Being an entrepreneur can be complicated and those who aspire to succeed on their own are naturally exposed to many challenges. In order to help you draw your own path in the world of entrepreneurship, here are a few tips from a seasoned pro:
As part of the helloDarwin podcast series, we met with Olivier Lambert, who is known, among other things, for being the founder of the La Tranchée web community as well as the author of a self-titled blog and popular e-books Confessions d'un blogueur and Double ta valeur. He came to tell us about his career and the challenges that he experienced along the way.
From an early age, Olivier Lambert worked to develop his entrepreneurial spirit. At school, when he had to sell chocolate bars to finance his extracurricular activities, he found sales techniques that allowed him to sell more than $400 worth of products in one evening. It was only later that he realized that not all young people had this type of initiative and this innate sense of entrepreneurship.
"Maybe that's where the entrepreneurial spirit was born, to take charge of things and go get what you want in life, and not just stick with what you're given, "he says.
Quickly, he began to document his career on his blog, publishing one article per week. Thus he built a readership and acquired the status of expert in his field.
Success as an entrepreneur: a question of perseverance
Many entrepreneurs read books to educate themselves on the best steps they can take to see their business on the web grow. These often-practical tips, such as writing value-added content, writing relatively lengthy articles, searching for keywords, or guest blogging, are just as relevant as others.
But why don't they always bring the expected results? The reason is very clear and simple: each of these requires constant efforts and sometimes takes months or even years to show a positive impact.
Not only is it necessary to apply principles that have been proven over time, but the perseverance required to give them the time to do their work is also an essential aspect.
These are some of the tips that Olivier Lambert repeats several times in his responses during the podcast. He says that you have to read a lot of books, but first and foremost, that you have to apply the advice you read.
Then, there is the question of perseverance, because the results may be slow to arrive. In Olivier Lambert's case, it took three years for his efforts to reap success. Despite this long waiting time, he had never lost confidence and did not hesitate to keep going because he knew he was using the advice that had worked for others.
Tools to maximize your productivity
Since productivity is very much dependent on good time management and the absence of duplicate tasks, it can be very useful to integrate different tools into your business to help you achieve both. Here are some tools that Olivier Lambert uses to make his life easier:
The first one worth mentioning is Phrase Expander. This tool allows you to save bits of text in advance and automatically offers sentences with different wording. For this reason, there is no need to take extra time after writing the text to rework certain sections, since they can be done progressively.
The second tool is called is called Rescue Time and this one gives you the chance to categorize the different activities that occupy your day and measure your level of productivity by compiling statistics (day, week and month).
Lastly, he mentions Zapier, an integration platform that links the applications you work with. Since all the information is now complementary, this makes data management much more efficient.
The importance of building a strong relationship with customers
In order to build a strong customer base, most will find it sufficient to keep a relatively distant contact with their customers in order to maintain their interest. Among other things, Olivier Lambert mentions sending a newsletter a few times a year. However, according to him, this is a rather common mistake, often made for lack of time. Obviously, the best option is to go against this trend and contact customers quickly.
In order to keep a close relationship with customers, it is also important to know how to respond to their questions and objections. To a certain extent, this implies having a lot of availability so that everyone is reassured about the reliability of the products or services. Finally, even before the moment of sale, you can offer incentives that serve to create and maintain the relationship, including giving access to downloadable E-books, a strategy that Olivier Lambert often uses.
In the field of marketing, these techniques are particularly effective when they are well done. You also have to know how to use the internet to gather your target audience. Facebook is often used to build communities and relationships with current and potential customers, but Olivier Lambert also speaks enthusiastically about the strong potential of web forums. That's why he decided to create his own forum, La Tranchée, one of the only forums (if not the only one) dedicated to the world of web marketing and one of the few where conversations are held in French.
The past: leave it behind you
Anyone who has gone into business knows very well that the journey of entrepreneurship is not without pitfalls. Failures hurt and it is perfectly normal to be left with a bitter taste for a few years, especially when these failures come with a financial loss, as is often the case. However, since the past should in no way hinder your ambitions, it is important to keep in mind that the future is a blank page that can bring the greatest successes in life.
Dwelling too much on past mistakes can only lead you to miss the opportunities that come your way. According to Richard Branson, founding President of the Virgin brand, it can be said that business opportunities are like buses: there is always one that is coming. No need to be discouraged, we must go forward.
Facebook advertising: a perfect combination of risk and reflection
Olivier Lambert highlights how important it is to "walk the talk", or to apply to oneself the advice that one shares with others. In his case, he gives as an example Facebook ads on which he puts a lot of emphasis. He uses this tool on a daily basis and keeps developing his strategies by getting out of his comfort zone and trying new things.
While Facebooks ads seem to be a must for anyone with an online business, this marketing strategy sometimes leaves the false impression that it requires little effort to operate and to drive traffic towards a web page. At first sight, it can seem as though publishing the ad is enough, and those who set their eyes on it will immediately be interested in the content that is being shared.
Unfortunately, certain practices can prevent the ads from having the expected impact. At first glance, we often forget that we have to accept certain risks in terms of investment. Not only do you have to loosen the purse strings, but you also have to get out of your comfort zone by trying new things. While being cautious is often wise advice, it seems that being too conservative in that sense can also prove to be a considerable obstacle to moving forward.
Secondly, according to Mr. Lambert, in order to be able to create a successful Facebook advertising campaign, you must share a message that is interesting and relevant. This may seem very obvious, but it has been proven that many people do not pay enough attention to this aspect and spend randomly on the ads they place on this platform. He recommends taking enough time to create something that "makes sense", even if it requires a lot of time and money. Subsequently, a multiplying effect will be felt.
Self-reflection
"What do you do in your daily life and what COULD you do in your everyday life to attract value?" Asks Olivier Lambert.
To succeed in business, it is crucial to think about oneself and one's own behaviours as an entrepreneur. In appearance, all our days seem busy. But in the end, what concrete results do we have to show for it? The question is worth asking because it says a lot about our actual level of productivity.
This thought-provoking question inspires us to make concrete changes in order to optimize our productivity during the day and to find more relevant tasks to accomplish according to the objective we are pursuing.
Looking at yourself also helps you to know your own worth in order to obtain your dues. As such, it is important to know how to negotiate, whether with your clients, your employer or your business partners. Otherwise, they will quickly see the opportunity not to pay you up to your real value and they will exploit your lack of confidence.
An honest look at reality
"When you're an entrepreneur, you have to see things as they are and not what you want them to be," says our interviewee.
At times and for a variety of reasons, it can be easier to try to convince yourself that reality is something other than what it really is. We tell ourselves that such a project is what we need, whilst we know deep down that it contradicts our aspirations or our personal values.
Sooner or later, having blocked away all the resentment and the negative emotions that result from these decisions (however lucrative) catches up with us and ends up undermining our drive, the latter being more than necessary to run a business with aplomb.
Knowing how to say no
Reaffirming the idea that time management is the linchpin of productivity, Oliver Lambert believes that it must be borne in mind that this factor is intrinsically dependent on the tasks on which we focus our energy. While it may be tempting to jump in all directions to make sure you do not miss out on any opportunity, be careful not to fall into this trap.
The greater the number of projects currently underway, the more the energy that is devoted to each of them is diluted. As a result, wanting to do everything at the same time is rarely a good idea and cannot give you the chance to fully invest yourself in what you are doing.
Want to hear the full episode of the helloDarwin podcast with Olivier Lambert to find out which books have changed his life and his perception as an entrepreneur? Here is the podcast in its entirety (in French only):
Do you like to learn about young entrepreneurs and their career paths? Check out the Podcast and collaborations category to discover inspiring stories from people that have been very successful, including the helloDarwin founders.
About the interviewer:
This episode of the helloDarwin podcast was prepared and hosted by Olivier Lambert of Tactik Media. Working in the field of web marketing and business development, he is the co-founder of Tactik Media and LeadLion. As a small business specialist, he is always looking out for new tools and technologies that relate to the internet.
