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Becoming your own boss, setting your own schedule and finally getting to run the business of your dreams are all welcome benefits of becoming an entrepreneur. However, entrepreneurship is a goal that takes lots of determination and plenty of self-discipline to achieve, and not everyone is suited to be a business owner. But if you think entrepreneurship is the right path for you, there are steps you can take to build your self-discipline and ready yourself for the tough journey ahead. Below, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council each share their top tip for building self-discipline and why it’s so key to succeeding as a future business leader.

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There’s a lot of great business advice out there—but there’s also an equal amount of unhelpful advice. While many people think they have the answers, only you can know what’s right for your business. However, it can sometimes be hard for new business owners to know what advice is worthwhile, leading to costly mistakes.  Below, eight Young Entrepreneur Council members each describe one piece of productivity advice they disagree with and why, and instead offer alternative advice they feel is more worthy of your attention.

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Employers look for a variety of qualities and traits in job candidates. While you’ll always want to highlight the hard skills that are relevant to the position you’re applying for, there are also soft skills that could help you land a job, even if you’re a little less qualified than the other candidates. Because it’s so important to develop these skills to impress potential employers, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer their insights on the soft skills they think are key to succeeding in any career and why you should develop them if you want to get hired.

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In 2022, employers are still feeling the effects of the Great Resignation as employees continue to quit their jobs in droves. Research points to burnout and dissatisfaction as two of the main reasons people are leaving their organizations in favor of more "meaningful work." If you want to define and achieve meaningful work for yourself, read on for some key insights from the members of Young Entrepreneur Council. Below, 10 of them share how their definitions of “meaningful work” have changed throughout their careers and how other professionals can achieve their own versions of meaning in current or future jobs.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council list the mobile app features they think should receive more attention. Not all mobile apps are created equal. The features you may include for a fitness app are likely going to be different from features you would incorporate for a shopping app. However, there are several features that work across the board — ones the members of Young Entrepreneur Council find are vastly underrated. Below, they list eight of those features and detail why they believe these mobile app features should get a little more attention for business owners trying to improve their user experience and design.

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Employees are searching for employers who take an interest in their career trajectory and genuinely care about their future with the company. If an employee doesn't believe they're truly valued, they may choose to find an employer who does value them, which is why it's so important for businesses to focus on professional development. Employers hoping to retain employees and leverage overall team happiness must work with their staff to develop well-planned pathways for their time at the company. Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss some effective strategies for leaders who want to create clear, realistic and meaningful career paths for their teams.

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Considering all the emails consumers receive on a daily basis, email marketing can be a tricky form of marketing to undertake. However, when done right, it can be an effective communication tool to gain new clients and customers. This also means that, with a little strategic planning and creative thinking, businesses can leverage their email marketing to increase brand loyalty and keep customers. But how do they do it? Here, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members share pointers on how businesses can improve their email marketing to boost brand loyalty and why this marketing tactic works so well.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share advice for creating a solid internal communications strategy for remote businesses. The key to the smooth running of any company — remote, hybrid or in person — is getting everyone in the company on the same page and ensuring they have access to the same resources. With a remote company, however, this is especially vital, as team members can be in different locations and even different time zones, making effective communication an even more challenging task.  This is where having a solid internal communications strategy comes into play. According to the members of Young Entrepreneur Council, the following eight tips can help you and your team create an effective internal communications strategy and ensure everyone has the information they need to succeed.

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Hybrid and remote work models have quickly become the new normal for many companies. While working remotely offers many benefits to employees, many of the perks that used to keep staff productive and happy in an office setting are no longer relevant when employees are working from home. To learn about creative perks to offer your remote employees, members of Young Entrepreneur Council recommend the following 11 ideas.

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During job interviews, prospective hires strive to put their best foot forward and provide thoughtful, impressive answers to the interviewer's questions. While there are countless interview questions an interviewer can ask during the meeting, it's crucial for interviewees to ensure the answers they give aren't stale. No matter whether a prospective hire is only saying what they think the interviewer wants to hear or they've searched how to answer a question "correctly," some interviewers can get tired of a seemingly rehearsed answer. Below, 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council share the rehearsed interview answers they're tired of hearing and what candidates should say instead.

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With so many forms of digital communication available, the traditional cold phone call may seem like a lesser form of gaining a sale or finding a business partnership. Some people may believe that cold calling will only lead to rejection—or worse, mid-call hang-ups. However, there are still ways to effectively cold call about prospective business transactions that will lead to success.  Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council each detail a strategy they have for effective cold calling and why it works so well. Rather than dismissing cold calls as a sales tactic, try these thoughtful and personal approaches out.

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One of the quickest and easiest ways to gather applicants for an open position is to post an ad on a job board. There are several popular boards out there today, and each has its benefits and drawbacks.  But while job boards offer a quick and easy hiring solution, they aren't the only place to find the best talent. Many companies are looking for alternatives to posting on job boards in order to find the most suitable, high-quality candidates. To help, 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council recommend some alternatives to posting on job boards when looking to hire the right talent.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss where to draw the line with artificial intelligence in business. With all the improvements that have been made in artificial intelligence, there’s no doubt that using it in business is a great way to increase efficiency and save money and time. Incorporating artificial intelligence into the everyday running of a business can leave many leaders wondering where to draw the line, however. Where should they leave room for a human touch? Below, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their insights on the key areas of business where human involvement is still necessary and why AI may need to take a back seat.

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In a competitive labor market, many companies are striving to put their best foot forward during job candidate interviews. However, some interviewers may stretch the truth a bit or omit certain information to better appeal to potential employees. Instead, it’s important to remember that transparency during job interviews will help companies find the best hire for the position while also maintaining company values. To share more insights, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council detail below how interviewers can be more "real" when talking to candidates and how this will help them find the right hire.

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With so many technological advancements taking place and remote and hybrid workforces on the rise, recruiting and hiring processes are much different than they used to be. These days, apps, software and social platforms are where many companies go to seek new talent.  Depending on your industry and company culture, however, some software will be more beneficial than others when it comes to hiring. Here, 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss their picks for today's most impactful apps and software for recruiting and hiring.

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As employees climb the corporate ladder, some may feel their natural next step is a managerial position. However, managerial roles aren't suited for everyone. If an employee asks you if you think they’d do well as a manager, it's important to be transparent and honest with the employee about whether their skills are up to par. If you find yourself in this situation, here are 10 essential things you should tell an aspiring manager they’ll need to succeed. Below, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council explain why these qualities and skills are so integral to a leader's job.

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Whether it's your first launch, a relaunch or the introduction of an add-on feature, a product launch is an exciting time for any business. Because every launch is unique, there's a lot of preparation that goes into it, and you and your team may have spent weeks, months or even years perfecting the product for this very moment. It's easy to get swept up in launch day excitement, but it's important to take steps to ensure the big reveal goes off without a hitch. To help, seven members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss some surefire ways to ensure your product launch goes smoothly.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share marketing methods you can use to get potential customers interested in your new mobile app. Even with the right tools and skilled team members in place, companies may find that building a mobile app can be a lengthy and complex process — though a very rewarding one once users experience the app’s benefits. The real problem, however, often lies in marketing the app. Once you build this useful tool, how are you able to ensure the right people discover and find value in it? According to the members of Young Entrepreneur Council, the key is choosing the right marketing methods. To help, they offer their top strategies for companies looking to get people excited about their new apps and explain why these tactics work so well.

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Motivation and energy don't always stick around for long, so it's good to know how to channel it for maximum productivity. Few things feel better than being struck with a sudden burst of motivation. Suddenly, those tasks you've been putting off seem easy to tackle and your to-do list doesn't seem too overwhelming.  Because this unexpected bout of energy can be fleeting, it's helpful to have a plan in place to take advantage of the inspiration and productivity created by this motivation. Sometimes this means starting with an easy task, but other times it means starting with hard tasks you've been putting off. Below, a group of successful entrepreneurs share what they like to do when they get a burst of motivation and how it helps their business.

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With so many electronic devices and social media platforms, it's easier than ever before for even the most focused and organized of professionals to get distracted from the task at hand. Combine that with the fact that work-from-home and hybrid work models have become popular for many companies, and it should really come as no surprise that people are having a hard time focusing. However, with a little discipline and a few routine changes, there are some effective ways to banish procrastination, minimize multitasking and achieve focus during your workday. To that end, 12 members of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) share their insights on the following question:

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Whether you're applying for a position at a large corporation or a job at a growing startup, the potential employer is likely going to have a lot of applicants to comb through and some tough decisions to make before they settle on one particular candidate. When you’re interviewing, your first impression is often a lasting one, so it’s vital to leave a positive impression during the hiring process. So, what's the best way to leave a lasting impression on a potential employer? Ten members of Young Entrepreneur Council weigh in on what you can do to prepare and what you may want to say during the interview to put your best foot forward.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council recommend ways of defeating imposter syndrome and gaining confidence at work. When entering a fast-paced, ever-changing industry like tech, falling victim to impostor syndrome can be easy. With new breakthroughs and innovations happening every day, it can seem like you’re constantly scrambling to keep up, which can make you feel like you’re playing catch-up to the rest of your peers who seemingly have it all together. But the members of Young Entrepreneur Council know that isn’t true and that impostor syndrome is a mindset that can affect anyone at any time — even leaders in the tech industry. Below, they share 10 tips you can implement to get out of that place and gain confidence in your ideas and abilities at work.

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If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur trying to level up your skill set—or even a seasoned entrepreneur looking to learn something new—you’re bound to come across a wealth of information about your industry and business and leadership in general. Whether it’s in the form of books, podcasts, articles, videos or any other medium, it can be a lot to sift through, and determining what content (and what format) to focus on can be challenging for those who are unsure where to start. So how do you determine what’s worth your time and effort to consume in order to keep up with your skills and knowledge in your industry? Below, six members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their tips for how to narrow down the list and determine what content is right for you.

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Global workplaces are a melting pot of cultures, work styles and professional backgrounds. Having a global team is an incredible opportunity to learn more about other individualized experiences and even boost your team's worldly viewpoints. However, employees from different cultures may have differing opinions about leadership styles or even contrasting ways of approaching problems, which can cause disagreements in the workplace. To help ease any conflicts, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council explain how you can be mindful and respectful of cultural differences when leading a global team.

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Success in content marketing requires a deep knowledge of existing and prospective customers and successful, tailored campaigns to reach them all. But while reaching those customers and making the sale can be achieved with the right plan, there is still the possibility of making a lot of mistakes along the way. To see positive results from your content marketing efforts, there are some important "dos," but there are also some very important "don'ts" that should be considered. Below, 13 Young Entrepreneur Council members share their top actions to avoid in content marketing and why.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss what business leaders should do in the event of a cyberattack. You should always take great care to ensure your company is protecting itself against cybercrime. Mistakes can happen, however, and breaches can always occur. Once your company has been hit with a cyberattack, you’ll need to have an action plan in place to ensure minimal damage to your systems and data. To help, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss the steps they recommend taking after your business has been affected by a cyberattack. Although opinions differ on the very first step you should take, incorporating all of these action items into your plan in some way will get you off to a great start.

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It can be easy to assume that a sign of being a great leader is having all the answers; however, often the opposite is true. No leader knows everything, but great leaders are always willing to learn and grow in their knowledge, and often have ways of finding the answers they need.  As successful leaders themselves, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council understand these points, as well as how hard it can be to admit when you don’t know something as an entrepreneur. Below, they share their insights on how you can respond to someone when asked a question you don’t know the answer to and why these are the best responses you can give.

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A negative mindset can be poisonous in the workplace. It can lower morale, decrease productivity and spread to other members of the team, leading to toxic work culture. As a leader, it's critical to have a positive mindset to effectively work through difficult situations and keep your team on the same page. Below, 12 members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss how to exude more positivity at work and why these practices are especially crucial for those in leadership positions.

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There are many people out there with dreams of entrepreneurship. They likely have several business ideas, and they may even be able to develop clear visions for what those businesses will eventually look like. However, when it comes to turning those ideas into reality, they’re not sure where to begin or what steps to take to get there. If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur who falls into this category, there are a few different paths you can take to get started. Below, seven members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their thoughts on the steps you should take to turn your idea into a fully realized business and how those steps will help your new business get up and running successfully.

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Whether you're an experienced entrepreneur or just starting out, investors can be a crucial part of your startup's continued success. While it's possible for investors to take a chance on a business, many investors have certain criteria they'll look for before they take the plunge. Your business’s investor is just as important as your brand's values and mission, so when you find a good potential candidate, you'll want to do all you can to impress them. Below, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council share some crucial tips to follow when you're trying to gain the interest of a potential investor.

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As more companies shift toward remote work, managers may find some employees struggling with productivity throughout the day. Whether it's tending to personal matters at home, reprioritizing tasks or warding off distractions, some employees may find it more difficult to work from home than in an office environment. Thankfully, there are multiple apps and software programs that can help you get back on track. Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council recommended their favorite apps and software remote workers can use for increased productivity.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss how companies can make the best use of their customer relationship management tools. One factor that separates great companies from good ones is the relationships they build between themselves and their customers. Moving beyond merely transactional interactions, great companies work to get to know their customers on a deeper level and keep track of their communications with them. Cultivating this type of relationship is where customer relationship management (CRM) tools come into play. All the data companies collect to learn more about their customers can be entered into a CRM tool and used in a number of different ways. To help show you and your company how to best make use of your CRM tool, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss their favorite methods of using them below.

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Graduation season is quickly approaching, and many soon-to-be grads are now being inundated with advice from advisors, professors and family members about their chosen career paths. Deciding where to work can be a daunting decision, especially with so many promising fields to go into. There are numerous ways for graduates to apply their degrees and past work experiences to find fulfilling and exciting entry-level positions. To help make this decision a little easier for the class of 2022, the experts of Young Entrepreneur Council each share their thoughts on the best careers to get into right now and offer advice for future job seekers.

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A nightly routine is a perfect opportunity to unwind from the day and focus on your overall wellness. Whether you make a to-do list for the next day, write in a journal about the day's achievements and challenges or take time for screen-free relaxation, following the same practices night after night can help you set yourself up for success the next day. If you're thinking of creating a nightly routine, consider the following recommendations by the members of Young Entrepreneur Council. Below, they explain what they do each night and why they believe it sets them up for a successful next day. Try out their recommendations to see what works best for your evening rituals and habits.

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Every successful entrepreneur has one special "something" that has made a unique, lasting contribution to their achievements, be it a former mentor, a previous role they held or an event that impacted their life. Our lived experiences help define who we are as individuals and hone our perspectives throughout life. As we advance as professionals, these experiences take shape as new traits, resources and accomplishments that help drive our ongoing maturity and achievement. Whether it’s in their personal or professional lives, Young Entrepreneur Council members have been influenced by many milestone moments and memories. Below, nine of them describe the most important things they've gained as they've advanced in their careers and how these additions benefit them in the roles they play now.

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Building positive client relationships is the key to the success for any business. However, when you run your business from home, the way you go about building these relationships may look a bit different than it would for a more established organization or in-office environment. While it may take some adjusting for maximum effectiveness, it is possible to build positive client relationships while working from home. Here, seven members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss their best tips for doing so.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer their best advice for moving your physical retail store online. As the popularity (and necessity) of online shopping continues to rise, many business owners are choosing to transition their brick-and-mortar stores to an e-commerce model. However, running a business online can differ dramatically from running a physical store, and it may require new approaches to and new mindsets about selling and advertising goods. To help make the transition easier, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council experts share their best advice for moving into the e-commerce space. Follow their tips to get your online business up and running the right way — the first time.

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Businesses need systems and processes to maintain quality and efficiency in their operations. Systemization helps to communicate to your team how you'd like your business to be effectively run and provides a clear model for them to follow. However, busy entrepreneurs don't always take the time (or have the time) to put those systems in place. Streamlining common business functions like bookkeeping, marketing and employee onboarding can be extremely beneficial for your business. Below, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council explain which tasks they believe should be systemized and why.

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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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Getting your business noticed online is only getting more challenging, as every day new businesses are opening up and creating more competition for consumer attention. The go-to strategy for many companies, therefore, is to leverage social media to get in front of their target audience and convince them to make a purchase. But the perfect social media ad won’t come about without a little forethought and planning. If you really want to persuade potential customers, consider the following tips as recommended by the members of Young Entrepreneur Council. Implementing these steps could give you a significant leg up on the competition.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council list criteria you should look at when determining the right web host for your business. Having a well-designed, easy-to-use website is vital to ensuring your customers have a good experience with your company. Having a good service to host that website is equally important, though. With the right web hosting service, your site can offer fast loading speeds, reliable and safe connections and many more benefits that will only add to the overall user experience — and your bottom line.  When selecting a web hosting service, however, you’ll need to be mindful of the various features and options. Below, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council list the top 11 criteria they believe entrepreneurs should consider when researching the best web hosts for their businesses.

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There may come a time during your entrepreneurial journey when you need to decide whether or not to sell. Maybe business is booming and sales are thriving — so how will you know when it's time to hang up your hat and walk away? Regardless of the circumstances, it can often be difficult to see the signs that will lead you to the correct decision for your business. To help, 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council explained what leaders should be looking for as an indication that they should sell their businesses.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss why you might not be seeing a good ROI on your business's mobile app. With the number of shoppers who choose to make their purchases on mobile platforms steadily rising every year, businesses these days would be remiss not to consider building a mobile app to serve their customer bases. Although building such an app aims to increase sales, many businesses might actually find themselves losing money post-launch. Many factors can affect this sales dip, but the members of Young Entrepreneur Council have narrowed down their top 11 reasons why you might not be seeing the ROI you’d hoped for after building your mobile app. Below, they explain what you can do to turn the situation around for the better.

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Many employees set out with dreams of climbing the company ladder and someday becoming part of the executive leadership team. But the journey to the C-suite is filled with obstacles that young professionals might not expect when they first start out.  Below, nine Young Entrepreneur Council members shared their advice for aspiring business leaders looking to land that executive promotion. Follow their recommendations to give yourself the best chance at upward career movement.

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When it comes to creating a successful marketing strategy, you don’t always need to reinvent the wheel. Sometimes a few small changes can have a huge impact on your ROI.  To that end, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members shared their top eight tips to help business leaders quickly level up their marketing strategy. Below, they discuss what makes these simple strategies so effective.

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As a business owner, you want your customers to be satisfied with your service or product. When they aren't, and decide to leave a negative review, it's easy to take that personally—but it's also a potential learning opportunity. It's important to respond to bad reviews in a respectful manner and to learn from what your customers are trying to communicate. Sometimes, you may learn that you just can't please everyone with your business or that you might need to let go of some customers. Below, eight Young Entrepreneur Council members shared some of the lessons they've learned from negative reviews and how those experiences helped them become better leaders.

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Launching a new company often involves a lot of moving parts and a number of different hats an entrepreneur must wear in order to get the business off the ground. With so many tasks that need to get done, new entrepreneurs can be left feeling overwhelmed with a mounting to-do list and no sense of direction for what needs to be prioritized first. Is it sales? Social media? Designing the right logo? Building a website? The members of Young Entrepreneur Council suggest the answer may not be what you expect. Below, they list out eight of the tasks you should be spending more of your time on as you’re launching your business and explain why those tasks are so key to your future success as a business owner.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council list the industries they think should make better use of augmented and virtual reality technology. As consumers eschewed brick-and-mortar stores for online shopping and as people distanced themselves from each other, businesses needed new solutions to fill the gaps brought on by Covid-19. Although augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) existed before the pandemic, they were catapulted into the mainstream by necessity, and many adaptations and adoptions have been made since the start of the lockdowns. As our world gets used to living more digitally, even industries that once seemed to have no use for AR or VR could find benefits from the technologies. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members lists a few of those industries and why they believe they could benefit from these innovative technologies.

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Many professionals look for meaning and purpose in their work—their "true calling." Passion is a great motivator for business owners, and being intentional with your work will help generate great outcomes. If you have a specific mission and vision in place, you have something to return to any time you feel stuck in your business. However, your purpose doesn't have to be extravagant and grand; it can be as simple as you'd like it to be. Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared their own personal career callings and how following those paths has impacted their business journeys.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss how to leverage tech to meet diversity, equity and inclusion goals. Technology has clear uses in business, whether it’s to create more engaging marketing content or to track annual sales revenue. But one area where its use might not be so obvious is with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). As employers and employees alike are putting increased focus on this area, however, technology can be leveraged to both meet DEI goals and create new initiatives. But how exactly can technology be used to drive progress in this area? Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members list a few of the ways in which technology can be used to advance diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and explain why leaders should take advantage of these benefits now.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council recommend upgrading your business software or hardware when you notice these signs. A business can only be as successful as the tools it uses to conduct that business — which means that having the right technology at your disposal is vital to your ability to please your customers and succeed in the long term. Trying to make due with outdated or inefficient technology may save you money upfront, but the effects of this can build up to major problems down the line. So how will you know when it’s time to upgrade? Below, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council share 11 clear signs you can look for that will indicate it’s time to update your current technology and improve your productivity.

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While some entrepreneurs are content with one business under their belts, there are many others who run two, three or even several businesses all at once. Some business owners are simply brimming with ideas and, at some point, they may find themselves itching to launch their next venture. Others see success in their first business and want to replicate it. If you're contemplating serial entrepreneurship, it's important to make sure you're up for the challenge. To help you make this decision, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss some clear signs that you may be ready to get your next business off the ground.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council suggest the information you should try to find when researching your business’s competition. Every business faces competition. In order to succeed in the marketplace, companies must do what they can to stand out from each other. An important step in this process is analyzing the competition to figure out what they do well — and what they don’t — so you have a better idea of where your company stands and what you need to do to get ahead. To help get you started, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared a list of helpful pieces of data or information you’ll want to find out when studying your competition and why those things will help you succeed.

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Many studies show that demonstrating employee appreciation boosts morale and promotes loyalty. However, with so much "busyness" in a typical day-to-day work environment, it can be difficult to remember to slow down and show that appreciation. Birthdays, work anniversaries and milestone accomplishments are perfect opportunities to celebrate and thank your employees for their contributions. Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss ways to express your gratitude to employees during these events or on any special-occasion basis.

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As a business leader, you'll have to say "no" a lot, whether it's to an employee, a client or a potentially lucrative business opportunity. However, it can be difficult for some leaders to decline a request and risk disappointing others. Because turning people down is often part of a leader's job description, it's important to develop a healthy mindset about saying "no" and understand that it all comes down to making a sound business decision. To help you do this, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council gave their best advice for getting comfortable with saying "no."

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council list the tech skills company founders need to get their businesses off the ground. Even if you’re not opening up a technology-based business, it’s hard to open any kind of business today without at least a few basic tech skills under your belt. And while hiring help for more difficult technical projects down the line is both acceptable and recommended, when you’re just starting out, odds are you’ll need to tackle technology on your own first. However, you don’t need to be a tech genius to get started. Below, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council list a few of the basic skills all company founders should have to start a business and explain how these skills will get you up and running successfully.

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January is a time when many professionals and businesses set goals and company resolutions for the year ahead. However, even the most well-intentioned may lose sight of their goals as the year goes on. The key to following through with your business's big annual goals is measuring your progress each week, month and quarter. To help you do this, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council each provided an effective solution for tracking progress on your department-specific goals over the next 12 months.

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Strong, clear communication is a must when it comes to manager-employee relationships, but certain behaviors can work against you. Strong communication skills can help anyone thrive in a business environment, but when it comes to managing employees, they are absolutely essential. An effective communication strategy can help leaders optimize the flow of information within their organization and keep teams on track.  Below, 12 Young Entrepreneur Council members shared some of the biggest communication mistakes managers make. Follow their advice for avoiding these common errors and setting up stronger lines of communication with your team.

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Even if you're not feeling on top of your game, you can still use these "fake it 'til you make it" tips. When candidates are interviewing for a job, confidence is key. Employers want to see that you know your stuff and that your skills and qualifications are up to par. However, it can be hard to have confidence while under pressure. Fortunately, there are some strategies and tips that can help you present a confident, collected demeanor, regardless of how you feel inside. Below, 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council share how these methods work to help candidates perform better during interviews.

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With 2021 now at a close, it's the perfect time of year to start looking forward to the year ahead and setting goals for success. As you set your personal resolutions, don't forget to focus on your career aspirations for the coming year too. From earning a promotion to taking the lead on a project or upping your skills in a specific area, there are plenty of career goals you can set for 2022. Below, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their top tips for anyone who wants to crush their career goals in the year ahead.

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Modern entrepreneurs know the importance of using social media to grow their business. It can be a great way for business owners to connect with customers and expand their company’s reach. As social media’s relevance has grown, so have the benefits of using popular platforms like Instagram to reach your target audience. To help you make the most of your business Instagram account, members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer their best advice for engaging and retaining followers. Follow their recommendations to take your Instagram game to the next level.

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As many professionals continue to leave their jobs in favor of new ones, employee turnover has been steadily rising, meaning many HR professionals have been working harder than normal. Whether that means fielding more applications, serving as a mediator when letting go of an employee or listening to burned out employees vent about their working conditions, HR teams often take the brunt of the emotional work at many establishments. This may mean that HR employees need more support from leaders and upper management during periods of high turnover. From offering additional time off to providing educational development tools, seven Young Entrepreneur Council members shared the best ways business leaders can support their HR departments in their endeavors.

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Investing in employee training and development is a great retention tool to ensure continued growth within your company. In the era of the “Great Resignation,” every employer is wondering how to hang on to their best employees. One smart approach is encapsulated by Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, who once said, "Train people well enough so they can leave and treat them well enough so they don't want to."  The two key lessons in this mantra are that employers should invest in employee development and also give them a supportive, collaborative environment in which they can fully utilize their skills. This type of workplace, whether in person or virtual, promotes employee loyalty and continued long-term growth within the company. Below, a group of business leaders shared their interpretation of Branson's quote with some practical tips for boosting retention through training initiatives.

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During the holidays, business owners are pulled in all different directions. Both customers’ and employees’ needs change during this time, and leaders are often left to figure out how to balance them out. With the increased demand and added chaos from the holiday shopping season, this can be a tough task; however, there are steps business leaders can take to ensure they’re keeping everyone happy. Below, nine Young Entrepreneur Council members share some tips for business owners looking to meet the needs of their teams and their customers throughout the season and into the new year.

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The new year always brings with it the desire to make changes and resolutions that will better both yourself and your company. It can be exciting to look back at all that you've achieved in a year and look ahead to what else you can do in the future. Maybe there are certain projects your team didn't get to that you hope to complete, or goals you didn't quite reach that seem even more achievable now. While "new year" projects are an exciting prospect, it can also be overwhelming to try to accomplish so many new goals and initiatives at once. Below, nine Young Entrepreneur Council members shared their best advice for prioritizing and planning during Q1.

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Sometimes, all you need is a little boost to get yourself and your goals on the right track. While some people are naturally driven to accomplish their goals, not everybody is as motivated. Although it isn’t always easy, getting motivated can push you forward and help you advance in the world. That’s why it helps to have some go-to strategies for giving yourself a boost of confidence and energy. As successful business leaders, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council have learned and developed some effective self-motivation techniques to kickstart their drive and passion. Below, they share these techniques and describe how they can help you excel in your career and life. Q. How can someone become a more driven person? What's one unique technique they can use to self-motivate and find the drive to excel in their career and life?

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer ways professionals can leverage social media when job hunting. Social media plays a big part in all our lives, including our work. Many employers have been known to research potential hires online before committing to a hiring decision, and so what candidates post to their social media profiles can either have a positive or negative impact on their prospects. But candidates can also take control of their job search by using social media to their advantage. To explain, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members discuss 12 ways professionals can leverage social media to find the right job for them.

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Building a positive company culture is crucial, especially with so many businesses shifting to a permanent remote work model. Employees want to work in an environment where they feel accepted and appreciated. When they feel this way, employees are more likely to be motivated and work efficiently. To help you build a great culture regardless of where your employees are, there are a few important factors your business needs to get right. Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared the essential elements you’ll find in company cultures that get people excited to come to work.

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High turnover rates are a tell-tale sign that something is wrong within your business. Whether the turnover rate is in a specific department or company-wide, it’s important for business leaders to address the issues that are occurring to prevent any further issues.  Not addressing a high turnover rate can be problematic for a business and will likely lead to an unsuccessful team, a bad reputation, and low company morale. To help leaders better understand what’s happening, 10 Young Entrepreneur Council members recommended some steps a business leader should take to investigate what is going on in the company and solve the root issue.

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In the chaos and busyness of the holiday rush, it can be easy to spend so much time focusing on your customers and how you can best meet their needs that you lose track of how your employees are handling the stress. The holidays are one of the most stressful times of year for many companies, and taking time to check in on the mental health and well-being of your employees can ensure you have a thriving workforce to help your business succeed. Below, seven members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss some of the steps you can take to ensure your employees are happy and healthy this holiday season.

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Many product-based companies want to be carried by major retailers, but with so much competition, only a select few ever achieve that goal. Landing your product in a major retail store will take a lot of time and persuasion, and you’ll have to be able to demonstrate why your product is worth a retailer’s shelf space.  To help entrepreneurs sell their product to a big retail store, 10 Young Entrepreneur Council members shared their best advice. Here, they offer important steps an entrepreneur can take to get their product on shelves nationally and even globally.

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When your team is feeling uninspired, try these activities and initiatives designed to boost morale. High morale can ensure your team stays motivated and engaged through the "daily grind." From hosting virtual happy hours to organizing an escape room outing, the effects of team-building activities can strengthen the bonds between teammates and create unexpected benefits within the workplace. This more collaborative work culture can lead to a more diverse set of solutions leaders might not have anticipated. Below, 14 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared their top-recommended team activities for keeping everyone motivated. Follow their suggestions to take a more proactive approach to company-wide team building, even when people feel stuck in a day-to-day rut.

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Due to their dispersed nature, remote companies are tasked with finding innovative ways to remain transparent and keep communication flowing throughout the business. When teammates and whole departments aren’t able to interact together in person, the way they communicate must adapt. But when communication breaks down, information silos can develop, leading to confusion and low morale. In this way, it's especially important for all-remote companies to keep team members connected and informed as much as possible. Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council share the essential steps that all-remote companies can take to keep information silos from forming and instead keep communication flowing between departments and across the company.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council list some struggles business leaders face with digital marketing and how to overcome them. Consumers are spending more time online, visiting more platforms than ever before. Therefore, digital marketing is an important way to spread brand awareness and convert potential customers. But with so many evolving trends in digital marketing, keeping up and mastering best practices isn’t always easy. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members discusses some of the common hurdles entrepreneurs face when dealing with digital marketing and offer their advice on overcoming them.

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YouTube is one of the top social media platforms in the world. As such, it provides a plethora of untapped potential for many businesses. Whether you're a new business looking for ways to establish an online presence or have been on the platform a while but haven't been able to figure out how to tap into the potential it has to offer, once you know how to use it effectively, you're sure to grow your following. There are several ways a company can leverage YouTube to grow its customer base. Here, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council share the most effective strategies they know to help companies achieve the results they need.

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Part of creating a successful team is getting them to buy in on your company’s mission, vision and goals. Those employees who do this are likely to develop an “ownership mindset” in which they feel that they have ownership over their responsibilities and outcomes and are more willing to do what is necessary to accomplish tasks. But getting every employee to feel this way can come with its own set of hurdles, so how can leaders encourage their team members to have an ownership mindset, no matter their job description? Below, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council list some tips for leaders looking to achieve this very goal.

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No matter how well-aligned two business partners may be, there will inevitably be times when they don't see eye to eye. However, when larger issues arise and the partners are no longer on the same page, it's critical for both parties to get back on track to resolve their conflict. Otherwise, they risk making decisions (or making no decisions at all) that could ultimately harm the business and its culture. If you and your business partner can't seem to agree on an important issue, first remember that you're working toward the same goal: the good of the company. Then, try these 15 strategies recommended by Young Entrepreneur Council members for realigning with your partner and resolving conflict.

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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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Since the many layoffs, firings and career pivots of 2020, many professionals have turned their sights toward entrepreneurship. Alongside the attraction of working for oneself came the opportunity to start fresh in a new space and maybe even a new industry altogether. For women, who were disproportionately affected by the economic impact of the pandemic, that meant the chance to enter fields which have historically been lacking female voices. According to a panel of female entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council, the following seven business opportunities are areas which could strongly benefit from the involvement of other female professionals. If you’re a woman in business, consider making a difference in one or more of these sectors and lending your voice to the conversation.

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Everyone has certain biases, but making an objective business decision requires you to recognize and set aside those perceptions. Human beings are biased by nature. Each of us forms opinions about the world based on the experiences we've had and the backgrounds we come from.  While bias itself is not inherently bad, it's important for entrepreneurs to understand their own unconscious biases and work to eliminate them from their business decisions to ensure the fairest outcomes for all involved. Below, a group of successful entrepreneurs shared their best tips for recognizing your own biases and removing them from your decision-making process. Follow their advice to achieve greater objectivity within your company.

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As the leader of a growing business, you might be tempted to set your goals high and hold your employees to meeting them. You and your team likely have a ton of great ideas and are eager to pursue each of them, but aiming too high can actually be detrimental to your business's growth and success. Rather than setting unattainable standards for yourself and your employees, take your time when developing your business and each worker's path to ensure sustainable, measured growth. Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared ways to set realistic business goals that will still stretch limitations and build your team’s skills.

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In an era when cybercrime and data breaches are more prevalent than ever, businesses can't afford to ignore data security. From phishing and ransomware attacks to careless password practices, there are countless ways for thieves to penetrate your company's digital walls and access sensitive information. That's why all businesses should implement any strategies they can to improve the security of their company data. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members offered some quick and easy solutions that will help you shore up your defenses. Follow their tips to make your business more secure.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share some important qualities companies should look for in their CTO candidates. Because the chief technology officer position is so important, you need to ensure that the right person assumes the role. A CTO needs to not only have a strong command of technology, but also project management, organization and team dynamics, among other things. If you’re hiring a CTO for the first time, you may not know exactly what to look for when reviewing applications and interviewing job candidates. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members shared 14 traits they look for when hiring a CTO and why each quality is so essential to the job. 

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You don’t have to wait to start your journey toward success. People often say that the key to success is to become a lifelong learner. This is because as you continue to learn new things throughout your life and career, you’re better able to adapt, innovate and grow — all of which are necessary components to a successful business. And continued curiosity around your passions can make for a fulfilling life. To get started, follow these steps recommended by the members of Young Entrepreneur Council and begin your journey to becoming a lifelong learner today.

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When a new business owner sets up their first company social media accounts, they may not be aware of how intentional they actually need to be with their social media strategy. While on the surface social media marketing may seem simple, it actually involves a lot of careful consideration and complex methods that businesses will want to follow in order to be successful. Once you understand the intricacies of social media marketing, however, it becomes easier to share content that keeps your target audience engaged. Staying on top of the game requires constant observation, analysis and tweaking of strategies, so below, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared the most common mistakes they've noticed new businesses making on social media and how to fix them.

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When an entrepreneur starts a new business, it's never with the intention to give up on it one day. The sad truth, however, is that running a business unfortunately doesn't always equate to success, and a particular business venture may not work out how you’d planned. After trying so hard to make your business successful, it can be difficult to think about moving on to something else or to know exactly when to throw in the towel. To provide some guidance, eight members from Young Entrepreneur Council shared a few of the signs that will show you when your business may no longer be worth your time.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share simple, cost-effective ways companies can build credibility and trust with their customers. As a foundational pillar for business success, consumer trust can make or break a business — and building it from the ground up is no easy feat. With no experience or reputation to back it, a fledgling business can seem questionable and untrustworthy to potential customers. But to build that necessary credibility, new entrepreneurs will have to make the most of their startup budgets. To help set you on the right course, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council provided 13 cost-effective ways new companies can build credibility while earning the trust of their customers.

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Many professionals believe that having a large network is the key to success. However, it's often more crucial to have a few select contacts you can truly count on. These individuals can not only help further your career, but they'll also come through when others won't. Below, nine Young Entrepreneur Council members shared some powerful ways to forge meaningful professional connections. Follow their tips to curate a professional network that will be there when you need them.

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Regular pay raises can show employees how much you appreciate their hard work and can also prevent them from feeling dissatisfied in their current environment. However, it's important to know when a raise will be the most effective and well-earned. That's why a panel of experts from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) weighed in on the following question:

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Your customers can be an invaluable business resource if you know what to ask. Happy customers are the key to any successful business. Ensuring a great customer experience requires sales and customer service teams to speak with customers and find out how they feel. However, your team must know the right questions to ask to gain truly valuable insights from customer conversations. Below, a group of successful entrepreneurs shared eight smart questions sales and customer service reps should be asking their company's customers. Here's what to ask and the potential impact the answer could have on your business's growth.

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Business leaders have a lot of responsibilities. They need to be concerned with operations, finances, company culture and the hiring process, just to name a few. But each leader prioritizes responsibilities differently and responsibilities change from company to company. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members shared what they believe is their most important job as a business leader. Here are the tasks they prioritize and why each one is key to running a successful business.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer their advice on how to stop chasing an imaginary perfection and move forward with your business. Entrepreneurs naturally want their businesses to be as perfect as possible. What many business leaders may not realize, however, is that in striving for perfection, they may actually be doing more harm than good. Leaders who always seek perfection can end up delaying projects, spending unnecessary money, destroying team morale and undermining their own self-confidence if they aren’t careful about how they channel this perfectionism. To provide guidance on how to do just that, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared their best advice for overcoming perfectionism in business.

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A few simple tricks can help you regain that lost motivation. If lately you’ve been feeling disengaged at work, like you’re lacking motivation to complete daily tasks or like you’re just generally unhappy with how your career is going, you may have fallen into a work rut. While easy to fall into, ruts aren’t always easy to get out of, especially if you don’t have the right mindset or the right strategies in place. To provide some guidance, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer 13 tips for how to effectively pull yourself out of a work rut and get reengaged with your career goals. Try these steps to see where your newfound motivation takes you.

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Getting press for your business is important for growth and for your bottom line. The larger the audience that sees or hears about your company in the news, the more potential customers your business brings in. But for smaller businesses or for businesses with smaller budgets, PR and marketing campaigns might not be cost-effective. To support your business’s growth on a budget, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared some easy ways of getting positive publicity and free press coverage. Follow their recommendations to boost awareness of your business for little to no marketing spend.

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Working from home was gaining popularity in the years leading up to the Covid-19 pandemic. As most businesses were then forced to operate remotely during pandemic lockdowns, many people who may not have considered working remotely before got to have a taste of all its benefits. Now, many companies and organizations are choosing to keep operating with a hybrid workforce as a permanent solution. As leaders accept hybrid workforces as the new normal, they need to establish solid company cultures that revolve around working with in-office and remote teams simultaneously. Below, seven members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their thoughts on how to build a solid company culture with a hybrid workforce and talk about overcoming any challenges that leaders might face while doing so.

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Every decision you make in business will have its consequences. While you always want to make decisions that will result in positive outcomes, things don't always go as well as you hoped they would. In this way, it's important for a leader to take the time to think through a potential decision before committing to it.  Thankfully, there are some important questions you can ask yourself to help you gain clarity on a decision before you make it. Below, members of Young Entrepreneur Council share the questions they always ask before making any major business decisions for their companies and how those questions help them make better decisions overall.

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As a leader with a lot of responsibility on your shoulders, you'll likely experience many moments that cause you anxiety or fear. Whether you're battling imposter syndrome or simply taking on too much work, it's easy to feel like you're just treading water. Thankfully, there are ways you can address these stressors and insecurities to become the most empowered leader possible. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members shared some "brain hacks" to help leaders overcome these fearful moments. Follow their advice to help you move forward in your business with confidence.

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As your company grows, you might face challenges maintaining the same level of transparency across departments and teams as you had when your company was small. However, doing so is crucial to cultivating a healthy company culture with every employee on the same page. A big part of promoting transparency is ensuring clear communication between all departments, especially when it comes to shared projects and goals. To help you do this, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council explained how to achieve the right level of communication and transparency.

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The happiness of its employees can make all the difference in a company's success. The success of a business largely relies on growing sales, stellar customer service and, just as importantly, the positive attitude of its employees. Happy employees are likely more engaged, productive and willing to learn than unhappy ones. This means that team motivation and productivity can skyrocket under the right conditions, but how do you get your employees to that level? As a leader, it's important for you to promote the mental well-being of your employees if you want to see business thrive. Below, 14 members of Young Entrepreneur Council share the ways in which employers can help support the positive mental health of their employees and why it's so important to do.

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After more than a year of staying at home, many people are excited to travel again -- including entrepreneurs. In fact, getting some space from your business can really help clear your mind and prevent burnout. However, many business owners are still facing lingering challenges due to the pandemic, and it can be difficult to find time to step away from work. With the right planning and delegation tactics, though, business owners can indeed enjoy a much-needed vacation. To help, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared tips for making it a little easier to take time off this year.

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There's a lot of planning that goes into designing the look of a retail store. While you definitely want to add style elements that are expressive of your brand, you also need to consider your target customers. A well-designed store will not only attract more customers, but can also lead to higher sales. To help you figure out the most important aspects to consider when designing your retail store, 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) answered the following question:

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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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Garnering tons of social media engagement sometimes requires an out-of-the-box approach. Having a strong social media presence is a must-have for entrepreneurs, as this is where most consumers search for or connect with businesses. However, it isn’t enough just to have an active account. To really reap the benefits of social media marketing, you must actively engage with your followers.  To help companies better leverage their social media presence, 14 Young Entrepreneur Council members share some effective, yet potentially unconventional ways companies can maintain and boost engagement with their audience.

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Getting involved in your local community is an easy way to build relationships and find loyal customers for your business. Hosting a community event can help you kick-start these relationships, but events can be expensive, and a new small business may not have the resources necessary to host one. To help small businesses find some effective yet budget-friendly event solutions, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) members answered the following question:

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Now more than ever, people are skeptical about the products and services they want to purchase. Prospects will spend a lot of time researching everything there is to know about a brand before they commit. With technology to the point where augmented reality and virtual reality can be applied to a website easily—and at low cost—many brands and businesses are using it in different ways to enhance their websites' user experience. Here, members of Young Entrepreneur Council share some of the ways any company can use augmented reality and virtual reality for their sites.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss some major issues with the e-commerce experience. In 2020 alone, e-commerce sales worldwide reached a total of nearly $4.3 trillion, and it continues to be one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. However, that doesn't mean consumers are always happy with their online shopping experience. From lack of product information on e-commerce websites to slow page speeds, customers have spotted holes in the e-commerce experience providers should be filling. To help e-commerce companies create better customer experiences, 12 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared the biggest pain points customers face and potential solutions companies can implement.

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Everyone has to start somewhere when building their skills. Here's where to begin if you want to lead. When someone thinks of leadership skills, they may think of decisiveness, the ability to delegate and problem-solving. Each of these skills can go a long way in career and personal development. However, not everyone always knows how to develop those skills or where to turn to for advice.  Whether you want to be a leader or just start taking a more active role in your life, consider this advice from the members of Young Entrepreneur Council. Below, each shared one action you can take to start improving your leadership skills today and how they might help you in other aspects of your life and career.

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Learning how to speak up in a group and make your voice heard is an essential professional skill. Anyone who's worked on a group project knows how difficult it can be to ensure each person's thoughts and opinions are heard. When there's a lively discussion happening, there will always be a few people who dominate the conversation and try to take the lead. However, it's important to be able to politely interject and advocate for your ideas. To help you do this, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members shared their best insights. Here's how they recommend making your voice heard in a group setting, and why doing so is an important skill for all professionals and entrepreneurs.

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Weekly standups and regular reports are great ways for leaders to check in with their teams. These are times to briefly share updates and ask about any concerns or questions the team may have before the day or week begins. But while many companies know that checking in with their teams on a regular basis is a positive thing, some may just be hosting these meetings as a way of going through the motions. In order to get the most out of these meetings, you have to be intentional, which is why 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council each shared one thing leaders can do to make weekly standups more useful and meaningful for them and their team members.

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A public relations crisis is a common incident many companies face at some point. The lasting impact of the incident is not so much about the crisis itself, but the way it’s handled. In the midst of the crisis, it’s important to approach your audience and the issue at hand with careful consideration. This is often achieved by delivering the right communication at the right time through the right medium, such as your social media channels. Below, 15 members of YEC shared some of the ways you can use social media to help resolve negative PR situations as they occur.

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Communication breakdowns can occur at any time and in any work environment, but can seem especially prevalent in remote work situations. While remote work has its own unique benefits, it also means employees and managers are relying more on written, phone or video communication and less on the in-person communication and body language cues that can be so helpful for clarity.  So when that clarity is muddled and an employee is consistently feeling like they and their manager aren't on the same page about a project or expectations, what route should the employee take to remedy the situation moving forward? To provide the answer, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members offer eight ways employees can seek to resolve this miscommunication and gain more clarity in the future.

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Fear is a paralyzing emotion and can stop even the most experienced business owners in their tracks. For entrepreneurs — who count on moving forward as a way to keep their businesses thriving — letting fear get out of hand can be debilitating.  But like any business leader, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council have had their fair share of fears throughout their own entrepreneurial journeys. Below, 13 members shared what they've been most afraid of as entrepreneurs and how they’ve changed their mindsets to reduce the impact of those fears on their businesses.

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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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Transparency is often boasted as a defining quality of successful business leaders. Oftentimes it helps team members feel valued and comfortable enough to share their own opinions. But can too much transparency have negative effects on company operations and employee morale? Keeping information from being distracting or detrimental to the workplace requires evaluating the situation to determine when you should be a transparent leader. Here, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council share when it's time to draw a line on being open with positive and negative news.

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Digital receipts, online bank statements and cloud-based document storage are the norm in today's business world. Some business owners may wonder whether they truly need physical copies of any documents at all these days. However, some important documents should always exist in both physical and digital form.  To that end, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) members answered the following question:

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Chatbots can enhance the customer experience on your company website if they’re designed well. But all too often, these little bots have features that disrupt the user experience, resulting in bounces and a feeling of poor customer service. Avoid creating annoying and frustrating customer experiences with chatbots by following the insights from these 10 YEC professionals. They’ve pinpointed the most irritating features and designs of chatbots and offered ways to instead maximize their usefulness.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss characteristics all top tech companies share and why. All companies start off in the same place—no clients, no reputation, no proven track record of success—but when you think of any top tech company, there’s usually a reason why they made it there.  As technology continues to progress and the need for technology companies grows, more and more business leaders are going to be looking for ways to emulate that success. To take some of the guesswork out of the equation, these 12 leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council discuss the traits all successful tech companies seem to have in common and why. Consider these traits when determining the right path to success for your business.

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One of the most common complaints in the business world is about being forced to attend unnecessary meetings. Nobody wants to sit through an in-person meeting or video conference to hear things that could have instead been summed up in an email message. To help business leaders run more purposeful meetings, we asked 15 members of Young Entrepreneur Council to share their best tips for how to make meetings more efficient and useful.

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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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Among the many major impacts the pandemic has had on the status quo, none have so disproportionately affected women quite like its impact on the labor force. Whether they were laid off, furloughed or forced to choose between family and work when alternative child care was no longer an option, millions of women left the workforce during the pandemic, outpacing the rate at which men were leaving. And not all of them are coming back. But from entry-level workers to solopreneurs and CEOs, women make up an important segment of the workforce, and to encourage women to return, these six leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council have a few ideas in mind. Below, they outline a few of the steps companies can take to remedy some of the ongoing women’s issues brought to light by the pandemic and how to better support women in the workplace moving forward.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their best tech hacks for getting time back in your workweek. With today’s abundance of technology, working professionals have more options than ever for streamlining their days. There are countless tools and devices that increase efficiency in the workplace, and it's often easy to start implementing them in your daily routine. It's just a matter of knowing how to leverage those tools for maximum productivity. Below, 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared some simple, yet effective ways to use tech to shave hours off your workweek. Here’s why these hacks are so helpful and how you can implement them for yourself.

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Gauging how happy and fulfilled employees are in their jobs is important for small business leaders to do in order to determine the health and strength of their businesses. The more satisfied employees are, the more likely they'll stay with the company long term and the higher their productivity will be. But how can you know if your staff is enjoying their work, especially when they may not feel comfortable expressing their true feelings with their superiors? To help, 10 small business experts from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) answered the following question:

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While social media is a popular way for people to connect with friends and share entertainment, it’s also a great way for businesses to market their products and services. But for businesses that haven’t yet cracked the code on going viral, building a solid social media presence can seem like an unreachable goal.  For these eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council, succeeding on social media doesn’t have to mean creating a complicated strategy; it’s about fundamentals. Below, they outline some of the smartest moves they’ve made and how you can replicate them to find your own social media success.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their best tips for marketing your newly launched mobile app. When launching a new app, you’ll want to invest your time, money and effort into marketing it. Otherwise, you won’t reach your intended audience or boost your sales. If people don’t know about your app, they likely won’t be able to find it or won’t feel inclined to try it out.  To that end, 13 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared marketing tactics a company can use to get people excited about their new application before and after launch. Here’s what they recommend and why these methods work so well.

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When looking for a new job, getting an offer is only half the battle. The most nerve-wracking part of the process may come when it's time to negotiate the offered salary. Many don’t know how to do it and many more are simply too afraid to ask for fear of appearing pushy. However, negotiation doesn’t have to be an intimidating process. To help, seven members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their best pieces of advice for negotiating your salary after receiving a job offer. Here are their recommended strategies and why they believe more job seekers should follow them.

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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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Everyone experiences changes in their lives, whether big or small, and the stress that comes along with these changes can either hurt you or allow you to grow stronger. One of the best ways to manage this stress is to learn to be more adaptable. When you're able to adapt, you're less likely to feel stressed by minor or major changes that happen in life. Here, 13 members of Young Entrepreneur Council explain how you can adapt to whatever comes your way so you can fight off the stress of new circumstances.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council predict which industries AI is likely to have a major impact on in the near future. Artificial intelligence has already had a major impact on the tech industry. The numerous products and applications that now run on AI have allowed businesses and consumers alike to streamline everyday tasks and save valuable time and effort. As AI becomes more readily available, it will continue to become more prominent in other industries. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council experts shared which fields they believe artificial intelligence will disrupt next and why. Keep an eye out for AI-powered trends in these 14 industries.

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One of the best ways to learn how to manage your employees is to ask them questions. If you pose the right questions, you'll get to know what motivates your employees and what their goals are. You can then use this information to manage them more effectively and help them succeed in their jobs. To help you figure out which questions to ask, 12 business leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) respond to a question of their own:

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A positive role model is someone others want to emulate and follow, and successful entrepreneurs often become — sometimes unknowingly — the role models for other professionals. Whether it’s at work or in their personal lives, these leading entrepreneurs become a focus of attention because they have qualities that aspiring founders strive to replicate. The members of Young Entrepreneur Council recognize, however, that in order to be positive role models for others they need to work on being the best versions of themselves as well. Below, 13 of them share some ways you can work to become a great role model not only for other people, but also for yourself.

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As a new small business, engaging your community is crucial to getting your business off the ground. The goal is to nurture lasting relationships that will drive your revenue and increase brand awareness; however, forming genuine connections with members of your community requires strategy and patience. To help you do this, 15 members of Young Entrepreneur Council answered the following question:

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Newcomers to the world of business ownership may have a hard time navigating all the requirements and challenges of setting up their first company. If you’re just starting out, finding another founder who has been through it and can provide sound advice may be worthwhile. With industries evolving so quickly these days, though, it could be difficult to find someone who understands your target market very well. When planning to open your new business, the first steps you take are crucial. Doing the right thing from the get-go can give entrepreneurs an advantage, as they can get up and running that much sooner. To help, 12 experts from Young Entrepreneur Council shared key first steps to take to ensure that your company achieves long-term success.

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Sometimes an employee just doesn’t work out within an organization and needs to be let go. Firing an employee is a task that needs to be handled with delicacy and care, and the process can be intimidating for someone who has never been responsible for terminating an employee before. If you find yourself in this situation, follow this advice from the members of Young Entrepreneur Council:

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One of the best ways to keep a business innovative and growing healthily is for leaders to set tangible goals for teams. To motivate teams to accomplish their goals, it helps to assess the progress toward meeting them on a quarterly basis. This way, at the end of every quarter, the whole team can look back and track the progress they’ve made, see what still needs to happen and prepare for the quarter ahead. To help, 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared tips for assessing accomplishments at the end each quarter so that you can plan or revise strategic goals. gear up for the next one and keep your company on course.

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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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With so many people accustomed to working in remote environments, businesses no longer need a centralized location to find success. If they make strategic choices about which technologies to adopt, ambitious entrepreneurs can launch, run and grow a successful business right from their own home. One important part of the equation in building a home-based business is having the right tech tools in place. Below, ten members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss key ways for entrepreneurs to leverage technology to help their home-based business thrive. Follow their tips to set yours up for success.

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A successful business sale takes careful planning and preparation, so make sure you're ready before you start negotiations. For many entrepreneurs, selling the company they built from the ground up is a lucrative opportunity that will set them up for retirement or their next business venture. However, a successful sale is not as simple as finding a buyer and signing some paperwork. There's a lot of preparation and planning that goes into an acquisition, and any founder who wants to sell their company must be ready for that process. Below, a group of entrepreneurs shared eight best practices founders should follow when they're looking to sell their business. Follow their recommendations to ensure a smooth transition into the next phase of your career journey.

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Return on investment is one of the most critical metrics any company can track. Knowing the ROI of each company function makes it easier to make key business decisions. Measuring the return on customer service investments can be especially helpful in improving your service and experience. However, it's not always clear how to distill those numbers in actionable ways. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members discusses the most effective ways to make customer service ROI figures more measurable and impactful for a business.

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Getting recognized by peers can significantly increase a business’s exposure, potentially resulting in increased visibility and more customers. However, not all awards are worth the time and effort to apply to them. Some of them don't carry a lot of weight with other experts in the field, some you may not even qualify for and others try to get businesses to pay them for consideration. But which ones are worth it? To offer their best advice, 10 professionals from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) respond to the following question:

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share some important insights every entry-level tech candidate should know before joining the field. You’ve completed your education and training, you’ve done research on the job market and you’re ready to start applying for positions in the tech industry. But before you do, it's important to know how the industry operates. Like every industry, the technology sector is unique, but it's also evolving and advancing quickly, which means hopeful candidates will constantly need to evolve their skills in tandem. Keeping these facts in mind will allow you to not only find the best-fit position for you, but also map out how your career may look in the future. Below, 13 members of Young Entrepreneur Council share a few other insights job candidates will need to keep in mind if they want to enter and succeed in the tech space.

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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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Not every online storefront is the same and, when looking to set up and maintain their own online store, business owners can end up spending hours researching various components, add-ons, features and capabilities to find the right software to use.  So what unique features should business owners be zeroing in on? What capabilities are likely to come in handy after the store is up and running? Here, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss some of the most valuable online store management software features and why these elements are so vital to online business owners.

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When a business posts a job online, it aims to garner the interest of the most qualified professionals in the field. Just like advertising, getting the job in front of the right eyes is crucial to its success. But with thousands upon thousands of job postings out there, what can a business do to ensure that their online job listing doesn't get buried under the clutter? To share their insights, nine experts from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) answered the following question:

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council explain what every prospective smart home system owner should think about before making an investment. From video doorbells to smart locks to thermostats, smart home systems can be incredibly beneficial for homeowners. They can make tasks simpler and make your home run more efficiently. However, there are a few things homeowners should know before installing one. To help you prepare for this investment, 13 members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss what they believe all consumers should know before purchasing a smart home system. Keep these insights in mind as you're shopping for your next device.

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From ramping up online offerings to implementing new health and safety protocols, the Covid-19 pandemic has transformed the way people do business—especially for physical retail stores navigating the future of post-pandemic shopping. While it can be challenging for companies to pivot their operations based on customers’ changing needs and expectations, it can also serve as a unique opportunity for growth. To help you thoughtfully transform your in-store experience, 12 members of Young Entrepreneur Council answered the following question:

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As it has with many other parts of running a business, technology has granted business leaders the tools that can make recruiting a much simpler process. Today’s tech can help gather and sort applications, offer communication tools to ensure recruiters have a safe and secure location to speak with their potential hires and many of them even provide contract services that can help speed up onboarding. But with so many options to pick from, these recruitment tools aren't necessarily known to everyone. Below, 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss the most valuable software and solutions they use in their recruitment processes and why these tools help get the right talent into their businesses.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their predictions for upcoming advances in encryption tech. Privacy and security are becoming increasingly important in today’s highly digital business world. With many employees working remotely and technology rapidly advancing, encryption technology will need to advance just as quickly. To that end, 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared what they predict will be some of the next big steps in encryption technology in the near future. Keep an eye on these developments to see what kind of effect they’ll have on privacy and security for you and your business.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council explain the first steps a business should take upon discovering a negative review. No one likes to receive bad reviews or negative feedback from customers. Often, business owners may feel they’re personal attacks or a competitor trying to start trouble. Rather than responding with patience and an open mind, some businesses lash out and become defensive. While it may feel justified in the moment, the only thing you're doing is adding fuel to the fire—and potentially making the customer angrier.  If you want to handle a negative review tactfully and efficiently, try one of these strategies recommended by the members of Young Entrepreneur Council.

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Getting quality guest posts on your website is one of the most effective ways to ensure that your brand gains added visibility. The more high-quality sites post to yours, the better search engines will rank you and the more positive relationships you’ll build. However, if you want to get a top publication’s name on your website, you’ll need to convince them your site is worth their effort. So how does a marketer best approach a site to write a guest post? Below, 10 experts from YEC discuss the best techniques for reaching out to a popular publication to guest post on your website and explain why their methods work so well.

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In addition to the position itself, company benefits are one of the most important elements that candidates carefully consider when gauging whether they want to join a company. Once an employee is on board, these perks can also play a role in whether or not an employee chooses to stay and whether they get the sense that the company values their contributions. To help leaders determine which benefits to offer, 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) explore the following question:

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Whether you’re a business leader or just someone trying to improve their life, surrounding yourself with positive people can be an important part of personal development. Aside from offering support when you most need it, positive people can also challenge you to grow and evolve as an individual, all while giving you the confidence you need to take action. But how do you find these positive people and make them a part of your inner circle? Twelve experts from Young Entrepreneur Council examine some of the steps you can take to locate and attract positive people to stand in your corner and challenge you to grow in both your personal and professional lives.

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When you're running an organization, communication breakdowns can lead to severe efficiency and productivity problems. While smaller teams may be able to quickly deal with the difficulties of communication inefficiency, this problem becomes harder to solve as the business grows and evolves. Cross-departmental communication is at the heart of a business's ability to respond to issues effectively. Without proper communication channels, the business runs the risk of losing customers and appearing unprofessional. So how can a company make sure that all its departments are on the same page? Seven members of Young Entrepreneur Council recommend a few tips you can use to ensure your organization's departments are communicating well.

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For many companies, it’s not always clear whether or not they should be responsible for educating their customers about the dangers of cyber attacks and malware. But as cybersecurity becomes a greater threat, even non-tech companies are considering the best ways to communicate these dangers to their customers. But what's the most effective way to do so, given how complex an issue cybersecurity really is? To shed some more light on this topic, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their opinions on whether or not companies have a responsibility to educate consumers about cybersecurity and list some effective ways to go about doing so.

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Entrepreneurs can come from any background, any place and with any experience level. Yet because entrepreneurs task themselves with starting companies to develop solutions and generate value, it’s vital that they have a specific set of skills that help them get the job done. These skills are a necessary part of the entrepreneur’s tool belt. However, there are some skills that are more valuable than others and some that are highly underrated. Here, nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council examine some of the underrated skills that they think entrepreneurs should cultivate, even if others aren’t.

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Many entrepreneurs will concede that their worst problem is overthinking complex decisions. The issue with overthinking is not only that it stifles creativity and innovation; it also erodes your confidence as an entrepreneur and can make you second-guess yourself. In the world of business, this lack of self-confidence could spell disaster. The best way to avoid overthinking is to focus on the problem at hand and recenter yourself, but doing so requires a bit of effort. To help, these 12 experts from Young Entrepreneur Council discuss a few practical ways to recenter yourself and avoid overthinking as an entrepreneur.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer tips for developing effective, sales-boosting e-commerce ads. E-commerce is a great way for a business to boost its sales, especially in today's world of social distancing and online shopping. But with so many businesses gravitating toward e-commerce, the space has become rather crowded. Companies that want to sell online successfully need to maximize their advertising efforts and keep attracting new customers. To help, 12 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared some effective ways to take your e-commerce advertising to the next level. Follow their tips to keep customers coming in your virtual door, even during your off-season.

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First impressions count for a lot, especially with a prospective business partner or client. When you're selling something, the first impression you make is so important. If a prospective customer isn’t immediately intrigued, they’ll be unlikely to revisit or consider your brand in the future. To ensure you capture your audience’s attention, you’ll want to find ways to wow them from the start. To help, a group of successful entrepreneurs shared their best tips for making a great first impression with a potential new business partner or client. Follow their recommendations to make yourself unforgettable.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their favorite resources to help you stay abreast of industry changes. The tech industry is notorious for moving quickly and abruptly. If you want to stay relevant in the field, you’ll have to be able to identify and adapt to changes and new trends.  However, keeping up is a daunting task, even for the most seasoned tech professionals. For newcomers, it’s important to build up a collection of reliable resources to help maintain industry knowledge.  For guidance on where to start, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members shared their favorite platforms and resources to help you stay up to date with industry changes.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their best tips for combating the discouraging thoughts that plague many entrepreneurs. As you're tackling challenges in business, it can be easy to fall into the trap of negative self-talk. This pattern of behavior, while common, can be extremely discouraging and leave you mentally and emotionally depleted. To embrace your fullest potential, you’ll want to become your own biggest advocate and engage in healthier, more empowering dialogue with yourself. Below, a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members shared their best strategies for overcoming the toxic, negative self-talk that can hold you back as a business leader.

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Entrepreneurship is an exciting and fulfilling career path, but there might be times when you’ll feel discouraged and riddled with self-doubt. Combating these emotions isn’t always easy and takes patience and continued practice. Whether you’re a newbie business owner or a seasoned entrepreneur, it helps to affirm to yourself just how capable you are of accomplishing your dreams. To offer some guidance, 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared things everyone should periodically remind themselves of in order to be more positive, confident and tenacious. Follow their advice to boost your self-esteem and move beyond self-doubt.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council explain the tactics they've used to encourage customer downloads of their branded mobile apps. In today's mobile-first world, businesses can get tremendous value from developing and promoting branded mobile apps. It's a great way to reach customers where they are and it provides them an exciting new way to engage with your brand. The problem, however, is that app fatigue may discourage consumers from downloading your newly launched mobile app. They may think, "Why should I download another app on my phone when I can just go to the company's website?" To show your customers your app is valuable and worth downloading, consider these 11 tried-and-true strategies leveraged by the members of Young Entrepreneur Council, who have successfully encouraged consumers to use their companies' mobile apps.

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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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Email marketing is a great way for small businesses to stay connected with their customers and encourage more sales. The problem is that because of their size they often have limited resources for growing their subscriber lists. So to help small business owners expand their email audience (even on a budget), the members of Young Entrepreneur Council weighed in on the following question:

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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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2020 brought a plethora of changes to consumer behavior. Many of these changes will serve as inspiration for new product ideas and functions that will help businesses better serve their customers in the year ahead. In many cases, serving customers better begins with great design. This applies not only to the design of physical products, but to the user experience and interface of digital products. To provide their own expert insight, a group of successful entrepreneurs shared some design trends they expect to see in 2021 and why these trends will be so impactful.

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Managers have the difficult responsibility of achieving their own goals to meet the business objectives of their company while simultaneously overseeing the performance of its employees. As a leader, you want to make sure you’re there for your team when they have questions or need guidance. However, it’s important to strike a balance between meeting your own goals and making yourself available to your staff. To help, members of Young Entrepreneur Council offered 10 steps managers can take to achieve this balance.

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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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Your employees’ personalities and work ethics have a direct impact on how effective and efficient you and your company are at getting anything done. Because of this, putting together a well-functioning team isn’t always straightforward. For an entrepreneur who needs to have team members they can count on, a few personality traits stand out as necessary. Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss some of the attributes they consider nonnegotiable in potential hires for their companies and how these traits impact the ability to complete good work.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share some basic how-to tips for small businesses that want to use cloud computing. From data storage to web-based software solutions to cloud hosting, many companies rely on some form of cloud computing to streamline their day-to-day operations. This technology has been a game-changer across industries in recent years, especially in today's world of remote work where employees need anywhere, anytime access to important company files.  Using the cloud can help small businesses scale their operations to new heights. Below, 12 members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their best advice for small business owners looking to grow their business through the use of cloud computing.

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An entrepreneur is only as powerful as the people they surround themselves with. Starting and attempting to grow a business can be a difficult journey, and the sheer amount of outside challenges you need to tackle can be overwhelming. That is why a solid support network is one of the most important things a business owner should create. With the right team behind them, an entrepreneur can overcome almost any obstacle. Below, seven members of Young Entrepreneur Council weigh in on the strategies they use to hire the right people and why those strategies are so vital to building a dream team.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council share how to prepare your company for greater integration of artificial intelligence and automation. As modern technology continues to advance, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are playing an increasingly vital role in the workforce. Routine, recurring tasks are being automated in nearly every industry to save time and money. As we rapidly approach the start of the “AI/automation revolution,” businesses may be wondering how they can leverage this technology to their advantage. To help, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council share 14 ways companies can prepare for this upcoming revolution to maximize their future success.

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Entrepreneurs share their favorite tools, apps, and software for managing and interacting with customers. Connectivity is of the utmost importance in the modern world. In business particularly, social media, email, and other outreach methods have the potential to engage consumers like never before. In such a highly connected society, a business that doesn't leverage these tools for consumer engagement is at a disadvantage compared to its competitors.  This is why many businesses utilize several channels of communication to ensure that their customers always feel engaged. But what sort of tools do they use to accomplish that job? Here, 18 members of YEC discuss their favorite tools, apps, and software they use to drive customer engagement efforts and connect with their audiences.

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The modern world has made it really easy for anyone to get started on a side hustle. In fact, most entrepreneurs get started with some sort of side gig. Transitioning those side hustles into standalone businesses that can financially support them usually begins with understanding how to make a significant amount of profit, but not all side hustle ideas are lucrative enough to evolve into something financially stable. Below, 10 entrepreneurs from YEC share their experiences and suggestions for side businesses that are set up to work, and even suggest a few critical steps for success long term.

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Young Entrepreneur Council members look ahead at consumer IoT device trends they expect we’ll see more of this year. The internet of things (IoT) has been a booming sector of the tech industry in recent years. As people are now spending more time at home than ever, the need for connected devices has taken on new importance and relevance.  Because of this need, 2021 will likely be the year that consumers and businesses alike upgrade their smart home and office technology. Below, 12 members of Young Entrepreneur Council shared their predictions for which IoT devices will have the greatest impact on the consumer market in the coming months ahead.

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Businesses never stay the same size forever. An entrepreneur may yearn for the early days when their business was just a handful of people. But over time, businesses find great success and become entities that may span several offices and regions. The positive part of this expansion is that the business is doing well and bringing in more income. The downside is that, with so many new people, the company culture may start to suffer. In order for a business to retain its identity, keeping the company culture intact is crucial. For guidance, eight experts from Young Entrepreneur Council weigh in on how to maintain a company culture despite a massive expansion of business.

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Social media has changed how businesses and entrepreneurs interact with their audiences. In the past, you were required to go out and meet in person with your customers to establish a rapport with them. The internet has mostly simplified this, making it much easier to engage an audience on a social media platform. Yet even this level of engagement can be overwhelming for more introverted business owners for whom networking and conversation don’t come as naturally. Why then should a business owner still try to engage their potential customers online? Online customer engagement has many tangible benefits for businesses. Here, eight professionals from Young Entrepreneur Council discuss some of these benefits, highlighting the importance of engaging on social media for even the most introverted entrepreneurs.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council offer some effective ways to keep users coming back to your mobile app. Everyone with a smartphone or tablet uses mobile apps, and businesses have increasingly seen the value in creating their own. However, it’s hard to stand out in crowded app stores where many competitors are doing the same thing. Even if you do get people to download your app, the real challenge lies in getting them to come back and continue using it. To help, we asked 13 members of Young Entrepreneur Council how they recommend engaging and retaining mobile app users. Here are their suggested strategies and why each is so effective.

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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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As an executive, difficult conversations often come up in the workplace. It may be something as sensitive as expressing a concern to an employee or explaining why the company's letting someone go. Part of being in a position of leadership is learning how to navigate those conversations. These difficult conversations are part of the territory, and even though it may be challenging to deal with them, they must be dealt with head-on. So how can a professional best deal with these kinds of situations? We asked eight executives from Young Entrepreneur Council about their most successful strategies when dealing with difficult conversations in their daily work life. Here's what they suggested.

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18 entrepreneurs from YEC look at the main reasons why an organization should get insurance. New entrepreneurs sometimes look at business insurance as a luxury, not a necessity. For a lot of small-business owners, business insurance is a gamble -- it covers the business from liability and in the event of property damage, but unless either of those happens, it seems like wasted money. Before a company decides to avoid insurance altogether, the owner must look at what the insurance offers in more than just economic terms. Insurance also deals with how efficiently the business can operate. Businesses that have the assurance that they’re covered in any eventuality may be more inclined to take risks and innovate. Insurance, by design, can help or hinder a business. By focusing on the important details that impact a business’s everyday operation, an owner can determine whether insurance is a crucial consideration for the long-term health of the company. In some industries, insurance can save the company tens of thousands of dollars in liabilities. Some professionals require coverage before they’re allowed to open a firm in some states. If your industry requires that you have business insurance, you will need to examine what each of the providers offer with their policies to ascertain the level of coverage they provide. An additional element that business owners ought to consider is what the insurance covers. Some insurance companies only offer the bare minimum of coverage. Their policies don’t cover damage to assets or the building, and may only offer third-party coverage to individuals the business may have caused damage to. It’s vital that a company that takes out business insurance know what their insurance can cover and whether they may need more than the basic third-party coverage. To help, 18 associates of YEC discuss what a business owner should consider when deciding on business insurance and why these elements are crucial to the decision.

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When you understand your customer, you can better tailor your products and services to their needs. The most reliable way to get to know who your customers are and what they're looking for is to get that information directly from them. But how can you persuade customers to give you the comprehensive, actionable feedback you need? Luckily there are tried-and-true methods for establishing a dialogue with your customers so you can serve them better. Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council share strategies business owners can use to get concrete feedback from their customer base.

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Facing adversity can help you grow in ways you never imagined. No one likes to think about facing adversity and hardships. However, everyone must deal with challenging situations at some point in their personal and professional lives, especially in the midst of today's pandemic and social climate. Having a strategy to confront adversity head-on can help you be better prepared when obstacles do pop up. To help, we asked a panel of Young Entrepreneur Council members for their advice. Below they share their No. 1 tips for overcoming hardships and why doing so can help you grow as a person.

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End-of-year reviews are an essential tool to gauge the business's effectiveness and efficiency over the previous year. Unfortunately, few businesses implement a review, and some that do only look at the cursory metrics that would give them a basic understanding of the company's strengths and weaknesses. An in-depth review is necessary if the business wants to learn where it can improve and how to do so. If you haven't gotten started on your year-end review, it isn't too late to do so. Seven experts from Young Entrepreneur Council shed some light on what businesses can do specifically to get started on their year-end review and explain why these steps are crucial for the review's success.

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It's no secret that the holidays are among the most hectic times of the year for businesses. Everyone wants to close off the year well, and the holiday season makes for some fantastic business opportunities, but staff also looks forward to spending more time with loved ones and away from work. However, this year has been challenging for many people. Most businesses adopt an "all hands on deck" approach to the holidays, and this year is no exception, as the state of the world has encouraged companies to juggle an uncertain future in addition to the holiday rush. Here, nine professionals from Young Entrepreneur Council weigh in on how businesses can successfully manage the extra holiday workload while already in crisis mode.

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Self-doubt can be debilitating for some individuals. If you're trying to advance your career, the belief that you’re not good enough can quickly put an end to those aspirations. It can make you feel less confident about your abilities, which in turn can make you seem less trustworthy and dependable to others. If you can't believe in yourself, will anyone else? Sadly, self-doubt feeds a negative feedback loop, leading to a spiraling of emotions that may leave you scrambling to find a way out. To help guide you, thirteen experts from Young Entrepreneur Council share some valuable tips on how professionals can seek to conquer self-doubt, and explain why these suggestions can be so practical at helping you overcome this debilitating mental state.

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If you've been around the marketing world at all lately, you'd realize how much of a game-changer social media can be for a business. Setting up posts, scheduling them to come out, and engaging with those who follow your social media feeds can help you cultivate your audience. However, you may have noticed that not a whole lot of people engage with your posts immediately after they get published. Engaging people with your social media platform requires a little bit more skill and strategy than just posting regularly. These 12 associates of YEC examine some of the lesser-known or unique ways companies can use to get their followers to engage more on social media.

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Whether it’s frustration from limitations in their current industry or being shaken by the instability of the job market during COVID-19, many professionals are starting over in their careers, possibly in a new industry entirely.  But pivoting to a new industry isn’t as simple as mixing and matching your current skill set and hoping it fits. It’s important to examine how your current skills and experience apply to the industry you’re ready to dive into.  To help you, we asked 10 Young Entrepreneur Council members to share strategies for how to do this and tips to convince your future employer you’re qualified to make the switch.

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When you’re young and inexperienced, stepping up to a leadership position can be more difficult than usual. Without a strong standing in their industry, a new entrepreneur may not be able to navigate the terrain as easily as others. However, these leaders can still bring fresh perspectives and ideas to the table. We asked nine Young Entrepreneur Council members how younger founders can demonstrate their thought leadership and novel viewpoints to others in their field. Here's how to step up and show your expertise, even if you haven't been in the industry for long.

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Everyone online shopper has added items to their cart, only to close out of the website before completing the purchase. This behavior has led to an average online cart abandonment rate of 60% to 80% for many e-commerce sites. Whether consumers aren’t a fan of the price or decide to look elsewhere, businesses must figure out why customers are abandoning their purchases so they can address those issues and encourage completion of the sale. That's why we asked 14 members of Young Entrepreneur Council how companies can lower their online cart abandonment rate. Read on to learn how you can improve conversions on your e-commerce website.

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16 entrepreneurs from YEC share their favorite sales automation tools and strategies and explain why they work. Businesses have all embraced the reality of a technologically advanced society. Emerging technology has made it easier than ever before to interact with customers and shorten the time it takes to get processes done. A significant amount of businesses have embraced cutting-edge technology because they see it as a way of making their systems more efficient. One of the best examples is the adoption of artificial intelligence bots in customer service scenarios. However, as widespread as this usage is, it's not the only way companies have engaged emerging tech to make their business operate better. Sales automation is another practical use of emerging technology that businesses have managed to latch on to. Automating the sales department requires a bit more involvement, but it covers several different areas. Sales automation covers automatic lead generation and sequencing, development of automated reports using analytics guidelines, and alerts for data coming in that affects the sales process. These areas are crucial in determining the viability of prospects and in generating new leads. Throughout the business community, the idea of sales automation has pushed individual companies to look at many different methods of doing this task. Thanks to the demand, there are a vast number of sales automation tools available for businesses nowadays. We asked 16 experts from YEC to talk about the software suites and strategies they use for sales automation and explain why tools suites work so well for their own companies.

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Blogging is a great way to share information and valuable content with your audience. It also brings a great chance to send potential consumers your way based on your search engine optimization (SEO). Whether it’s through video content or copywriting, blogging can be an essential tool for attracting potential leads and connections to your business. That's why we asked nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council how to take your blog to the next level and the best way to implement those strategies for maximum effect. Here’s what they recommend.

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Trying to get people interested in your startup may seem like fighting a losing battle. The early stages of a startup have several challenges to getting customers involved in the business. Advertising to a large market can be expensive, and you have to figure out if your strategy will even work with your core audience. Standard marketing campaigns can be useful, but audience responses can be lackluster for something they've seen dozens of businesses try before. The solution is to think out of the box when developing your promotional campaigns. These 10 leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council walk us through how they created unique, out-of-the-box promotions that helped their business immeasurably in the early days of development and explain why they worked so well.

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New entrepreneurs sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that they can make their hobbies profitable through their business. When you're putting together a company, the first thing you may want to consider is whether you're doing this as a passion or for profit. There are times when these conditions overlap, but it doesn't happen very often. It's far more likely that you'll need to figure out if you want to invest money into a passion project or a business that will support you. Nine entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council discuss what elements a businessperson needs to consider when deciding between passion and profit, and even offer personal examples to highlight these factors.

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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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Occasionally, a business may require a part-time chief financial officer because their full-time employee has left or transitioned to a new portfolio. A part-time CFO doesn't need to have the same skill set as the original office-holder. However, to be successful in their endeavors on behalf of the company, they need to have a series of qualities making them suitable for the position. CFOs are responsible for the company's economic health and well-being, and these traits are instrumental for them to understand unspoken truths about the business. Below, 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council weigh in on the critical qualities that part-time CFOs should demonstrate and why these characteristics are so crucial to the role.

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These 20 entrepreneurs discuss the best features for remote management of a displaced workforce. Remote working isn't anything new. Many businesses have been leveraging the power of remote workers for years. Industries have replaced onboard hires with freelance workers who operate from anywhere globally, where they can have an uninterrupted internet connection. But with this year’s shift toward an almost entirely displaced workforce, many businesses are struggling to find the best strategies and tools for managing a fully remote team. Industries around the world have grappled with a change in the status quo before. Those businesses that had managers able to adapt to these changes were the ones that survived. With change on this scale, it's impossible to keep holding onto the traditional way of interacting with employees. The office has changed, and managers need to change with it or be replaced by those that do. Typically, upper management develops techniques that they can use in person-to-person interactions. As global offices have moved online, many of those techniques no longer work. As a result, managers are frantically searching for the right technology solutions that can allow them to run a virtual office with the same efficiency as a physical one. To help, 20 members of YEC discuss the innovative software they use to interact and manage their teams and why it's suitable for any company facing the challenges of a displaced workforce.

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It's often said you only get one chance to make a first impression, and that holds true for your company website. The visual appearance and written copy on your sign-up and landing pages must be compelling enough to grab a visitor's attention and convince them to take the next step in their relationship with your brand. This can be easier said than done, so to help, we asked 16 members of Young Entrepreneur Council the following question:

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Staying motivated as an entrepreneur takes a lot of effort. In several situations, business owners find themselves struggling to point themselves in the right direction, whether in their profession or in their personal life. In both of these cases, your inspiration dictates the drive you have to accomplish your goals. But how do you know when you or someone in your team might need a boost in motivation? What happens when you lose that compass that points to success? Here, 13 members of Young Entrepreneur Council share some of the clear signs that someone might need a motivation boost and discuss the best methods to deal with this lack of direction in business or personal life.

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No matter how diligent a person is, they will, at some point, receive negative feedback in their career. Whether it’s an unsatisfied customer, an upset manager or a tense situation with a colleague, you can’t make everyone happy 100% of the time. But negative comments don’t mean you’ve failed. In fact, you can use them as a learning tool and an opportunity to build a positive outcome with the other party. To help you do this, we asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council their strategies for responding to negative feedback the right way. Their best responses are below. 

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We all have biases that affect our decision-making. These biases can sometimes be minor and have minimal impact, but other times they can have an outsized and potentially negative influence on your business and how it’s run. To become more mindful of your biases and how to recognize them, we asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council for their advice. Below they shared 10 steps leaders can take to make less biased decisions and why each step is so important.

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Taking risks is always intimidating. It can be scary to leave comfort and safety behind and leap toward a potentially difficult and life-altering decision. But anything worth having rarely comes from taking the easy path. To inspire you to take that "big chance" you've been dreaming about, we asked 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council about the biggest career risks they’ve ever taken. Below they shared their stories about what happened and what they learned from following their instinct.

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When a business hires an executive, it expects to get someone who can perform in managerial positions. Because leaders are such a vital part of a company's operations, choosing the right candidate for an executive-level position is even more crucial than in other departments. Having the wrong individual in your executive core could cause severe damage to workers' morale and productivity. Developing a vetting system that can choose the best individuals for these jobs is, therefore, essential. Here, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council examine the most effective vetting processes they've used in their own businesses to determine whether a potential executive hire is a good fit for their leadership.

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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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Some entrepreneurs who want to scale their companies and fast-track their growth hire a business coach to help them get there. These professionals often have years of business experience themselves and can help you take your business to new heights with their insights. If you’re on the fence about hiring a coach, take it from the members of Young Entrepreneur Council: It’s worth the investment. Below, 10 members shared one of the biggest benefits they’ve experienced from hiring a business coach and why they suggest others follow suit.

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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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Young Entrepreneur Council members share some upcoming tech trends they believe will have an important impact on business leaders. The world of technology is evolving faster than ever. With so many new tech trends emerging, it can feel impossible to keep up with them all. However, identifying and investing in the right ones can give your business a competitive advantage and set you up for success. That’s why we asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council what tech trends more entrepreneurs should prepare for and what concrete actions they can take to move in the right direction. Their best answers are below.

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Members of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss some of the past year's most pressing technology concerns and how we should address them. The past year has seen unprecedented changes to public health and the global economy. Many facets of daily life and work moved into the digital realm, and the shift highlighted some underlying business technology issues that are getting in the way of productivity, communication and security. As successful business leaders, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council understand how important it is to have functional, up-to-date technology. That's why we asked a panel of them to share what they view as the biggest business tech problem of the past year. Here are the issues they're concerned about and the innovations they believe will help solve them.  

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When you create a company with someone else, the initial stages require you to work closely together. Eventually, a bond forms, as it usually does when people work closely together. However, as a business grows, you and your co-founder may decide to work on separate parts of the business. Sometimes this may lead to disagreements between founding members -- whether caused by lack of communication or different views on how to expand the organization. It's tempting to just put these arguments down to strong personalities butting heads, but reconciling these differences is critical for the good of the company. Below, nine professionals from Young Entrepreneur Council offer their insight into how co-founders can maintain a healthy relationship, even while the company grows around them.

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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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As more people are working from home and staying in, online shopping has become the dominant means of commerce. It’s more important than ever for small brick-and-mortar retailers to get their products online and accessible to their customers. However, with so many large e-commerce competitors like Amazon, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. To give these smaller businesses a leg up, we asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council how brick-and-mortars can still thrive in today's digital landscape. Here’s what they had to say.

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Every professional knows that an eight-hour workday rarely means eight straight productive hours of “real” work. Sometimes there are distractions and emergency situations to attend to throughout the day; other times, your calendar is so booked with meetings that it’s hard to find time in between to concentrate on your to-do list. When you only get a few hours per day to tackle your most important tasks, it’s critical to find ways to keep your focus. To help you, we asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council for their advice. Below they shared nine strategies for stretching your productivity and why each is so effective.

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Today's world is more stressful than ever. The fast-paced, always-on environment many of us operate in is enough to cause anxiety among even the most organized leaders. Throw in the current global pandemic and an economic recession, and it's no surprise that many people are experiencing doubts and fears in their personal and professional lives. While stress is an inevitable part of life, it doesn't have to consume you and get in the way of your success. That's why we asked 15 members of Young Entrepreneur Council how they manage to overcome the mental and emotional stressors of living and working in the modern world. Try their practical, actionable strategies the next time you're feeling overwhelmed at work or at home.

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Education is a gift that remains relevant, no matter how old you get. Businesses that encourage their employees to experience new things and educate themselves stand to benefit from the new insights their workforce will come up with as a result. The human brain is a remarkable organ that can do amazing things if given the right motivation. Therefore, within organizations, it's the job of leaders to promote learning and growing while the employee remains with the business. Encouraging continued learning and growth is a crucial investment in the innovative capability of the staff. Below, eight associates of Young Entrepreneur Council discuss how they promote learning within their organizations and underline the importance of pushing employees to grow.

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Motivation works cyclically. There are moments when you feel as though you can take on the world, punctuated by moments when you feel like it makes no sense to do anything. If you've been feeling unmotivated at work recently, you're not alone. Workers worldwide go through the same moments of "boom and bust" when it comes to their motivation. However, one of the hallmarks of a successful entrepreneur is to power through those feelings. The success of an enterprise hinges on its leader being able to escape the doldrums and remain focused throughout their projects. Here, 11 associates of Young Entrepreneur Council share some of the methods they use to remain motivated and stay at the top of their game as industry-leading entrepreneurs.

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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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No other feeling comes close to hitting the ball out of the park for your investor pitch meeting. Unfortunately, many business owners see these small wins as overcoming the largest hurdle. The truth is that nailing the investor pitch is only the first significant hurdle. Once you get the right eyes on your project and have them interested in what you're doing, you need to follow up and keep the momentum. But what is the first thing an entrepreneur should do after landing the pitch to a potential investor? We asked seven contributors to Young Entrepreneur Council what their first step after landing their pitch is, and why they take that road. Here's what they told us.

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Despite the numerous digital communications channels available today, email is still one of the best ways to get and stay in touch with your customers. Email marketing is notorious for its high return on investment, and with nearly 4 billion active email users, there’s a huge potential audience waiting to receive your messages. However, email is only effective if you follow a well-planned strategy -- one that doesn’t involve bombarding your subscribers or sending sales pitch after sales pitch. If you want to improve your email marketing efforts, follow these 10 tried-and-true methods recommended by the members of Young Entrepreneur Council.

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When you’re overworked, it’s easy to burn out. The extra hours and workload can cause you to become stressed and ultimately less productive at work. While burnout can have a negative impact at any job level, it’s especially detrimental to executive leaders, so it’s important to understand how to reverse this feeling when you’re stuck in it. To help you, we asked the members of Young Entrepreneur Council to share some recommendations for getting back on track when you feel burned out. Here are their top strategies for executives who need to reset.

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Each company gauges the contribution of its employees differently. Some focus on deliverables, while others rely on employee loyalty and worked hours to determine a worker's contribution to the business. All of these assessment methods have the same goal in mind -- to determine whether an employee deserves a raise or not. But how can a business determine which of these systems is best and most suitable for its own workforce? To shed some light on the issue, we asked eight entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following:

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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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You don't need to spend a ton of money to build a great business website. A high-quality website can attract customers and give them a positive experience with your company. If you don't have much web design experience, you may be concerned about the cost and time it might take for someone else to build the site for you. Fortunately, there are tons of website building tools that allow you to create your own business website, even if you don't know how to code. Many of these platforms offer plenty of sophisticated features without the hefty price tag, while also being user-friendly. To help you explore your options, we asked the members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their favorite low-cost, high-quality website builders. Check out these DIY tools before you outsource the job.

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Customer feedback is an invaluable asset to any company. Without this information, businesses would struggle to figure out what’s working, what isn’t and how they can improve their processes. But how exactly do you get your customers to share their honest opinions – and what do you do with that information once you have it? We asked the members of Young Entrepreneur Council to share how they collect feedback from their customers, and how they then make that information useful to their company. Their best answers are below.

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Social media is becoming an increasingly important part of every business’ marketing strategy. Making the right move with your social content at the right time can help bring positive attention and new customers to your business. As successful business leaders, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council are constantly watching and analyzing marketing trends to improve their growth and brand recognition. Below, they share the smartest social media moves they’ve seen, and how you can execute that same strategy to achieve great results.

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Transparency in business has become a practice that’s favored by not only consumers, but by employees as well. When leaders are transparent with their team about the business, it builds a sense of trust and equips employees to make informed decisions. However, sharing more information than necessary can be distracting at best, and detrimental to company culture at worst. So how do you determine how transparent to be with your employees? Below, 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council share some questions and considerations for leaders.

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A strong creative team can help your business develop great ideas and soar to new heights. However, simply having the most talented or innovative people on board isn’t enough. They must not only be willing to make unconventional moves, but they must also place trust in their other team members. To help you strike the right balance, we asked the members of Young Entrepreneur Council to share the most crucial ingredients needed to build a successful creative team. Their best answers are below.

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When you spend time in the business leadership world, you start to hear a lot of cliché phrases and vague terms that other managers frequently use. Sometimes they use them sound smart; other times they're not sure of a better alternative. Either way, these overused words begin to sound like jargon over time, and may lose their meaning when you're communicating with your staff. We asked nine members of Young Entrepreneur Council to each share one word leaders often use, but shouldn't. Here are some key words and phrases to avoid as a manager, along with a few suggested terms to use instead.

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Over the years, multiple studies have shown that employee happiness is a crucial factor in developing a successful business. Employees who are happier tend to be more productive and also stay with the company long term. Unfortunately, like all forms of feedback, pinning down employee happiness depends on asking them the right questions. Many workers may be uncomfortable sharing their real opinions on the business, for fear of reprisal or displeasing other employees. Thus, companies need to be more proactive about sourcing feedback from their employees about their happiness. These six professionals from Young Entrepreneur Council share their insight into how businesses should gauge employee happiness to determine whether any changes are needed to promote employees' physical and mental well-being.

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It's often said that a happy employee is a motivated, productive one. If your team members are feeling good about themselves and their work, they’ll bring that positive energy into everything they do. That's why it's so important to keep a close eye on your overall team morale. We polled a group of Young Entrepreneur Council members to find out how they keep tabs on the general sentiment among their team members. Below, nine of them share their best and most effective approach.

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As the up-and-coming generation of consumers, Gen Z has become a hot target demographic for many brands. This generation of true digital natives is even more entrenched in the world of technology than the millennials who came before them. Therefore, companies that want to reach them need to go all-in on social media, Gen Z's preferred place to "hang out" online. However, the way Gen Z uses social media is different than older generations, and reaching them can be a challenge. You need a targeted approach that speaks to their values, interests and lifestyles. Here's how 16 members of Young Entrepreneur Council recommend connecting with Gen Z-ers on social media.

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19 entrepreneurs delve into where online freelance talent is most readily found Businesses have changed their approach to hiring in recent years. More and more companies are relying on freelance talent as opposed to in-house contracts. It's not surprising that the paradigm has shifted in this way, however. Freelancers can be less of a drain on company resources, but they can also be more efficient than in-house hires. Even so, businesses need to find freelance sites that offer talented individuals, accessible search functions, and escrow services in some cases. All of these factors contribute to developing a long-lasting relationship with a freelancer. The rise of freelancing has seen several different locations open up around the internet that offer businesses a chance to interact with professionals. Unfortunately, there are many freelance sites to sort through, and finding the right fit for your needs may take some trial and error. Businesses need to be careful about sourcing their freelancers to avoid hiring someone who is not good for the project or who may have a nonprofessional behavior. How does a company narrow down the best places to source a freelancer online? We consulted 19 entrepreneurs from YEC about the best places to source freelance talent online. Here's what they told us.

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Despite the overwhelming preference for digital media among modern marketers, traditional advertising methods are still being implemented today and driving great results. Newspaper, TV and radio spots can offer tons of potential for businesses looking to reach a local market -- if they're used the right way. To help with your next traditional media campaign, we asked members of Young Entrepreneur Council the following question:

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One of the most common complaints that professionals have in the 21st century is how little time there is in a day. The truth of the matter is that the day hasn't changed, but how we manage our time has. Losing time on frivolous activities is nothing new. However, with the advent of attention-stealing applications, we lose more time than ever before without even realizing it. If you're someone who wants to reclaim those lost hours, there are practical methods of doing so. However, they require understanding what you want to get out of your revamped time-management strategy. Sixteen members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their insight into what any busy professional can do to reclaim those lost hours in a day and make each one more productive.

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At times it can be difficult to turn off our emotions -- especially when it comes to separating personal feelings and work. While it’s perfectly normal to have negative feelings in the face of difficult work situations, wallowing in these emotions for too long can affect your job performance as well as your overall well-being. Whether you’re dealing with low confidence, adversity or rejection, building a thicker skin can help you make it through whatever professional challenges you're facing. Below, 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council share some tips to help you brush off feelings of negativity and press onward.

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In the wake of COVID-19, many businesses have had to significantly modify or even temporarily shut down their daily operations. In tough times such as these, finding new revenue streams can be a great way to make up the lost income and keep the company afloat. The members of Young Entrepreneur Council understand the struggle of running a business during difficult times, as well as how to navigate that challenge successfully. Below, they share 10 creative ways to diversify your company’s cash flow.

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Moving into the second quarter of the year, entrepreneurs should be well aware by now that the only way to ensure that their company gets more efficient is to examine its performance in the previous quarter and see where it can improve. Performance evaluation is much more than just assessments that focus on a small core of metrics. Gearing up for the second quarter relies on determining where the company dropped the ball in the first quarter. In dealing with strategic approaches, these seven members of Young Entrepreneur Council look at their own methods of determining their goals for the second quarter based on performance in the first and explain how their approach helps their teams gear up for a more productive quarter.

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The job of a project manager comes with a world of responsibility attached. As the point-person in an organization responsible for the completion of tasks on time and within budget, their information must be precise and accurate. While many project managers have been trained in the traditional methodology of project management, the field has evolved a lot. Even today, new project managers start the job and have to adapt their knowledge to the current working environment. Project management is a fluid field, with changes required for a constant reevaluation of how a company does things. We asked eight experts from Young Entrepreneur Council what they would advise project managers to do to make sure projects stay on track and within budget. Here's what they said.

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As an entrepreneur, it’s useful to have strong business acumen -- an almost intuitive skill that can and must be honed. However, good business sense alone isn’t enough; there are several other traits an entrepreneur needs in order to succeed. As some of the top leaders in their respective industries, the members of Young Entrepreneur Council know what skills are required to succeed in the business world. Below, they share 10 underrated skills that all entrepreneurs should possess, but often don't.

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Accessing capital is one of the biggest challenges many new entrepreneurs face. From loans to investments, securing the proper financing is a long and taxing process, but it can be overcome. Members of Young Entrepreneur Council explained how they worked through their funding challenges.

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A famous adage that many young entrepreneurs know is that there are never enough hours in a day. If you feel like this, the problem is probably not with the day, but with how you utilize the time available to you. As an entrepreneur, the to-do list is always growing, and you need to be able to figure out which elements hold the most importance. Not all time management methods work for everyone, and you may need to get a broader view to figure out what is likely to work and what isn't. Business owners understand how crucial proper time management is to ensuring that things get done. To this end, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their best time management tips for entrepreneurs below.

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Every business owner hopes to succeed in their venture. Access to the right resources plays a huge role in that success -- but barriers do still exist, especially for female entrepreneurs. Women in the business world often talk about the importance and benefits of supporting each other. That's why we asked the women of Young Entrepreneur Council how they tap into the right resources and lift up other female leaders in the process. Here's how they've achieved their own success, and helped their fellow female entrepreneurs do the same.

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Starting your own business is not a decision to take lightly. While it’s great to be your own boss with the freedom to set your own schedule, this is only part of the equation. It takes a lot more than just a dream to be a successful entrepreneur. Before you take the leap, there are some important questions to ask yourself to understand if you’re truly ready to launch your own business. To help you make your decision, we asked 10 Young Entrepreneur Council members what everyone should ask themselves before committing to entrepreneurship.

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Each day is different for each person. For entrepreneurs, a string of disappointments or rejections can lead to a significant impact on your psyche and your confidence. Many business coaches maintain that the best way to keep motivated is to stay positive and to keep a firm sight of what your goals are and how you intend to attain them. Ensuring that this works hinges on your confidence. These three things are essential contributors to your overall motivation. Determining how to maintain these crucial elements in your search for success seems like an uphill battle sometimes. Here, 15 associates of Young Entrepreneur Council examine how you can approach staying positive and retaining your confidence, all the while holding on to your goals.

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As your business develops over time, you may find its original purpose changing as well. Whether you’re incorporating a new service or changing industries completely, trying a new direction for your company can be risky. Fortunately, taking the steps to ensure a smooth transition can set the stage for success, as well as make the process easier for all involved. Below, 10 members ofYoung Entrepreneur Council shares their best strategies for companies looking to pivot to something new.

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Businesses run on money the way engines run on fuel. Knowing how to effectively save money, especially when a business first gets started, is a great way to build capital to help the company grow. Funding is usually one of the most significant hurdles for a new business to overcome. Unless the company already has an angel investor, this stumbling block might be the one that dooms the enterprise in the long run. However, with a little bit of know-how, an entrepreneur can implement effective methods to save money, even in the early days of a company's operation. Below, seven professionals from Young Entrepreneur Council describe their proven methods for saving money while trying to get their business off the ground.

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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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When you own a small business, you have to take on many of the day-to-day responsibilities yourself -- at least in the beginning. Having some basic knowledge across all aspects of business operations can go a long way to making your business flourish, and ultimately turn you into a more well-rounded manager when you do eventually hire staff. But which skills are the most important to develop from the get-go? We asked 11 members of Young Entrepreneur Council which fundamental skill – tech, operations, leadership, etc. – all small business owners should have to manage day-to-day operations. They shared their answers below.

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In the modern world, entrepreneurs typically need to maintain both an online and offline presence to generate business. It’s important to connect your digital and real-life persona to keep a consistent image, which can ultimately help build trust with your potential customer and follower base. The members of Young Entrepreneur Council have spent time honing their personal brands to grow their business. Below, they share 10 ways to successfully connect your offline and online marketing efforts.

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Having an active social media presence is a great way for leaders to grow their business. It helps you establish your personal brand and authority, as well as reach a wider audience of potential customers. However, it also requires you to expend time and energy, which can be especially draining for an introverted or introspective business owner. Fortunately, you can use your introspection to your advantage while engaging on social media. Below , 10 Young Entrepreneur Council members share their best tips for introverted leaders who want to stay active on social media without burning out.

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As your company grows, managing both company-wide and department goals can become more and more challenging. It can feel like a delicate balancing act -- and if it's not coordinated properly, prioritizing broader company goals could come at the expense of the individual departments. As successful business leaders, the experts of Young Entrepreneur Council have learned how to track their department-specific goals as their companies have grown. That's why we asked a panel of YEC members to share their best tips for monitoring departmental objectives. Here's what they had to say.

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Building a solid team is one of the best ways to ensure success and longevity for your business. However, finding the right people isn’t always easy. Small business hiring can be an especially daunting process, since you’re seeking qualified team members who are also aligned with your business’ vision and growth goals. That's why we asked, nine Young Entrepreneur Council members how you can be sure you’re hiring those who are going to help take your business to new heights. Read on for their best advice.

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End-of-year reviews are useful surveys because they help a business better understand its strengths and weaknesses. However, the analysis doesn't have any set way of being done. Different companies conduct their end-of-year surveys in unique ways, tailored to the needs of the business. Regardless, at the heart of every year-end study is the data collected. Analyzing this data can offer an enterprise essential insights into what it could be doing better, and what it excelled at over the previous year. In developing an end-of-year review technique, it's vital to cover the essentials to get a proper feel for the business's operation. To this end, seven members of Young Entrepreneur Council share their insight into what they do within their own companies for the end-of-year review, and how any business can get started on developing its own technique.

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An awkward conversation can be a minefield -- one wrong move could spell disaster. The stakes are even higher within a workplace environment. Since colleagues tend to be in close quarters throughout the day, uncomfortable situations that stem from these difficult conversations can fester and lead to unhappiness for both parties. When dealing with a difficult discussion with a co-worker, it's possible that you will read the situation or tone badly, and snowball the debate into a disastrous exchange. To help you deal with difficult conversations a little easier, eight contributors to Young Entrepreneur Council offer advice on how to deal with these interactions and what things to avoid that could could be detrimental to your future career and prospects.

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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.

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