expert panel

Networking and seeking help from peers in your industry can be an intimidating prospect for many professionals. The fear and anxiety associated with networking can often hinder one's ability to create meaningful connections. Below, 14 Young Entrepreneur Council members share valuable tips and strategies to banish those networking fears and anxieties. With these tips, you will feel empowered to build strong industry relationships in the world of business with confidence, ease and success.

expert panel

Fundraising is often a necessary step for entrepreneurs who are looking to launch their startup but aren’t able to put forth the capital necessary to grow the business. However, the process of securing funding is fraught with complications and presents many opportunities for critical mistakes. Below, nine business leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council each share the mistakes they made while fundraising and the advice they’d recommend to others to avoid the same pitfalls. With these insights, entrepreneurs can build long-term relationships with the right investors who can help take their business to the next level.

article

With strategic planning, a focus on user-centric design and continuous evolution, indie developers can navigate the complexities of the app world.

expert panel

The way you start your day sets the stage for the kind of day you have ahead of you. Starting it stressed out or in a bad mood can put you in the wrong kind of headspace for the rest of the day, leading you to make poor decisions or lose focus on the tasks at hand. However, by making a few simple changes and taking charge of your morning, you can start your day off calm, rested and ready to tackle any challenges you may have ahead of you. Here, 10 business leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council discuss their own routines and how they maximize their time in the morning to not only get in the right headspace for the workday ahead but also improve as a person and leader at the same time. Try implementing one of these habits into your daily routine and see how effective you can really be.

expert panel

Any successful business has at least one thing that sets them apart from their competitors and that makes customers choose them over anyone else—their core strengths. Determining what those strengths are may require some reflection on the leader’s part, or even some feedback from the team. However, once you’ve determined your core strengths, you’ll likely want to make them even stronger, as doing so will put your company at an even greater advantage over others in your space. But what steps can you take to get there? Below, 12 business leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council offer their expertise and recommend just a few of the paths you can take toward improving your company’s core strengths and setting you, your team and your business apart from the competition.

expert panel

While email marketing remains a popular and viable way to reach customers, it also has the potential to cause annoyance or get flat out ignored if not handled in the right way. Emails frequently hitting customers’ inboxes that follow the same stale format or provide little or no value often won’t inspire readers to click through—if they even open the email at all. So what should email marketers do? Here, the experts of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss some of the strategies businesses can use to breathe new life into their email marketing efforts and keep their emails from being sent directly to “Trash.”

expert panel

One of the most critical factors that determines how successful any business can be is its pricing structure. A model that both earns high profits and satisfies customers’ needs is one that will support a business for a long time to come. But a model that fails in any way could spell disaster for a growing company. In this way, it’s important to check in on your pricing strategy from time to time to evaluate how it’s performing and what you can do to improve it. To get you started, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council list some of the signs you may notice when it’s time to reevaluate your pricing structure, as well as discuss what your first step should be upon noticing them.

expert panel

When you’re an entrepreneur, time management and productivity are key to lasting success. However, finding the time to get everything done can seem overwhelming, especially with the packed to-do lists that come with running a business. Fortunately, in today's technology-forward landscape, many apps are available to help busy entrepreneurs make the most of their (limited) time. Below, Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) leaders share their answers to the following question:

expert panel

It should come as no surprise that a healthy and happy employee is a more productive one. This is why many employers are looking to employee wellness programs to help their team members build healthier habits to improve both their physical and mental health. However, getting employees interested in taking advantage of these benefits means considering their needs and what gets them excited to participate. For a list of perks, policies and initiatives that might spark the interest of your team members, consider the following suggestions from the business leaders of Young Entrepreneur Council. Here, they recommend ideas they themselves have implemented or have seen succeed in the workplace and discuss why they believe employees are so excited to take advantage of these benefits.

expert panel

expert panel

Your company mission is the North Star of your business, guiding each and every decision you make. Writing one, therefore, isn’t just about creating a clever slogan or summarizing your goals; it’s about getting to the heart of your business and laying out the true driving force behind your company and all those who work within it. And while you may have an idea of the main “why” behind your business, writing a clear, well-thought-out mission statement may require some deeper reflection. To help, 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer a few questions you can ask yourself to spark a more detailed, thorough or meaningful statement for your company mission that will stand the test of time.

expert panel

No matter what business you run, when you’re designing your website, you’re not really designing it for your business—you’re designing it for your customers. Users of your website need to be able to easily find your website and navigate it to find the solution to their problem. This process is all part of their user experience (UX), and providing them with a positive experience should be your main motivation behind every design choice you make. As business leaders themselves, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council understand what it takes to produce a thoughtful website that keeps the user experience in mind, and here, they each share the one rule or lesson they think about when trying to create a better user experience for their website visitors and how this thinking helps shape their final design.

expert panel

"Build your network" is common advice given to professionals looking to find new jobs, make major business moves and succeed in their careers. But when the busyness of life and work sets in, it can sometimes be difficult to build and then nurture those relationships so they maintain their strength over time. Without these relationships, you may miss out on potential opportunities or connections that could play an important role in your future success. To help you find the balance needed to manage both your network and your personal life, 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer their top advice for maintaining professional relationships while also prioritizing your personal ones.

expert panel

New projects or initiatives can be exciting, but sometimes business leaders can be blinded by their own excitement and push forward even when things aren't going as planned. If you think this could be happening to you, it may be wise to reflect on any signs that could indicate a need to pause or stop a project altogether. To help get you started, nine business leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council list signs to look out for that will help you determine if you should pull back on (or completely halt) a project or initiative—even one you’re excited about.

expert panel

As the modern workforce evolves, the appeal of hybrid work environments has become increasingly apparent. While fully remote work may not be feasible for every company, adopting a hybrid work solution can be an attractive perk for both potential and current employees. Transitioning from a fully on-site setup to a hybrid environment, however, requires careful planning to ensure a smooth and successful shift. If you're ready to embrace the hybrid work model for your company, read on for 11 expert tips recommended by Young Entrepreneur Council members.

article

Upon achieving product-market fit (PMF), you're likely to encounter new challenges, such as cyberattacks, shaky infrastructure and damaging reviews.

article

With the right strategy and approach, a startup can achieve long-term success, regardless of the economic environment.

expert panel

Podcasting has become an increasingly popular medium for businesses to build their brand and connect with audiences. However, launching a successful podcast requires more than just recording and uploading episodes. Many podcasts fail to gain traction and reach their target audience, leaving business owners wondering what went wrong. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members share essential tips for podcasting successfully. By following these tips, businesses can maximize the potential of podcasting as a marketing tool to achieve their goals.