While there are some universal tenets of success, entrepreneurs wouldn’t be entrepreneurs if they didn’t march to the beat of their own inner drummer. Many successful small business owners have their own “secrets”—things they do or believe that help them achieve success.
Here some of today’s smartest, most innovative, most successful business owners share their insights and success secrets with you.
Meet: Alexis Fedor, a performance artist who struggled for years to discover a way to make a living doing what she loved. She began studying under successful financial and marketing experts, determined to uncover the missing link in her own business. Alexis transformed that journey into a comprehensive, online education program focused on helping raise the financial IQ of other artistic business owners.
Alexis teaches artists how to create a brand and build a solid business plan, helping them set and meet their goals.
In addition to her 14-day course, Alexis hosts the Artists In Business podcast. She also offers memberships to a Facebook group that synthesizes each of the lessons taught in her course by connecting creatives like herself with art and business experts to inspire, guide and motivate them to build businesses with their craft.
You can find her on Twitter @dailyartbites.
Rieva Lesonsky: What did you want to be when you grew up?
Alexis Fedor: A writer/dancer/actor/producer.
Lesonsky: Why did you start your own business?
Fedor: I wanted to eliminate the “starving artist” mentality by helping other artists build thriving businesses with and for their art.
Lesonsky: Did you experience a pivotal moment on your way to success?
Fedor: The moment I realized my first company had failed led me to understand how to merge the financial side of running a business with a good marketing plan.
Lesonsky: What’s the best small business advice you ever gave and/or received?
Fedor: Your revenue is in the details. This was a piece of wisdom given to me by the most successful businessperson I’ve known, and it’s what ultimately lead me to have my first six-figure year with my own business.
Lesonsky: What’s one “best practice” more entrepreneurs should be embracing?
Fedor: Getting to know what their ideal clients actually need, not just what they want from what you have to offer.
Lesonsky: Do you have a prediction for small business?
Fedor: I predict small businesses are going to grow in scale to a point that we will be able to tilt the economy back into the hands of the people rather than the 2.7 percent of big businesses currently dominating the economic climate.
Lesonsky: What’s your favorite book?
Fedor: Mama Day by Gloria Naylor
Lesonsky: Is there a quote you find particularly inspiring?
Fedor: “Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know. That can be your greatest strength and ensure that you do things differently from everyone else.” –Sarah Blakely (founder of Spanx)
