What is a Renegade Entrepreneur?

By Sheena Wolf for Renegade Entrepreneur

What is a renegade entrepreneur? Is it the person who can reinvent and rejuvenate their struggling business? Perhaps it is the individual who simply refuses to quit and in spite of bumps and bruises, they persevere to become highly successful! In truth, a renegade entrepreneur is all of the above and so much more. If you are tired of getting by and pretty much just existing on this planet and would like to see what it feels like to truly live, becoming a renegade entrepreneur could be the right path for you. When you are ready to learn what it will take to go from basic entrepreneurship to a full on renegade style, read on!

First Evaluate

You can never get to where you want to be if you refuse to thoroughly evaluate where you are and how you got there. Is your business struggling? Have you hit a plateau? Take some time to critically evaluate your business. What is holding the company back? Is it lack of vision? Poor employee performance? There are many factors involved in running a successful business including product, marketing, customer service and much more. Each of these need to be scrutinized and assessed if you are going to get on the right path.

Employees and Partners

Have you ever heard attitude determines your altitude? Trying to rise to the top in your field when you are weighed down with terrible employees or power hungry individuals is going to be nearly impossible and as a renegade entrepreneur you are going to have to be willing to lose dead weight. If that sounds harsh, well it kind of is, but my guess is you are not running a charity but trying to build a successful company! Here are a few examples of the type of people you will need to feel okay about firing:

• Bad attitudes come in many forms, from complaining constantly to spreading as much gossip in the workplace as humanly possible. In either situation, you have an individual who is bad for company moral and will be a drain on your business. Cut them loose without a second thought.
• Climbers are those people who look for the most affluent person in your company and then latches on, hoping for a free ride to the top. They will often insinuate themselves into the successful persons daily routine with the singular purpose of bettering their own standing. They do not have the company’s best interests at heart, merely their own.
• Aggressive people have their place in business, provided that aggression is expressed as a go-getter attitude and not in playing office politics.
• Poor performance individuals or those who simply must do things their own way, regardless of risks to themselves or others. Every business has to have some guiding principles or rules if you will, and you want your team to be willing and able to follow those rules, even if it complicates their job a bit.

Business Performance

Once you have determined you have a strong crew to work with it is time to begin evaluating how you do business. If your business has not ventured into the online world, you are fast becoming irrelevant. Even strong brick and mortar companies will fail if they do not step up to claim their piece of internet real estate. This means you need a website, social media status and good people to manage all of the above. A few things to keep in mind:

• Getting Lost- if you cannot be found through the search engines you are in a deep black internet hole. Your company website must be search engine friendly and this requires the assistance of skilled individuals.
• Mobile- cell phones are in the hands of most United States citizens and smart phones have become increasingly popular. As soon as possible, your website should be customized to ensure it is mobile friendly, or better yet, create an app.
• Social Media- Facebook may have started as a college only online organization but it has quickly become an integral part of many people’s lives, and of course, it is not the only game on the block. Get busy creating your profile, setting up Twitter and interacting with your customer base.
• No One Size Fits All- be willing to think outside the box. What works for one business or entrepreneur may not work for you and you must be able to adapt to this truth.

Final Thoughts

Is this a blueprint for becoming a renegade entrepreneur? Of course not, as any true entrepreneur will tell you this is a lifelong learning process. These are but a few tips to get you back on course and help you establish some renegade tendencies. Being an entrepreneur is hard work, frustrating, aggravating and more, but it is also the most rewarding experience you can ever have. Imagine looking at your thriving business and realizing you built it, one-step at a time, the sense of accomplishment and pride are immeasurable.