Neal Schaffer on Entrepreneurship

Recently we had the opportunity to talk to social media specialist Neal Schaffer, author of the book "Maximize Your Social" where he lays out a guide to getting the most out of social media tools to promote your business.  Neal has been all over the planet revolutionizing and studying how people communicate on different social media platforms and has mastered the ins and outs of how people use these communication tools.  As an entrepreneur himself, Neal answered what characteristics make up the best entrepreneurs.

1. Perseverance - Neal says that great entrepreneurs "...never give up." Only the most driven entrepreneurs will weather the storms of ups and downs  and be able to come out on top.  One way to do this is to stay positive and remind yourself why you got into the business in the first place.  Most entrepreneurs are very self motivated and are able to persevere through tough times.

2. Experimental - Trial and error is really the only way to make progress as a young company.  It's impossible to have the answer to every challenge if your company is unique.  The only way to know what decisions to make in every situation is if you were duplicating the processes of another company. A lot of first time entrepreneurs have a tough time pulling the trigger on a decision and they miss opportunities.  Great entrepreneurs make decisive decisions good or bad and will learn from mistakes and strike gold on good decisions.  Being experimental will help you not hurt you.

3. Recognizing best practices - Learn from your competitors and companies that have already made it.  There is a right way to do it.  Successful entrepreneurs are mainly very ethical business people and the ones who aren't won't be successful in the long run.  Make good choices and choose the best business model that makes sense for your product or service.  Don't reinvent the wheel.

4. Outgoing - Very social people make very good entrepreneurs because people want to be around them and are very willing to give them their money.  Neal talked about how keeping company with good talent and surrounding yourself and your company with good talent will create a successful company.

Don't worry if you do not have all these characteristics.  They can be learned and taught!  If you're an introvert that doesn't mean you can't stay in touch with people and if you don't typically like to take risks you can still be experimental.  Just experiment more wisely and more cautiously just be decisive.