12 Business Leaders Share Their Advice for Starting Your Entrepreneurial Journey

Starting a business can be an overwhelming experience, and before embarking on your entrepreneurial journey, it’s often helpful to receive advice and guidance from those who have been through it before.

Below, 12 Rolling Stone Culture Council members share the advice they received when starting out that still resonates with them today. By learning from the experiences of others, new business owners can gain valuable insights and inspiration to help them navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship.

Make Every Deal a Win-Win

Find ways to make every deal a win-win. When potential clients know that you are not only considering their success but also collaborating with them toward reaching it, they are more likely to do business with you now and in the future, as well as recommend you to other potential clients. This insight has informed how we do business in the music industry and has kept us growing for nearly a decade. – Micah Christian, Sons of Serendip

Be Patient and Keep a Clear Vision

When starting a business, there is this time when quite frankly you’re not sure if it’s going to work. Have patience, give it time and keep a clear vision of where you want to be. It taught me that nothing happens overnight. This goes for any business venture — and I always keep it in mind when starting something new. – Karina Michel Feld, Tallulah Films

Pursue Self-Awareness

First, organizations often mirror their founders — their strengths and brilliance as well as their weaknesses and shortcomings. What are you doing to help avoid your own personal pitfalls, which can easily translate into leadership and business-building pitfalls? Pursue self-awareness. Then, start with a clear intention that deeply resonates and use this as a “North Star” when building. – Sarah Berner Donahue, One House

Deeply Understand Your ‘Why’

Know why you are getting into the business. Deeply understand what you are doing and why you are doing it. This will help you focus when things are going well, and it will help you get through some of the dark and challenging times. – Brian Framson, Citrus America Inc.

Approach New Opportunities as Stepping Stones

Passion isn’t just being good at something; it’s the desire to improve continuously. If you’re passionate and embrace everything as an opportunity, you can’t fail. I have found success by turning each opportunity presented to me early in my career into the next opportunity. Approach situations expecting them to lead to the next big thing. – Andy Hale, Hale & Monico

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Know Everything Will Take More Time and Money Than You Think

Everything takes twice as long and costs twice as much as you think it will. This simple statement helps you set realistic timelines and budgets to ensure you are not under-capitalized. This is especially true when launching a new product or service offering within the infrastructure of an existing business. Each one requires its own sales, marketing and project management budget and team to execute. – Traci DeForge, Produce Your Podcast

Focus On Problem-Solving

“Focus on solving a real problem for your customers.” This advice still resonates with me today and has influenced my decisions in prioritizing the needs of our users. It has guided me to build products and services that address real pain points and add value to people’s lives. – Theo Sastre-Garau, NFTevening

Understand That Growth Is Not a Straight Line

“Overnight success” is a hot buzzword. But the reality is that most companies grind, claw, reinvent and spend years working on the dream before they achieve overnight success. This fact keeps me focused and going every day, as growth is not a straight line. You must have the patience to see the long-term vision and goal of your company to create a lasting and successful brand. – Nathan Green, New Level Radio

Stay Lean as Long as You Can

Do as much as you can by yourself. In the early stages of growing a business, it’s important to fly as lightly as possible. Hiring people too fast can cause inefficiency and unnecessary problems early on. Stay lean. I now try to make my company as efficient as possible while staying as lean as possible. This keeps operating costs down and allows room for investments into our growth as a company. – Christian Anderson (Trust’N), Lost Boy Entertainment LLC

Take Time to Commit to Your Business and Build Your Brand

When I started my business, I was told that it takes time to build a reputation. It takes time for people to know who you are and what you do. I still believe that advice. You must commit to the business and ensure that your name is out there so that people know about you. – Kristin Marquet, Marquet Media, LLC

Listen to Your Employees and Customers

I was told the smartest thing to do in meetings when pitching groups of people is to listen. Over the years, I learned people end up telling you the answer to the question if you give them enough space to be heard. – Adam Rumanek, Aux Mode Inc.

Meet a Genuine Need

Focus on solving a real problem or meeting a genuine need. Businesses that are built on a solid foundation of addressing real-world problems are more likely to have a sustainable and lasting impact compared to those that are based on short-term trends or fads. Strive to create meaningful and sustainable solutions that resonate with customers and drive long-term success. – Candice Georgiadis, Digital Day