Garage Entrepreneurs

Laurie Hawkins is an energetic, world-class Certified Business Coach and leader, with an extraordinary range of business expertise. Laurie is the owner of Hawk Inspired, FocalPoint Coaching. As a FocalPoint certified coach, Laurie can transform your business, as well as your professional and personal life through long-term, one-on-one coaching – the most effective method in which to affect lasting business improvement and skill development. Eric: Laurie, tell me about yourself and your business background. Laurie: I have spent twenty years in […] Continue Reading Garage Entrepreneurs Interview with Small Business Coach Laurie Hawkins

Marketing for entrepreneurs isn’t as simple as it used to be. Marketing media is changing daily, and under the influence of social media, marketing will never be the same. This post is not a cutting-edge way to advertise your new business, it’s a look at the information you need to know to make marketing decisions. Marketing is the connection that you have with your customers. You need to understand your customers in order to reach them effectively. To change things up […] Continue Reading Garage Entrepreneurs Business Planning Blog Series: Part 6 (Entrepreneurial Marketing)

We work with a lot of young entrepreneurs and when we ask these young entrepreneurs what some of their goals are, we hear “to make a lot of money,” “to work for myself,” “to have a flexible schedule and travel.” The problem with these goals is that they aren’t SMART. SMART goals are: Specific -A specific goal is clear and answers who, what, when, where, and how. Measurable -You have to be able to track your progress and hold yourself accountable. […] Continue Reading Do You Set SMART Goals?

Occasionally we watch videos on TED Talks: Ideas Worth Spreading.  They’re amazing, inspiring, hilarious, though-provoking, different, and free!  We love these videos because they’re 10-20 minute video clips of some of the world’s greatest thinkers, and do’ers.  These speakers come together and are challenged to give the best speech of their life.  The speeches are compiled on TED.com, a global community welcoming people from every discipline and culture with just two things in common: they seek a deeper understanding of the world […] Continue Reading TED Talks

Email is amazingly convenient. It is estimated that there are around 62 billion emails sent daily. That’s a big number considering only 660 million of the 6.6 billion people living on the planet have a computer. That’s an average of 94 emails per person owning a computer. The majority of people say that email (facebook is a close second) is their main form of communication with friends, family, co-workers and even business clients. When is the last time you picked up […] Continue Reading The Anti-Email Challenge

Kaizen: A Japanese word meaning constant, and never-ending improvement.  Kaizen is the personal trademark of every man and woman who is living a fully awakened existence. This is a great concept and something that entrepreneurs should apply to their lives.  Never-ending improvement is the definition of growth – both personally and professionally.  Try to improve yourself year over year, month over month, and each and every day.  What are you doing now that will make you better than who you were […] Continue Reading Kaizen

I did not fully comprehend the value of setting a deadline until I launched my first small business. When you’re very young, deadlines are imaginary dates set months in advance and are often associated with milestone events: I need to get presents for everyone in time for Christmas, I need a new pair of shorts for the first day of summer, etc. In the days of grade school, deadlines were so easy. There were no real steps toward accomplishing the end […] Continue Reading Hold Yourself Accountable