Adrie Reinders - The E-Factor: Entrepreneurship in the Social Media Age

PRAISE FOR THE E-FACTOR

Business as usual? Not anymore. Adrie and Marion have created a must-read guide for entrepreneurs who want to compete effectively in todays business environment. Learn how to go beyond the tried-and-true to catapult your business to success.

SUSAN WILSON SOLOVIC, CEO, Its Your Biz

The mix of traditional and online tactics provided me with much food for thought. So often I see colleagues forgoing some of the long-standing traditional channels for networking and engaging with potential clients, colleagues, and talent. Here, Adrie and Marion have illustrated how the two worlds of entrepreneurshipthe traditional and the new ages of networkingcan intersect for an even higher level of connection, opportunity, and success. Many of the younger entrepreneurs out there should pick this book up so they can see how the traditional ways of engaging and networking are very much alive and valuable in todays global business environment.

JIM SOLOMON,

Serial Entrepreneur; MBA Professor; and Certified Public Accountant

Copyright 2012 by Adrie Reinders and Marion Freijsen

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available for this title.
ISBN 978-1-935618-98-0

Editing by Erin Kelley
Copyediting by Deb Kirkby
Proofreading by Brittany Dowdle and Chris Gage
Cover design by Jarrod Taylor
Text design and composition by Neuwirth & Associates

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We dedicate this book to Roeland Reinders, without whom we would never have started or even considered putting one toe across that finish line at the end of our journey.

This book is for those who feel that they have a dreambe it a dream in its very earliest stages or one thats well developed and already taking shape in the world. Its for those with a dream to build a business from the ground up, who want to create something from scratch and turn it into something that they will leave behind as a legacy.

As serial entrepreneurs ourselves, we understand how hard the road to the fulfillment of that dream can be and how often you will feel a need for guidance and support. We know that it is a very lonely road to travel. On the other hand, we also understand how exhilarating it can be when you clear the obstacles that you face, and how amazing it will feel one day to look back and see how extremely far you have come.

We, the founders of EFactor.com, started together on our road to build the largest network for entrepreneurs. We are a team that is passionate about supporting and inspiring others to fulfill their own dreams of building and growing their own companies. We experienced obstacles just like any other entrepreneurs but always held close to our combined vision, drawing strength and inspiration from one another. As a team, you always support one another and ensure that you reach your goals, not individually but together. Our own journey with E Factor became the inspiration for this bookwe want to share how solid you can be when you are part of a bigger group of like-minded people, people who understand the hardships and exhilarations of entrepreneurship and who will root for you every step of the way.

See this book as your guiding light; see it as the support on a bad day (or month or year) and understand that there are others out there who understand exactly who you are and what you are going through. We offer this information in the true spirit of collaboration and sharing that is entrepreneurship.

ADRIE REINDERS AND MARION FREIJSEN

Being an entrepreneur once was like walking the road less traveled. Nowadays, being an entrepreneur is like using the main line of a bustling metropolitan transit system. After forty years as entrepreneurs, we are happy to see that entrepreneurship has gained such notoriety.

Before society became so entrepreneur-friendly, many entrepreneurs worked alone for years. Those solo entrepreneurs may have succeeded, but many eventually recognized that there was strength in numbersworking together by sharing ideas, providing input and expertise, offering contacts and information when needed, and partnering to create new businesses. Todays entrepreneurial community serves as an energizing hub that brings together results already achieved and opportunities yet to come. As such, E Factor reflects the entrepreneurial movement and helps solidify the collaboration that can fuel entrepreneurial power to stimulate social benefits, economic wealth, and personal satisfaction for those of you with an idea and a passion to pursue.

As an entrepreneur, you are part of an exciting transition in the global environment. You are in position to shape the next decades of business. Although corporations are often floundering in this tough economic situation, you are actually seeing opportunities or may even be busier than ever. At the same time, however, you do see challenges and changes that are having an impact on what you could be doing. You might also be wondering how best to use the new tools at your disposal, like social media, social networking, mobile marketing, and mobile applications. And although you have your own set of rules and the passion to take chances and pursue your passions, you recognize the importance of considering the forces around you.

Although most people think they know how they look to outsiders, do you really understand how you compare to the entrepreneurs who came before you? Do you see yourself as the new model of entrepreneurship or do you share the same qualities as your predecessors? As this book will illustrate, no matter how innovative you are, you do share certain traitsdrive, focus, creativity, discipline and passionwith those earlier entrepreneurs. You share most of the same qualities; however, that is not to say there are no differences. Like them, you are not afraid to bend the rules and think outside the box to achieve your goals. You are not burdened with the mindset of linear thinking. If there is a new way to create a product, interface with a client, or ship merchandise to market, you are among the first to embrace the concept just to see what happens. You have embraced technology and see the latest tools as the means to achieve your business dreams.

Thinking differently enables todays entrepreneurs to solve problems, develop ideas, and effectively use social media and networking to their advantage. If you ask some of the early entrepreneurs, they may even tell you that, thirty years ago, companies would have never believed they could communicate directly with their target consumers. Todays entrepreneur demands answers and will not accept the status quo. You thrive on the notion that there are no such things as problemsonly challenges with solutions yet to be discovered. Does this sound like you?