Mavericks & Margaritas

MAVERICKS & MARGARITASlearning from risk takers

a presentation by

DENISE KENISTON

web4retail.com 1-877-536-4786web ecommerce seo social email

MAVERICKS & MARGARITAS learning from risk takers

SO WHAT QUALIFIES A RISK TAKER, & WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL ONE?

Risk taking was something I had to do from the very start. Growing up in Northern Maine without much to call my own or a safety net to fall back on, I had both the desire to make something of myself, and more importantly, the NEED to do it.

RISK TAKING WAS A NECCESITY,

NOT A LUXURY



KEEPING YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE

As time went on I learned that not all things work out the way you want them to. Success takes effort and hard work. High School Basketball showed me that I could rally a group of people and lead them to success.

BEING A GOOD LEADERCAME NATURALLY



STEPPING STONES TO SUCCESS

After getting scholarships and grants, I went to college, earned my education, and made good use of it. My first job, for $12K/year, lead me across the country and to the desk of a professional news anchor. This provided financial stability and a bit of notoriety, but was just the start of my journey as a business woman.

FIND OPPORTUNITIES

& SEIZE THEM



TAKING LEAPS OF FAITH

One of the riskier decisions I’ve made was to leave my job as an anchor and build my own business. People said I was crazy, but in 2000 I took a leap of faith and created Keniston & Company. The risk paid off, and lead to partnerships with media giants like Adelphia and Comcast Cable as well as my own TV series, Treasure Hunt.



MAKE THE MOST OF THE REWARDS

Despite the success of Keniston & Company, I again decided to move on to greener pastures. In 2007, I sold Keniston & Company, took the knowledge and experience I’d gained from it, and started a new business that I’m still managing and growing today: Web4Retail.

NEVER SETTLE FOR LESS& ALWAYS STRIVE FOR BETTER



CHARACTERTISTICS OF A GOOD ENTREPRENEUR

TENACITYWhen failure happens, and it WILL, pull yourself up and start again. You have to be able to live with uncertainty and push through obstacles for years on end. Entrepreneurs who can avoid saying uncle have a better chance of finding their market and outlasting their inevitable mistakes.

PASSIONExcitement and belief gets you through the

hard times. It’s commonly assumed that successful entrepreneurs are driven by

money. But most will tell you they’re fueled by a passion for their product or service, by

the opportunity to solve a problem, or to make life easier, better, or cheaper.



TOLERANCE OF AMBIGUITYYou need to have the ability to withstand the fear of uncertainty and potential failure. It all boils down to being able to successfully manage your fear. This is where the ultimate entrepreneurial test takes place: the mental battlefield.

VISIONYou need to be able to spot an opportunity

and imagine something where others haven’t. Entrepreneurs have a curiosity

that identifies overlooked niches and puts them at the forefront of innovation and emerging fields. They imagine another

world and have the ability to communicate that vision effectively to others.




CONFIDENCESelf-confidence is a key entrepreneurial trait. You have to be completely sure that your product or service is something the world needs and that you can deliver it to overcome the naysayers, who will always deride what the majority has yet to validate.

FLEXIBILITYBusiness survival, like that of the species,

depends on adaptation. Your final product or service likely won’t look anything like

what you started with. Flexibility that allows you to respond to changing

tastes and market conditions is essential.




RULE BREAKINGEntrepreneurs exist to defy conventional wisdom. A survey last year from the University of California, Berkeley, found that among incorporated entrepreneurs, a combination of “smarts” and “aggressive, illicit, risk-taking activities” is a characteristic mix. This often shows up in youth as reckless or rebellious behavior. That description would certainly hold true for some of the most famous entrepreneurs of recent years.




MAKING PEOPLE BELIEVE IN YOU

For most risk-taking entrepenuers, having help from others goes a long way. But how do you find the right people, form a reliable team, and keep them believing in you and your ideas?

A few things that go a long way are good communication skills to help people understand and share your vision, and self-confidence, which can in-turn inspire confidence in your team.



STAYING HUNGRYOne of the most important things for any entrepreneur to remember is that you should never find yourself saying that you’ve finished what you started, or that your work is done. It should never be done, because there’s always a way to improve upon it or make it better. You should have an innate desire to push yourself for no other reason than because you can.

NEVER LOSE THE DRIVETHAT GOT YOU WHERE YOU ARE