James Spillane
The Truth about the Role of an Entrepreneur
Scour the profiles across LinkedIn and you’ll be blinded by the countless “Entrepreneurs”, and “CEOs”. Rummage through the business cards you collected at the last networking event and you’ll find an endless sea of “Founders”, and “Owners”.
While non-entrepreneur types may be impressed by these lofty titles, the rest of us can see right through you. Those lovely euphemisms actually stand for “monkey”, “gopher”, “donkey” and various other creatures from the animal kingdom, and here’s why:
- Monkey: Running around (sometimes aimlessly) fixing things
- Gopher: Searching and fetching, then repeating the process
- Beaver: Busy as one, sometimes biting off more than you can chew
- Donkey: Getting kicked around by investors and customers
So who do you pretend to be, and who are you actually?
Learning from my Business Card Mistakes
When I launched my own business I instantly printed business cards emblazoned with my self-appointed title. I might as well as written “your royal highness Excellency”. I didn’t have a product but I had a shiny stack of glossy business cards declaring me as the head of the kingdom that didn’t exist yet.
What happened? Well within a couple of months, my logo changed, my website name changed, my company colors changed, and (gasp) yes my role changed. And here I was gazing at my pretty stack of unused business cards! I’m not committing that #entrepreneurfail again.
Alternatives to Business Cards?
I’m now here to overturn the conventional sport of printing and passing around business cards when you are just starting out. Now introducing the MVP of a business card: No business card! This is what I recommend:
- Everyone has a smart phone. If you meet someone interesting, do the green thing and take a photo his or her biz card. Email the person on the spot.
- If they don’t have a biz card, compose a blank email before you go your separate ways. Ask them to fill out the To: field. You should fill out the cc: field with your own email. The subject can say: “Nice to meet you today. Stay in touch.”
- If email isn’t your style, ensure you have the LinkedIn app on your phone. As you meet an interesting person, ask them if they are on LinkedIn and before you bid adieu send them a request as a contact.
Do you have business cards? What do they say? Do you find them useful? Let us know in the comments below.
This article was written for Business 2 Community by James Spillane.
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Hi Kriti, I love the cartoon, as always the truth lies in jest. Startups are painful, and the animal motifs apply in more cases than not. The role issue can be overcome in one of two ways. Firstly by leaving it out, simply put your name on the business card and be done with it. Second option, print 3 or 4 types, CEO, Marketing Director, Mailroom, Stationery Buyer etc, to show you have a sense of humour. (A pre-requisite for a startup business in today’s world.)
Thanks Neil! And great thoughts to have multiple variations of the card. The humor always helps!
I’d also love to know what you think of the rest of my comics since you know the pain (and benefits) of startups!
Top 10 Benefits of using I.C.E. KEYTAGS as Your Business Card:
1. The WOW factor
2. The Powerful Dynamic QR Code Marketing System.
3. They won’t get lost, thrown in a drawer, or get thrown in the trash like traditional business cards do.
4. Your I.C.E. Keytag will ALWAYS be with the person who has one, because of the protection it affords them (In Case of Emergency or return of lost keys).
5. A 24/7/365 Mini Billboard that is always working for you…providing easy quick referrals to family, friends, and even strangers.
6. Your I.C.E. Keytag could possibly save a life.
7. Your I.C.E. Keytag could get someone’s lost keys returned to them fast.
8. Your I.C.E. Keytag holders saves money when they “flash their tag” at ANY participating I.C.E. KEYTAG Sponsor Business worldwide.
9. The Ultimate Fundraiser for partnering with your local Community.
10. The opportunity to generate a long term, residual, passive, income stream as an I.C.E. Sales Rep.
Watch the Video here: http://icekeytagsus.com/waystouse
Just checked out the video very interesting!