The very meaning of the word “Entrepreneur” suggests that accidental doesn’t go well with it, an oxymoron of sorts. The adjectives mostly associated with entrepreneur could be; Great, Awesome, Extraordinary and the like, after all it does take an above average effort to succeed in any enterprise, more so in the context of this story, Affiliate Marketing, SEO/PPC, the new Social Media. Let me promise right now not to be a slave to this economy, however, what has risen up from the ashes is; more and more people are taken to their own businesses out of a shear lack of meaningful employment options. How this will flush out is still to be seen, whichever way it goes it’s always smart to aim your product and service at the masses before you can define a niche.
Entrepreneur
–noun
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1. |
a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, esp. a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk. |
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2. |
an employer of productive labor; contractor. |
There are some great entrepreneurs over the last ten years or so that just seemed destined for greatness and it looked like there was no other career choice that would fit, it simply seems natural that heading their own enterprise was the only course. Here are a few I know to a different degree; one personally, one casually and one I just admire from afar.
Scott Richter from Affiliate.com and Media Breakaway, it seems like Scott is a lucky guy, always right place right time kind of guy. I know Scott casually and know that he is one of the hardest working people I’ve seen in this business. As my Dad used to say, “Luck is something you make yourself available for”. That is how Scott occurs to me, try many things and see how they flush out and yes good luck seems to shine on him. With the great things he has accomplished so far I am certain Scott has a lot more ahead of him.
Let me give you a shining example of another leader in affiliate marketing. Kevin De Vincenzi from XY7.com and Rapid Response Marketing, The reason this is going to be such a glowing accolade is, Kevin and I don’t really get along, however, he is truly a born entrepreneur and a great businessman and one could learn a lot from him. Kevin constantly throws a lot of crap against the wall to see what sticks and is constantly looking for ways to monetize, always looking for the “outside the box” angles. I myself learned a great deal working for him and although I don’t have the dough he has to experiment, I do in fact try to see the angles. Kevin has achieved much with a limited education and limited resources, kudos to Kevin.
Here is a person I would like to know personally and know more about, Peter Bordes, Founder and CEO of MediaTrust as well as a slew of other great accomplishments. Peter seems to be a highly intelligent person with a high degree of integrity. Peter Founded the Advaliant CPA platform out of a need for honesty and integrity in April of 2004 and has become a leader in this space. The leadership Peter has assembled in MediaTrust alone is a reason to emulate.
The reason I bring up seemingly “born to be” an entrepreneurs in an article call “accidental….”, we all need to mirror someone especially given that these new accidental entrepreneurs do not have the needed skill set to succeed on their own, myself included. All 3 of these great entrepreneurs should be followed for the very same reason I do, they are all at the top of their game and are winners. If you are anything like me, an “accidental entrepreneur” as the tile suggests you do not have the same skill set as these guys and need mentoring in all aspects of your business.
Now don’t misread me here, all 3 of these guys are highly un-accessible, bottom-line not easy to get to talk to. Scott has sort of a fan club kind of base and is not easy to get to talk to unless you are in his inner circle. The few times I had the chance to hang with Scott at events like ad-tech and Affiliate Summit I enjoyed it and he really seems like a nice guy, although very private. Peter is highly visible in the Social Media space and can easily be found on twitter and others, although a real busy guy. Kevin, will talk to you if you have something of value, only money value. Can’t really be found much on the Social Media scene and like Scott has an inner circle and stays close to that.
In summary, the new economy has many of us “Team Players” and what I mean by that is guys/gals that prospered inside of larger companies and find themselves with no other options but to carve out a piece of the pie for themselves, yes entrepreneurship. Although still in my humble beginnings bulbwired.com was born. I would truly rather be a part of something bigger and exciting, however, the opportunities are slim and even slimmer in Portland, OR where I live. There has been interest and offers; all have me moving and with 3 kids a wife and a dog it’s not easy to do. I find myself inside the exciting world of going on my own and find strength in following these guys as well as others I know in other businesses beyond the Internet. The point ladies and gentleman don’t go it alone, find the people that can help you and ask for their help. Lastly, I want to thank an “Accidental Entrepreneur” Auggie over at auggie4000.com, Auggie has helped a lot and continues to be an inspiration.
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