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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council explain how companies can better manage the safety of their customers’ data. IoT devices like home security systems, robot vacuums, fitness trackers, smart lightbulbs and everything in between are designed to make users’ lives easier and more efficient. But to achieve that ease, users must input data, often personal, to help these devices function well—which can sometimes mean forgoing security for functionality. However, there are steps companies can take to protect their customers’ data and ensure better security for their devices. Below, 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council list some of those steps and explain why managing data security for these devices is so important.

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Making thorough, educated decisions doesn't have to take tons of time. In the business world, leaders often need to make quick decisions. However, because they’re made during a time crunch, these choices can be rash — at least when not approached the right way. Thankfully, there are ways to efficiently make decisions while still thinking through all your options. Below, 13 members of Young Entrepreneur Council offered tips for speeding up your decision-making process while still ensuring quality. Follow their tips to help you get better at making fast, but thorough decisions.

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The key to success for most startups is having adequate funds for growth. In many cases, this means finding investors and raising capital to get your business off the ground. As founders seeking capital quickly learn, finding the right investor is often all about who you know. To that end, nine Young Entrepreneur Council members shared their top tips for building and maintaining relationships with experts in your field. These industry relationships can open countless new doors for you when it comes time to seek an investor for your business.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council explain how to encourage employees to play an active role in shaping organizational culture. Cultivating an empowering and supportive culture for employees is one of the most important parts of building a team. A company's culture should be created for and by its staff, so involving your team in the development process will help you reap the best results. To help you do this, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members shared 10 creative ways to encourage employees to foster their own company culture. Here’s why these tactics are so effective, and how you can implement them in your workplace.

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Tracking the progress of your company goals is the best way to ensure they get accomplished. When a business leader sets company goals at the beginning of a year, they should also plan to check in on those goals periodically. One major common check-in time is the mid-year check. This reflection period can be a good reminder of what the organization should be focused on, as well as an opportunity to share progress and alternate plans. To get the most out of this goal discussion, leaders should have a specific and focused agenda. Below, members of Young Entrepreneur Council suggested a few factors leaders should check in on in order to stay on track all year long.

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Disagreements will happen from time to time, regardless of how well a team works together. However, conflicts shouldn’t result in destroyed relationships or grudges. It’s important for professionals to know how to prevent a situation from escalating and get their point across without becoming rude or arrogant in their words and actions. While resolving disagreements on a positive note can take a bit more work, the end result is a happier relationship and overall workplace. Below, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council examine the best strategies for dealing with disagreements in the office and how these methods can help the conversation move forward.

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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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When examining the habits and routines of successful people, specific patterns start to emerge. While they may approach their morning schedules differently, successful business leaders all include essential steps that help them prepare for their day. The small details may vary from time to time, but the overall sense of preparation remains. However, there are some actions that successful people just don’t include in their morning routines—for good reason. Here, eight leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council list a few of those actions and explain why successful people never do these things in the morning (and why people looking to achieve success shouldn’t either).

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One of the biggest influences on a business and its employees is a positive attitude. Leaders who have a positive mindset and are pleasant to be around get the most out of their peers and employees. A happy attitude is infectious, and when workers are in a good mood, they yield good results. But if you aren’t where you want to be in your career or you’re unhappy at work, getting to that frame of mind consistently can be difficult. Below, 14 members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss the ways professionals can keep a positive attitude and take charge of their own happiness at work—even if they're not in love with their job.

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Ethical dilemmas are commonplace in society, but when a business experiences one, the impact (and potential fallout) can have a wide reach. In many cases, ethical dilemmas are challenging to work through because the risk and reward aren't as clear-cut as other types of decisions. This complexity becomes even more convoluted with businesses, as other businesses, customers and employees can all be affected. Below, eight leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council examine some of the more common ethical dilemmas business owners may face and offer their advice on how to overcome them.

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As entrepreneurs start getting more involved with their businesses, it’s not uncommon that they find there's less time to spend on themselves. Unfortunately, being a successful business owner can often mean spending many hours engrossed in work without taking personal breaks. The result is almost always burnout, which can have negative effects on your health and well-being. But how does an individual take back their personal time? To help, eleven experts from Young Entrepreneur Council offer their suggestions on how entrepreneurs can reclaim some of their time for much-needed rest and relaxation.

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Members of the Young Entrepreneur Council weigh in on whether a long-term or campaign-by-campaign content strategy works best for brands. One important consideration in any marketing strategy is whether you should use a long-term approach, take things campaign-by-campaign, or forge some combination of the two. Of course, neither is inherently better than the other; each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Understanding the value of each strategy can help you determine when and how to best use that approach. To help with this, 13 members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their insights on their preferred approach and why it works for them. Use their insights to inform your own content strategy.

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Organizations may carry with them a long history, but sometimes, it may be necessary to revamp the way a brand appears to the public. Successful rebranding keeps the core promise of the business but reinvents how the consumer sees them. While some companies may benefit from that traditional appeal, many others realize that consumers prefer a business that they see as modern and innovative. Businesses who choose to rebrand can breathe new life into their enterprise and change how consumers view their products or services. However, rebranding is a risky choice since it could backfire if poorly done. To help, eight experts from Young Entrepreneur Council suggest several critical steps businesses should take to ensure successful rebranding.

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To appeal to today’s on-the-go world, many businesses have considered the value in creating a branded mobile application for their customers. In theory, it's a great idea—but app fatigue is very real, and if you don't want users to delete your app after a few uses, you need to give them a good reason to keep coming back. Many members of Young Entrepreneur Council have experience building and deploying successful business mobile apps, and they understand what it takes to create something engaging and long-lasting. To offer their insights, a panel of members shared some important steps businesses should take when building their mobile apps. Follow their tips to ensure your app becomes a regular habit for those who download and use it.

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When you’re trying to get a business off the ground, you don’t always have a lot of resources at your disposal. In order to gain some momentum, it may then be necessary to “cut a few corners.” However, this doesn’t mean you have to betray your ethics, as there are a few elements of business you can reasonably (and legally) cut or save money on to help give your business the kick-start it needs to get going. For guidance on where to begin, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer a few suggestions on how to save money in the early days of your startup and why you should do so to provide better service to your customers and successfully grow your business.

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If you're just getting your feet wet in business, there are many things that can be overwhelming. One of the biggest sources of overwhelm, however, is finances. With so many numbers to track, livelihoods to be responsible for and rules to follow, business finances can quickly become too much for new entrepreneurs to handle. However, following a few key steps and having a basic plan can go a long way to simplifying the entire financial process. Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss a few pertinent tips that may help first-time entrepreneurs get a little more comfortable with business finances and set themselves up for a successful financial future.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer their firsthand insights on leveraging social media effectively this year. Social media is one of the most powerful tools business owners can use. How you leverage your accounts can make all the difference in terms of your overall success and business growth. As 2021 moves forward, it’s important for entrepreneurs to know how to maximize their social media use to achieve success throughout the year. To help, 15 members of Young Entrepreneur Council use their firsthand experience to share some of their best social media tips for today’s business owners.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share some foolproof ways to break down a complicated concept for your target market. You come up with a great idea. On paper, it makes perfect sense. You and your team talk about it together all day long, but when you go to explain the idea to your target audience, the idea just doesn’t translate well and you lose them. It can be frustrating to not have the skills or words to properly articulate your concept, but effective communication is a core skill for any entrepreneur. That’s why the members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared some simple ways you can successfully explain challenging concepts to their audience. Try these strategies to help you get your idea across, no matter who you’re talking to.

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Being a leader is more than running meetings and managing a team. It’s a skill that takes a lifetime to master, and there will always be room to grow as a mentor, coach and source of inspiration to your employees. In your quest to become a better leader, you’re bound to hear about countless fads and trendy tips for “modern” managers. However, there are some pieces of business advice that will never get old. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members shared a few of the timeless leadership tips that have been important to them throughout their careers and why.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss how you’ll know when it’s time to consider a career switch. From decreased motivation to frustration with the industry, every professional faces ups and downs in their career. It’s quite common for even the most passionate employees to fall into a funk, then come through the other side of it just as fulfilled as before. However, those negative thoughts or feelings you’re experiencing can also signify something deeper. Below, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council share some of the signs you may actually be ready for a significant career move. Read on to discover if you’re just in a temporary funk or if you need to consider making a change.

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Many companies set goals for the year, but can often lose track of them as other problems and priorities arise. Ensuring each department has its own goals to work toward is one way to help prevent this issue. But how can a leader figure out if each department is on track with its goals? Leaders need to determine the most effective way to track department goals and ensure each unit is working in harmony with the others and helping to achieve the company’s overarching objectives. To provide some guidance on how to do this, seven members of Young Entrepreneur Council share valuable advice for leaders who want to track department-specific goals throughout the year, as well as explain why these methods are so successful.

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The goal of any recruitment effort is to find a candidate who would be a good fit for the company. This would mean that the hire would not only be proficient in their role, but would also do well within the specific company culture. But beyond an interview, how can leaders ensure new hires will be the right choice? One strategy is to give the potential new employee a trial period during which you are able to evaluate their performance and personality. Below, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their best tips for how to conduct an effective trial period and ensure you’re setting the candidate up for success.

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Everyone feels down from time to time, even entrepreneurs. Constantly surrounded by others who are seemingly experiencing success, business leaders can sometimes have a hard time reminding themselves of their own potential. This mental hurdle can be a massive one to overcome, but the key to feeling knocked down is having plans and strategies for how to get back up. Below, 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their best tips and personal methods for dealing with this type of negative thinking.

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17 members of YEC share effective tactics for gathering together leaders in a way that will lead to actual productivity and strategizing. For a business to thrive it needs its leaders to be able to communicate, plan and execute effectively. In order to do this, it’s vital for leaders to gather together — whether in person or virtually — to discuss plans and exchange ideas. For most leaders, these meetings are a chance to have their say in how the business runs. And with companies these days looking at ways to pivot and take advantage of a new business environment, it's not strange to see companies branching out to find more creative ways to bring leaders together. In the past, boardrooms or conference venues were the preferred meeting point for leaders. But as busy executives, it can be challenging to find a time that works for everyone. And even if you can get together, meetings that don’t have a game plan may not always lead to the most productive conversation. Below, 17 members of YEC look at different creative ways business leaders can gather together for effective strategizing and conversation.

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Technology has given us a plethora of options for speeding up our workflows. From automation software to artificial intelligence chatbots, we can leverage a significant amount of tech to make demands on our time much less burdensome. However, not all entrepreneurs utilize the benefits tech offers them to its fullest potential. This lack of adoption is partially due to how many options there are available and how obscure some of the methods are. Luckily, these eight professionals from Young Entrepreneur Council have some tried-and-true tech hacks that can significantly improve the efficiency of your business processes.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur explain how hands-on CEOs can get more comfortable with delegation. When you first started your business, you were likely very hands-on with all aspects of your company. As you've grown and hired people, you may have found that you're struggling to step back and let go of the day-to-day tasks that helped get the company off the ground. While it's good for a CEO to remain involved in their business, it's also important to know when to delegate and start giving more power to your employees. This can be tough for someone who's used to doing everything themselves, but there are ways to practice and get better at handing off business tasks. To help, we asked 13 members of Young Entrepreneur Council to share their best delegation strategies for CEOs who want to empower their teams. Here's what they recommend.

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There's no question that retail is a challenging industry to master. However, for investors or manufacturers, the challenges it presents are more than worth the rewards. Retail distribution allows a business to serve its offerings up to a much broader population than direct distribution, thus increasing an enterprise’s visibility and revenue. However, entering retail distribution is complicated and requires a carefully planned strategy. To help, eight business leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council share their insights into what steps a company can take to move its invention or product close to retail distribution and why those steps are likely to result in success.

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When you set out to pitch your idea to an investor, you usually go through the most common questions that they're likely to ask. Discerning investors are careful about where they put their money, but a well-prepared entrepreneur can quickly answer a surprising amount of what they ask. However, sometimes, a businessperson may encounter smart questions that they never prepared to answer. Intelligent questions indicate investors that are on-the-ball, and who could be a priceless addition to your business. Ten members of Young Entrepreneur Council share some of the smartest questions they've gotten from an investor and how they handled them.

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With most people working from home and away from their office’s internal server, data security is a pressing concern for employers. Companies and employees must make security a priority and understand how to keep their data safe when they’re working outside of their business’s secure network. To help, we asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council for their best advice on how to keep corporate files safe while working from home. Below, 12 of them shared their insights for remote workers and employers.

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As a business owner, it’s important to know who your competitors are so you can keep up with the market. However, it’s just as beneficial to show your support for other small businesses, regardless of their industry. This is especially true in today’s economic climate, when many entrepreneurs are struggling to stay afloat. We asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council why it’s important for small business owners to support one another and how to do it. Here are 10 practical ways they recommend lifting up your fellow entrepreneurs.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer suggestions for entrepreneurs that want to change up their mobile ad campaigns. Mobile web traffic continues to skyrocket as consumers spend more and more time on their smartphones and tablets. Approximately half of worldwide web traffic comes from mobile devices, so it makes sense that brands would want to focus on mobile-optimized ad campaigns. But success in mobile advertising is about more than creating visuals and video content that fits on a mobile screen. It's important to follow the right practices and create an enticing experience for viewers and potential customers. Below, 14 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared some simple changes entrepreneurs can make to their mobile ad strategy to improve their results.

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Your pitch is the foot in the door you need to secure investors, buyers or support for a project. To make sure your pitch lands, you have to be just the right combination of salesy, trustworthy, and convincing. If any of these falls out of balance, you risk losing your investors or customers, who may see your business as not worthy of their time and money. Trust isn't just for these situations, however. Gaining trust is crucial in several business aspects, from securing trade show space to offering a product to potential customers and more. To help budding entrepreneurs on their road, these eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer advice on how to appear more trustworthy, regardless of whether you're interacting with investors, customers or even the board of your own company.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council explain which qualities a hiring manager should seek out in a senior creative director who's working on both print and web campaigns. The right senior creative director can have a huge influence on your business’s marketing and ad campaigns. When seeking someone for this role, it’s important to consider whether they have the right skills to bridge the print and digital gap: If they came from the print world, their thought processes and experiences may be different than someone who’s only worked in digital communications. That’s why we asked 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council what specific traits and qualities to look for when you’re hiring a senior creative director who will be working on both print and web campaigns. Here’s what they believe you should seek out, and why these qualifications are different than if the creative director were hired for one media type over the other.

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Members of Yount Entrepreneur Council offer their tips for effectively growing a service-based company. As a service provider, you’re always looking to grow your client base. But service-based businesses can be trickier to scale than a product-based business. It’s not as simple as completing a transaction; service relationships must be nurtured and built over time, and more sales mean more clients to pay attention to. To help you effectively increase your service-based business’s sales, we asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council for their advice. Below they shared their best tips for founders who are looking to scale up without sacrificing quality.

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Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the best ways to achieve organic growth for your business. Having people advocate for your services can help you attract new customers and increase loyalty among your existing customer base. However, it isn’t always easy to generate referrals naturally, especially as a service provider. That’s why we asked 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council how a service-based business can use digital marketing to drive more positive word-of-mouth. Their recommendations are below.

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17 leaders from YEC share the tools and processes they use and why they work. In the digital age, a company not tapping into automation is losing time and productivity. Relying on human contributors to produce content is still the best approach. However, in distributing this content, automated processes, tools, and strategies are always more efficient. In marketing, efficiency means a better return on investment because it speeds up turnover time and costs less than manual methodologies. Companies can ill-afford to waste time on manual methods when automated means of getting the message out to an audience exist. In the world of marketing, time is money. Automation utilities save time, and as a result, increase the company's ROI on their marketing budget. How does a business automate its marketing? Some entrepreneurs think automation is complicated, requiring a long process of learning how to use new tools. Others fear it requires adding a specialized IT department to their company, which might be a considerable upfront cost to the company. Neither of these things is true. In fact, some of the best automation tools that you need to use are both simple and cost-effective. Even those with an associated price tag usually pay for themselves in the savings the business makes through its automation. Automation doesn't have to be a scary, unknown landscape. To help, we consulted 17 entrepreneurs from YEC about the marketing automation tools, strategies, and processes they utilize to make life easier and increase their marketing ROI.

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Young Entrepreneur Council members share some of the most exciting trends and developments they've seen in digital marketing this year. Digital marketing is constantly evolving, and professionals must stay on top of trends to remain competitive in their respective industries. This year in particular has presented new and unprecedented circumstances for businesses around the world. As a result, companies have had to adapt their digital marketing strategy to customers’ ever-changing needs -- which, while challenging, has also led to incredible innovation. We asked the members of Young Entrepreneur Council about the most exciting digital marketing developments they’ve seen this year so far. Below, they share 14 of their favorite trends and how they’re impacting the future of the industry.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council explain how companies can optimize their mobile shopping experience. As every successful business owner knows, it’s important to meet your customers where they are. In today's world, that means creating a top-notch mobile shopping experience.  The majority of e-commerce traffic (65%) comes from mobile devices, so optimizing your sales page for mobile is crucial to keeping your business thriving and accessible to your audience. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members shared tips for creating a mobile-first e-commerce experience. Follow their tips to ensure your customers will love shopping with you, no matter what device they're using.

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Plans are crucial to success in any endeavor. It doesn't matter if that project is building a business or writing a book. Without planning, even the most well-intentioned projects can hit a roadblock and stop. Developing a success plan takes time and effort. It also requires a certain level of experience, and newcomers are unfortunately hit with this realization after they start their projects. Moreover, not all success plans are functional. What sets the viable success plans apart from the amateurish ones? Fifteen entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council share their best tips for success planning and explain why their advice is particularly useful in implementing a plan.

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Businesses are increasingly focusing on wellness in the workplace to increase employee productivity and overall satisfaction. Choosing a wellness program for your company is an important first step, but you’ll also need to ensure that it runs smoothly and that your employees get the most out of it. We asked the members of Young Entrepreneur Council to share their best strategies for leaders looking to successfully implement wellness programs in their organizations. Below, they share 10 ways you can ensure your company’s initiative goes off without a hitch.

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Switching a “bad” habit for a good one is not always the best option. We all have bad habits or simply attitudes or routines we would like to change because they are not healthy for us. While not all bad habits are truly bad, it’s important to be able to discern what needs to change for us to advance in our personal and professional life. The internet is full of advice and tips from self-proclaimed gurus on how to shake off a bad habit, but that doesn’t mean their advice works for everyone. Changing your habits is a huge step to take, but before embarking on this journey, you need to become aware of the most common pitfalls and misconceptions of effecting this kind of change. To help, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council look at the most common misconceptions and why they may impact your ability to successfully change habits.

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In today's world, every business knows that consistent, quality content is the key to engaging consumers. Publishing giants like BuzzFeed have mastered the art of drawing people in with engaging headlines and interactive features, and encouraging repeat visitors with well-researched, valuable articles. While the average business likely doesn't have the need or the resources to publish dozens of daily pieces like BuzzFeed, there's value in striving to become a publishing powerhouse that meets consumers' desire for a steady stream of content. That's why we asked the members of Young Entrepreneur Council what companies can learn from these media conglomerates that garner tens of millions of unique daily visitors. Here are a few publishing lessons and tips they believe business leaders can benefit from.

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Great leaders don’t simply tell their team what to do; they lead by example and “walk the talk.” Staff members are much more willing to listen to instructions and respect leadership if their boss is doing the same.  So what behaviors are best for encouraging strong work ethic, relationship-building and leadership development? We asked a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members what habits leaders can adopt to set a good example for their team. Read on for their best recommendations.

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Learning from others is vital to your success. It's a widely held belief that experience is the world's best teacher. Life lessons, both in and out of business, usually stem from experiences. However, as people, we can't expect to have all the experiences we need to figure out what to do in a particular situation. That's why learning from the experiences of others is such a vital skill for an entrepreneur. If you end up in a situation where you're not sure how to proceed, you might want to ask other, more experienced persons in the industry. To help newer entrepreneurs, these 14 experts from Young Entrepreneur Council have offered to discuss the lessons they learned from their earlier positions and why they were crucial to success.

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It takes more than just raising your voice Getting noticed in a large group of people is already hard. However, when it comes to a professional setting, getting noticed requires more than just shouting above the din. Large gatherings in business can already be intimidating, and making a point heard is a larger challenge. For the professional who wants to stand out, it takes a bit of skill and maneuvering to get into the spotlight. To help less experienced individuals navigate a crowded room, these 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council examine a few proven strategies and explore why they are so good at getting you noticed in a group setting.

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Stress is common when you’re in a management position. With countless tasks to complete, employees to manage and business operations to oversee, it’s no surprise many leaders end up feeling overwhelmed at one point or another. One of the most effective ways to combat stress in the business world is by improving your adaptability, so you’re ready to take on whatever is thrown your way. Below, 16 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared their best tips for becoming more opportunity-oriented as a leader.

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In all walks of life, there will be pitfalls that plague professionals. For an entrepreneur, especially, it may occasionally feel like nothing is working out, no matter what you do. There's a saying that success only comes to those who get back up each time they get knocked down. The problem is that the saying doesn't detail how you get back up from a fall. Some leaders can find themselves falling over and over, and each time the recovery takes more out of them.  Recovering from a fall doesn't have to be such a trying experience, however. Here, 15 professionals from Young Entrepreneur Council provide their most effective methods for bouncing back from life's setbacks.

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Entrepreneurs can be so busy in today's business world that they lose sight of themselves. Introspection has an essential place in an entrepreneur's mindset. Understanding one's goals and motivations can help one come to terms with what one wants out of life. The underlying problem that affects leaders that don't delve into self-discovery when they should, is not fully understanding how this exercise can benefit them. Introspection is more than mere navel-gazing. It imparts in-depth knowledge about oneself that can go on to aid a leaders' business interests. Fifteen associates of Young Entrepreneur Council offer insight into how any entrepreneur can make the most of daily reflection or journaling practices.

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Making a major spending decision in your business, whether that be a new hire or a new marketing campaign, is often intimidating. You want to make sure you’re investing your money wisely, in a way that will yield a worthwhile return. To help you, we asked a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members how to make financial decisions with confidence.

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Spending time alone and focusing on the year ahead are among the most effective strategies. The holiday period has a lot of emotional curves that can drain you. Getting back to work after the season might find you feeling listless and unable to function. Some entrepreneurs may take months before they get back into the groove. Sadly, waiting this long is not feasible, and getting back to your best performance needs to happen in a matter of days if you want to make the most of the new year. To help young entrepreneurs deal with coming out of the holiday season, we asked 13 professionals from Young Entrepreneur Council what strategies they employ to recharge and recenter themselves after the stress of the holidays is over.

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With tech innovation happening at an unprecedentedly fast pace, businesses and entrepreneurs should stay abreast of the latest developments and find ways to leverage new technology to make their life easier. For entrepreneurs especially, using the right technological tools can streamline their work and free up more of their time, helping them attain that ever-elusive but much needed work-life balance. But with so many available options, how can a busy entrepreneur identify the most suitable tools for their own needs? To help, we’ve asked eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council about their own essential gadgets and applications that they can’t do without, whether in their personal life or at work. Here's what they had to say.

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Selling your ideas or your vision is what you do as an entrepreneur. You need to convince investors that what you see in your head for your company can be a reality. To do this, you'll probably find yourself going to a lot of pitch meetings to try to get funding for your ideas. Delivering speeches or giving presentations at these pitch meetings should be your best method of marketing your business. However, public speaking tends to scare even the best of us. To help young entrepreneurs who have to get out in front of an audience and wow them with their business ideas, eight business owners from Young Entrepreneur Council offer their best advice on how to relax before giving a presentation.

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Everyone feels down from time to time -- especially when you're dealing with the stress of running a business. Those negative feelings can make you question everything. While it's OK to feel down, the best way to relieve that feeling is to actively seek out positive thoughts. That's why we asked Young Entrepreneur Council members what they do in moments of doubt to help remind them of their potential. Ask yourself the following questions to regain your confidence during a mental or emotional rut.

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As an entrepreneur, you’ve likely encountered various risks and obstacles while juggling a myriad of responsibilities. With all these challenges, it’s common for self-doubt to strike at some point in your career. However, it's important to not let those negative perceptions and fears get the best of you. Many members of Young Entrepreneur Council have felt the sting of uncertainty throughout their careers -- and they’ve figured out how to conquer it. Read on for their best practical tips for banishing self-doubt and growing from the experience.

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The winter months mean less sunlight, colder temperatures and often, dampened moods. It’s common for people to feel more tired and less motivated in the winter, which can negatively impact work performance. However, a winter slump is not inevitable -- it may require a bit of extra effort, but you and your teams can stay just as motivated during those colder months. To help you out this winter, we asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council to share how they raise spirits in the workplace throughout the season. Follow their recommendations to keep your team feeling productive until spring arrives again.

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Online videos are one of the most successful marketing materials that a business has at its disposal. However, crafting an online video to draw people in takes a bit more skill than merely recording something and adding branding to it. A company should consider doing a short video ad like doing a mini movie. Just like a professional production, it should communicate a message and know who its target audience is. Aimless video production will only create something forgettable, the exact opposite of what a successful video should be. To help, we consulted 11 associates of Young Entrepreneur Council about what they consider to be the most vital aspects of successful online video creation.

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13 Great Methods of Expressing Gratitude Thanking others who deserve it makes you a better entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs have an unearned reputation for being cold individuals because of the things they may need to do what is necessary for the success of their enterprise. However, showing gratitude and letting others know they are appreciated dispels the idea of the cold business owner. Gratitude shows that you care, and people are compelled to reciprocate, just so long as the thankfulness is genuine. Thankfulness shouldn't extend only to friends and family, but also to coworkers and employees. Below, 13 business owners from Young Entrepreneur Council share what they considered the best way to show gratitude to someone, even if they aren't closely related to them.