For some of us out there, the American Dream might feel like a far-off reality. Is it even really possible anymore? Well, the answer to that is YES! It is still possible.
There are plenty of real-world entrepreneurs out there that prove it, in fact. Today, we’ll be taking a look at one of them. Her name is Shoshanna Raven, as you probably guessed from the title.
Now, there’s a lot to delve into here. It’s important to understand some of the key tenets of entrepreneurship in order to properly grasp the story of someone like Shoshanna. That’s where we’ll start – so, stay tuned to learn more about all of this!
Entrepreneurship: What You Need to Know
As you can see here: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02055/full, there are a lot of things that make the business world go ‘round. Marketing is just one of them, and we’ll touch upon that more a bit later.
For now, let’s look at some of the basics of entrepreneurship. This way, you can understand how Shoshanna Raven went from a yoga instructor to a successful businesswoman!
Simply put, entrepreneurship is the process of starting and running a business. Usually, it’s characterized by innovation, risk-taking, and the pursuit of profit. All of those factors work in tandem.
Idea Generation
Of course, one of the biggest parts of this is creativity. Successful entrepreneurship often begins with identifying a gap in the market. It could also stem from recognizing a problem in the world that needs to be solved.
Naturally, this is what Shoshanna Raven did. She discusses that on her Facebook page, if you’re curious. Overall, entrepreneurs brainstorm products or services that could fill those gaps in the market we mentioned.
Innovation is another aspect here. This can involve creating entirely new products or services. It could also include improving existing ones orfinding better ways to deliver value to customers. All of this can be relevant in this process.
Market Research
Now, another thing to be aware of is market research. It helps entrepreneurs understand a variety of things. Examples include target audiences, competitors, and general market trends. All of that is necessary for a thriving business, after all.
One other aspect of market research that’s worth mentioning is that you can test your idea. Through use of focus groups and surveys, you can get a gauge for what the reaction will be. That way, you aren’t going to lose out on a ton of money if the idea isn’t fully fledged just yet.
Marketing and Sales
Perhaps one of the biggest aspects of Shoshanna Raven’s lifestyle advice is centered around marketing. She’s someone who advocates for living bravely. This extends to the concept of marketing, believe it or not.
Essentially, the idea is that we should stay true to ourselvesthroughout marketing material. Keep the messaging consistent with the identity you’ve built up for your business. In many cases, that will be intrinsically linked to the face you present to the public as well.
That’s why it’s important to stay consistent. Stay authentic and true to yourself in this aspect of the business, and it will help the rest of things fall into place as well.
Networking and Support
Shoshanna Raven covers a lot of lessons in her podcasts and interviews. She also offers plenty of advice as a lifestyle coach. One of the biggest things she frequently discusses is networking.
As you can read about here: https://journals.coehd.utsa.edu/index.php/AMAE/article/view/194, it’s a pretty critical part of any business. In order to become an entrepreneur, you’ll want to have some connections. How does it work, though?
Building relationships is probably the most important thing here. After all, networking with other entrepreneurs can bring all sorts of benefits. They can provide valuable insights, advice, and support when you need it.
What Raven recommends is to put yourself in rooms with powerful people. Use those opportunities and gain insights from them. See what you can do for each other—that’s one of the most effective ways of forming relationships.
The other aspect of this that we’d like to touch upon is utilizing resources. Resources like business incubators, accelerators, and community organizations can be a real benefit. Entrepreneurs can make use of all of these as long as they know where to look.
Shoshanna Raven and Success
Now that we’ve explored what being an entrepreneur means, let’s take a look at Shoshanna Raven herself. She started out as a yoga instructor. That’s where she learned a lot of life lessons—after all, finding inner peace can be an excellent business tool as well.
These days, she’s a successful businesswoman and a life coach for other female entrepreneurs. One of her biggest tenets is to live bravely, as we mentioned before. This applies especially to other women in the world of business.
She advocates for standing up for yourself and speaking about risqué topics that others may not want to broach. Additionally, she talks about breaking “shame culture”—something that is near and dear to a lot of our hearts.
It’s no wonder that she’s become popular, thanks to all of this. It truly is a story about the American Dream and success, as we hinted at in the beginning. Something else that’s quite important is, of course, brave leadership.
Living authentically is something she focuses on and advises for her clients. While she started out as a one-woman show, now she’s got a huge network of clients and employees. It’s definitely something that many of us aspire to!
The podcast she runs also sheds light on all of this, if you’re someone who enjoys listening to those sorts of things. Overall, while entrepreneurship can feel intimidating to take on, the sky is really the limit!
There are plenty of successful businessmen and businesswomen out there who are breaking barriers. Thankfully, there’s room for plenty more, too! Don’t be afraid to get started on this sort of journey—there are a ton of networking opportunities available!