Serial entrepreneurs earn that title for a reason: they can realize several different business opportunities over a period of time. But negative connotations are often attached to the term, such as chronic neglect, which causes a perceived underperformance in some ventures. Moreover, many entrepreneurs operate in various sectors when, in reality, they can only truly be an expert in one or two.
A new generation of serial entrepreneurs is using different aesthetics, approaches, and appeals to create a series of connected ventures. Many of these may pull from different client pools but are unified in their industry and their leaders’ relevant insight.
One example is the duo Jeremy Adams and Maxwell Finn, who heads up several businesses, including Founders Mastermind and TikTok Insiders. Their ventures primarily operate in the online space but have propositions that offer differing value to distinct communities. After storied careers so far building companies from food truck businesses to marketing agencies, they have explained the principles that keep their ventures synergized and relevant.
Developing a Valuable Proposition
Entrepreneurs who can successfully run several businesses concurrently have one priority above the rest: keep the proposition valuable. One of the difficulties with being a serial entrepreneur (and, therefore, a distinguishing factor between the successful and the unsuccessful) is tracking trends in different areas. By keeping ventures within the same broader industry, they can ensure all of their current propositions remain relevant.
While a community-based business like Founders Mastermind may seem a far cry from TikTok marketing, the clientele for both share similar characteristics and exist in the same digital culture. Currently, many online entrepreneurs focus on personal development, with skills perceived to be the most reliable commodity during economic uncertainty.
Both companies can stay in touch with that trend as a community can encourage skill sharing between like-minded individuals, and an advertising course can provide valuable education for creators. The audiences are similarly motivated to develop, and both propositions contribute to achieving that goal.
Providing Community-led Benefits
Entrepreneurship isn’t about assuming what an audience wants; it’s about knowing. Rather than working overtime to generate revenue, an increasing number of start-up businesses are laying the groundwork to let communities build themselves.
For example, social media marketing courses like TikTok Insiders don’t purely consist of a series of videos to be passively listened to. Instead, due to the constantly changing nature of the industry, they provide a community platform where experts, marketers, and creators can discuss best practices.
This community-led approach can be applied near-universally, especially in online spaces. Comparably, good masterminds provide the structure of a community and leave members to create value for themselves, reducing the need for business heads to presume the needs of their audience.
Maintaining Expertise and Authority
The prerequisite for all of Adams and Finn’s universal truths is knowledge. Without it, entrepreneurs cannot identify industry trends or judge how best to respond to them.
“Operating in a space for several years can both grow a business and make an entrepreneur an authority on the topic,” Finn said. “For example, being one of the first advertisers on TikTok has led to invitations to speak at marketing events including Traffic & Conversion Summit 2022 and Affiliate World Barcelona. Meanwhile, TikTok Insiders has become the largest paid community of marketers on the platform.”
On the other hand, Adams has landed a spot on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and appearances on business-focused reality TV shows. Maintaining expertise and authority may not have the immediate impact that a company rebrand or advertising campaign might. But it could lead to long-term opportunities that restless contemporaries may never receive.
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