Many small business owners have dreams of rapid growth; that point when your product or service takes off and your profits soar. Perhaps you fantasize about becoming a millionaire, the next Facebook, or THE name that comes to mind when your industry is mentioned. These are the types of goals that we most often associate...
There are many aspects of forming a successful brand: creating an eye-catching logo with carefully selected colors, building a good website, designing creative marketing materials, and more. The list is long and daunting, but before you get started on those tasks, there is one important thing to do first. According to my latest interview...
Statistics show that although women hold almost 52 percent of all professional-level jobs, they are vastly underrepresented in top leadership positions. For example, only 4.6 percent of Fortune 500 companies are run by a woman, and women make up just 16.9 percent of all Fortune 500 board seats. These numbers are not uncommon; in...
As entrepreneurs, we all know that one of the biggest keys to success is having a strong passion for what you are doing. I just love when I come across companies that not only have that passion but are driven by the desire to solve a problem that touches them personally. This is the...
During my time at SXSW 2017 and the Dell Experience, I had the opportunity to speak to a number of inspiring entrepreneurs and thought-leaders. Included in that group is Maria Yuan, founder of Issue Voter, a website that is dedicated to giving your voice more power in our democracy. Maria shared with me what Issue...
The Dell Experience at SXSW 2017 brought together best-in-class technology and some of the most innovative and disruptive leaders across a wide range of industries. On hand to share the experience was Dell’s, Elizabeth Gore. Elizabeth serves as Dell’s ‘Entrepreneur in Residence’ and is tasked with being the collective voice for the entrepreneurial channel...
Ramon Ray, a self-proclaimed lover of lemonade and small business evangelist, recently spoke with Me & The Bees Lemonade CMO, D’Andra Ulmer, during SXSW 2017 at the Dell Experience. Me & The Bees Lemonade is an Austin, Texas-based sustainable lemonade company, founded by D’Andra’s daughter, Mikaila. Most amazingly, Mikaila was only four years old when...
If you are going to ask someone for tips specific to female entrepreneurship, you want to ask Carolyn Rodz. Carolyn is the founder of Circular Board, a collaborative accelerator for growth-oriented female entrepreneurs. They are a 100% virtual accelerator that has worked with women across six continents offering sources of capital and mentorship to help...
Pitching your business is a subject we frequently write about here on Smart Hustle. In the past year, we’ve covered articles on the sales pitch, pitch contests, pitching to the media, and even pitch advice from Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary. Recently, I encountered another angle that I think some business owners would appreciate, after watching...
Dell made a splash at the 2017 SXSW festival, hosting an interactive 4-day pop-up called “The Experience” which allowed visitors to explore the latest Dell innovations, including virtual reality, security, open source, entrepreneurship, and creativity. Attendees interacted with cutting-edge technology related to music, video, and gaming, and listened to thought-provoking sessions like “How VR Could Change the...
