Question To Entrepreneur Interview

Assignment
EntrepreneurshipInterview
FindanEntrepreneurtoInterview
Findingalocalbusinessownertointerviewistheidealscenariosoyoucan
connect in person and form an ongoing relationship.
Onceyouconnect withanentrepreneurwhohasenoughexperience,setupa timeto
meet, and printa copyof these entrepreneur interview questionsto take with
you.
InterviewanEntrepreneur
The beginning stages of entrepreneurship can feel overwhelming. It’s hard to
knowexactly what youdon’tknowaboutstartingabusiness.Althoughinternet
research can be immensely helpful, it cannot speak to personal experience.
By connecting with a successful entrepreneur, you can benefit from their
wisdom and gain knowledge that may not be commonly available online,
preparing you to start your own business in a completely different way.
WhyYouShouldInterviewan
Entrepreneur
When starting a small business, it’s important to remember that you’re not
alone.Runningabusinessasasoloactisisolatingbynature,soforminga network of
support from thestartcanbolster your confidenceandhelp you strategize for
more effective growth and sustainable success.
Whether you’ve been in business for a while and are looking for advice on
scaling (growing), or are brand new to entrepreneurship and need to know
whatthingstodobeforestartingabusiness,interviewingsomeonewithreal
entrepreneurial experience will go a long way in preparing you to enter the
field.
SomeInterviewQuestionsyoucan
askan Entrepreneur
1. Whydidyoudecidetostartyourownbusiness?
Every business owner has a “why” – the reason they chose the
unconventionalrouteofentrepreneurshipasopposedtoacorporatecareer.
Understanding their reason for choosing the business owner path can help
you to understand what motivated their success and discover your own
reason(orreasons).
2. Whatadvicewould yougivetosomeonejust
starting their own business?
This is the most obvious question you should ask, but also one of the most
important! Every business owner has gone through the trying and risky
experience of being a newbusiness owner, and everyone of them willhave
directexperiencewithwhat workedandwhatdidn’t.You’remeetingwiththis
entrepreneur to get their advice, so don’t be afraid to ask for it!
3. How doyoudealwithfearand doubt?

Byasking yourintervieweehowtheydealwithself-doubtasanentrepreneur, you’ll
gain strategies for conquering fears that will inevitably come up throughout
your own venture into business ownership.
4. Whatroutinesdoyoufolloweachday?
Success is in the details, and most accomplished people follow
strictroutinesanddailyhabitstokeeptheirbusydaysrunningsmoothly.Thiscan
be as simple as setting an alarm and always getting up when it goes off,
eating the same breakfast each morning, or even having multiples of the
sameoutfitsotheydon’thavetothinkaboutwhattoweareachday.
5. Wheredoyousee yourbusinessinfiveyears?
Ten?
Noentrepreneuriseverdonegrowingtheirbusiness –it’sanongoingjourney with
ever-changing goals and aspirations. Asking the entrepreneur you’re
interviewing what theirvisionforthefutureis willinspireyoutodream bigand never
stop pursuing success. It willalso give you an idea of future milestones
youcanpursueinyourownbusiness.
6. Howdoesyourbusinesslookdifferentnowvs.
when you first started?
Similartoaskingforadviceonjuststartingout,askyourintervieweetoreflect on how
their business has grown and shifted over the years. Are they where they
expected to be? Did they pivot a completely different direction than originally
planned? How does where they are now compare to where they
expectedtobeatthistimeintheirbusiness?
7. Howdo youset yourbusinessapartfromothersin
your industry?
Smallbusinessesrequireaspecialtwistthatmakesthemdifferent.Thismay be a
unique spin on their product or service, or it may come down to well-crafted
branding. Find out how your fellow entrepreneur has distinguished
themselffromthecompetitionandbrainstormhowyoucandothesame.
8. Howdidyoumarketyourbusinesswhenitwas
brand new?
Withoutthereputationorboomingrevenueofalargerbusiness,you’llneedto
develop strategies for marketing your business and building a loyal audience
from scratch. Every business owner has to tackle this at the start, so you’ll
definitelywant tofindout howtheperson you’reinterviewingdidthis. Howdid they
leverage networking or advertising or social mediato start connecting
withpotentialinvestorsorcustomers?
9. Whatis thehardestpartof beinganentrepreneur?
Runningyourownbusiness won’talwaysbeeasy.Likeanyjob,nooneloves it all
the time. Starting your own business is going to be difficult. It’s going to take
a lot of time and determination to make it a success, but knowing what
hurdlesyoumayencounterwillmakeiteasiertoovercomethem.
10. Whatisyourfavoritepartofbeingan
entrepreneur?
Follow up preparing for the worst by hoping for the best! Find out what your
intervieweetrulylovesabouttheentrepreneurialpath.Whyarethey gladthey
chose to start their own business? What makes it fun or exciting? These joys
arewhatyouwillclingtowhentimesgettough.
11. Whatqualitiesdoyouthinkeveryentrepreneur
should possess?
Ask them what makes agoodentrepreneur, but don’t bedownheartedif you
don’t possess those qualities! Everyone is different and thus approaches
entrepreneurship differently, so you may just not fit the mold they would
expect. Nevertheless, this is an important question to ask. It can affirm the
qualitiesyoudopossessandgiveyouideasofhowyoucanformnewhabits
andcultivatethequalitiesofasuccessfulentrepreneur.
12. Howhave yougrownpersonallyfrombecomingan
entrepreneur?
Entrepreneurship is extremely personal. Your business is completely your
own, so it’s impossible to separate it from yourself as you might be able to
with a standard employment situation. As such, starting a business will
inevitablyresultingrowthandchangeinyoupersonally.Byaskingforstories of
personal growth from a successful entrepreneur, you can get the inside
scoop on how you should seek to grow personally.
13. Whathavebeensomeofyourbiggestlearning
experiences in running a business?
Failuresareopportunitiestolearnanddobetternexttime,andnobusinessis without
their fair share of mistakes and failures. Although you will likely find your own
mistakes to make, you can avoid some of them by asking an
entrepreneurwhatfailuresthey’velearnedfromovertheyears.
14. Whatdoyou lookforwhenoutsourcingorhiring?
When your business outgrows what you can accomplish as a solopreneur,
you’ll need to consider hiring employees or outsourcing work to
contractorsandfreelancers.Askanentrepreneur whohasdonethisbefore
whatqualities
theylookforinpotentialhirestoprepareyouforwhenit’stimetofindtheright
persontofurtheryourbusiness’ssuccess.
15. Whatwillyounevercompromiseonwithyour
business?
Whether it be your personal values or your business ethics, you will face
situationsasabusinessownerthatmayrequirecompromise.Decidewhat your
non-negotiables are so you will not compromise yourself or your business
from the get-go. Learning what other entrepreneurs won’t compromise on can
help you figure out what matters most to you.
FunQuestionstoAskan
Entrepreneur:
1. Whoisyourbiggestrolemodel?
2. Howdoyoudefinesuccess?
3. Whatmakesagoodleader?
4. Atwhatpointdidyoulookatyourbusinessandconsideritasuccess?
5. Whatwouldyouchangeaboutyourbusinessjourneyifyoucouldgo back?
FinancialQuestionstoAskan
Entrepreneur
1. Howdidyouraisefundingorfinanciallyprepareforyourbusiness?
2. Anyadviceaboutsettingupabusinessintermsoflegal/accounting?
3. ShouldIgetanLLCbeforestartingabusiness?
4. Howdoyouplanfinanciallyforyourbusiness’sfuture?
5. Haveyouevertakenoutabusinessloan?Wouldyourecommendit?

Question To Entrepreneur Interview

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Question To Entrepreneur Interview

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Question To Entrepreneur Interview

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Assignment

3. How doyoudealwithfearand doubt?

You might also like