19 March 2024 Last updated at 03:25 GMT

Entrepreneur

Some entrepreneurs are neurotic

It's a Saturday and I am sitting in my friends living room talking business while at the same time reading emails and catching up on the latest in business news.

As we talk I realize that entrepreneurs are no different from celebrities, movie stars, singers, musicians or any other career that is centre stage.

The reality is we all have a bit of neurotic behaviour in us - whether we like it or not.  Some entrepreneurs are more neurotic than others - micro-managing, controlling, double A-Type personalities that find it hard to accept another person's way of doing things, and then others just tip the iceberg.

Many entrepreneurs have a goal, or an idea of where they want to be. They are achievement orientated and often lack discipline, needing to hire the latter in to complement their existing skill base.
 

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The difference with having it all and wanting it all

As I sit typing on my keypad, I am thinking about whether or not it is at all possible to 'have it all'. 

When I look out at some of my friends, no matter how successful they are, they still have things in their lives that they want to improve or put more effort into. Relationships usually being the staple amongst those who realize that no amount of business success will ever supercede what you can achieve personally.


I have had an amazing month in so many ways and personally, I have grown more than I could ever imagine. 

I won't deny that I want it all, but I have become more realistic in realizing that that is not possible. You can't have it all - at the same time. It's impossible and those who say that you can, are either living a short-lived fantasy or are hiding what is really going on behind closed doors.

Business has always been a challenge for me. I am not a natural people person and stress overtakes me more times than I care to admit. I worry about and analyze things that don't deserve the effort that I put into it.

I procrastinate, often leave great ideas unfulfilled and sometimes need to have a better poker face. 

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5 Minutes With a Green Technology Entrepreneur @ Charleston Airport



Brian Heather is a serial entrepreneur; young, dynamic, good looking and with a real social conscience. Not only is he in the business of sustainable building, landscaping and water proofing, this 30 year old business man is changing the landscape of green buliding.

It may be a buzz word to many, but let me assure you, being green is more than meets the eye. Brian is a much sought after entrepreneur who has landed himself in the spotlight with his inaugural Ted Talk on June 23 on "The importance of reconnecting our cities to nature".

His business, Solterra Systems, is a fully licensed electrical, landscaping and waterproofing company that focuses on integrating environmental technology into buildings.

This can range from green roofs where you are producing food, to rain screen siding systems that protect the building from the elements with plants. 

But enough about that, how can we connect our cities to nature. Here's what he had to say:

What can communities be doing more of to connect their cities to nature?

The first step is attaching an ROI to the benefits associated with being in nature for all humans. For example, they estimate that the average American spends 26% of the day being distracted whether its a text message or an advertisement - but right now technology is very much a part of what we do - and so, if we just look at businesses for example, there is a loss of productivity in the workplace and people have in general very un-balanced lives.

So, my goal, is to show that putting humans in more natural settings, that people are more productive and can recover from a distraction faster as well as the fact that they will be more healthier. This can only benefit workplace production.

What made you choose to be an entrepreneur?

I had some success working at a former company as an employee building a renewable energy division and just realized that my vision would not be fully implemented by working for someone else. So, when I was 24, I decided to leave and start Solterra Systems.

What is the best thing about being an entrepreneur?

The ability to have a vision and to get a number of people excited about that so that that vision can be executed and accomplished.

What's the biggest obstacle you have had to overcome as a young entrepreneur?

I started my business in 2008 right at the start of the financial crisis which was not a good time for any contractors, so I had to go out and figure a way to gain clients and convince them to spend money on green technology when people where not spending money at all. It was a time when other contractors were going out of business.

What is the most important lesson you have learnt?

No matter what you are doing, defining responsibility is most important. When you have a group of people working towards the same goal, responsibility needs to be defined.

Who are you mentors and how did you get them?

I have a number of mentors in the Entrepreneurs Organization that have been through some of the same difficulties that I have been through and so they share these experiences and challenges.When I was just starting, I met this guy who was the only person in the US who taught all courses to become a certified green roof professional and he took me under his wing. This was instrumental in proving to my first clients that I could do the work.

What's the biggest issue that your industry is facing?

Education because right now not many people are familiar with the technology so the cost to obtain a customer can be high. We are faced with providing the education to the client to assist them in making a decision and to actually take the step of purchasing the technology. There is still a lot of work to be done here.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

We just obtained our first patent so we are moving more heavily into product development and manufacturing. It is my goal to be distributing internationally some of the green technology that we have been working on and to take a systematic approach to designing and constructing buildings with a core competency of implementing this green technology into the building.

You can find out more about Brian by visiting www.solterrasystems.com

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From Dragon's Den to Mean Girls



The Mean Girls CEO Krista Whitley Castellarin shares her entrepreneurial journey with Marketing Eye, talking reality TV, PR, dog grooming, drag queens and more.

From dipping her toe in dog grooming to featuring on popular program Dragon’s Den, it appears Castellarin has done it all. Her appearance on the TV show made history after she received a $200,000 investment for 10 per cent of her grooming business, Fabulous Furballs.

Today, she runs hybrid engagement agency The Mean Girls, helping American businesses grow through advertising, marketing, public relations, social media and a variety of other outlets.

However, her journey wasn’t without its bumps as she juggled motherhood with her entrepreneurial desires and reality TV appearances.

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Building an Empire at a Rate of Knots

Founded in 1982, thirty years of solid industry experience has seen freight forwarding company VISA Global Logistics catapult from strength to strength. 

Opening doors with the primary focus to ship containers from Italy to Australia, the company is now one of Australia’s largest privately-owned international freight forwarding firms.

Today, as the name suggests, VISA Global Logistics delivers fully-integrated solutions in global freight forwarding, customs brokerage, smart parcels, warehousing and transport & distribution services. 

From the Italy to Australia trade route of yesteryear, the company’s network has grown, today spanning a well-established worldwide market in Australia, Europe, Asia and the US.

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Partnering with the best technologies

Partnering with the best technologies
As the chief operating office of a small business, eB2Bcom’s Adam Neale is highly familiar with the challenges facing entrepreneurs in this day and age.

The Melbourne-headquartered software master reseller works with innovative software vendors from around the world, meaning that they are also dealing with fellow business starters who are seeking to pave their way in the industry.

“We’re best-described as a value-added distributor of specialist IT products or software and are primarily focused on identity management and security solutions,” Neale said.

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21 Steps to be a successful entrepreneur

Entrepreneur 21 steps

en∙tre∙pre∙neur
A person who organizes and manages any enterprise,especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk.

The term “entrepreneur” has existed since the 1700s and was coined by Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Since then, thousands of people have started off on their own and turned their small start-up into a success story. While their backgrounds and types of businesses differ vastly, all successful entrepreneur share a number of characteristics and commonalities.

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How to keep your old books in one piece : a must read for entrepreneurs

Walking along the canals in Amsterdam this morning, I came across this piece of art. A park bench made out of old books.

It is a piece of art and each book has a story that it wishes to tell. Each book was put together by people who loved what is inside and wanted to share it with others. Each page is full of dialogue from authors all over the world, wanting to explore their inner most thoughts, passion, and view on something that they believe is meant not just for themselves but for others around them.

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Should an entrepreneur risk it all?

should an entrepreneur risk it all
The Rich 200 list is littered with entrepeneurs who have sold their businesses.

Someone once said to me that they never wanted to be on that list because there are only two outcomes that derive from being placed on this list: 1. Telemarketers will harrass you for the rest of your life. 2. You will go broke.

Jan Cameron, the founder of successful retail chain Kathmandu knows this only too well. She built her business over 20 years to be the most successful retail business in the outdoor adventure space, selling for a reported $247 million and being placed on the Rich 200 list only to be in BRW today with the journalist reporting that she almost certainly won't be there this year. Why?

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April Baker

April Baker
April Baker, wife and mother of two sons, is currently planning her latest exhibition. “It’s a display of charcoal imagery that stirs emotions lying dormant within”.

April describes her images as sentimental, happy and playful, with an inner source of energy that tugs at the viewer’s heartstrings. This is an apt description of her previous sell out exhibition “Loved Bears” which featured wonderfully emotive charcoal drawings of pre-loved teddies whose patched fur and missing button eyes tell a tale of years of love and devotion from countless children.

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