From one foodie to another!!!
Here are 7 quick “Tips & Tricks” to Starting a Business:
As an entrepreneur the past 22 years and having started 8 different companies, I am often asked, how did you do it? Or better yet, I’m asked, so I am thinking about starting a business, ‘How do I do it?”
1. First one, just like Nike says, “Just Do It”. Well hold on, I don’t mean start any business without first doing your own R&D. Before I start any business I put between 200-300 hours of pure research into determining if the business should even be opened. But once I determine it is a viable business, then it literally is about just going for it.
2. “Make it Happen”. This means, set a “grand opening” date and “Make it Happen”. Regardless of obstacles that get in your way — no matter what road blocks are in front of you, go around them, over them, under them or blow them up… whatever the case, Make it Happen!
3. “The Name Game” – Everything is in a name right? Right! Naming your business is like naming your own child. The name must fit your type of business. And, if at all possible, part of your new company name must have the type of business in your name. Example, my current company is a soy sauce company, so it’s called, “Little Soya” (in China and other countries soy sauce is called “soya sauce”). The largest business I’ve owned was a courier/messenger service called, MACH 5 “Couriers”. And my bar I owned years back was 6 Degrees “Lounge”. Hint: Start off by writing up a list of possible names (often we’d write up a list of 500 potential names for the business until the perfect one fit).
4. “Give your business a personality”. Using my company Little Soya as an example. We sell soy sauce right? Soy sauce is basically a boring, brown liquid that people put on food right? Well because of this, we had to give “her” a personality of her own. This way people can identify with our brand — so they can feel like they own it, so the customer feels like they want to hold, take it home and be “part of it”.
5. Your logo is EVERYTHING! Your logo is VITAL TO YOUR SUCCESS. Read, re-read and read this one AGAIN.
6. Ten of the most powerful 2 letter words regarding starting your own business: “IF IT IS TO BE, IT IS UP TO ME!”
7. And 5 requirements of starting your own business and being an entrepreneur: You MUST BE: “Fearless, Relentless, Tenacious, Stoic & Stubborn.”
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Gary T. Murphy, is the founder & CEO of Little Soya, the fastest growing and newest gluten free soy sauce to hit the market in 50 years. His soy sauce is now in over 1200 US grocery stores and sold globally — carried by MGM Grand, TAO Group, Luxor, Mandalay Bay and Virgin America Airlines. He began his entrepreneurial career 22 years ago in Houston, Texas where he resides today. As Gary likes to say, ‘He has started many companies, several failures and a few successes – but without the failures I would not be where I am today.’ Gary’s favorite authors and mentors are: Donald Trump, Richard Branson, Anthony Robbins, Jack Welch, Zig Ziglar, Joel Osteen and Seth Godin.
CLICK HERE to check out Gary’s company-Little Soya.
CLICK HERE to read a full bio.