While working at a warehouse packing boxes, Erik Bentley noticed a chassis dyno being moved into a building across the street. His curiosity and love for cars prompted him to walk over and find out more details of the move, which led him to discover the opening of a performance shop. He ended up going there every night during his free time to learn everything there was to know about running a performance shop. Seeing the freedom and monetary rewards his boss had at his warehouse job pushed him towards his lifelong dream of opening his own business. Erik sold his car and saved up all his pennies to invest in his own domestic automotive shop specializing in performance modifications. Today, Lashway Motorsports is a thriving business generating over $1 million in sales annually and is expanding with a body shop slated to open sometime this year.
5 Ways to Balance Being an Entrepreneur with Having a Relationship
There are many blogs, books, and videos discussing how to be a successful entrepreneur, create work/life balance or how to keep a job while being an entrepreneur. But there are fewer outlets which address how to balance being an entrepreneur and have a relationship, at the same time. Note: Entrepreneurs can be men or women and for this article I’ll…
7 Things that Successful Entrepreneurs do Differently
There is a popular trend on social media at the moment that talks about us all having the ‘same amount of hours in the day as Oprah and Richard Branson.’ How do some entrepreneurs get so much done in one day? It’s been proven that working longer and harder is not a recipe for success. So what exactly are the…
Secret Academy Episode – Colin Hatzmann
Like many entrepreneurs, Colin Hatzmann started out his working career with a corporate 9-5 job. He had a great government job as a financial examiner, but deep down he always wanted to start his own business even though he had zero experience or knowledge of entrepreneurship. When life dealt him a troubled hand, his government job looked like it might be in jeopardy. Instead of waiting around to see what would happen, he decided to take matter into his own hands. Why not take the leap and start his own business like he had always dreamed of doing? The idea came from his English Bulldog; he noticed that his dog would tear through toys effortlessly and wasn’t able to find any toys on the market specifically tailored towards power chewing dogs. This revelation and his lifelong dream of becoming an entrepreneur gave birth to Bullymake, a subscription box filled with toys and treats suited for dogs that would normally tear through treats and toys easily.
Secret to Success – Chris Green
Many people dream of taking their passion in life and starting their own business based off of that. After graduating from high school, Chris Green decided that instead of going to college like all of his peers, he wanted to take his passion for car audio and turn it into a real business. So at 18-years-old, he incorporated USP Motorsports and started contacting wholesalers to open up accounts. With zero inventory, Chris bought products as he got orders for them and eventually saved up enough money to acquire a brick and mortar location. A slow, steady growth and transition into e-commerce transformed his business into a million dollar venture. Today, he runs USP Motorsports with the same passion and drive as he did from day one.
Turn Your Social Media Traffic into Paying Customers Using These Strategies
Thousands might be visiting your website through your social media channels, but the question you really need to ask is, “Are any of these people buying from me?”. If none of your social media traffic is reaching out to their pockets to buy your products, then all the efforts you’ve exerted to bring them to your website would all have been…
Secret Academy Episode – David and Jamie Orr
Jamie and David Orr come from science education and business development backgrounds respectfully, but they decided to make the move to Lake Tahoe to pursue their own business. Lake Tahoe was a frequent vacationing spot for them, and they fell in love with the small yet diverse community there. Jamie and David noticed a lack of cohesiveness in the professional community of South Lake Tahoe and thus set out to find a solution. Having experience working from home, they wanted to create an environment where business professionals of all sectors could come together and collaborate. Tahoe Mountain Lab was their solution: an office space for individuals wanting to rent out just a desk or private office to work in with amenities such as a conference room, internet, printer, scanner, snacks, and refreshments. Being a shared workspace, people can interact with other professionals and bounce ideas off one another. Tahoe Mountain Lab was founded in February of 2014 and boasts an 80-100% occupancy rate year round.