BE YOUR BEST BOSS:

Reinvent Yourself from Employee to Entrepreneur

“Entrepreneur expert, William Seagraves, explains not only the mechanics of funding your own enterprise, but adopting the mindset and mental toughness that business requires in the 21st century.”

Perry Marshall One of the world's most sought-after business consultants and trusted advisor to thousands of entrepreneurs.

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Be Your Best Boss: Reinvent Yourself from Employee to Entrepreneur.

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Who am I, why did I write Be Your Best Boss, who is the book for, and WHY will it be a game-changer for you?

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THE MIDCAREER MOVEMENT

Every year, thousands of Americans make the leap from employee to entrepreneur.

And, every year, thousands more wish they could take that same leap of faith. But they don’t. Fear holds them back. Fear of the unknown, and ultimately, the fear of failure.

Be Your Best Boss exists to realistically rationalize these fears, empowering readers with a solid plan for escaping the restraints of the corporate world and realizing their personal potential.

BILL’S ENTREPRENEURIAL PRINCIPLES

Manifesto for Entrepreneurial Success: The Billisms

Bill Seagraves consistently makes these points with the thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs he speaks with.

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  • Practice Making Money

    Don't let anyone tell you it's greed - making money is a honorable occupation, but it is also a skill so it needs practice, practice, practice! Making mistakes is part of the learning curve, so suck up the lessons and move on. Pretend the money is someone else's if you need to take the sting out of transactions at first.

  • Focus on the Best,
    Lose the Rest

    Procrastination is your enemy. So is focusing on the wrong things. A good rule of thumb is the "80/20 rule": 20% of what you do will determine your success; 20% of your customers will drive 80 percent of your business. In every case, find the 20% and focus on that – with reduction/removal of the other 80%.

  • All's Fair with
    'Unfair' Advantages

    Know a successful entrepreneur? Shortcut your learning curve; job-shadow him; buy him lunch; do whatever it takes to gain his trust and get inside his head! As they say, it's who you know (and who you can get to know). Become a human sponge. Open-mindedness, curiosity and humility are characteristics of all business success stories.

  • Know to Whom
    You’re Selling

    If you don't have a laser-sharp picture of who you will sell your product/service to – how they sleep, eat, shop, talk, what they dream, fear, etc. – don't start a business. Successful ventures don't result from 'gut feels' or guesstimates on market size or level of competition. Spy on your competitors (experience their products/services first hand); consider buying recent market research from leading authorities; stay current on trends and geoeconomic factors.

  • Faster, Better, Smarter
    Everything

    Ask yourself, every day, is there some process, service, labor that could be done better either through automation (think software for accounting, inventory management, etc.) and/or delegation? As the owner, after the launch phase ideally you should be working on strategy and wooing and keeping customers, not the day-to-day details of operations - that's why you have employees. Don't settle for less when it comes to efficiency.

  • You're Only as Good as
    Your Employees

    The long-term cost of hiring the wrong-fit employee cannot be overstated; to avoid this, hire slowly and fire quickly. You don't have time to waste on nurturing employees who won't or can't get it. Think that's cold? Wanna be seen as the nice guy, maybe like Steve Carrell's role in The Office? It's not personal – it's business. Oh, and be careful about giving family members jobs – unless they are very qualified for the role; nepotism could cost you dearly.

  • Manage Growth Carefully

    Sometimes a surge in business can actually be detrimental - if you run short of inventory or have to make customers wait too long for service. To some extent you can control growth by how much you spend on sales and marketing efforts, but growth management also requires excellent long-term planning. For example, as soon as lineups start getter longer, start thinking about a bigger location before you risk losing irritated customers.

  • Keep Your Eye on the Prize

    The prize is the end of your business - so your exit strategy should be built into your business plan from the get-go. Knowing how and when you are going to sell, profitably, without being dinged by taxes, at the right time for your life, is intrinsic to your success. As enjoyable as running your own business can be, it's way more rewarding if you have a lovely sunset to ride off into!

Get the actionable advice you need. The Book

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE

You're better prepared
than you think.

This complete guide answers the questions and concerns voiced by every midcareer entrepreneur. Through the stories of new, once-reluctant entrepreneurs from across America—former corporate warriors, public servants, or other employees who have now bought or built businesses of all types and sizes—you’ll glean valuable advice you can apply immediately.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
“This is a wonderful resource and handbook for anyone looking to make the mid-career leap. It breaks down all the concerns, stumbling blocks, procedures, pitfalls, and best practices into easily digestible information.”

Jeanette Shaw, Editor at Penguin Random House

About the Author

William R. Seagraves

As an author, serial entrepreneur and business coach, Bill Seagraves knows how to turn business ownership dreams into reality. With more than 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur and business funding expert, Bill has been the voice of reason leading thousands of aspiring small business owners to successful self-sufficiency.

Bill started his career in 1984 as a successful product development and sales manager. However, being an entrepreneur at heart, Bill left the corporate world and purchased a small business providing information technology consulting and services to businesses large and small. After eight years, he successfully transferred that business to one of his employees and moved on to co-found a company dedicated to providing 401k funding and other lending services.

After helping to establish that company, he decided to pursue a broader business vision that included funding and entrepreneur education – and in 2008, CatchFire Funding was born. Bill and his nimble team rapidly grew the company, beating the recession and becoming a market leader.

Today, Bill continues to manage this growing staff of extraordinarily capable small business experts – many of whom have startup business or franchise experience of their own. In addition to managing daily operations at CatchFire, Bill hones his master multi-tasking and leadership skills as a member of a private, international roundtable of highly successful entrepreneurs.

As a recognized expert in the field of small business funding, Bill is regularly invited to share his insights as a speaker and panel presenter at events. Having been dubbed the “Mid-Career Entrepreneur Expert,” Bill plans to continuously broaden his entrepreneur education resources.