By: Roberto Torres
People that find themselves on a career path that no longer captures their interest or fulfills their passion may dream about starting their own business. Yet turning a hobby into a business can seem daunting. Roberto Torres, co-founder of Black & Denim Apparel Company, was an auditor for eight years before he decided to switch gears and become an entrepreneur. Now he’s heading a growing business, was named a MillerCoors Urban Entrepreneurship Series Competition winner, and successfully turned his passion into a new business venture. In a recent podcast, he offered five simple tips that are instrumental in starting your own business:
1. Make commitments, instead of promises. You cannot start a business and leave half way—once you are fully committed, you need to finish. It’s not going to be easy, but being committed will help ensure a successful enterprise. If you are thinking of switching gears, you need to commit to it; otherwise it could cost you sleep, money and more importantly time.
2. Have a plan, instead of an excuse. Make sure that you have a plan for everything and that every single task is outlined in detail. Not having a plan can make you waste a lot of time and worse, make other people waste their time too. Remember, time is money!
3. Say “let’s find out,” instead of “nobody knows”. When your plan doesn’t go as expected don’t just turn away from the project, instead figure out what went wrong. Pick up a book, look it up on the Internet or find somebody that can better explain it to you.
4. Go through a problem, instead of never getting past it. When you are an entrepreneur, you are the whole enterprise. You cannot depend on anybody else to solve your problems. Every time you encounter an issue, make a point to find a solution.
5. Learn from your mistakes, instead of avoiding them. If your plan doesn’t go as expected, figure out what went wrong, go back to the drawing board and make a new plan. Don’t be discouraged. Learn from your mistakes and adjust your next steps accordingly.
To listen to the podcast and learn more about entrepreneurship and professional development, visit www.MillerCoorsLideres.com.
