Are You Downplaying Your Business?
Apr 12
Written By Melissa Houston
“Your empire is yours. It is real, it is legitimate, it is meaningful, it is incredible — no matter how big or small it is, no matter if you’re doing it part-time or full-time.”
— Ali Kriegsman
As business owners, we’re building our own empires. What can we do to make the road easier for ourselves?
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My guest today is Ali Kriegsman, author of How to Build a Goddamn Empire: Advice on Creating Your Brand with High-Tech Smarts, Elbow Grease, Infinite Hustle, and a Whole Lotta Heart.
Ali interviewed 30 female entrepreneurs with businesses of all sizes and stages, who candidly share their missteps and triumphs.
In the early stages, many people resist calling themselves founders or entrepreneurs — especially women. But downplaying your business keeps you from making connections that could help you scale more quickly!
“When someone is being small and shrinky and quiet about their business, it’s because they feel like it’s not far along enough yet,” Ali explains, “Little do they know that it’s only going to go further once they start talking about it.”
Once Ali started promoting her own business, she was able to develop relationships with early-stage investors and the real estate broker who helped her secure her first location!
Building your network early on is crucial. As Ali says, “You actually never know who the key to your opportunity is.” Someone who doesn’t seem important to your business now may be in a different position in two years!
In this episode, you’ll discover:
Ali’s top advice for entrepreneurs working on building up their businesses
How failures can be our greatest teachers — and the early missteps Ali values most
Why building a solid network should be your priority — and how it’s one of the few shortcuts to success
About Ali Kriegsman
Ali Kriegsman is the co-founder and COO at Bulletin, a venture-backed B2B wholesale marketplace. She was named a Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient and one of "The Most Creative People in Business" by Fast Company. She is the author of How to Build a Goddamn Empire: Advice on Creating Your Brand with High-Tech Smarts, Elbow Grease, Infinite Hustle, and a Whole Lotta Heart.
Highlights:
02:06 Meet Ali Kriegsman
02:53 The Bulletin story
04:45 Learning from failure
07:00 How to Build a Goddamn Empire
08:48 Own your entrepreneurship out loud
11:30 Shortcut to success
16:10 Examples of failure
19:33 Ali’s advice
21:24 Managing finances
23:25 Takeaway
25:52 Preorder the book!
Links:
Ali Kriegsman
Instagram: @alikriegs
The 5-Step Roadmap to Biz Finance Freedom
Want more tips and inspiration? Follow me on Twitter @melissahcpa and Pinterest @melissahoustoncpacga and visit my website: https://www.melissahoustoncpa.com.