Even for those of us who were born to be entrepreneurs, staying engaged and motivated every single day can be a challenge. My career takes me to many different places where I do many different things from day to day, so keeping a firm grip on my goals and my time takes work. Over the years, I’ve learned a few tricks to keep me focused and on target no matter where I am or what I’m doing.

Want to know a secret? I don’t really look forward to conducting job interviews. I’d rather be spending that time taking care of my clients’ needs or working on something else that’s going to make me money. However, every great employee who has ever worked for me was hired only after a thorough interview process. It’s still entrepreneurs’ best methodology to determine just who, exactly, these people are that want to join our team. Can they think critically? Can we trust them? The job interview gives us our first clues.

As all entrepreneurs are aware, finding the time to relax can sometimes become a challenge—especially when we are so focused on improving our skills and knowledge base in preparation for the growth to come. Fortunately, there’s a productive way to do both! Picking up a good book is a great way to clear our heads, lower our heart rates, and sink into some learning and inspiration while we’re curled up on the couch. I highly recommend it.

Entrepreneurs are wired to say “yes.” If we weren’t, we never would have even tried to start our own business! We believe in our talents, we’re optimistic about our futures, and we welcome the challenges that come with being our own bosses. That’s why, when an opportunity presents itself, we feel compelled to say, “Yes, I can and I will!”

 

I love saying “yes” to an opportunity. But to be successful, I had to learn how and when to say “no,” too. It has been one of the hardest lessons I had to experience along my entrepreneurship journey.

As a creative entrepreneur, my thought process and productivity thrive when I surround myself by sources of inspiration in my home and workspace. There are many gadgets and knick-knacks out there to help spark ideas, and here are some of my favorites!

It’s Monday morning and you’re excited to have a healthy, productive start to the week. By Wednesday you’re frazzled waiting for a latte at Starbucks in a rush to get to work on time. By Friday you can’t wait for the day to end and start your weekend, almost resenting your job. It’s easy to pick up some unhealthy lifestyle patterns when you are an entrepreneur or become a little too invested in your career. There are small changes we can make to our daily routine to avoid becoming overwhelmed by work and life in general.

As entrepreneurs, it’s easy to simply wake up and jump right into another busy day without much structure. The below to-do’s can serve as a check list to follow during your day to maintain stability, organization, and control throughout the work week.

As one of the largest, most diverse cities in the nation, Houston is a great city to do business in. Building both the brand of myself as a branding consultant and that of my digital marketing company, Studio Brand Collective, has been very successful due to all the opportunity the city has to offer. If you are ready to get yourself out there, Houston is a great place to do so!

In 2017, being an artist isn’t as black and white as it used to be—we aren’t just painters and poets anymore. We’re curators, writers, creative directors, photographers, and many things in between. Thanks to recent opportunities and trades sprouting from new technology in this digital age, creative individuals have been able to express themselves and find work in a wide array of fields.

In your years of school and working as a professional, how many times have you thrown around the term, “networking?” What does this even normally entail? Where do these events take place? Think about the redundancy of events you’re imagining and how effective they’ve really been in elevating your career. I’m not saying this traditional approach to getting your name out there doesn’t work, but for some, there are some less conventional ways to network.