The Real Meaning of 14 Entrepreneur Buzzwords

These buzzwords are so mainstream

It’s been about 5 years since I looked at some business buzzwords.  A lot has changed in 5 years.  We have left the Great Recession and are now in a Golden Age of sorts in entrepreneurship.  With that Golden Age, you get new terminology.  You often hear these terms when dealing with any technology related business, but it is also creeping into all businesses, especially start-ups.

For example:

1. Stealth - I’m talented, but nobody knows it.  Actually, if you are stealth for a long time, you might not be that talented. 
2. Ninja - You can call yourself a Ninja, if you get past stealth mode.
3. Thought leader – I think this used to be an expert.  But then Malcolm Gladwell messed everythingup by saying you needed 10,000 hours in a particular practice area to be considered an expert.  So now you can just be a thought leader instead.
4. Rocking it - Doing something super good.
5. Crushing it – Doing something super-duper good.
6. Killing it - Doing something super-duper-duper good.
7. Ecosystem - Biologists use the term ecosystem to describe a community of organisms interacting in their environment.   Now the ecosystem can be any kind of grouping.
8. Pivot - If your ecosystem is suddenly not rocking, crushing, or killing it, you may need to pivot.  We used to say change or quit, but pivoting is more fun. 
9. Disruptive - After you pivot, hopefully you can be disruptive in an ecosystem.  In the early 2000’s this was game changer and in the 1990’s there was some reference to cheese being moved.
10. Content – Stuff, i.e., written stories, pictures, video, etc.
11. Curate – Borrowing other people’s stuff until you get your own stuff, i.e., written stories, pictures, video, etc.
12. Hack - A hack is a tip.  Now that I think of it, a hack used to be what you would call someone if they “curated” a lot, but never really gave anyone else credit, i.e. “He is such a hack!”
13. Big data – Everything has been digital since about 2002.  That means there is a lot of data out there.  A lot.  Like Petabyte big.  For example, if you can run “big data” on your laptop, that ain’t big data.
14. Internet of Things – The internet of things….means, uh…..well….you know, things on the internet?  Okay, there are only 13 Entrepreneur Definitions.  

Discussion question:

What are some other buzzwords that have gotten out of hand?  Tell me in the comment section.

How to Get Your Marketing “In-Shape”

Did you see that bright fiery ball in the sky?  Yep, it’s good to have our old friend, the sun, back.

It’s also that time of year for us to finally get in shape.  Sure we made that New Year’s Resolution, but you know how that goes.

And getting in shape usually consists of us getting mad and taking action.  No real plan, just action!  

• You get a gym membership
• You buy a NutriBullet and wipe out the produce section at Publix
• You exercise, watch what you eat, and take care of business.  Then you lose the weight.  You are proud.  You have  knocked out 10 lbs. in 10 weeks.

And then it happens.  You get a little too confident!  You take a few days off from the gym, eat some food you shouldn’t eat, and in a two week period you are back up 7-8 lbs.

You become convinced that this fitness thing just doesn’t work for you.  Maybe it’s genetics.  Maybe it’s your metabolism.  Maybe it’s the government!

The same thing happens in our marketing efforts when sales go down.  You get mad and you take action.  No real plan, just action!  

• You join a networking group
• You buy ad space and pay-per-clicks
• You beat down doors, make phone calls, and take care of business.  Then you increase revenue.  You are proud. You have increased sales 10% in 10 weeks.

And you get a little too confident!  You take a little time off from networking events, quit buying ads, forget to follow up with old clients and in a two week period you are sitting there with no clients.

You become convinced that this marketing thing just doesn’t work for you.  Maybe it’s the competition.  Maybe it’s your customers.  Maybe it’s the government!

The truth is we need to market our business consistently and not just when we get out of “shape.”

1. We have to decide how much we want to increase revenue, i.e. $20,000 in new sales this year.
2. We have to decide which marketing channels will reach our target market, i.e. trade shows, print ads, specific social  media platforms, prospecting, etc.
3. We have to schedule the marketing efforts to our calendar of choice; Outlook, Google Calendar, your phone, or    even your old school Day-Timer to schedule marketing activities.
4. We have to actually do the marketing and selling!
5. We have to track our sales to see where the sales are coming from, figure out which is getting the best response, rinse and repeat.

While this is not a guarantee for us to reach our sales goal, it makes it more likely to achieve than just getting mad and getting busy.

May Seminars

QuickBooks Introduction for Small Businesses workshop of Volunteer State Community College's Tennessee Small Business Development Center, 9-12 p.m. Friday, May 8, 1480 Nashville Pike, Gallatin, TN in Building 300. Registration is required. Reserve online. www.tsbdc.org. $45, payable at the workshop.

Starting a Small Business workshop of Volunteer State Community College's Tennessee Small Business Development Center, 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, May 12, 1480 Nashville Pike, Gallatin, TN in Building 300. Registration is required. Reserve online. www.tsbdc.org. Free.

Lunch-n-Learn: Financial Advice for Entrepreneurs workshop of Volunteer State Community College's Tennessee Small Business Development Center, 11a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, May 13, 1480 Nashville Pike, Gallatin, TN in Building 300. Registration is required. Reserve online. www.tsbdc.org. $15, a box lunch will be provided.

Social Media Digital Marketing Course workshop of Volunteer State Community College's Tennessee Small Business Development Center, 9-4 p.m. Friday, May 15, 1480 Nashville Pike, Gallatin, TN in Building 300. Registration is required. Reserve online. www.tsbdc.org. $99, payable at the workshop.