Entrepreneurship can be a lonely path to follow at times. When you’re busy putting in the hard yards building a successful business, actively following people who’ve been there before you is a great way of getting an outside perspective and learning some valuable lessons while you’re at it.
In this piece, we’ll shine a light on 4 inspirational entrepreneurs who’ve both knocked it out of the park in terms of their own business success and been more than generous in sharing the lessons learned along the way.
- Jason Fried of Basecamp
In addition to helping create a highly polished productivity tool that thousands of small businesses worldwide rely on to organise their teams, Jason Fried has also been a consistently clear thinker on wider entrepreneurial subjects over the years. As co-author of modern business classics such as Remote and Rework, he was one of the first business thought leaders to really tackle the challenges of working in the digital age.
Fried writes regularly across a wide range of business topics on both his own company blog and across the wider web. Start following him today and you’re guaranteed a constant stream of entrepreneurial insight and actionable tips from someone who’s truly walked the talk in his own business.
- Angie Hicks of Angie’s List
As co-founder of Angie’s List – the crowd-sourced American local business review site – Angie Hicks knows more than most about all aspects of small business success. Hicks has been the driving force behind the company’s growth from being literally a door-to-door operation back in 1995 to a publicly listed company with over three million paid subscribers today.
Whether through digging into the details of Angie Hicks’ rise to the top, or following her regular media appearances and social channels, there’s much here to be learned for any small business owner.
- Sara Blakely of Spanxx
Sara Blakely’s astonishing journey towards becoming the youngest ever female billionaire is a classic modern-day entrepreneurial success story. Spurred on by personal frustration with the clothing options available to her, she quickly moved from idea to product and distribution and achieved an astonishing $4 million in sales in the first year alone.
Fast-forward a number of years and you’ll have seen Sara Blakely popping up everywhere from Oprah’s couch to the pages of Time and Forbes. Whether as a business icon, engaging speaker, active philanthropist, or entertaining and informative social media presence, the Spanxx founder is well worth actively following.
- Jessica May of Enabled Employment
Australia’s own Jessica May managed to turn personal pain into profit when she was diagnosed with a panic disorder following the birth of her first child in 2014. She swiftly founded Enabled Employment with a view towards matching employers with skilled people with disabilities.
It’s an innovative approach that’s taken off quickly with revenues steadily climbing above the $2 million mark in little over a year. Jessica’s own story is an inspiring one and her regular media appearances and active company blog and social accounts make her a local entrepreneur to be followed.
Regardless of what business you’re in, the personal and financial stories of our highlighted entrepreneurs are crammed full of lessons to take on board. Each one has also proven to be impressively willing to share their hard-won knowledge with fellow business owners.
Dig into the details, check out their books and media appearances, add them to your follow lists, and you’ll find yourself automatically upping your overall entrepreneurial game in no time at all!
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