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When talking about entrepreneurship or business, we forget the essential: the balance of the entrepreneur himself. Your business is a reflection of you.

Entrepreneurship requires emotional balance. “A mind at peace will have a company at peace.” 

If you have balance in work and life, it will increase creativity, concentration, and leadership skills, improve memory and emotional intelligence, reduce negative stress, depression, work exhaustion, anxiety, and blood pressure. It will also strengthen your immune system, can reduce physical pain, eliminate insomnia and reduce the symptoms of post-traumatic stress when you have gone through severe stages of life.

As a small business owner, it can be challenging to find time for anything. Even in your supposed downtime, you invest time into ensuring the company runs smoothly. The truth is most of us work almost ALL the time.

I was doing some research and found this useful article I wanted to share with you to make sure we take time to pause, and smell the roses. It is hard, but it is necessary!

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Work-life balance as an always-busy professional can be hard, if not impossible, to find. When you don’t focus on your well-being, however, both your health as well as your relationships can suffer. Being busy is essential for success, but so is knowing when to stake a step back.

Work-Life Balance for a Growing Business

So, with such an active lifestyle, how does an entrepreneur know how to balance work and pleasure? To find the answer, we asked 10 members of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following question:

“What’s one way always-busy small business leaders and employees can establish work-life boundaries while experiencing rapid growth in their business?”

1. Focus on the Things That Really Matter

“Most people don’t focus on the things that really matter. If you plan your day out, it typically goes much better than being reactive. It can be very hard, but it keeps you from doing things like spending three hours to mail something trivial, or two hours on customer service trying to debate a $20 bill.” ~ James Guldan, Vision Tech Team

2. Set a Hard Stopping Time Each Day

“Set a hard stopping time each day and stick to it. I fell into the trap of working 16-hour days for a long time and would start procrastinating since I could ‘just get it done tonight.’ I found that when I set a hard stop at 7 p.m., I actually started getting more done in less time and my business flourished because of it.” ~ James Simpson, GoldFire Studios

3. Create a Defined Workspace and a Routine

“Create a defined workspace and create a routine. Now more than ever, people are working from home and this makes keeping work-life boundaries even more difficult. I’ve found that the best way to maintain these boundaries is by finding a routine that works for you and also creating a dedicated workspace that is separate from your living space.” ~ Brian David Crane, Caller Smart Inc.

4. Spend Time With Family and Friends Every Week

“Making the effort to spend time with family and friends every week (without answering emails or taking calls during that time) is very important for balancing work with life. If you’re going out to dinner with your family or friends, leave the phone at home or in the car so you’re fully present.” ~ Kristin Kimberly Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC

5. Explain Why You Work Long Hours

“There is nothing more destructive to your personal relationships than forgetting to explain to your loved ones why you are working long hours. Taking the time to explain your desired working hours, and what you hope to achieve in the short term, will help them to better accommodate your endeavors. The last thing an entrepreneur needs is a confused home life.” ~ Ismael Wrixen, FE International

6. Try to Keep Work Off Your Phone

“If you’re able, try to keep work off your phone and limit it to just your computer. That way, when you finish the day and walk away from your computer, you won’t be hounded by incoming work messages or notifications. Work-life balance can be critical to your success and longevity, so make sure you invest in it.” ~ Dave Nevogt, Hubstaff

7. Have Two Separate Phones

“Have two phones — one for work and one for your private life. Things can get messy when you have everything coming to one phone. It can make switching off impossible. You need to avoid burning out as this can be detrimental to your performance. Always work on maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Think of your brain as a muscle. If it doesn’t get time to rest, it won’t perform at its best.” ~ Ibrahim Alkurd, New Mine

8. Explore Automation Tools and Platforms

“Business owners need to explore tools and platforms that can automate tasks. It’s also worth considering hiring a virtual assistant to help out. Although these steps may be an added expense, you’re freeing up more time that can be put to your personal needs. Time is the most valuable thing you have, which is why you should reduce your workload and focus on your personal life.” ~ Blair Williams, MemberPress

9. Take Advantage of ‘Away’ and ‘Snooze’

“Take advantage of ‘away’ and ‘snooze’ functions. Snooze your Slack and be vigilant about your ‘away’ messages. As leaders, you must set this standard and not respond to messages or concerns unless they are deemed an emergency. Your employees will follow suit. Set these standards of availability as boundaries and the transgression of them to be scope creep. If you really cannot get away, revise your model.” ~ Matthew Capala, Alphametic

10. Delegate Smaller Tasks to Other Members

“I’ve found that by delegating smaller tasks to other members of the team, I’m able to have a decent work-life balance. Instead of putting everything on your shoulders, think about how you can bring your team together to solve some of these problems. In many cases, a lack of balance occurs when a boss thinks that they need to have a hand in every single thing that happens within the company.” ~ John Turner, SeedProd LLC

This article was first published here: https://smallbiztrends.com/2020/08/work-life-balance-growing-business.html

Whether we’re commuting to work, taking a lunch break or just looking to relax before bed, podcasts have become a best friend to many of us. It’s easy to see why. In recent years there has been an explosion of quality podcasts on nearly any topic you can think of.

Podcasts fit well with our busy lives. They’re portable and easy to access at a moment’s notice; all it takes is a set of earbuds and a device with internet access. They also create a feeling of connection between the listener and the host. The intimacy of audio makes us feel like we’re part of a cozy conversation — we get to listen like we’re the only ones in the room.

There are tons of great podcasts out there to explore. Below are 10 of my all-time favorites. Each offers incredible insights and amazing interviews with some of the biggest names of our time.

1. The Tim Ferriss Show

Tim Ferriss is a self-experimenter and bestselling author, known for his book The 4-Hour Workweek. The Tim Ferriss Show tackles topics Ferris is interested in, and is sure to teach you something new. Guests have included Arnold Schwarzenegger, LeBron James and Silicon Valley journalist Kara Swisher.

During his show, Ferriss interviews world-class performers from eclectic areas, including investing, chess and pro sports, and then digs deep to find the tools, tactics and tricks that listeners can use.

Related: How to Quit Slacking and Start Being More Productive With Tim Ferriss

2. This Week in Startups

Jason Calacanis and a rotating group of guest experts bring you this weekly take on the best, worst, most outrageous and most interesting stories from the world of web companies. Calacanis gives listeners amazing insights into how angel investing works and how he builds companies.

This Week in Startups offers in-depth interviews with heavy-hitters in the tech industry who offer an insider’s look at what’s happening and what trends are emerging. Whether you’re looking to start your own company, need strategies for improving your business, need help motivating your team or just want to catch up on what’s happening in Silicon Valley and beyond, your journey should begin here.

3. How I Built This

How I Built This showcases Guy Raz’s ability to dive into the stories behind some of the world’s best-known companies. In nearly every show, Raz uses his disarming sense of “wow” to get his guests to open up.

Raz is able to tap into something deep with each person he interviews, pulling out insights and getting them to open up about nitty-gritty details they wouldn’t normally share. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists, uncovering their vulnerabilities and the inner turmoil they faced along the journey to success.

4. The School of Greatness with Lewis Howes

The School of Greatness is one of the top podcasts by any standard of measurement. It has run for 500-plus episodes, has more than 40 million downloads and continually manages to snag celebrity names like Tony Robbins and Maria Sharapova.

Host Lewis Howes is the best-selling author of The School of Greatness and The Mask of Masculinity. He played professional Arena League football until an injury cut his career short. His show delves into what makes the greatest people great and how to apply those lessons to your life. In The School of Greatness, he aims to share inspiring stories from the most brilliant business minds, world-class athletes and influential celebrities on the planet.

Related: Listen to the Latest Episode of Entrepreneur’s How Success Happens Podcast

5. How to Start a Startup

This collection of video lectures is designed to be a kind of one-stop business course for people who want to start startups. How to Start a Startup offers firsthand, hard-won knowledge from Sam Altman and others at Y Combinator. These were originally given as class lectures at Stanford University, and now they’re being offered to the world at large.

The course includes lectures from Sam Altman, Dustin Moskovitz, Paul Graham, Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen and Marissa Mayer. The show covers everything: how to come up with ideas and evaluate them, how to get users and grow your base, how to do sales and marketing, how to hire, how to raise money, company culture, operations and management, business strategy and more. If you’re serious about starting a startup, invest the time in listening to this podcast.

6. a16z

The eclectic topics and insightful conversations of guests and interviewers draw you into a16z. If you’re looking for a window into the world of a top venture-capital firm, you need not look any further. Andreessen Horowitz (aka “a16z”) is a Silicon Valley–based venture-capital firm that produces this prolific podcast with multiple episodes per week. The show is typically made up of interviews with startup founders, and various partners and analysts at the firm.

There are great insights here, not just into how to grow a business with venture capital, but also into tech trends in general. The host and guest experts offer advice and information that will be useful to those at any level of entrepreneurship. The show discusses tech and culture trends and news, and how they will all impact us in the near future. It features industry experts, business leaders and other interesting thinkers and voices from around the world.

Related: Check Out All-New Episodes of Entrepreneur’s Problem Solvers Podcast Here

7. Recode Decode with Kara Swisher

One of Silicon Valley’s most prominent journalists, Kara Swisher, hosts candid interviews with tech execs, politicians, celebrities and more, focusing on their big ideas and how they’re changing our world. In Recode Decode, she brings her ruthless, no-mercy journalism style to one-on-one interviews with some of the biggest names in tech.

In a world of tech journalism that tends toward softball pitches, Swisher is playing hardball. She’s intense and intimidating, and is always ready with an incisive follow-up question. Her interviewees include Tesla CEO Elon Musk, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

8. The James Altucher Show

James Altucher interviews the world’s peak performers in every area of life. But instead of giving you the typical success story, Altucher digs deeper to find the “Choose Yourself” story. These are the moments we can all relate to, when someone rises up from personal struggle to reinvent themselves.

The James Altucher Show brings you into the lives of these ultra-successful performers, including billionaires, best-selling authors, rappers, astronauts, athletes, comedians, actors and the world champions in every field. He seeks out those who forged their own paths, found financial freedom and harnessed the power to create more meaningful and fulfilling lives. Altucher himself is a successful entrepreneur, chess master, investor and writer.

9. Mixergy

10. Smart Passive Income

Pat Flynn is a passive-income whiz. He’s earned more than $3 million in the last six years by creating authoritative and helpful websites that cover a vast array of businesses. Smart Passive Income reveals all of his online business and blogging strategies, income sources and shrewd marketing tips and tricks so you can be ahead of the curve with your online business or blog. Flynn has been supporting his family with 100 percent passive income generated online, easily earning a 6-figure salary while working only a few hours a week.

His show covers everything you need to set up successful passive income, including automation, outsourcing, crowdsourcing, search engine optimization, building authority and trust, niche sites, social media, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, podcasting, e-books, online courses and affiliate marketing. Listen in to learn about everything that works (and doesn’t work) about creating passive income to help you better understand how to crush it with your online business.

Written by Deep Patel, from Entrepreneur Leadership Network VIP and Serial Entrepreneur
Published by Entrepreneur

The 5 Second Rule is simple. If you have the instinct to act on a goal, you must physically move within 5 seconds or your brain will kill it.

The moment you feel an instinct or a desire to act on a goal or a commitment, use the Rule.

When you feel yourself hesitate before doing something that you know you should do, count 5-4-3-2-1-GO and move towards action.

There is a window that exists between the moment you have an instinct to change and your mind killing it. It’s a 5-second window. And it exists for everyone.

If you do not take action on your instinct to change, you will stay stagnant. You will not change.

But if you do one simple thing, you can prevent your mind from working against you. You can start the momentum before the barrage of thoughts and excuses hit you at full force.

What do you do?

Just start counting backward to yourself: 5-4-3-2-1.

The counting will focus you on the goal or commitment and distract you from the worries, thoughts, and excuses in your mind.

As soon as you reach “1” – push yourself to move.

This is how you push yourself to do the hard stuff – the work that you don’t feel like doing, or you’re scared of doing, or you’re avoiding.

That’s it. 5 seconds is all it takes.

If you don’t act on an instinct within that 5-second window, that’s it. You’re not doing it.

Now, I’m going to explain the 5 elements of the Rule and show you have every single element is important.

First: “The moment you have an instinct…”

Let’s make sure you understand what kind of instinct I am talking about.

An instinct is not buying everybody in the bar a round of shots. An instinct is not a rash, irreversible decision. It’s not destructive, illegal, or harmful behavior.

I define an instinct as any urge, impulse, pull, or knowing that you should or should not do something because you can feel it in your heart and gut.

These are instincts of the heart. They are moments when your heart speaks to you. We all have our own unique brand of wisdom, made up of our experiences, intuition, and DNA.

In those small, 5 second moments, this wisdom bubbles up inside of you.

Your instincts are these urges. They are the “knowing” that you should do something even if you don’t “feel” like doing it.

Second: “To act on a goal…”

The second element of the Rule that is critical for you to understand is that it’s not just about acting on any instinct, it’s an instinct that’s tied to a goal.

For example, you might have an instinct at get off of the couch and go for a run.

In this case, if you act on this instinct, you bring yourself one step closer to your dream of transforming your health.

A lot of people think instincts are stupid and meaningless. I disagree.

Research has shown that our gut is our “second brain.” Do you ever get a feeling in your gut telling you what to do?

We get these “gut feelings” when our hearts and minds are trying to tell us something. And usually, these gut impulses are tied to greater goals.

It’s easy for us to list what we want. We want a great job, to be financially free, to be healthy, happy, and have amazing people in our lives.

Even though we have these greater goals, it’s so simple to brush off the actions that will lead us toward achieving these things.

If you have a gut instinct to call a friend, then you should do it. You already know how much you value your friends. When you get that gut feeling to speak up in a meeting, you should act on it. Same goes with any instinct tied to a goal.

I’ve found that knowing where to start on a goal is difficult. People write to me all the time, asking me how they can get in shape, become happier, or get their dream job.

Do you know what they can do? First, start identifying those gut instincts that will lead you towards your goal.

You will start to notice gut feelings related to these goals throughout the day. But, how do you act on them?

That’s where the next element comes in:

Third: “You must push yourself…”

The third element of the 5 Second Rule is that you must push yourself. The Rule is about pushing yourself even when you don’t want to. It’s about taking control of your own life, one push at a time.

I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy. You’re comfortable. You’re doing the same old thing you always do, even if you want to transform your life.

The moment comes. You feel the instinct. You know it’s tied to a goal.

Right now. It’s a window. A window of opportunity.

Your brain wants to shut this instinct down. It’s going to do it.

But, in this moment, you can take control. You know what you need to do. You know that you want to change your life and move towards your goals.

The 5 Second Rule is simple. But it is not easy.

It’s hard to push yourself. If you want to change, it’s something you MUST do. And the Rule makes it easier.

Just start your countdown. Push yourself to start at 5. Just start counting. That’s it!

Countdown, 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 – GO.

All of the neuroscience behind the Rule is in this post. In that blog, you can read about the neuroscience behind why physically moving while you count down activates your brain’s prefrontal cortex. I’m also going to teach you how the Rule shifts you out of autopilot mode and allows you to take control.

For now, you don’t have to worry too much about WHY the Rule works. Trust me for now. It really does.

And when you begin your countdown, you’re setting yourself up for ACTION.

Jessy send me this picture – way to move yourself to action!

This brings us to the 4^th element:

Fourth: “To move within 5 seconds…”

 Physical movement is key. Just so you understand, this doesn’t mean you have to jump up and start doing squats.

All you need to do is move in the direction of your instinct.

If you do not take physical action WITHIN 5 SECONDS, your brain will kill the instinct.

You do your countdown. And then you GO. You take action.

This could mean a number of things. It means saying something you’ve been holding back. Speaking up at a meeting. Putting on your running shoes. Grabbing that healthy snack. Holding your tongue instead of saying something mean to your partner. Sending that email to a potential client or mentor. Anything that’s related to your goal.

These 5 second windows, as I call them, are the critical moments between you changing your life and your brain stopping you.

You might be thinking, “Why 5 seconds? Why not 3 or 7 or 17?”

The answer is 5 seconds is a rule of thumb that can work for everyone. But obviously, this can be personalized.

Personally, I find that the longer I wait between my initial instinct to act and physically moving, the harder it is to force myself to move. If you can do 3 seconds, do it.

2 seconds? Even better. As little time as possible before you MOVE to action.

Remember, the system inside your brain that kills your dreams operates at lightning speed.

Which brings me to the fifth element of the Rule:

Fifth: “Or your brain will kill it.”

If you don’t physically move within 5 seconds, your mind WILL kill your dreams.

Your brain is like an overprotective, irrational, “helicopter” parent.

It thinks it’s keeping you safe when in fact it is keeping you from growing as a person, stretching yourself in your business, and fully experiencing life.

You see, your brain has 3 basic jobs.

It narrates your life as you live it and catalogs your memories.

It operates your body’s functions.

And it protects you from danger.

When you stop and think, when you hesitate, and when you feel uncertain, you are signaling to your brain that something’s wrong.

Your brain automatically goes into overdrive to protect you.

How does it protect you?

By keeping you from doing anything that feels scary, hard, or uncertain.

You know that there’s nothing dangerous about making a call or taking a walk or pursuing your dreams.

But your brain doesn’t know that, and it tries to sabotage you.

The 5 Second Rule is a way to outsmart your brain by changing hesitation into ACTION.

Before you doubt it, try it out.

It’s a tool that creates massive change. Those 5-second windows add up, I promise. It changed my life and it changed the lives of over 100,000 who have written to me about the awesome effects the Rule has created in their own lives.

In almost any situation, there’s an application for the Rule.

Try it yourself.

Posted by Mel Robbins https://melrobbins.com/five-elements-5-second-rule/

If Twitter is your preferred social media platform to share your thoughts and get the latest news and insights on startups, then you need to follow the Twitter accounts featured in this article.

1. Gary Vaynerchuk (TW: @garyvee)

When it comes to the sheer magnitude of content on social media, nobody does it better than serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk. Gary Vee’s Twitter timeline is a treasure trove for entrepreneurs.

With over 2.3 million followers, Gary Vee follows his jab, jab, jab, right hook philosophy of social media marketing with a sea of motivational quotes, hustle tips and tactics, snippets of his videos and podcast, and of course, the occasional promotion of his latest business endeavor.

2. Guy Kawasaki (TW: @GuyKawasaki)

Guy Kawasaki is a world-renowned marketing expert, author, and influencer. He was an integral part of Apple’s marketing team and currently the chief evangelist at Canva, the online design tool.

With more than 1.4 million followers on Twitter, Kawasaki keeps his audience engaged by tweeting frequently on business, marketing, his favorite tools and hacks, and his take on current events.

3. Richard Branson (TW: @richardbranson)

Richard Branson is the enterprising founder of the Virgin Group, best-selling author, philanthropist, and adventurer. Branson has an active Twitter presence with over 12.7 million followers.

Branson tweets about his latest business endeavors and adventures, tons of motivational content, his views on current events, and shares his thoughts on a wide range of topics ranging from entrepreneurship to wildlife to sports.

4. Arianna Huffington (TW: @ariannahuff)

Arianna Huffington co-founded Huffington Post and is ranked among the most influential women in media by Forbes. In 2014, she published the New York Times best-selling book, Thrive where she makes a compelling case for living a successful life that is not just measured by money and power, but also by well-being, wisdom, and compassion. She’s currently focusing on her new startup Thrive Global where her mission is to end stress and burnout.

Huffington has a huge following on Twitter with almost 3 million followers. She tweets regularly about her take on current affairs, the importance of health and sleep, links to her latest articles, motivational quotes, and about her latest role at Thrive Global.

5. Tim Ferriss (TW: @tferriss)

Tim Ferriss is an entrepreneur, public speaker, and best-selling author. He’s widely known for his self-help books, including The 4-Hour Work Week which has sold over 1,350,000 copies worldwide, and his podcast where the past guests include Arnold Schwarzenegger, LeBron James, Maria Sharapova, Tony Robbins, Malcolm Gladwell, Gary Vaynerchuk, and 300+ more.

Ferriss has over 1.7 million followers on Twitter where he shares snippets from his podcast, motivational tweets, links to his latest blog posts, videos, and frequent retweets of interesting content from his massive entrepreneur network.

6. Reid Hoffman (TW: @reidhoffman)

Reid Hoffman is an internet entrepreneur, author, and venture capitalist. He’s also the host of Masters of Scale, a popular podcast on entrepreneurship and leadership. He co-founded LinkedIn and was the company’s executive chairman until its acquisition by Microsoft in 2016.

Hoffman tweets regularly on topics such as entrepreneurship, politics, and investing, and occasionally shares industry insights, his take on current events, and inspirational quotes.

Related: 10 Podcasts That Will Make You a Better Entrepreneur

7. Sophia Amoruso (TW: @sophiaamoruso)

Sophia Amoruso is the founder and owner of Nasty Gal, an American retailer that specializes in fashion for young women, and the New York Times best-selling author of #GIRLBOSS, her autobiography. The book was adapted into a TV series by Netflix.

Amoruso has over 100,000 Twitter followers where she shares business advice for women entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs, inspiring tweets and quotes, and her latest work at Girlboss Media.

8. Tony Robbins (TW: @TonyRobbins)

Tony Robbins is a world-renowned life coach, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author. He’s best known for his energetic seminars, speeches, and self-help books such as Awaken the Giant Within, Unlimited Power, and his latest book Unshakeable.

On Twitter, Robbins has over 3 million followers and maintains an active presence by sharing snippets of his seminars and speeches, motivational content, and links to his latest podcast episodes, videos, and blog posts.

9. Mark Cuban (TW: @mcuban)

Mark Cuban is a serial entrepreneur, investor, and owner of NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. He’s also a panelist and investor in the reality TV show, Shark Tank where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their idea in hopes of securing investment from one of the “sharks”.

Cuban has close to 8 million Twitter followers and he keeps his community engaged by sharing business advice, his take on current events, inspiring quotes, and of course, about Shark Tank and Dallas Mavericks.

PIC.TWITTER.COM/SHPOBCM3T8

— MARK CUBAN (@MCUBAN) NOVEMBER 25, 2018

10. Bill Gates (TW: @BillGates)

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’d know who Bill Gates is. Gates co-founded Microsoft and held critical positions of chairman, CEO, and chief software architect at the company. Since stepping down from Microsoft in 2014, he’s largely focused on philanthropic activities at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and The Giving Pledge, which he co-founded with Warren Buffet.

Bill Gates has a massive Twitter following of over 50 million followers. He shares industry insights, favorite books, and his latest philanthropic endeavors.

11. Pat Flynn (TW: @PatFlynn)

Pat Flynn is a professional blogger and entrepreneur, known for the Smart Passive Income blog and podcast.

With more than 160,000 Twitter followers, he shares blogging tips and strategies, inspiring quotes, as well as links to his latest podcast episodes where he’s interviewed several business influencers, including Tim Ferriss, Ramit Sethi, Amy Porterfield, and Gary Vaynerchuk.

12. Barbara Corcoran (TW: @BarbaraCorcoran)

Barbara Corcoran is an entrepreneur, author, investor, and one of the key investors aka “sharks” on the TV show, Shark Tank.

Corcoran has more than 735,000 followers on Twitter, and she keeps her followers engaged by tweeting lots of motivational content, links to her latest podcast episodes, and updates on Shark Tank.

13. Eric Ries (TW: @ericries)

Eric Ries is an entrepreneur, blogger, and author, best known for The New York Times best-selling book The Lean Startup.

On Twitter, Ries has over 305,000 followers, and he tweets on topics like startups, the lean startup movement, and entrepreneurship.

14. Daymond John (TW: @TheSharkDaymond)

Daymond John is an entrepreneur, author, motivational speaker, and one of the key judges/”sharks” on Shark Tank.

Daymond has over 680,000 followers on Twitter and he tweets tons of motivational content for entrepreneurs, business advice, and occasionally promotes Shark Tank.

15. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (TW: @kiranshaw)

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw is the chairperson and managing director of Biocon, India’s largest biotechnology company. She was ranked among the world’s 100 most powerful women by Forbes.

Shaw maintains an active presence on Twitter where she has over 1.5 million followers. She tweets frequently on topics like entrepreneurship, the startup ecosystem, biotechnology, education, and occasionally shares her views on current affairs.

16. Hiten Shah (TW: @hnshah)

Hiten Shah is a serial entrepreneur and startup advisor who has started multiple SaaS companies, including KISSmetrics, and CrazyEgg.

To his 250,000+ followers on Twitter, he shares entrepreneurship advice, motivational stuff, and frequently retweets engaging content from his huge network of fellow entrepreneurs and innovators.

17. Andrew Chen (TW: @andrewchen)

Andrew Chen is an entrepreneur, growth hacker, blogger, and startup investor. He’s currently the General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, a private venture capital firm.

Chen has over 200,000 followers on Twitter, where he shares his latest articles, motivational content and advice for startups, relevant industry news, and curates content on topics such as growth hacking, startup marketing, and investing.

Business Accounts to Follow on Twitter

In addition to the above accounts, you could also consider following these business accounts to get all the latest industry news and insights.

• Entrepreneur (TW: @Entrepreneur) – Business magazine and website that publishes news stories about entrepreneurship and small business management.
• Fast Company (TW: @FastCompany) – Fast Company is a monthly business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design.
• Forbes (TW: @Forbes) – Forbes is a business magazine that features original articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics.
• HubSpot (TW: @HubSpot) – HubSpot is a company that develops software products for inbound marketing and sales.
• Inc. (TW: @Inc) – Inc. is a weekly magazine and website which publishes about small businesses and startups
• Reuters Business (TW: @ReutersBiz) – The business division of Reuters where you can get the latest and top business news around the world.
• Business Insider  (TW: @businessinsider) – Financial and business news website.
• TechCrunch (TW: @TechCrunch) – TechCrunch publishes tech news, analysis of emerging trends in tech, and profiling of new tech businesses and products.
• Harvard Business Review (TW: @HarvardBiz) – Harvard Business Review is a management magazine published by Harvard Business Publishing, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Harvard University.

Article published first by Sandeep Mallya, from Startup Cafe Digital 

https://www.99signals.com/best-twitter-accounts-entrepreneurs/

“Let her sleep

For when she wakes,

She will move

Mountains”

Mothers are the real MVP and deserve to be celebrated. Every. Single. Day.

Moms ARE unsung heroes…

You better appreciate them and celebrate them, every day.

Nonetheless, in just a few days, it is the official date to celebrate Mother’s Day.

If you need ideas to show your appreciation for ALL they do, which is a LOT, and get them something while supporting small businesses, here you go:

My selection of great gift ideas for you to be the hero.

#shopsmall

#mothersday2021

35 Over 35

How would you like to be photographed?

The Ultimate Personal Branding Experience

We’ll shoot for your brand, and for yourself.

Elevate your business and celebrate yourself!

I will photograph you, beautifully, by yourself, or with your mother, or with your children, or with your partner.

The options are limitless.

Learn more about the 35 Over 35 Portrait Campaign.

40 over 40

Maybe you think “Why should I get photographed now? I am getting older”.

Well, that’s EXACTLY why you should do it.

Celebrate your beauty today: every line, every scar is precious.

You have lived.

You have loved.

No matter your age, shape, or size, celebrate who you are today.

This experience will be transforming, and someday, it will be priceless.

These portraits will outlive you.

Learn more about the 40 Over 40 Portrait Campaign

Collage HairStudio Miami

@collagehairstudiomiami

Best hair salon in Miami: the place where you go to look good and feel good.

Mention this event for 20% off your visit to this boutique hair salon.

Citi Collective

For the new moms, the best diaper bags!

https://www.citicollective.com/

Their designs fuse timeless style with the essential functionality every parent needs to feel prepared, organized, and stylish.

All Citi Bags Include:

-Waterproof Exterior

-Multiple Organized Pockets

-Stroller Clips

-Changing Mat

-Insulated Pockets for Snacks and Bottles

Dayja Vu Candles

These are my absolute favorite candles.

https://www.instagram.com/dayjavu_candles/

https://dayjavucandles.com/

All product images taken by Odette Photo+Art

Inquire more if you need product photography services.

Adaeze Opara, from Adaeze Opara Photography, shares her story of entrepreneurship for our Spotlight. A portrait photographer from Phoenix, Arizona, she creates stunning images and an incredible experience for everyday women and the people who love them.

Let’s read her story.

What can you tell us about yourself?

My name is pronounced (ah-day-zay). I’m a portrait photographer, avid storyteller, and “tryer” of new things.
I find joy in creating a beautiful experience for every person I photograph. At that moment, I want them to know that they are the most important thing to me.

What were the origins of your business?

I pretty much stumbled into this.
I’d always been a photography enthusiast – most of us start like this.
I’m a trained IT Business Analyst and have worked as a product manager/business analyst hybrid in corporate America since I finished grad school in 2014.
But I always dreamed of having my own business. It never occurred to me, not even once, that portrait photography could be it. Until I accidentally found a network of portrait photographers who had not only created stunning work but also built a sustainable business out of it, complete with raving clients.
And I instantly knew I wanted that for myself.

What aspects of your background have helped you the most?

I’d say growing up in Nigeria has given me a healthy mix of tenacity and risk awareness, something every entrepreneur will find helpful.
I was also surrounded by beauty and pure talent. I think that had something to do with helping me hone my skills when it comes to “knowing what beautiful looks like.”
Being an organizer and problem solver at my day job means I get to apply those same skills to find and solve problems for my clients, who are trusting me to create an image of them they will absolutely love.

What were the main challenges you encountered at the beginning?

Many entrepreneurs, especially artists, struggle daily with being able to create something, put a price on it, and own it.
Thankfully, I have tools I use to work through this daily, starting with mastery.
When you master what you do, you trust your ability to deliver on what your clients have come to you for. Feeling confident in what you can do is worth its weight in gold.

Who was the most supportive of your idea?

I’m not sure. I didn’t quite look to anyone for support. Maybe because I didn’t feel like I needed it. Getting clients and delivering stellar service to them was (and still is) the only thing on my mind. Most of my family didn’t even know about this until it was already in motion.

Have there been any changes in your business approach after Covid-19?

Yes.
First, I started to get my photography business going maybe two months before COVID hit. So it’s almost like everything had to change before I could hit the ground running.

Where I had planned to get out and meet people in person, I couldn’t do much of that anymore, and I had to resort to online spaces (not my first choice, to be honest) to network and share my business.

As a portrait photographer, interacting with clients up close and personal, playing with the kids during family portraits, in-person consultations with my family portrait or branding clients, etc., are a huge part of how I operate. Unfortunately, I’ve had to limit physical interactions as much as possible.

But hey, as entrepreneurs, we are in the business of adapting to change, so here we are.

What makes your offer unique?

That’s an interesting question.

Many photographers offer the same result (i.e., Portraits for their clients) and maybe even go to the same or similar lengths as I do when it comes to the client experience.

So ultimately, I know that what makes my offer unique is ME.

No other photographer will see the world or capture it the way I do.
No other photographer will make my clients feel how I make them feel because there’s only one of me.

This is why, in addition to creating a beautiful and fun experience for every person I photograph, I will always strive to infuse parts of myself into my business. That’s the ONE thing that makes my offer to the world unique.

Do you have any other passions?

Yes. I love roller skating (I’m currently recovering from a fractured wrist thanks to this, but that hasn’t stopped me from dreaming about skating when I’m all healed up, LOL).

I love running outdoors.

I recently took up candle making, and I’m enjoying experimenting with different fragrances and filling my home with lovely scents every day. I also know how to play about four chords on the guitar.

Okay, that’s about it.

If you could go back in time, what would you do differently?

I’m not sure. Maybe not break my wrist LOL. But I’m pretty happy with my journey in life so far.

What challenges do you see ahead?

Not let photography take over my whole life, LOL

What future projects does your business have?

I have two in mind.
1. It’s Just Acne – a portrait campaign where I’ll photograph women who live/deal with adult hormonal acne.
2. I’m also looking at finally getting my own dedicated studio space. I daydream about this a lot. I already know exactly what it looks like, and I am excited to see everything start to come together.

What message would you send to your followers?

Thank you for coming with me on this incredible journey. Imagine what it’ll be like ten years from now.

If you were to define your business in one sentence, how would you do it?

A beautiful portrait experience for everyday women and the people who love them.

Adaeze Opara’s Contact Info

https://www.adaezeopara.com
www.facebook.com/adaezeoparaphotography
www.instagram.com/adaeze.opara
ada@adaezeopara.com

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Utility Avenue’s Spotlight focuses on promoting inspiring businesses every week. For a chance to be interviewed, contact us at support@utilityavenue.com with the subject Spotlight.