Trade show season is just around the corner. Trade shows can be a cost effective way to showcase your business, learn new industry information and network with potential customers. If you’ve done a good job of working a show, you’ll come home with handfuls of business cards.
First, I congratulate you for recognizing the value of an advisory board and putting one together this early in your business development. You are also right about making the meeting enjoyable for the board members because while they are there to help you evaluate business strategies, they are also giving up their valuable time. Here are a few suggestions for you.
Every year around April, tens of thousands of people fly across the globe to Guangzhou, China for the Canton Fair, one of the largest trade shows in the world. It’s big, overwhelming, and can come with an expensive price tag. The good news is that in the age of e-commerce, you can find the suppliers you need without boarding an airplane or paying any entrance fee.
Why do you want to go into business for yourself? Are you running away from a bad situation with your current employer? Have you been unemployed for a while and you hope by starting a business you can create an income stream? Are you burned out in your current career and desiring to do something different with your life? Do you have a burning desire to start and build a successful business enterprise? Are you committed to do whatever it takes to be a successful entrepreneur?
It has been said that “small opportunities are the beginning of great enterprises.” That is certainly true for the millions of small business owners in the United States. But the birth of a new enterprise is often fraught with challenges and pitfalls. Each year there are about half a million business start-ups, but during the same time, there are slightly more business failures.