Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Jason Feifer, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine, located in Brooklyn, NY, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I'm the editor-in-chief of Entrepreneur magazine. My customers are entrepreneurs — and I define that very broadly! I think of an entrepreneur as someone who makes things happen for themselves. Some are traditional business owners, but others might be intrapreneurs, side hustlers, or just anyone who adopts an entrepreneurship mindset.

Tell us about yourself

I've had a long career in media and have been an editor at Men's Health, Fast Company, and other national publications. But being at Entrepreneur has completely changed me. After spending years talking with entrepreneurs and absorbing their approach to the world, I started to think like an entrepreneur too. Now I also have my own media company, advise startups, wrote a book (Build For Tomorrow), host podcasts, do a lot of keynote speaking, and more.

What motivates me? It's simple: I realized that my greatest skill set is absorbing people's insights and then being able to share them with others in compelling and memorable ways. I can help people grow their careers and overcome their fears because I can package the greatest wisdom from the most successful and adaptable people. That's a great thrill, and I love now serving as a resource for ambitious people.

Do you have daily rituals for work / wellness / fitness / mindfulness?

I never book anything before 11 am — or noon if I can help it. I consider that to be my most productive, creative time. My brain works fastest in the morning, so I devote that time to writing and anything else that requires my full focus. Then, my afternoon becomes full of meetings, as my brain gets clogged with new information and demands. This is the right schedule for me, but it won't be the right schedule for everyone. My advice is this: Figure out what works for you and then build your day in a way that optimizes your brain.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I get a lot of emails from people who say, "You changed the way I think." There is no greater compliment.

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

Change. It's constant. The things that worked today will not work tomorrow. That's why the most adaptable entrepreneurs build the expectation of change directly into their operations. They make decisions today that anticipate tomorrow. They will take short-term pain because it leads to long-term gain. It is impressive to watch people make difficult and sometimes painful decisions because they know it'll be better in the long run. That's the kind of courage you need to stay in business.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Just start. As Reid Hoffman says, if you aren't embarrassed by your first product launch, then you launched too late. The most important thing you can do is put something out into the world, get feedback, and refine it.
  2. Become obsessed with people's needs. YOUR ideas aren't nearly as important as THEIR problems. Once you think of yourself as a problem solver, you'll have clarity of purpose.
  3. Think of failure as data. You cannot get it right all the time. Things will fall apart. But instead of taking it personally, just think of it as new information that you can build upon. The greatest companies of today came out of yesterday's total collapse.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.jasonfeifer.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heyfeifer
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyfeifer/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/heyfeifer
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonfeifer/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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