Keeping with the Jones’

As a young entrepreneur you are going to be expected to have a solid understanding of an awful lot of subjects from marketing and promotion to wholesale and resale practices. This is not a bad thing. Forcing yourself to grasp knowledge from the bottom up, means you can maintain greater control of your business overall.

Eventually you will be able to outsource a lot of these areas, I for one can’t wait to outsource the tedious task of budgeting, but until then, you will have to be able to go head to head with Harvard Graduates fresh out of business school and others who have spent four years studying marketing and promotion. Not only will you have to acquire the same theoretical knowledge but on a practical level you’re going to have to be a lot more fearless and a hell of a lot more creative.

I think instinctively entrepreneurs are impatient. I know I am but it’s a quality that has come in handy over the years. I think therefore, that going to business school to learn marketing for four years when all you want to do is create, is only going to frustrate you. So how do you gain this knowledge?

Do it.

One of the best ways to learn something is to do it. Volunteer to work (or ideally get paid) at a marketing firm, do some work in retail, wholesale and any aspect of business you can get into. The second is to read. Never before has there been such a plethora of information at your fingertips. For an entrepreneurial mind, this information will open a flood gate of original concepts. Keep a list of books you’ve read and aim to read at least two a week.

Here are my top five current marketing books to get your creative juices flowing:

• Fashion Brands: Branding Style from Armani to Zara(awesome read even if you’re not into fashion)
• Buzzmarketing: Get People to Talk About Your Stuff(one of the better books on the concept of buzz marketing)
• The Invisible Touch: The Four Keys to Modern Marketing(very easy to read, simple ideas)
• The Marketing Gurus: Lessons from the Best Marketing Books of All Time (a summary of 17 of the best marketing books)
• Streetwise Low-Cost Web Site Promotion: Every Possible Way to Make Your Web Site a Success, Without Spending Lots of Money (Great tips for the internet)

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