#and today that ''something'' consisted of calling the dentist and calling various places in town to see if they carried a vitamin I need

[someone-else-entirely]

New life hack I've discovered is that if I have a lot to do in a particular day and feel overwhelmed about it, doing it before I eat something somehow Doesn't Count

[etraytin]

Emergency Backup Fic of the Day

I am finally home from my protracted holiday travel (Since December 16, for those of you playing along at home), after ten hours in the car and a morning full of packing before that. I am still sick. I am completely and utterly exhausted and there is no fic in me today. Blargh. 

Luckily, Past Etraytin, in all her wisdom, foresaw such a moment might occur sometime before the the end of the Fic A Day! Way back in October, I wrote an extra fic and saved it back against the day that something bad happened or writer’s block hit or I was just too damn tired. Now, with one day left in the 100-Day Fic-a-Day, I am pulling the cord and deploying the Emergency Fic. 

Today’s fic is actually the start of a multipart story (the other reason I held off on posting it!) that focuses on the East Wing during the Santos Administration. How does Donna adjust to being Chief of Staff? More importantly, how does Helen Santos adjust to being First Lady? What has to get lost or adjusted along the way? Here’s Chapter One. 

...

“Okay, so Annabeth will be coordinating with Lou in the Communications Office to come up with a joint strategy for publicizing the youth music initiative, but right now we've got feelers out to symphony orchestras in DC, New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles to expand their field trip programs with underserved youths and to promote instrumental music in schools.” Donna checked off that item on her list and glanced around at the other staffers in the East Wing sitting room. “I think that's all on the agenda right now. Has anybody got anything else?”

Sandy, the First Lady's personal secretary, opened her mouth to add something. She was preempted by Helen Santos herself, who'd been watching the entire meeting in near silence from her perch in one of the uncomfortable wingback chairs. “So what y'all are telling me,” Helen drawled, “is that my agenda this week consists of dinner with the prime minister of Belgium and his wife, six appearances for photo-ops at various school summer programs, a really horrible party in Chicago to help Matt talk up the budget bill, three dressy luncheons to do the same thing, and a visit to church on Sunday where we're the last ones in and the first ones out?”

“Miranda also has a dentist appointment on Tuesday,” Sandy said in a small voice, “and you're meeting with the historic preservation office on Friday morning to get an update on mold remediation efforts under the press room and the third floor bedroom rehab project.”

“Of course,” Helen said crisply, “I wouldn't want to forget any of that. Good job everybody, keep on truckin'!”

“Thank you, Mrs. Santos,” Donna said as all the staffers rose to their feet. Helen gave her a somewhat cool look, then swept out towards the living quarters. Donna frowned for just a second, then turned to her team. Besides Sandy, there was Otto, the gifted young speechwriter she'd shamelessly poached from Josh during transition, Miri, who'd been Donna's favorite assistant deputy chief of staff in the last administration, and Annabeth, who'd been offered Deputy Press Secretary but didn't want that side of the building anymore. Not exactly the most experienced team, but running the East Wing was a lot different than running the West Wing. They'd made it through the first six months in office with no major disasters, knock on wood.

“All right everybody, we've got plenty of work to do this week. Otto, get me drafts on the school speeches by the end of the day, then start working ahead for the Congressional Women's Dinner in two weeks,” she instructed crisply. “Annabeth, you're with Lou, Miri, you're harassing Sam and/or Congress till they give that extra ten million for music programs.” She thought a second. “Sandy, can you see about freeing up another two or three days for the Santos' trip to Houston next month? Even if the President can't come, maybe we can get the family a few extra days.” They all walked out of the sitting room together, heading back to the East Wing office block. Normally Donna held staff meetings in her office, which was more than big enough, but it got awkward trying to sit at her desk with the First Lady sitting in.

As everyone broke off to their various jobs, Annabeth followed Donna into her office and sat down neatly on the edge of her chair, looking like a pixie in squared-off glasses and a neatly pressed business suit. “Something's wrong with the First Lady,” she announced without preamble.

Donna took her own seat and began looking through a pile of folders. Her own assistant, Jacelyn, still had a long way to go in terms of mastering index cards and post-it notes. “It's allergies,” she agreed without looking up. “The White House doctor prescribed Claritin and silk flowers.”

“That's not what I meant,” Annabeth countered, “though my sinuses are already singing a tiny little hallelujah chorus about the flowers.” She side-eyed the large bouquet on Donna's side table, one of dozens in the East Wing at any given time. “I think she's about to start a prison riot.”

“Do what?” Donna looked up, furrowed her brow. “We're not going to any prisons, and we haven't got anything on our agenda.” Her eyes widened a little. “You don't think she's going to want to go after sufferage for felons again, do you?”

Annabeth rolled her eyes. “There was a time,” she told Donna, “long, long ago in the days when you got enough sleep, that you were able to understand figurative language.”

Donna glared at her without any real anger. “That's a lie. I've never gotten enough sleep.” She considered Annabeth's words a little harder, finally putting down the pile of folders. “You think she's feeling trapped in the White House,” she surmised. “And that's what the little thing in staff today was about.”

“I think she's ready to find herself a tin cup and start banging it against the windows,” Annabeth said dryly. “And I don't really blame her. She had a life back in Houston. She had friends and she was on the PTA, and she probably had a book club or one of those groups where they pretend to sew or knit and just drink wine and gossip all evening. What's she got now? This place is just a big ol' white cage for the First Family, and she hasn't even got days at school or the weight of the free world to distract her. Not everyone's built for the monklike lives of austerity that staff members around here seem to prefer. Present company excepted,” she added, tongue-in-cheek.

Donna flushed, her alabaster skin going pink all the way down her neck. “I wouldn't exactly call it monastic,” she said with great delicacy.

“You had a hickey last week,” Annabeth reminded her gleefully.

Donna gave Annabeth a slightly more pointed glare, but inwardly she was feeling rather pleased. Not just because of the hickey thing, which had been fun enough to make the embarrassment nearly worth it, but because Annabeth was joking about relationships again. Optics were Annabeth's stock in trade and she covered her emotions very well most of the time, but Donna had seen how undone she'd been after Leo's death. It hadn't taken too long to suss out why. At this point there was nothing to be said about whether a relationship would've been wise or appropriate, what did it even matter?  

Annabeth was completely unwilling to talk about it, so all Donna had was her own speculation, but if she and Leo had been a thing, it couldn't have been for very long. That really didn't matter either, she supposed. She wondered, when she could bear to think about it, what she herself might have done if something had happened to Josh at the end of the campaign trail, back in late 1998. She'd have been devastated by the loss, of course, but not completely destroyed the way she would've been a few years later at Rosslyn, or any time after that. Today seemed like a good sign that maybe Annabeth was starting to bounce back. “Aren't we talking about the First Lady here?”

“She hasn't had many hickies lately,” Annabeth commented, raising a quelling hand at Donna's sputter. “What I mean to say, she doesn't seem very satisfied on any level lately, and that's not usual for her. And you know what they say, if Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. If the President's not happy, the entire country suffers. We have an obligation.”

Donna massaged her temples delicately, suspecting she was about to have a headache. “I'm not sure there's anything we can do about the fact that her friends and her life are all back in Houston and this place is secured like a bunker most of the time. But at least she's got the trip coming up.”

“Which will probably make things worse,” Annabeth pointed out, swinging her legs idly off the edge of the desk. “She's just starting to get strung out now, craving her old life. Let her go to Houston and give her a quick hit of what she's missing, then send her back to the methadone clinic of blue-hair luncheons and boring fundraisers with professional brown-nosers, all she's going to be thinking about is what she doesn't have.”

“I think you rode that metaphor way out of the pasture there, but I see what you mean.” Donna replied dryly. “What do you suggest we do about it?”

“She needs friends here. People, ideally women, close to her own age, who she doesn't have to be so formal with all the time,” Annabeth said decisively.

Donna cocked her head. “Are you suggesting we set up a playdate for the First Lady?”

“If by playdate you mean 'you and I take her a bottle of wine and try to remember to call her Helen for a couple of hours,' it's not a bad place to start,” Annabeth offered. “I don't know about you, but I don't have any friends in DC who don't work here. And vetting anybody is going to be a serious hassle. At least if we can get her to open up a little, maybe we can find out some of what she'd like to do.”

“That could work,” Donna agreed, resting her chin on her fist thoughtfully. “The president is out of town Thursday night and the nanny's on duty. I'll ask her about it tomorrow and see if she's interested.”

“DAR's Thurday lunch,” Annabeth pointed out. “We might need a couple bottles.”

(This fic is also archived, along with any new chapters I may write, at AO3, same author name, under the title “Iron Bars A Cage.” 

[azeemmohammedglasgow1]

Azeem Mohammed glasgow Simple Advice To Give You Complete Lead Generation Knowledge

Azeem Mohammed glasgow Top service provider. Generating leads is usually paramount in any business. Otherwise, a business is likely to become stagnate. The following article discusses tips and techniques you can put into practice today. Being an expert on lead generation is a great way to ensure business success.

Incorporate social media into your efforts to generate more leads, and you will be more successful. Many people do all of their browsing through social media sites these days, so that's where your business needs to be. Cover the major platforms with great offers specifically targeted to your potential customers and watch the leads come in!

Look into pay per click campaigns to generate leads. The first place most people go to seek business opportunity is Google. If you aren't on page 1 organically for the typical search terms they use, then you need to pay to be there. You only are charged if people click the ads, so it's an excellent way to simply build brand awareness as well.

Look into opportunities where you may be able to pay for leads. Paying for leads is not a bad thing at all. In fact there are many companies out there that can deliver you leads at a surprisingly low cost. Just do your homework before signing up with anyone. There are scams out there.

Reward your current loyal customers for providing you leads. One way that many companies do this is by offering their current customers referral rewards. These rewards run from future discounts to actual cash back. This can be a lot cheaper in the long run than any form of traditional advertising.

Your customer base is going to be loyal to you and help you get new leads. You can accelerate this aspect of lead generation by doing different things. For example, you can start a referral program. Referral programs reward your current customer base for helping you find new customers out there.

You don't just have to buy ad space in local newspapers to get your ads in there. Instead, consider writing an article on a topic related to your business. For example, if you are a landscaper, you can write about how frequently to water your lawn and what the best time of day is.

One of the highest visitor to lead ratios you will find online is with LinkedIn. Therefore, this platform should be high on your list of tools for lead generation. Put together a polished and professional profile that includes links to all your landing pages and make LinkedIn a valuable part of your lead generation success.

Consider long-tailed keywords when you look for specific keywords to drum up leads. Never use a lot of them, but since they are targeted to a specific consumer these could really be helpful to you. Experiment and tweak as necessary, and you will discover the ones that work for your site.

Uncover lead groups that are working effectively in your home town. Such groups are comprised of local entrepreneurs and other businesspeople who leverage each other's data to get new leads. You never know when your local dentist could put you in touch with a product or service you sell. However, you might have a customer who mentions needs for a different business, and then you can return the favor.

Azeem Mohammed glasgow Expert tips provider. Without social media, your website is unlikely to draw leads. From Twitter to Facebook and all of the ones in between, they can help you find new leads. Use several unique campaigns since this will help you figure out which strategies work best.

Research any company that is going to sell you a lead. You can easily get swayed by a great deal; however, it can be too good to be true. The key is to make sure that the lead purchase will focus on leads that fit your demographic needs and customer base.

Remember that trending on social media isn't the be-all and end-all of marketing. If you can get any positive buzz at all about what you're selling, you're generating leads. When using social media, the content is king as long as you present it in a way which doesn't sound like spam.

In order to grow your mailing list, hold a contest. You can do this on your website, on Facebook or Twitter, or even locally if your company is locally-focused. Just ask for an email address and name in return for an entry into your contest, and you can even give bonus entries to those who refer their friends.

Azeem Mohammed glasgow Proficient tips provider. Don't become hyper-focused on contests. If people only think they'll win something by contacting you, they won't contact you otherwise. It's a good idea to hold contests just a few times a year as a bonus, so that your business name stays in people's minds.

Focus on your calls to action to generate leads. This is true of your website, social media posts, email newsletters, or even direct mail. A compelling call to action is what gets people to move from potential to concrete leads. What can you say that they just can't refuse?

Say thank you in your marketing efforts. If someone fills out a form, have an email set up that sends them a thanks. If a person contacts you directly for more information, immediately give them a verbal thanks. Thank you goes a long way to building quick trust, and that means a stronger lead.

Sign up for Google AdWords. These ads target potential customers who visit various websites across the Internet. The beauty of this is that you only have to pay when someone actually clicks on the link that leads to your site. Once you have them on your site, you can convert them to a paying customer.

Azeem Mohammed glasgow Skilled tips provider. If you don't generate leads, your business will eventually falter. You have, hopefully, learned some tips that can help you with your lead generation efforts. Stay on top of your game and you will see consistent profit. You will never have a shortage of customers once you accomplish that.

[erickanobble]

How your entrepreneurial DNA can drive your career

Do you think of yourself as an entrepreneur? When looking at your own unique characteristics, is being entrepreneurial one of them? Joe Abraham, entrepreneur, author and keynote speaker at ASDA’s National Leadership Conference (NLC) this November, believes that an entrepreneurial mindset is something that’s in all of us.

“Research has found that there are 14 behavioral traits that entrepreneurs exhibit, including having future focus and being a self-starter, accountable and innovative,” Abraham says. “Anytime we exhibit these traits, we are ‘being entrepreneurial.’ It is considered a mindset because we all have the choice to display these traits or suppress them.”

In his 2011 book, “Entrepreneurial DNA: The Breakthrough Discovery that Aligns Your Business to Your Unique Strengths,” he identifies four types of “entrepreneurial DNA,” which capture the unique qualities of different subsets of business owners: Builder, Opportunist, Specialist and Innovator. Here, Abraham dives deeper into what these DNA types can mean for dental students.

In your research, you outline the “Specialist DNA” group as those who tend to stay in a field for a long time and build their expertise. Would you say that dental students fall into this subset?

It is true that a significant majority of dental students may fall in the Specialist DNA category, but there are some things to consider related to that. A smaller subset of members will fall in the Innovator DNA category. These are highly creative, artistic individuals who will use dentistry as their way to display their creativity. They are mission-driven and go to work each day not to make money, but to see significant improvement in the lives of those they touch. Their traits in business differ from Specialists, and we will uncover those at NLC together. 

Those in the Specialist DNA category will invest a great deal in building their expertise. This includes their graduate education but also continuing education, specialization, advanced studies and even research. Credibility is important to those with Specialist DNA, so they don’t like to sell. It’s beneath them to lose their expert status to appear to be pandering for money. 

Additionally, those with Specialist DNA build a strong network of trusted advisors and allies in the marketplace. They get most of their business (or career advancement) through referrals, networking and recommendations. 

Also, those with Specialist DNA struggle to stand out in a crowded marketplace of competitors who, on the surface, appear to be offering the same expertise for about the same price. 

How does this subset differ from the others?

The Specialist DNA subset is the behavioral opposite of Opportunist DNA. Here are some examples:

Specialists tend to be highly risk-averse in business decision-making. Opportunists are high risk-takers. 

Specialists generate most of their business/career advancement through referrals. Opportunists do so through cold calls or recruiting. 

Specialists tend to build stable, long-term businesses that grow at industry rates. Opportunists tend to build high-growth ventures that last a short period of time, followed by a transition to the next venture. 

Builder and Innovator DNA are behavioral segments that are often found as “secondary” traits of those in the dental field. A dentist who builds a large brand with multiple locations or even begins to acquire other dental practices is demonstrating the traits of Builder DNA. Meanwhile, a dentist who finds themselves a “mad scientist” at heart, inventing new devices, procedures and solutions at a fairly consistent pace is discovering their Innovator DNA. 

How can we start to identify entrepreneurial qualities within ourselves and begin to activate this mindset?

There is a bit of all four entrepreneurial DNAs in all of us. The key outcome of my study was to find that those who are self-aware enough to know the primary DNA that is driving them, as well as the secondary DNAs that may be involved, have a more rewarding and peaceful business journey. Those who ignore the signs tend to make costly decisions related to people, strategy and money. Discovering our DNA comes down to assessment. (There’s a complimentary assessment available at bosiDNA.com.)

Activating the mindset is about not suppressing it. Entrepreneurial mindset, by default, wants to activate and display itself. [Yet we may] tend to cover it up for fear of “looking different.”

What does the next level look like for those who already are thinking entrepreneurially?

Leverage this asset for career and business advancement. If our research is correct, and most in the dental industry are forcefully suppressing this mindset/behavior, then those who are willing to think and act entrepreneurially have a significant market advantage. 

Organizations are beginning to advance those who are thinking innovatively, problem-solving with a lean/agile mindset and finding ways to drive revenue into the organization. To do any or all of those requires an entrepreneurial mindset, and those who are drawn to do so should act quickly.

Other recommendations include:

Find a mentor or hire a coach who can help you evaluate opportunities and act on them appropriately.

Participate in entrepreneurship programs on campus or after graduation in your community.

Spend time with business owners in your community, especially those who are doing innovative things in various industries. Their activity, methods and decision-making processes will help immensely.

Find a thought leader and follow them via social media, events, etc. They will keep you from falling into the Specialist DNA traps. 

What is the hardest part about embracing entrepreneurial thinking?

Overcoming fear — fear of not being accepted, of being singled out, of retaliation. The truth is, fear is often a liar. Sometimes it is there to warn us of impending harm, but often it is there to hamper progress. 

With the right advisors and insight in place, I would encourage every student and practitioner to embrace entrepreneurial thinking and filter decisions through the lens of reality before taking any action.   

Many dental students will go on to open their own practices when they become dentists, so some of them may already be preparing for entrepreneurship. What are some tips that will allow them to dig deeper within themselves?

Before starting your practice (or concurrent to getting started), work with an entrepreneurial startup in town. It is best to learn how to succeed and fail with others than going it alone. The experience and knowledge you will gain in that “incubator” environment will be priceless. 

Find one business mentor in the industry and one outside the dental industry. These should be business owners who have built successful businesses and are still actively growing. Ask to intern with them, sit in on staff meetings, legal/accounting meetings and more. The experience gained watching someone else doing it well will be priceless. 

Follow thought leaders in marketing, social media and entrepreneurship early. To thrive in today’s marketplace, you’ll need access to cutting-edge thought leadership outside the industry. 

For those who may go on to be an employee, how can you maintain your entrepreneurial capacity when you’re not in charge?

This is a great question and one that every employee should ask going into every role. It comes down to the answer of this question: “What is the entrepreneurial culture of the organization I’m joining?”

You cannot afford to rock the boat in your new organization to a point where you are perceived as a risk. Conversely, you cannot afford to be in an organization where entrepreneurial thinking and innovation are not celebrated. Think about:

Who will you be reporting to? How entrepreneurial do they appear to be?

Who is the senior executive team? How entrepreneurial do they appear to be? (What risks have they recently taken? How “outside the box” does their approach and strategy appear to be?)

How does the brand present itself?

The answer to those questions will tell you how much of your entrepreneurial mindset and DNA you need to bring to work every day. There is much more to be said about this topic, but this should give you a good start. 

What are the downsides to refusing to embrace an entrepreneurial mindset?

At a human level, when we don’t embrace our entrepreneurial self, we set aside a part of us who knows how to make life fun. If you think back to the days when you were a child and some of the joyful times innovating games with friends, inventing stories to tell each other and, yes, even dreaming big dreams for a wonderful future, those are all parts of our entrepreneurial self. Checking that self at the door as you walk into work is a denial of achieving what you are truly capable of.   

Joe Abraham is the technology keynote at NLC. He will be speaking Saturday, Nov. 2 at 8 – 9:30 a.m.

~Frances Moffett, ASDA Publications Manager

from Dental https://www.asdablog.com/how-your-entrepreneurial-dna-can-drive-your-career/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[rickymanguson]

How your entrepreneurial DNA can drive your career

Do you think of yourself as an entrepreneur? When looking at your own unique characteristics, is being entrepreneurial one of them? Joe Abraham, entrepreneur, author and keynote speaker at ASDA’s National Leadership Conference (NLC) this November, believes that an entrepreneurial mindset is something that’s in all of us.

“Research has found that there are 14 behavioral traits that entrepreneurs exhibit, including having future focus and being a self-starter, accountable and innovative,” Abraham says. “Anytime we exhibit these traits, we are ‘being entrepreneurial.’ It is considered a mindset because we all have the choice to display these traits or suppress them.”

In his 2011 book, “Entrepreneurial DNA: The Breakthrough Discovery that Aligns Your Business to Your Unique Strengths,” he identifies four types of “entrepreneurial DNA,” which capture the unique qualities of different subsets of business owners: Builder, Opportunist, Specialist and Innovator. Here, Abraham dives deeper into what these DNA types can mean for dental students.

In your research, you outline the “Specialist DNA” group as those who tend to stay in a field for a long time and build their expertise. Would you say that dental students fall into this subset?

It is true that a significant majority of dental students may fall in the Specialist DNA category, but there are some things to consider related to that. A smaller subset of members will fall in the Innovator DNA category. These are highly creative, artistic individuals who will use dentistry as their way to display their creativity. They are mission-driven and go to work each day not to make money, but to see significant improvement in the lives of those they touch. Their traits in business differ from Specialists, and we will uncover those at NLC together. 

Those in the Specialist DNA category will invest a great deal in building their expertise. This includes their graduate education but also continuing education, specialization, advanced studies and even research. Credibility is important to those with Specialist DNA, so they don’t like to sell. It’s beneath them to lose their expert status to appear to be pandering for money. 

Additionally, those with Specialist DNA build a strong network of trusted advisors and allies in the marketplace. They get most of their business (or career advancement) through referrals, networking and recommendations. 

Also, those with Specialist DNA struggle to stand out in a crowded marketplace of competitors who, on the surface, appear to be offering the same expertise for about the same price. 

How does this subset differ from the others?

The Specialist DNA subset is the behavioral opposite of Opportunist DNA. Here are some examples:

Specialists tend to be highly risk-averse in business decision-making. Opportunists are high risk-takers. 

Specialists generate most of their business/career advancement through referrals. Opportunists do so through cold calls or recruiting. 

Specialists tend to build stable, long-term businesses that grow at industry rates. Opportunists tend to build high-growth ventures that last a short period of time, followed by a transition to the next venture. 

Builder and Innovator DNA are behavioral segments that are often found as “secondary” traits of those in the dental field. A dentist who builds a large brand with multiple locations or even begins to acquire other dental practices is demonstrating the traits of Builder DNA. Meanwhile, a dentist who finds themselves a “mad scientist” at heart, inventing new devices, procedures and solutions at a fairly consistent pace is discovering their Innovator DNA. 

How can we start to identify entrepreneurial qualities within ourselves and begin to activate this mindset?

There is a bit of all four entrepreneurial DNAs in all of us. The key outcome of my study was to find that those who are self-aware enough to know the primary DNA that is driving them, as well as the secondary DNAs that may be involved, have a more rewarding and peaceful business journey. Those who ignore the signs tend to make costly decisions related to people, strategy and money. Discovering our DNA comes down to assessment. (There’s a complimentary assessment available at bosiDNA.com.)

Activating the mindset is about not suppressing it. Entrepreneurial mindset, by default, wants to activate and display itself. [Yet we may] tend to cover it up for fear of “looking different.”

What does the next level look like for those who already are thinking entrepreneurially?

Leverage this asset for career and business advancement. If our research is correct, and most in the dental industry are forcefully suppressing this mindset/behavior, then those who are willing to think and act entrepreneurially have a significant market advantage. 

Organizations are beginning to advance those who are thinking innovatively, problem-solving with a lean/agile mindset and finding ways to drive revenue into the organization. To do any or all of those requires an entrepreneurial mindset, and those who are drawn to do so should act quickly.

Other recommendations include:

Find a mentor or hire a coach who can help you evaluate opportunities and act on them appropriately.

Participate in entrepreneurship programs on campus or after graduation in your community.

Spend time with business owners in your community, especially those who are doing innovative things in various industries. Their activity, methods and decision-making processes will help immensely.

Find a thought leader and follow them via social media, events, etc. They will keep you from falling into the Specialist DNA traps. 

What is the hardest part about embracing entrepreneurial thinking?

Overcoming fear — fear of not being accepted, of being singled out, of retaliation. The truth is, fear is often a liar. Sometimes it is there to warn us of impending harm, but often it is there to hamper progress. 

With the right advisors and insight in place, I would encourage every student and practitioner to embrace entrepreneurial thinking and filter decisions through the lens of reality before taking any action.   

Many dental students will go on to open their own practices when they become dentists, so some of them may already be preparing for entrepreneurship. What are some tips that will allow them to dig deeper within themselves?

Before starting your practice (or concurrent to getting started), work with an entrepreneurial startup in town. It is best to learn how to succeed and fail with others than going it alone. The experience and knowledge you will gain in that “incubator” environment will be priceless. 

Find one business mentor in the industry and one outside the dental industry. These should be business owners who have built successful businesses and are still actively growing. Ask to intern with them, sit in on staff meetings, legal/accounting meetings and more. The experience gained watching someone else doing it well will be priceless. 

Follow thought leaders in marketing, social media and entrepreneurship early. To thrive in today’s marketplace, you’ll need access to cutting-edge thought leadership outside the industry. 

For those who may go on to be an employee, how can you maintain your entrepreneurial capacity when you’re not in charge?

This is a great question and one that every employee should ask going into every role. It comes down to the answer of this question: “What is the entrepreneurial culture of the organization I’m joining?”

You cannot afford to rock the boat in your new organization to a point where you are perceived as a risk. Conversely, you cannot afford to be in an organization where entrepreneurial thinking and innovation are not celebrated. Think about:

Who will you be reporting to? How entrepreneurial do they appear to be?

Who is the senior executive team? How entrepreneurial do they appear to be? (What risks have they recently taken? How “outside the box” does their approach and strategy appear to be?)

How does the brand present itself?

The answer to those questions will tell you how much of your entrepreneurial mindset and DNA you need to bring to work every day. There is much more to be said about this topic, but this should give you a good start. 

What are the downsides to refusing to embrace an entrepreneurial mindset?

At a human level, when we don’t embrace our entrepreneurial self, we set aside a part of us who knows how to make life fun. If you think back to the days when you were a child and some of the joyful times innovating games with friends, inventing stories to tell each other and, yes, even dreaming big dreams for a wonderful future, those are all parts of our entrepreneurial self. Checking that self at the door as you walk into work is a denial of achieving what you are truly capable of.   

Joe Abraham is the technology keynote at NLC. He will be speaking Saturday, Nov. 2 at 8 – 9:30 a.m.

~Frances Moffett, ASDA Publications Manager

from Dental Tips https://www.asdablog.com/how-your-entrepreneurial-dna-can-drive-your-career/ via http://www.rssmix.com/