subject: The Journey of an Industrial Entrepreneur [print this page] The Journey of an Industrial Entrepreneur
When I was a twenty four I embarked on a business journey that would take my business knowledge to a whole new level. As a young entrepreneur I saw my business sky rocketing with little effort, but boy was I wrong. I had no idea there were so many obstacles to overcome, such as customers and employees.
My customers proved to be a challenge to me because I was young and thought I knew more than I did about the industry. I started in the shipping industry, where I realized that most of my customers where twice my age. It took me time to overcome this age barrier, but after I figured out how to be a salesman, my profits quadrupled.
Dealing with someone twice your age is difficult, but I found a surefire way to overcome it. Treat your customers with respect, but also show them that you are knowledgeable in the trade. You want to come to your customers with every problem you encounter, with a solution and a go get it attitude. When you have customers that are your fathers age, then it is second nature for them to treat you like their son. Be respectful, knowledgeable, and show them that you have a solution for their problem and they will respect you in return.
Owning your own business can be tough, but after I got over my major hurdles, my business started to grow. The best advice I can give a young entrepreneur is learn as much as you can about your trade and treat every customer the same way you would like to be treated. Hopefully, twenty years later you will still be growing your business as I am.
