Coming up with that winning idea
There is no right or wrong idea, but the best, and often most profitable ideas are those around us every day. Once you’ve got your winning idea, run it past your mates. Talking about it will help you clarify in your own mind whether it’s sensible or not and friends are also pretty honest. If they think your idea is bollocks they’ll probably tell you.
Dress for success
This sounds like something David Brent from The Office would spout but a big problem with young entrepreneurs is credibility. A good suit
will not only make you look older but also appear more businesslike. People WILL take you seriously, especially banks, and you’ll be surprised
how much extra confidence a suit gives you.
Talk the talk
Like all selling, entrepreneurship is 50% bullshit. Big yourself up at every opportunity (if you don’t no one else will) and don’t hesitate
to use the following in important meetings – banks, investors and customers will lap them up: “I’m very Proactive” – The opposite of reactive. You make things happen and are a dynamic, go-getting businessperson.
Believe in yourself and your idea
It’s tough being a young entrepreneur, especially if you’re a woman in what is still a male dominated environment. For every person who shows a genuine interest, at least 10 more will blank you. “You have to want it really badly,” says Tom Hartley. “Believe in your idea and yourself, work hard and you’ll be rewarded.”Remember, it took James Dyson 5,127 prototypes and five years hard graft before he came up with the bagless vacuum, while in 1974 Anita Roddick was struggling selling smelly soap from her tiny original Body Shop in Brighton.
