How to Start a Side Hustle With Little or No Money

As we battle through the pandemic, so many of us are looking for additional sources of money, including starting our own side hustles. But how do you get started and do you need a lot of money to get one up and running? Join Entrepreneur's side hustle expert, Kim Perell, who will tell you the most profitable side hustles you can start right now  — and how you can do it with little or no money. During this fast-paces session, you will learn: ...
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8 Social Media Hacks for Small Businesses

This article was written by Alex Sixt, an Entrepreneur NEXT powered by Assemble expert. If you are looking to take the NEXT step in your business then we encourage you to check out Entrepreneur NEXT powered by Assemble. Social. Media. These two words have made you either jump for joy or curl up in a fetal position in your pajamas at the overwhelming nature of these platforms. Either of these reactions are probably the reason you’re here: either you love everything about social media or the mere thought sends you into a panic-induced sweat. ...
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How You Can Create 11 Income Streams by Monetizing Your Expertise

Countless corporate escapees are yearning to leave the rat race and become financially independent entrepreneurs by monetizing their expertise. I left my corporate job four years ago to do just that (and to broaden my platform for making a difference in people's lives). I've learned a ton about how to build a successful business across multiple streams of income. If I can do it, you can too. Here are the income streams I've created.  ...
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3 Lessons This CEO Learned from Being Homeless

To be an entrepreneur you have to be wired differently. Entrepreneurs crave success at all costs. Tenacity is a major component of what makes an entrepreneur successful.  Anyone who has ventured to start a business of their own knows the difficulties that come with it. The journey is full of obstacles, putting you at risk for entrepreneurial burnout. Figuring out how to survive the challenges of startup life can be extremely difficult. Austin Rolling, CEO and founder of Outfield, a mobile CRM and field sales app, shared his story with me about the up-and-down journey of starting a company. After getting his MBA, he watched his former classmates get high-paying jobs while he worked for $12 an hour at retailer Sports Authority, all while trying to launch his own company.  ...
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The Art Of Managing People: How To Get The Most Of Each And Every Employee

If you don't have children, you may not get this, but managing employees is a lot like parenting. I'm not being condescending, but if you're a parent, you will understand the analogy. If you ask your kids to do something, do you assume they'll do it? No way. You have to follow up and make sure they do it right. You're going to have to manage your employee developmental process exactly the same way. It's never as simple as just saying, "Okay, David, you're hired. Do what I tell you, and things will be great." You have to refine your working relationship with your people as you go along. There is no blueprint for success. You have to find out how to communicate with and motivate each individual. You have to know when a certain employee needs encouragement versus a stern talking to. ...
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How to Change Anyone’s Mind Without Persuading Them

At some point, maybe even today, you've wanted to change someone's mind. Persuasion is a key skill for everyone, and it can help you in business. In his new book, The Catalyst, Wharton business school marketing professor Jonah Berger offers techniques and strategies for changing minds. One strategy seems counterintuitive, but it's brilliant: Effective persuaders don't tell people what to do; they encourage people to persuade themselves. According to Berger, if you tell someone what to do, they become defensive. However, if they arrive at the same conclusion themselves, they're much more likely to buy what you're selling, whether it's your idea or product. ...
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How to Successfully Establish a Board of Advisors and Directors

Many startup founders I know avoid establishing a formal advisory board or board of directors for as long as possible, with the excuse that this is just another burden, or it has more risk than value to the founder. In my experience, just the opposite is true, since outside experts with the right experience can greatly reduce risk and improve the quality of your decisions in times of crisis. Of course, if a board is set up just to appease investors, or just for window dressing, the value may indeed be minimal or even negative. You may be committed to running the leanest possible team, or convinced that you know the business better than anyone else, but all of us can use some help from time to time, especially in today's world where things are changing quickly. In the spirit of helping you avoid some of my own experiences with startup boards, I would like to offer some of my own rules of thumb for establishing at least an advisory board...
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New Study Shows How Employees Can Drastically Improve Their Productivity

A recent report from Harvard Business Review has shown the power of putting data analytics in the hands of workers in frontline jobs, but it also reveals that leaders must drive a culture change and shake up the decision-making hierarchy to make this strategy pay off. The report, commissioned by ThoughtSpot and released last month, concludes that putting data in the hands of frontline workers -- such as store managers, sales teams, sales clerks, nurses, and others -- can significantly improve both their productivity and quality of work. Of the 464 business executives surveyed, an overwhelming 87 percent said their organizations will be more successful when frontline workers have access to data and tools to help them make decisions in the moment. But only one-fifth of respondents said their workers are empowered to make those decisions today. The HBR report makes a strong case for democratizing access to data and describes the key steps executives believe are important for doing so successfully. Here are the five main takeaways from the report: ...
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Neuroscience Reveals How Steve Jobs Made Better Decisions, Faster

I used to ride motorcycles really fast on country roads. (Foolishly, but that's another story.) One day, I was slicing through a sweeping blind turn, back tire sliding and front tire on the edge of traction, when for some reason I backed off the throttle. I didn't think about slowing down. I didn't decide to slow down. I just did.  Which meant, seconds later, I was able to dodge two cars sitting crumpled and smoking in the middle of the road. As we waited for the state trooper to arrive, I half-listened to the drivers argue about who was at fault and thought about how lucky I was to have slowed when I did. But I couldn't figure out why I had slowed -- until the state trooper who investigated the accident showed me a scattering of gravel on the edge of the road and a few faint skid marks. ...
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5 Rules Effective Leader Should Try to Live By

I’ve been in executive positions for about a decade now. Although it’s been an incredibly rewarding experience, I can’t say that it has always gone smoothly. I've made mistakes, including hiring someone who ended up stealing from my company. Leading a company is a trial by fire, and you simply have to reflect and learn from your mistakes as you go. That being said, creating a few general rules can help guide you through difficult decisions. I’ve had plenty of ups and downs over the past 10 years, and I’ve learned a great deal from both the highs and the lows. Here are the five rules I try to live by in an effort to be the most effective executive I can: ...
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4 Simple Ways to Change People’s Minds

People don’t like being told what to do. There’s even a word for it: reactance. “Psychological reactance is a negative emotional state that we feel when we’re not in control of our behavior,” says Jonah Berger, author of The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone's Mind, and a marketing professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. “We have a drive for freedom and autonomy. Anytime we feel like someone else is trying to persuade us, or shape our behavior or actions or attitudes, we essentially put up an anti-persuasion radar. You can almost think about it like an anti-missile defense system.” This can be useful in many ways. It’s the reason that advertisements don’t empty our bank accounts, and why we don’t (usually) fall for scams. ...
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How to Show Warmth When You’re Working Virtually

Most of us have come to appreciate (or at least tolerate) working virtually. It makes setting up meetings simpler, decreases commuting time, allows for more flexibility, and levels the playing field for team members who were already working virtually with nonvirtual colleagues. But for all its benefits, one thing that working online doesn't make easier is projecting warmth. It can be challenging to come across as sociable, happy, agreeable, or even playful in a flat, two-dimensional video environment. That's a real problem. Warmth is often the first trait that people perceive about us, and on the basis of that initial reading -- whether we like it or not -- people decide whether our intentions are positive or negative. In fact, warmth is considered more important and more influential than competence -- our ability to do the job. ...
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How to handle rude emails, constant messages and micromanaging bosses while working remotely

While parts of the U.S. economy are reopening after months of shutdown to curb the coronavirus pandemic, many office workers are entering their fourth month of working from home. Major companies, including Twitter and Facebook, have made game-changing announcements to allow employees to work from home permanently. And recent surveys indicate as many as 68% of those currently working from home would like to continue doing soto some extent in the future. ...
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3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Buying a Business

The startup and entrepreneur world are filled with buzzwords like pivot, scale, lean, value propo – actually, just watch HBO’s Silicon Valley and you’ll get the gist. If the last three months have taught business owners anything, it’s that many entrepreneurs have had no choice but to put these words into action – most of them just to stay afloat and survive. ...
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