessions with fabulous businesses that’ve got a good amount of experience under their belts but are taking an opportunity to evaluate their performance and trajectory. Interestingly, despite the differences in these two groups, my advice has been amazingly similar. I have found myself referencing something entrepreneur Jen Hill pointed out in our book, The Big Enough Company, “Don’t build a mansion when all you need is a house.” In other words: KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Are you crafting a new business offering? Keep it simple. Start with a core offering and test your hypothesis with real clients. Expand on what you have based on feedback and observations of real experiences. Have your customers help you build the ship and steer it too. Don’t make the mistake of trying to launch with something that is already fully-baked. Doing this leaves you a lot less agility and will often make it harder for you to change course…after all you’ve already invested time and money into the original version. That doesn’t mean you can’t dream and think big…do, just give yourself time to let the dream unfold. Give yourself a chance to succeed by tackling one thing at a time.

Keep it simple also applies to how you manage all the things that need to be done. Don’t let other people needlessly add to your to-do list with things you “have to” or “should” do. Instead focus on what’s close to the money and what actually yields results. We entrepreneurs do a hell of a job of overburdening ourselves with tasks that can’t possibly have a positive impact on the bottom line.

So catch yourself the next time you find yourself saying that you have so many things that you “have” to do and force yourself to take a hard and sober look at your to-do list. What’s really necessary? What personal and professional opportunities are you missing out on by overcomplicating your job? How do these tasks relate to the bigger role you play in your business and the underlying mission that you are trying to achieve?

Just like a closet of unworn clothes, it can be really hard to let go of excess but when you finally get up the courage – It. Just. Feels. So. Damn. Good.

-Adelaide

The freedom in your career to do what you want, when you want, has a lot of perks: No one to answer to, no set schedule, the ability to choose your projects, nap or take a last-minute day off… The list could go on and on.

One thing you don’t hear much about is the transition from working in an office surrounded by colleagues to working in your home surrounded by no one. While my initial months of “solopreneurship” brought a steady stream of work that kept me busy, I longed for the “water cooler” chatter and intermittent banter breaks my old office mates provided. The buzz generated from those conversations effected my motivation to keep going.

A month or so ago, while sitting on my couch in my “comfy pants” and still not showered at 1 p.m., I realized I was a few days away from becoming a certified hermit. Knowing I didn’t want to go back into an office environment but longing for “colleagues,” I came up with a few habits to beat the Solo-Preneur blues.