Career or Job Opportunities as Small Business Entrepreneur

Spotlights

Job Description

A small business entrepreneur is someone who opens a new business without turning it into a large conglomerate or opening many chains. A single-location restaurant, a yoga studio, a retail shop would all be an example of small business entrepreneurship.

Education and Training Needed

There is no established educational path for Small Business Entrepreneurs, but in general, a bachelor’s degree in business, economics, or other finance can be helpful. An MBA is even better!
Entrepreneurs, by definition, seek to do things their own way. Many learn through trial and error, but the more you can learn about entrepreneurship basics in advance, the better your odds of success
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics points out that “Entrepreneurship plays a vital role in the growth of the U.S. economy.” However, per Investopedia, “20% of new businesses fail during the first two years of being open, 45% during the first five years, and 65% during the first 10 years. Only 25% of new businesses make it to 15 years or more”
For those who opt not to pursue a degree, individual courses in budgeting, finance, accounting, marketing and sales, project management, leadership, communication, and networking can all be very beneficial
- Many students take these classes at a community college or through sites like edX, Coursera, and LinkedIn Learning. Harvard Business School Online offers many free resources such as eBooks
Consider doing a digital marketing bootcamp, such as Harvard’s Digital Marketing Strategy or Udacity’s Digital Marketing Course
Small Business Entrepreneurs should understand their target customer avatars. They also need to know how social platforms are best utilized to communicate messages
- Popular social apps and sites include TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Twitter, WhatsApp, Telegram, Reddit, and Quora
Stats and analytical programs such as HubSpot, Sprout Social, Google Analytics, and Tapinfluence are also useful to learn
If you intend to hire employees, you’ll need to know all about federal, state, and local laws related to hiring and safely managing workers. This will include:
- getting an EIN (employer identification number)
- registering with the labor department
- buying worker’s comp insurance
- establishing payroll and tax withholdings and other tax forms such as W-4s and I-9s
- ensuring employee eligibility to work
- ensuring fair hiring practices
- displaying a multitude of required employee’s rights notices
- setting up a safe workplace
- providing workers with access to applicable company policies
- managing personnel records, and establishing benefits programs
Naturally, Entrepreneurs must learn a great deal about whatever product or service is going to be marketed! This may involve a degree in that field or a lot of self-study. Consider world-famous entrepreneur Bill Gates, who mastered computer programming in his spare time and launched Microsoft in 1975 (after dropping out of Harvard)

Things to do in High School and College

Enroll in math, accounting, finance, marketing, and business courses, along with classes to help develop your writing, public speaking, analytics, research, leadership, and teamwork skills
Other helpful courses may include English, storytelling, graphic design, mass communication, social media marketing strategy, digital advertising, writing for new media, and virtual environments
Help family and friends with financial planning and budgeting
Volunteer as a budget or resources officer with your school or other organizations. Try to tackle larger projects where you can learn about project management, teamwork, and conflict resolution
Depending on your proposed product or service, consider learning how to use a few common digital tools for accounting, financial management, Client Relationship Management, workflow automation, file sharing, and risk assessment
Consider launching a website and/or social media channels. Study SEO, Search Engine Marketing, and analytic tools
Apply for business-related intern jobs to gain work experience
Conduct a few informational interviews with successful Small Business Entrepreneurs in your area
Develop a professional network via LinkedIn. Write articles and start working on your reputation
Try to keep your personal social media posts professional because an entrepreneur’s personal life can easily spill over into their business and branding these days
Consider hiring a personal branding consultant who can help you present yourself the way you want customers to view you
Check out the resources available from the Small Business Administration, such as loans and other funding sources
- If you are a military veteran, visit the SBA’s Veteran-owned business section
Learn about Angel Investors and Venture Capitalists. You may need to bring in such stakeholders to afford launching at the scale you want
If you are considering a franchise, visit Franchise.org for a comprehensive directory of opportunities!

How to Start

Business internships are a great way to get experience before launching your own enterprise
Since Small Business Entrepreneurs are self-employed, there isn’t a job to land, per se. You’ll be your own boss, so be ready to put in the hours to develop a solid business plan
It can take months or even years to launch a successful business enterprise. It is important to be fully prepared but you don’t want to wait too long or someone else might steal your thunder
Some Entrepreneurs create an original product or service, which can take longer to research and develop. Others simply modify or offer a unique twist to an existing product and service. Still others buy into an existing franchise such as Subway or Dunkin’. Each route comes with its own timeline
Do your research, study the markets, and decide if you want to run a local, statewide, national, or international business. Keep in mind that anything beyond the state level will require additional business licenses and will carry different tax implications
Consult a small business lawyer! Most small businesses have some type of customer (even if the customers are other small businesses). As a result, you’ll need to carefully consider how your product or service could potentially cause any type of liability risk
For example, if you open a restaurant and a patron gets food poisoning, you run the risk of a lawsuit
Once you launch your enterprise, you may need a Social Media Specialist to help you with marketing and advertising. If your budget doesn’t allow for that in the early stages, you can practice your own social media skills. Pay attention to what gets viewed, shared, or commented on. Study viral social media ads, videos, and copywriting. Read tutorials on the built-in features of apps and platforms. Take online courses and get familiar with analytical tools that show user engagement stats. Check out freelancers who can help with creating and running ads

Recommended Resources

Websites

500 Hats
AllBusiness
AllThingsD
AngelList Venture
AudienceBloom
Brazen
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Business Owners Toolkit
Chic CEO
Copyblogger
Crunchbase
Design Sponge Biz Ladies
Dutiee
Entrepreneur.com
EpicLaunch
Escape from Cubicle Nation
Federal Trade Commission
Forbes
ForbesWomen
For Entrepreneurs
Forte Foundation
Franchise.org
Google Analytics
Harvard Business Review
HubSpot
Inc. Magazine
Investopedia
Mashable
Medium
Microsoft
Mixergy
Neil Patel’s KISSmetrics
Noobpreneur
OneVest
Paul Graham
ProBlogger
QuickSprout
Quora
Reddit:startups
SaaStr
SBA’s Veteran-owned business section
SCORE.org
Small Business Administration
Social Media Examiner
Sprout Social
Startup Company Lawyer.com
Startup Donut
Tapinfluence
Tara Gentile
The BOSS Network
Under30 CEO
VentureBlog

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Edited by Michelle Cho

Small Business Entrepreneur

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