Entrepreneurs were made to stand out, 3 tips on how to do so in 2017

Entrepreneurs stand up

Do you ever feel like you’re just another entrepreneur in a sea of business professionals? While entrepreneurs are a dime a dozen these days, it’s still possible to make your mark and stand out.

But if you’re going to do it the right way, there are some things you need to know.

How to Make Yourself Stand Out

Standing out in a crowded field isn’t easy – it’s something you really have to work at. However, if you make it a big enough focus in your career, you’ll find that you’re always able to leave a mark – regardless of how noisy it is.

Mastering the following tips will help.

1. Create a Compelling Online Image

First impressions are everything in the business world. And while nothing replaces a face-to-face meeting, most first impressions are forged well before the shaking of hands. Chances are that, before you meet with someone, you’ve already researched them online – and vice versa. As such, you need to create a compelling online image if you want to stand out.

Your online image starts with your website.

Social media, advertising, and content marketing all play a role, but your website is one of the first things people will look at. Instead of using the same basic site layouts and templates that everyone in your industry is using, try something fresh. One new and compelling technique is to incorporate video into your homepage.

The stunning background video on the McQuarrie law firm website is a perfect example. Attorney websites are a dime a dozen, but this website clearly commands attention in a tasteful way. How you can do the same?

2. Be Willing to Learn From Others

It’s amazing how many entrepreneurs falsely believe that they can thrive on their own. You may have a good idea and possess more knowledge on a particular topic than anyone else, but you can’t thrive in a silo.

You must be willing to learn from others.

It’s the entrepreneurs who aren’t afraid to ask for help and study those around them that tend to stand out. The sooner you recognize this, the better off you’ll be.

3. Don’t Try to Do Too Much at Once

As an entrepreneur, it’s common to have dozens of different ideas in your head. And while there’s something to be said for throwing as much stuff against the wall as you can in hopes of having something stick, there’s also value in simplifying and narrowing your focus to the one or two things that you do best.

As Apple CEO Tim Cook says, “It’s easy to add. It’s hard to edit. It’s hard to stay focused. And yet we know we’ll only do our best work if we stay focused. And so the hardest decisions we make are all the things not to work on. There are lots of things we’d like to work on that we have interest in but we know that we can’t do everything great.”

If you can be one of the few entrepreneurs who understand the value in focusing on what you’re really good at, you’ll make a better impression on those around you.

Ditch the Chameleon Mentality

As an entrepreneur, there’s a lot of value in studying what other successful entrepreneurs have done. For example, if you’re in the tech space, you’d be wise to study what Steve Jobs did in his career, or what Elon Musk is doing right now. However, what you don’t want to do is mimic what others are doing. You should learn from other people without copying what they do.

It’s a fine line to walk, but it’s important, nonetheless.

#BeDifferent