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Every business needs strong leadership to survive and grow. As a small-business owner, you may start out being the sole leader, but as your company evolves, you'll likely need to hire additional managers as you delegate oversight of the day-to-day operations. Hiring your first leadership roles can be difficult, but it helps to learn from those who have done it before. Below, seven Young Entrepreneur Council members offer their best advice for business owners who are looking to build a strong leadership team. Follow their recommendations before bringing your new leaders on board.

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With so many competing companies in today's marketplace, customers have countless options when it comes to patronizing a business. To influence their decision-making, customers look for companies that they believe will add value to their lives.   Below, 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared their thoughts on ways small business owners can consistently bring value to customers. They explain how these methods strengthen a business's connection with its customers and ultimately ensure the company's longevity.

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Millions of people have fresh ideas for new products every year, but not all of them do well in the market. In fact, only a small percentage of entrepreneurs with new product ideas become successful with them—and sometimes that success comes after pivoting from their original idea.  If a new product isn't doing as well in the market as you planned, a simple pivot may be all you need to revive it. But how do you know whether or not it's the right time to make a change? Here, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss the signs to look out for to help you determine if it's time to pivot your product idea and what to do next.

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The first few years of a company can be the most critical for its overall growth trajectory. This early stage will set the tone for the business and determine how potential pitfalls will be handled.  As a business owner, you'll have to make a multitude of important decisions during this time, from determining your product's viability to setting company values. Below, 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council detail the most important business decisions they made during the first few years of their own businesses and why they feel they were so important in getting them where they are today.

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Helping employees understand and acclimate to your company’s culture is a critical part of any new hire onboarding process. But when it comes to onboarding new managers, there are additional considerations to keep in mind.  As a key leader in your organization, a manager needs to be familiar with more than just their individual department—they also need to understand how their department fits into the structure and goals of the entire company. Below, eight Young Entrepreneur Council members offer some of the elements needed in manager onboarding if you want to set them—and your company—up for success.

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For many people faced with an unpleasant assignment, procrastination provides a welcome escape. While putting off the work might be comforting in the short term, however, it inevitably results in more stress and frustration down the line.  As an entrepreneur, you’ll likely come across many tasks you’d rather not do, especially if you’re feeling overwhelmed, burned out or are just having a busy day. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members discuss the challenges of facing particularly daunting assignments and share their tips for tackling even the most dreaded tasks.

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Whether you're an entry-level employee, a CEO or anything in between, if you're passionate about your career, sometimes downtime can get pushed to the side. Instead of burning yourself out on work, however, there are ways you can use your downtime wisely. Some of the most successful professionals in the world use their downtime to practice self-care, focus on ways to build creativity and learn new things. Here, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council share the things they believe every professional should be doing in their downtime if they want to truly succeed in their career and improve their life.

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Confidence is an important feeling to have if you want to succeed at work, in relationships and in everyday life. It's also a trait that seems much easier to possess than it actually is—Sometimes it takes a step outside your head and comfort zone to achieve it. Whether you're a fairly confident person looking to step into the best version of yourself or someone who has very low self-confidence, there are little ways you can work on building it up every day. Below, 13 members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their best tips for how to increase your confidence in the workplace.

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The process of hiring new employees can be both rewarding and difficult. Hiring managers or HR representatives need to make sure each candidate not only fits into the company culture and values, but also can do the job successfully. Some hiring decisions can be particularly hard to navigate, especially as a small business owner. Below, nine Young Entrepreneur Council members shared the biggest hiring challenges they've ever faced and the steps they took to overcome them. Read their advice to help you if you're struggling to recruit, hire or onboard new talent for your company.

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When you're looking for advice on how to manage certain parts of your business, it can be wise to seek an advisor to counsel you. However, hiring the wrong advisor can lead you down a long and frustrating path that could even result in losses for your business. There are some unwritten rules to follow when seeking out a professional to advise you on business matters. Here, members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their expert tips on what all entrepreneurs should keep in mind when seeking out a business advisor.

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There are many reasons why a person's career idles, but it will likely happen to just about everyone at some point. Personal issues, an economic crisis, a creativity block or financial trouble are just a few factors that might cause a person to lose their passion for work.  Realizing that your career has stalled or that you've lost passion for something you once loved to do can be frightening and overwhelming. It's enough to send some people into despair and depression. Here, a group of Young Entrepreneur Council members weigh in with advice on what they would do—or have done—when faced with the same problem.

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Communication is extremely important in the business world, especially when it comes to customers and clients. Without transparent communication, customers might feel disconnected from your brand and like they lack any support from your business. To help you avoid some of the more common communication issues, a panel of YEC members shared the mistakes many companies make when communicating with their customers and what you should do instead to improve your overall communications process.

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Taking on the leadership role of a manager can be daunting the first time. You're in charge of an entire team, and their successes and failures fall largely on your shoulders. Even though it can be intimidating, it's important to start on the right foot. If you're a first-time manager, you'll want to prove to your company why you were the best person for this position. Begin your new career path successfully by following these tips from expert managers from Young Entrepreneur Council.

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While some may argue that “words are just words,” the language a leader uses can have a major impact on their employees. A leader’s words can be responsible for boosting morale, driving progress, resolving conflict and building relationships, so it’s vital that they choose them carefully. The wrong words, even well-intentioned, can have a negative ripple effect across the organization. However, it’s not always so easy to know what not to say and why, especially when many words have become a normal part of your everyday speech. To offer some guidance, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members discuss some of the words and phrases they commonly hear business leaders use and explain why they can have such a negative impact on your employees, your business and even yourself.

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To be great leaders, they’ll first need a great leader. Companies thrive when their employees are able to take ownership of their actions and understand that they have a direct impact on the business’s success. However, some employees may not have the skills they need to become leaders, while others may lack the confidence or the feeling of support from their employers. Empowering your employees to become leaders starts with you. To offer some guidance, 12 members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer advice on how you can cultivate a culture of leadership in your workplace and empower your employees to go above and beyond for themselves and the company.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their best tips for overcoming self-doubt when starting out in business. Impostor syndrome describes the feeling that you’re somehow a fraud in your personal or professional life. People who suffer from this psychological pattern often believe that they just got where they are by luck, which invalidates or diminishes their achievements in their own minds. New entrepreneurs, especially those who have limited experience in their industry, often succumb to impostor syndrome. They may feel like they don’t know what they’re doing and that their partners, clients or employees might find out and walk away. If you’re struggling with impostor syndrome, 12 members of Young Entrepreneur Council share some strategies here that may help you combat it.

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Being an entrepreneur takes a lot of time, effort and resources, and all that work can sometimes be a major drain on your energy and your happiness. While the overall achievement of being an entrepreneur is fulfilling enough to many, sometimes it can be difficult to look at the big picture when feeling stressed by day-to-day problems. When it comes to feeling happy and fulfilled on a daily basis, there are various measures you can take. Here, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer some tips that have helped them feel happier as entrepreneurs. Try out a few of these “lifestyle hacks” for yourself to overcome the pressures of the daily grind and feel happier and more fulfilled about your accomplishments.

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Major changes are often necessary for a company that wants to keep growing and scaling. When critical moments occur, however, (such as a merger or landing a major client) leaders need to set the tone for the rest of their employees. How they respond to them will trickle down and set the example for how everyone else will work. One of the most important things a leader can do in these times of change is fortify and maintain the trust of their employees. Below, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared their methods for keeping employees' trust during pivotal moments for a company.

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As a business owner, it's easy to lose sight of the office morale around you. Most entrepreneurs are focusing on many concurrent tasks that can strongly affect the business's health and success. While important, these packed schedules and heavy workloads can mean they don’t notice the issues that may be rising all around them. Ideally, a business owner must learn how to balance monitoring employee morale with completing their own tasks to ensure the efficient running of the business—but how? To help, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council talk about the strategies they employ to successfully juggle the demands of their companies while keeping an eye on the morale of their teams.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share the most important lessons they've learned about leading from afar. The COVID-19 pandemic has rocked the world’s foundations in all aspects. Countless companies have had to change their business models and switch to remote work to keep their employees safe. But after more than a year of this virtual work environment, leaders have learned valuable lessons on how to lead—and how not to lead—when their teams aren't all in one location. The members of Young Entrepreneur Council know the challenges of pivoting their leadership style in the current climate. Below, 13 of them shared the lessons that have taught them how to be better leaders in this new remote work era.

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While introversion should not be considered a negative trait, in the world of business, where so many daily tasks require people-to-people interaction, introverts can quickly find themselves drained of energy. Figuring out methods to cope with this issue isn’t always easy. Employers can help, however, by ensuring their work environment and duties are introvert-friendly. To accomplish this, employers should keep a few helpful tips in mind. Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council share some strategies for helping introverted employees succeed in the workplace and achieve their goals, and how that may benefit the entire team over the long term.

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Most facets of business rely on persuading others. In sales, the goal is to convince the buyer that your product is better than your competitors’. In a job posting, it's to persuade the candidate that your company is better than others. The art of being persuasive, however, is something many entrepreneurs overlook, despite it being such a core component to a successful business. But how can today's business owners be more influential in their business operations? Is it worth investing time and money to learn how to persuade others? Below, seven leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council suggest several methods that business owners can use to improve their persuasion tactics within their daily lives.

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Motivating and guiding a team of employees toward innovation can be difficult even for the most seasoned leaders. You want to instill confidence in your employees, but giving up control and allowing them to embrace their creativity can be difficult. To that end, 10 Young Entrepreneur Council members shared things employers should avoid doing if they want to encourage their employees to innovate. Here are some common behaviors and mistakes they believe hinder innovation, and why these actions can be harmful and counterproductive in the workplace.

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It’s no secret that having the support of other leaders can make a major difference to a person's entrepreneurial success. When your network contains others who can identify with your struggles, they can then help motivate you from a personal perspective and deliver timely advice when you need it most. For years, women have been making massive strides in the realm of business, reaching further and higher than ever before—and the support of other female entrepreneurs is a great way to boost that growth even further. For tips on how to show your support, eight leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council discuss how female entrepreneurs can better support fellow women in business and create pathways for change.

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