Small Business Builders

“One post can change your business or your life.” 🚀 Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia has seen the power of virality first hand. Now, he emphasizes the importance of practicing virality for all small businesses. “Anybody who is a brand or a person on social media should have one post a week that attempts virality.” The reason, he says, is simple: practice makes perfect. Even if your post doesn’t go viral, you’re getting 52 reps a year. Most important, though, is that you just keep going. Even if one post doesn’t change your business overnight, Gary stresses it’s all about understanding trends, taking creative risks, and embracing the possibility of going big. What are you posting this week that might just change everything? Let us know in the comments. 👉 Watch Gary’s full premium conversation here: https://lnkd.in/eRmvedfN

Don’t wait on others to make your dream a reality. When Amaurys Grullon started Bronx Native, an apparel company that aims to celebrate the Bronx with pride, he reached out to his favorite brands to try and collaborate. “There was one particular brand… we looked up to, we loved them… They didn't want to collaborate with us. I was heartbroken.” But after the initial heartbreak he got right back to work, motivated to grow the company without the collaboration. “We got something here. We have to dive in and just put our all into this and we're gonna make it work.” Seven years later, Bronx Native has worked with everyone from Cardi B to Nike, but Amaurys credits their success to a shift in mindset. “ Everything changed when I stopped expecting others to help us create our dream. I had to put a different lens on, have tunnel vision, apply myself, create our own lane, forget about everybody else, and just make it happen.” How have you shifted your mindset since first starting your small business? Share your approach below. ⬇️ 🎥 Watch the full episode of #Catalyst featuring Amaurys Grullon here: https://lnkd.in/e6rxx-MM

If you saw what Le Alfré was 4 years ago, you'd probably never follow our Instagram, never read a Linkedin post of mine, and you'd for sure never buy our products. I started out with 4 shirts that all bled in the wash. Lost half of my savings in a second, and seriously considered quitting. After having time to reflect about where I started, and where I am at now, as well as the brand, it's 100% because of the ability to focus and emphasize my naivety, humility, and long term vision and enjoyment of this concept of "evolution" or as many people call it, "the journey". If you look back at the world you grew up in, and the world now what do you notice? It's always evolving and changing. This should be understand and translated to your personal growth as a person, business, co-worker, etc. So in this case, every year, month, day we're in some ways always evolving and changing, we just don't necessarily truly think about it and remind ourselves of it when things happen (for good or bad). We just keep thinking about the end result of the "goal". The goal, in my opinion, is to continue to grow at your own pace--whether you want to push as fast as you can, or gradually. Execution is important, but being present in the journey to get to the execution is where the real impact, grit, passion and results come from.

Charge more if you want better clients. Read that again. Charge more. For better clients. It's counterintuitive. I know. You're afraid if you raise your rates, they will run. Some will. Some won't. And that's okay. Why would you want to risk this? It's because… Pricing is Positioning. We associate certain intangible ideas with how high or low something is priced relative to it's competitors. Seth Godin writes in "All Marketers Are Liars", that we have an implicit bias. We determine the taste of the wine before we drink it based on preconceived ideas of the wine—the price, the label, the vintage, etc… We, as consumers, are complicit in the lie. We want to be lied to. This is true for: cars, watches, clothes, even healthcare. Basically, everything. So, if you want better clients, charge more. They will assume you are better, more qualified, give better customer service, and the work becomes more desirable. What's been your experience when you discount your prices? What about when you raise your prices? Do you find a correlation between what you charge and the type of customer you attract? Let me know in the comments. Small Business Builders #smallbiztips #smallbizadvice #smallbusinesscoach

💡 What’s the worst business advice you’ve ever received? For small business owner Luisa Navarro, it was taking out a loan to scale her business. The result? The loan's high-interest terms eventually forced her to let go of her entire team at Mexico In My Pocket, her small gift shop in Brooklyn. To rebuild it, she had to start again from scratch. This painful experience taught Luisa profound lessons in resilience and resourcefulness. Today, she credits her network and instincts as her most vital assets: “Your network is your biggest asset as a small business owner,” she shares. To guide her decisions, she relies on seeking advice from her community, creating pros and cons lists, and following her intuition. “Just because you're not an expert doesn't mean you don't have common sense,” she emphasizes. Have you ever received advice that was bad for your business? Share how you pushed past it in the comments below. Want to dive deeper into more stories like Luisa’s and learn from other inspiring business owners? Subscribe to the Catalyst newsletter today: https://lnkd.in/e-RYcKD5

Rising health care costs aren't going away, but smart choices like PEOs or alternative plans can help small businesses stay competitive. (Sponsored by AT&T Business)

Growth happens outside your comfort zone. JW Wiseman, founder of non-alcoholic cocktail company Curious Elixirs Growth, knows that real progress starts when you embrace the uncomfortable. Not sure where to start? Wiseman offers a few tips: 1. Look for people who are different from you to get fresh perspectives 2. When meeting someone new, root yourself in your shared passions 3. Just get out there! As he says, “You’d be amazed at what you can find.” What’s one bold move you’ve made recently that pushed you out of your comfort zone? Drop it in the comments! 🎥 Watch the full episode of #Catalyst with JW Wiseman here: https://lnkd.in/ey4d3auK

I’ve been thinking a lot about what actually drives progress in life, in personal goals, and in business.. Back in March, I set a wild goal: to climb the mountains in Europe on my bike 🏔️ 🚲 At the time, it felt like a simple personal challenge, something just for me, and an easy way to disconnect from work and clear my head. What I didn’t expect was how much it would end up teaching me about building my business. Some mornings, I clip in and immediately think, “I’m tired… maybe I’ll skip today… does this even matter?” But every time, without fail, I finish the ride and realize I’ve never regretted it. And that’s exactly how building Brkaway feels. Some days, the climb is brutal. Progress feels slow (almost non-existent lol) and it’s easy to wonder if anything I’m doing is actually pushing the company forward. Most of the work isn’t flashy. It’s just me pushing through discomfort over and over again… tough product calls, harsh feedback, endless small tasks. But these are the climbs that shape you. They’re the ones that show you what you’re actually capable of. Some days, I’m strong. Other days, I’m barely hanging on. But I’ve learned that consistency is the only thing that truly moves you forward. Showing up, especially when you don’t feel like it, is one of the most powerful habits you can build. I’m still far from my Euro mountain goal, and Brkaway is far from its peak. But day after day, ride after ride, task after task, progress is happening. So whether you’re climbing a literal mountain, chasing a personal goal, or building a company, focus on routine and consistency. That’s what makes the climb worth it.

Is it possible to balance passion and profit? The answer is YES! I started Nguyen Coffee Supply as a mission-driven business rooted in my family's heritage and culture. Additionally, the brand is founder-forward, which means it's deeply personal to me. As I build from a place of intention and personal motivation, I balance this with my fiduciary responsibility of building a for-profit business, not a non-profit organization. In this video, I share how I've balanced passion, values and profit as I've scaled Nguyen Coffee Supply into a nationally distributed brand. If this is something you've struggled with, I share a few key questions to help you get clear on your "why" and your goals. Remember, building a business means building in your unique vision. So design it in a way that allows you to share your values with the world while remaining sustainable enough to support your team, partners and stakeholders. Let me know in the comments what I missed!!

How do you navigate rising costs and market volatility as a small business? As a Vietnamese coffee importing and roasting company, 2025 has presented unprecedented levels of market volatility across tariffs, global trade wars and decades-high green bean costs. Particularly with tariffs and trade deals, these were changing quickly and often, leaving us wondering whether we should act or wait it out. In this video, I share how I've navigated the uncertainty from 2025 at Nguyen Coffee Supply. When there are so many things outside of my control negatively impacting the business, I comb through the chaos and hyper focus on the things I can control: evaluating our budget, our unit economics, our P&L, our growth strategy, innovation pipeline and more. Nothing is off the table to revisit and re-evaluate within the current context. Oftentimes, the numbers and data will present a clear path forward. Even if the plan forward looks different from the plan you set 3-6 months ago, remember that you're dealing with a new set of circumstances. At the end of the day, preservation is powerful. Let me know in the comments some of the changes you've made to your business and strategy in response to challenging macro conditions! Would love to learn.