Category: DIGITAL MARKETING NEWS

Just avoid some common pitfalls.

September
15, 2019

4 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

In a recent commercial for Gatorade, NFL star J. J. Watt offers a simple piece of advice for aspiring athletes: Find a rival. Having a rival, Watt argues, can help you stay motivated and perform at high levels. Such advice, however, is useful not only to the athletically inclined, but to entrepreneurs as well.Having a rival can provide performance-enhancing effects for your venture. For example, a rival can keep you committed to achieving your goals, strengthen your motivation to win and enhance your overall performance. But before you go out and find another entrepreneur to outcompete, it’s important to understand and avoid the pitfalls that often come with rivalry. After all, competitive rivalry can also hinder effective decision-making and increase your willingness to take risks, behaviors that can ultimately hurt your venture’s success.Here are three suggestions that can help you get the most out of competitive rivalry while avoiding the pitfalls.1. Remain committed to your principles.Finding someone you’re committed to outcompete can be a great way to stay focused on your goals and propel your venture to the next level. But when you’re intently focused on outperforming your rivals, you may begin to develop a “win-at-all-costs” mentality that causes you to ignore how you achieve success. One group of researchers, for example, examined the link between rivalry and unethical behavior. They found that when people compete against their rivals (relative to non-rival competitors), they are more willing to behave unethically to win. But such behavior may tarnish your reputation and strain other relationships that are important to your venture’s success. One way to avoid this pitfall is to stop and reflect on what’s important. While outperforming your rivals may provide short-term benefits, the loss of your integrity will have long-term consequences. As former world chess champion Garry Kasparov once said, “If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, compromises on principles are the street lights.”Related: The Secret to Outpacing Your Rival2. Take the time to stop and think.One reason having a rival can enhance your venture’s performance is that it creates a level of excitement that drives you to work harder. But this eagerness to win may also hurt your venture’s success, particularly when it causes you to make impulsive, suboptimal decisions. One study, for example, found that thinking about a rival caused participants to make more reactive decisions, even when a more cautious, thoughtful approach was needed to be successful. As a result, participants tended to make more mistakes that hurt their overall performance. But it’s possible to avoid such costly mistakes by making a habit out of engaging in critical thinking, such as considering opposing viewpoints and conducting cost-benefit analyses, especially for those decisions that are complex and can determine the future of your venture.3. Avoid unnecessary risks.The sense of eagerness that comes with having a rival can not only cause you to make poorer decisions, but it can also lead you to take greater risks that put your venture in jeopardy. One group of researchers, for example, examined the potential risk-taking consequences of rivalry among a group of soccer fans. They found that fans who viewed the opposing team as a rival devoted considerably more attention to offensive strategies relative to more risk-aversive, defensive strategies. In a separate study, these researchers then examined rivalry among recreational athletes. The results showed that when reminded of a rival, participants tended to take greater risks by skipping practice in favor of playing right away, thereby forgoing the opportunity to gain additional experience. One way you can overcome the risk-inducing effects of rivalry that stand to jeopardize your venture’s success is to remain attentive to your emotional state and actively monitor how such feelings are affecting your decision-making.Related: 10 Ways Competition Can Improve Your BusinessFinding a rival can be a great way to improve your motivation and enhance your venture’s performance, as long as you can avoid the pitfalls. To reap the benefits of rivalry, it’s important to remain committed to your principles, make a habit of critical thinking and avoid unnecessary risks.

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The former ballet star breaks down his career change into skin-care maven.

September
15, 2019

6 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Jordan Samuel Pacitti is an entrepreneur you”ll want to now. He’s smart, strong, charming and understands what it means to be resilient. As a natural-born problem solver who moved his way into people’s hearts in the world of professional ballet, he’s now captivating celebs and beauty fanatics alike with his cruelty-free yet efficacious skin-care line, Jordan Samuel Skin. In a recent chat, we discussed his journey to entrepreneurship, ageism and how he assists others in feeling their best and choreographing their own skin-care routines. Here are some great takeaways from our conversation.Passion Is Paramount“Knowing that ballet is a short career, I knew from the get-go I wouldn’t always be a professional dancer,” says Pacitti. “Separately, I always had a love for all things in the beauty industry, whether skin care, hair care, body care or fragrance. You name it, I loved it. And having been lucky enough to find my passion for dancing at such a young age, I knew my next career had to be passion-filled as well. That’s when I started connecting the dots and immediately entered esthetics school upon my retirement from the ballet.”Look Around Before You Leap“I was always aware that my dancing career would last 15-20 years,” confides Pacitti. “That’s it. And you’re starting professionally at 18 years of age, so you know that you need to eventually jump, whether you want to or not. I must say that helped me. I started to think about what I wanted to do next, and beauty called me. While I was still a dancer, I shadowed Lorraine Massey of CurlyWorld, learning about the ins and outs of the beauty industry. I would read books, ask questions, receive skin-care treatments and more — doing everything I could to see if I would actually like the change in profession.”Related: Are You Looking to Make a Career Switch?Never Too Old to Start Anew”I personally didn’t experience ageism, but I have witnessed it first-hand,” Pacitti says. “Ballet is very behind in age, size and diversity inclusion. However, some companies are really making huge changes for the better, and it has been awesome and inspiring to see. Now that I’m able to run my own business, I recognize the ability I have to make important decisions in this space that were not always available to me the ballet world. Personally, I don’t think age should ever hold us back from switching careers, and I would hate for people to use that as a reason not to jump. Switching careers has to stem from keeping you happy and fulfilled, and for no other reason. We are very into following your heart here. Always.”Conquer Your Fears“Fear has always impacted me,” Pacitti readily allows. “In ballet and now with Jordan Samuel Skin. In fact, fear is my biggest motivator. I know that if I stay in my comfort zone and avoid fear I will also avoid my biggest dreams and goals. What’s that [George Addair] quote? ‘Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.’ Leaving home at 15 years old to study at the School of American Ballet in NYC was probably the first thing that really daunted me. Knowing that success and inspiration were on the other side of that was the push I needed to actually do it.”Growth Through Challenge“In entrepreneurship, challenges are abound,” cautions Pacitti. “I think managing stress and the art of letting go have been two of my biggest teachers. I often find myself wanting to control a situation. For instance, I often wish I could control or change the product-development timeline, but recognize those things are 100 percent out of my hands. So, learning to let go and trust has been freeing but very hard and something I still work on. Since we are small, but mighty and growing, the need to wear many different hats in a day is necessary. This can lead to a lot of stress and confusion, but I tap into my trust muscles and know these challenges are growing me. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”Always an Athlete“My background in the competitive world of ballet has helped me in business like nothing else,” says Pacitti. “The innate ability to strive for the best, stay focused and minimize distractions is something we all had to master in ballet. Now it’s proving true in my business as well. The discipline that we had to have at the age of eight in ballet is exactly what I need now. It’s been the greatest gift.”More Self-Love“So much is changing in the beauty world, and I’m so excited that in the industry is talking more about self-love and less about fixing ourselves,” Pacitti happily shares. “One of my biggest responsibilities in this business is education. Beauty can be a space where brands prey on weakness, and I try to tell people every day that nothing needs to be fixed. I do my best to instill in people the confidence to choreograph their own unique skin-care routine and never listen to the noise that is out there to simply sell products.”Related: How This Founder Grew a $90 Million Skin-Care BusinessNourish to Flourish“Being an entrepreneur, and an athlete, requires top notch self-care, and my favorite form of self-care is true down time,” says Pacitti. “I value great sleep and need at least eight hours per night to function well at work the next day. I still workout regularly and meditate daily as well. That’s a must when you’re running your own business. I also love a good glass of wine and a delicious meal with friends. Community is so important as an entrepreneur. I get together twice per week with friends, and we usually spend four-to-five hours at dinner when we go out, talking about everything from life to inspiration to travel.”A Little Advice Goes a Long Way”Spend time doing what you are good and don’t waste time doing things you aren’t good at,” Pacitti sums up. “It sounds so simple, but when I first started out, I wanted to do everything to save money. Eventually I realized that this way of life was completely draining me of time and energy and took me away from what I am good at and love the most.” 

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Renee Wang, founder and CEO of Castbox, talks about the investments she made into making her dreams come true.

September
15, 2019

1 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Renee Wang, founder and CEO of podcast platform Castbox, discusses her entrepreneurial journey from landing a dream position as an app monetization expert at Google to launching her own company and becoming a disruptor in the podcast industry.Wang and The Playbook host David Meltzer cover topics including the acceptance of failure as your most important teacher, some of the most common struggles that entrepreneurs face and challenging yourself to become a better person. They also discuss the need to invest in yourself as an entrepreneur and whether you need to pay yourself when founding a startup.Related: How to Show Your Clients That You Value Them

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Learn how to pitch prospects and convert them into clients.

September
15, 2019

2 min read

Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

The world of consulting is booming as businesses trend towards bringing in outside help for projects rather than hiring full-time employees. Consultants, meanwhile, stand to make a great living while remaining free to take on as many or as few clients as they’d like while maintaining a flexible schedule. It’s a win-win for both parties. If you’ve already got some in-demand expertise, in project management or software engineering for example, you may be primed to launch a consulting business. Entrepreneur’s How to Launch a Consulting Business will show you how to leverage your skills in pitch and proposal meetings to ensure you get the job.This workshop will start by helping you identify your audience and their needs before breaking down the specifics of how to prospect, write proposals, and convert prospects into clients. You’ll learn from Terry Rice, the Digital Marketing Expert-in-Residence at Entrepreneur and a former consultant for both Adobe and Facebook. Before you know it, you’ll have a firm understanding of how to turn your expertise into a flexible, recurring revenue stream that allows for a great work-life balance.Ready to take your career into your own hands? Grab How to Launch a Consulting Business for $19 today.

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A good hobby is key to increased creativity, productivity, memory and focus.

September
15, 2019

7 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

When he isn’t busy working on the company that changed the internet forever, Google co-founder Sergey Brin has some interesting hobbies: ultimate frisbee, springboard diving and flying trapeze, to name a few.The internet entrepreneur encourages his team to take up fun, physical activities, too. He’s reportedly led Google employees on bonding events at the Circus Center, a training facility in San Francisco where students learn high-adrenaline hobbies like — you guessed it — flying trapeze.Circus sports might seem to have nothing to do with Brin’s day job, but as it turns out, they could be boosting crucial career skills. Because not only are hobbies fun ways to pass the time, they also increase our productivity, creativity, memory and mood.Related: How a Woodworking Hobby Helps This Entrepreneur Be a Better BusinessmanBut we’ve reached a point where hobbies have a bad rap — the antithesis to the grind, aka, what it takes to succeed in business. That’s why it’s important to remind ourselves of the benefits of leisure activities, as well as how to find new hobbies (if we don’t have enough already).First, a quick look at the state of our work-fun balance.We’re more overworked than ever, but why?In a 1957 essay for the New York Times, Erik Barnouw observed that “the increasingly automatic nature of many jobs, coupled with the shortening workweek [leads] workers to look not to work but to leisure for satisfaction, meaning and expression.”As work became easier, leisure became more important, a trend that would presumably continue. But since Barnouw’s article, the nature of work has shifted — from a necessity to passion — and the result is more hours at the office.The Atlantic writer Derek Thompson explains:“Rich, college-educated people—especially men—work more than they did many decades ago. They are reared from their teenage years to make their passion their career and, if they don’t have a calling, told not to yield until they find one.”Instead of basking in the free time that technology has provided, some people are working longer and harder because, in their view, their work defines them.At the same time, burnout is surging higher than ever. A recent Gallup survey of 7,500 full-time employees found that 23 percent reported feeling burned out at work very often or always, and 63 percent said they experience it sometimes.The World Health Organization (WHO) even added burnout to its International Classification of Diseases, IDC-11,  describing it as a syndrome “resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed…”On a higher level, burnout is taking a toll on the workforce. One study found that 95 percent of human resources leaders agreed that burnout is sabotaging retention. And Harvard Business School researchers estimated that workplace stress costs $125 to $190 billion annually — that’s 5 to 8 percent of national spending on health care.Here’s where hobbies come in — because spending time with non-work activities that we enjoy can be the antidote to burnout and stress, plus afford us a variety of other business-related benefits. How your hobby can help your hustle. 1. InspirationEvery summer, I spend a few weeks on my family’s olive farm in Turkey for the annual harvest. Olive picking has no relation to my company JotForm, and nonetheless, I’ve gotten some of my best ideas during or just after my time away.Related: How to Turn a Hobby Into a Profitable BusinessThat’s because non-work activities can inspire us to look at familiar things in new ways. Consider the moon: prior to Galileo, the common thinking was that the moon’s surface was smooth. But because of Galileo’s experience with painting, where he learned how to represent 3D objects on a flat canvas, he recognized that the shadows on the moon’s face indicated that its surface was rough and mountainous.The most innovative ideas come from gathering a wide range of perspectives and knowledge, beyond the four corners of our daily job functions.2. Productivity.Hobbies can also increase our productivity through their restorative effect. Explains Carol Kaufman, founder and director of Harvard Medical School’s Institute of Coaching, “When you’re really engaged in a hobby you love, you lose a sense of time and enter what’s called a flow state, and that restores your mind and energy.”By making time for fun and allowing ourselves to recover from the demands of our jobs, we return supercharged, with a renewed sense of motivation.3. Performance.Leisure activities can have a positive impact on the critical aspects of our job performance, too. For example, reading books stimulates the brain area associated with language and intelligence. Doodling can improve memory by 29 percent.San Francisco State University organizational psychologist Kevin Eschleman, whose research focuses on the psychological effects of creative, non-work activities, has found that creative pursuits have a direct effect on factors such as problem-solving and helping others while on the job.Physical activities boost our job performance also. Neuroscience research has shown that cardiovascular exercise, like jogging and biking, improves cognition and mental performance.4. Mood.Hobbies are foolproof mood boosters. Because when you’re really engaged in an activity, you enter the flow state, which raises the levels of neurotransmitters in your brain — chemicals like endorphins, norepinephrine and dopamine that regulate your mood and relieve stress.And as we all know, happier employees are better employees. Research by Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage, shows that happy employees are 20 percent more productive. Happier salespeople, in particular, increase sales by 37 percent.By now, hopefully, the benefits of hobbies are inspiring you to carve out some free time in your schedule. The only thing left is deciding which hobbies to take up.Tips for choosing a new hobby.Start small — that is, when you were small. Rediscovering the activities we enjoyed as children is an easy way to choose a hobby. It also increases the likelihood that we’re doing something for the sake of doing it, rather than because of the potential benefits.As a child, I looked forward to olive-picking every year, and that’s why I still make time for it as an adult. Whether it’s harvesting or video games, coloring or tennis, engaging in your childhood hobbies will make you happy today.Explained Dr. S. Ausim Azizi, chairman of the department of neurology at Temple University’s School of Medicine in Philadelphia, “When people do things that make them feel good, like a hobby, it activates an area of the brain called the nucleus accumbens that controls how we feel about life.”Or, try an activity that taps into a completely new part of your brain. If you work with numbers and spreadsheets, consider studying a new language. If you’re constantly meeting with people, consider something that demands focused solo time, like knitting. This “cross-training” will increase your mental agility.Related: Frustrated from Workplace Culture, This Mother Turned a Childhood Hobby Into a Business VentureAnd make sure you select an activity that you genuinely enjoy, as that will help you get into a flow state. Ask yourself, when was the last time you were so engrossed in something that you forgot to eat? That’s the kind of activity that leads to flow.It’s not easy to carve out time for a hobby. Doing something solely for fun may even make us feel guilty. But it’s precisely this type of non-work activity that can actually help us on the job. With restored energy and a broader perspective, we’re better equipped to hustle hard and innovate.Find a new pastime that you love — and don’t knock the flying trapeze until you try it.

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Jason House, CEO and founder of the Iridium Sports Agency, talks about his approach to representing some of the world’s top MMA fighters.

September
14, 2019

1 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Jason House, CEO and founder of the Iridium Sports Agency, shares the philosophy he’s used to create one of the top agencies in mixed martial arts. House talks about how his educational and family backgrounds, as well as his experience as a college athlete, prepared him to become a successful agent.House and The Playbook host David Meltzer discuss the approach of using strong core values to establish life-long relationships with your athletes, how House handles the recruitment of athletes, their expectations for the continued evolution of the UFC and mixed martial arts and why agents should never make decisions solely about money.Related: This Entrepreneur Had to Welcome Failure When He Switched Lanes

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Technology in education is changing how we think about learning and success.

September
14, 2019

4 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Change drives change. Technology and digital footprints have altered the way businesses work, employees perceive work and even the way families function. Classrooms were not to be left behind. In 2018, there was a marked increase in investor interest in learning startups, especially those that are AI-based. According to a report by market-research firm Metaari titled “The Stunning 2018 Global Learning Technology Investment Patterns: The Rise of the Global Edtech Unicorns,” the investments made to EdTech companies soared past $16.34 billion, with China and the U.S. leading the way, followed by India and Israel. More recently, UK education conglomerate  Pearson announced a commitment of  $50 million solely to fund next generation EdTech startups to keep up with changing trends.With that in mind, here are eight ways in which EdTech is shaping the next generation’s skills through tech intervention.1. Immersive LearningClassroom learning is no longer relegated to the chalkboard. Today, students can participate in immersive experiences while learning about everything from specific timelines in history to climate change in Antarctica. EdTech companies like Early Adopter work with educators to create augmented-reality tutorials, including virtually transporting students to the surface of the moon while reading books about space. Related: Tips to Manage an EdTech Company2. Industry-Specific LearningToday’s fast-paced business sectors require that learners enter the workforce with a fundamental understanding of how an industry works. Companies like Yellowbrick and InternView create industry-specific online programs by partnering with major colleges, media outlets and organizations with a goal of helping learners get useful training in the industries they’re passionate about.3. Seamless ClassroomsWith limited resources and time-based pressures, it’s increasingly difficult for teachers to ensure 100 percent student comprehension. That’s why companies like Brainly and OneClass have decided to connect the whole world as one collaborative learning group that’s capable of adapting dynamically to global topics and trends. Theirs is a great example of using technology as a leveler while governments figure out how to invest more in the classroom experience. 4. Big DataAs test scores and attendance persist as traditional metrics for classroom success, seemingly simplistic technologies are creating ripples. Companies like Peachjar promote parent-teacher collaboration and engagement in extracurricular activities using big-data analytics to discover new ideas, opportunities and resources available across the country.5. Future-Ready DesignWith AI set to wipe out millions of repetitive tasks, experts predict that everything that can be automated will be automated in the future, sparking enormous demand for skills like critical thinking, problem-solving, ideation, creativity and, most importantly, empathy. EdTech startups such as Cartedo provide students with a future-readiness platform and design-thinking workshops to develop creative confidence. The foremost goal is to equip students to become agents of change in their own communities, even encouraging them to work on solutions to address subject matter as lofty as UN sustainability and development goals.6. Gamification.Classrooms are coming alive with personalized, adaptive learning through gamification. Platforms like Mangahigh are employing gamification to ease understanding of even serious subjects like math by encouraging participation, engagement and collaboration. Gamification also improves context-based comprehension through adaptive and personalized learning.7. Digital SafetyGiven kids’s increased engagement with the internet, there is a need for designing online spaces that are safe for young learners. One company leading the charge is AI-based platform Securly, which intuits risks of bullying and self-harm and innovates protections that meet modern needs.Related: How These Trends Are Enhancing the EdTech Industry8. Sustainability and Life SkillsThe tendency to confine classroom instruction to solely academic goals is slowly but surely diminishing. Companies like Mindvalley collaborate with schools to impart online lessons on living a meaningful life. Topics include communication and negotiation, finding purpose, staying calm under stress and sustainability design. In other words, all the skills required in real life.     

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Five principles that helped this young publisher forge ahead, and could help you too.

September
14, 2019

5 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

If recent research is any indication, Generation Z is poised to become unprecedentedly entrepreneurial. One 2017 survey conducted by Babson College in Massachusetts found that 41 percent of the cohort plan on becoming entrepreneurs, and a whopping 64 percent of college students want to start their own businesses.Though a lot of young people want to start their own companies, it’s not always tenable due to a busy queue of priorities including attending school and completing job applications. But Steven Li, founder of current events and commentary site The Rising — which boasts more than 500,000 monthly impressions and 30,000 monthly readers — proves it’s not impossible. After starting his entrepreneurial pursuits (Li also co-ran a popular publication titled Youth Business Collective while still in high school) with money he earned from internships, Li currently runs The Rising while studying Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.I recently caught up with Li, who shared the five principles he followed to grow The Rising while still in school, lessons applicable to entrepreneurs of any age balancing their core business and another significant time commitment.1. Communicate often, but only meet infrequently.Though communication is central to any successful team’s ability to finish projects in a timely manner, meetings — whether in-person or over the phone — often take up a lot of time. Assuming the default Google Calendar meeting time of one hour, just four meetings a day could take up half of a standard eight-hour work day. That’s why Li advises that, “Though it’s always fun to meet with prospective clients and partners, what I’ve found is that most, if not all, of what can be achieved in meetings can be done through email.” He adds: “And when you do need to meet, blocking out 15-minute slots instead of hour-long ones can save you, and whoever you’re meeting with, a ridiculous amount of time.”Meeting infrequently and planning for shorter meeting times can help keep both parties engaged in discussing what truly matters, and for young entrepreneurs juggling school, doing so makes it possible to simultaneously excel in academics.Related: Why Young Entrepreneurs Are Better Positioned to Succeed2. Be careful about resource allocation.Almost everything that comes with your business costs money, including when you are choosing someone to hire or selecting a service to use. But even beyond monetary costs, resource allocation includes time investments as well. As Li tells it, “Even when you’re not necessarily spending money, investing your time in a project has inherent costs too.” In other words, when you spend time on a project that doesn’t pan out, that’s often a financial loss. Effective resource allocation is particularly important, especially if you’re balancing your company with another gig, be it school or a 9-to-5 job. If you neglect thinking about where your resources are being distributed, you could easily run out of both time and money. 3. Avoid distractions.As your business continues to grow, many opportunities will present themselves. Sometimes, you’ll be asked to join boards or work on projects. And the invite to join new initiatives may be tempting, but taking on new responsibilities inherently takes away from your ability to fulfill existing ones. “In a lot of cases, the problem isn’t that there aren’t any resources out there, but rather that there’s a lot of noise and few good opportunities among them,” Li cautions.Knowing which resources are most helpful for you and your company is often regarded as one of the most important skills required to build a successful business. Without the ability to discern between what your business needs and what you want, it won’t be able to reach its full potential.4. Minimize confusing workflows.Every team is different, and you should recognize that by establishing a workflow that function best for your whole team. For example, while some staffs may work well on Slack, others may prefer communicating via Facebook, Skype or even email threads. Don’t simply adapt workflows to your own preference. Subsequent confusion among employees can be one of the biggest disruptions in a business’s productivity, so you’re better off minimizing moving parts.Related: How These Entrepreneurs Under 20 Are Changing Industries5. Choose clients wisely.Though it’s true that onboarding new clients will help boost your company’s revenue in the short term, it is often a good idea to choose wisely when optimizing for long-term productivity. “When you can bring value to clients, that’s always a good thing for them,” Li tells me. “But if you’re not vetting your clients wisely, there will be tall communicative hurdles that will bog you down.”By being diligent in this regard, you’ll be able to get on the same page quickly and avoid conflict later on. And by doing so, you’ll be saving yourself the time and energy that you could put to good use in other ways.

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Discover how to think like a journalist from Entrepreneur Editor-in-Chief Jason Feifer.

September
14, 2019

2 min read

Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

They say any press is good press, right? Well, that may not be an exact science but getting positive press can be a huge boon for your business, especially when you’re just starting out. Everyone wants positive press, but how do you get it? In How to Get Media Coverage, you’ll learn how to make your company stand out from someone who knows a little something about the media industry: Entrepreneur Editor-in-Chief Jason Feifer.In this course, Jason Feifer will show you how to think like a journalist so you’ll know how to present your business in a way that makes the media want to cover you. Feifer will dig into his career (and inbox) to provide a blueprint to what journalists are looking for and show you how to develop a press strategy that works. You may think what your company is doing is revolutionary and cool but simply emailing a reporter and saying your company is revolutionary and cool might not cut it. Feifer will show you how to write better pitch emails that frame your story in a way that’s compelling to both the reporter and his or her audience. From there, he’ll help you strategize the media attention that will be the most valuable for you and your company.Check out How to Get Media Coverage, available now for just $19.

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Time will tell if students and young entrepreneurs can thrive in a sector that may struggle to recover from such a disruptive force.

September
13, 2019

6 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

It’s the spectre at the feast. The troubling thought that you struggle to shake from the back of your mind, and it’s soon to become a reality. Regardless of where you stand on Brexit – or which way you initially voted – it’s no doubt fair to assume that you’ve rarely gone more than a few days without seeing, hearing, or thinking about it. It’s also fair to say that Prime Minister, Boris Johnson’s insistence on the UK’s departure from the European Union on the 31st October 2019 won’t be a red herring this time – that regardless of the level of domestic and continental preparation – we will no longer be part of the EU by the start of November. There’s also mounting speculation over whether or not a deal will be brokered between the UK and EU. Johnson’s public acts of defiance coupled with the promotion of Vote Leave director Dominic Cummings to the role of Special Advisor to the Prime Minister strongly indicates that a ‘no deal’ Brexit will become a reality. But what will this mean for Higher Education and those who were planning to build a career in the EU? Can London remain as the hub of European startups? Can students and young entrepreneurs thrive in a sector that may struggle to recover from such a disruptive force?Facing up to fresh challengesAs a leading European startup ecosystem, London and the rest of the UK is about to experience the harshest reality of leaving the EU – lack of enthusiasm and motivation for establishing innovative startups and small businesses. Image Source: SiftedToday, the United Kingdom is still recognised as one of the best providers of higher education worldwide, promising a bright future for the graduates of some of the most prestigious universities in the world, be it in entrepreneurship, science or maths. The lure of the UK’s higher education programmes has ensured that a strong flow of startups continue to be established domestically and ensuring that HE remains competitive in line with the rest of the world should be of paramount concern to decision-makers in government for ensuring the country’s status as an innovation hub. The challenges facing UK universities aren’t just limited to Brexit, but the departure from the EU is rightfully the primary source of concern for higher education’s near future. Big question marks hang over exchange programs that universities have implemented across European nations, and EU projects like ERASMUS could exclude UK participants as a result. Furthermore, the UK’s declining international reputation caused alarm when the Times Higher Education (THE) world rankings were announced last year. “Britain has some of the most prestigious institutions – but their status is in no way guaranteed,” explained Phil Baty, THE’s editorial director of global rankings. Away from Brexit, international competition coupled with varying tuition fees have also posed fresh challenges for institutions nationwide. While forecasts seem somewhat gloomy for the UK’s institutions, it could see higher education become more innovative as a means of ensuring that students continue to thrive in this new age of uncertainty. Solutions in innovationWe’re living in a brave new era of unprecedented levels of interconnectivity. Today, many internet users only truly disconnect from the World Wide Web when they sleep. Emerging trends within higher education suggest that the future of learning will become increasingly remote – making degrees and advanced diplomas more manageable and scalable, as well as diving down the operational costs of institutions. In the US, the number of enrollments to online educational courses has quadrupled inside 15 years, and while remote learning institutions like The Open University is welcoming fewer students year-on-year, the usage of external educational programs is swiftly increasing.In early 2019, Staffordshire University pioneered Beacon – a perpetually active Artificial Intelligence-driven chatbot that’s capable of acting as a personal digital assistant to every student and answer the various queries they may have. Naturally, AI and machine learning can be utilised to help students out with troubleshooting during the most antisociable of hours – but the potential influence of this technology could be far more profound than assisting those who need help. Another example of AI usage in HE is University 20.35, which stands as an institution that’s attempting to harness AI in a way that’ll effectively collect hordes of big data on students’ progress and professional backgrounds in order to better understand their educational trajectories and thus accurately advise them on their development pathways. Glancing into the future of higher educationConsidering how international higher education already is, and how ripe for innovation the world of HE can be, it’s clear to see that students will find more opportunities to thrive in learning environments despite their own domestic uncertainties. International university programs will soon be able to utilise AI, machine learning and big data in a way that will enable large volumes of students to access courses remotely and in a more cost-effective manner. Chatbots will ease the burden of tutors by offering the first line of support for students, while each user’s pathway can be automatically tailored to suit their needs based on levels of comprehension and prior industry experience. Should the choppy waters of uncertainty affect the level of financial support that UK institutions receive, or indeed the international appeal for students, then comfort can be found in the knowledge that innovative support may be capable of ensuring that the steady stream of entrepreneurial graduates in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland enjoys will be upheld long after the 31st October’s ‘point of no return’. While some may argue that the UK is still welcoming entrepreneurs from around the world, considering the newly introduced Startup and Innovator visas, the UK is tightening the rules behind the scenes and closing down programs like Tier 1 Entrepreneur. Domestically and continentally, Brexit may be set to pose fresh challenges to students hoping to obtain degrees and advanced diplomas, but technology appears to have already offered the solution.

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