Being an Entrepreneur in the Digital Age

June 21, 2010 Jillian Koeneman entrepreneur, marketing, startup blog

There is no better time to be an entrepreneur than right now. As entrepreneurs in a digital age we are so very fortunate.

The uber-connected, social world we live in provides us with the perfect platform to be able to tell our unique story. Since people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it, being able to communicate and inspire your audience is so important.

Being an entrepreneur in the digital age allows us to have instant access to our customers. In the click of a mouse we can search out and find those people who believe what we do and therefor may want to buy what we have to sell.

We are able to build mutually beneficial relationships with our customers that will help strengthen the ties between our companies and our customers, which ultimately will lead to a better bottom line.

The social web also allows us to gain more insight into the behavior of our audience (and our competitors) than ever before.

Think about how hard these things were to accomplish before the web was the primary source of information for people?

I really started to think about how lucky we are as entrepreneurs after meeting the team behind Bare Hands Brewery, a local startup in Granger, Indiana.

Chris Gerard, and his wife Kim, have a passion for great beer. They believe in creating unique flavors and brews that challenge the status quo when it comes to beer. They aren’t in it for the money. They are opening their own brewery because they love what they do.

In talking with them you quickly realize that not only is beer their passion, but they are also extremely knowledgeable about brewing techniques and flavors.

Through digital tools like a website, Facebook Fan page, Twitter, and a blog, Bare Hands Brewery has the potential to become wildly successful by simply telling their story.

Although their brewery isn’t even open yet (opening in Fall 2010), Bare Hands Brewery has already secured a group of people through Facebook who are serving as brand advocates and promoters. This group is creating buzz and word-of-mouth for their brand before they’ve even opened their doors, which is huge.

Being an entrepreneur right now is a fun and exciting time. We have the tools at our finger tips and we must be committed to learning how to use them. Our business depends on it.