Garrett Myles is the author of How To Start A Business That Actually Works. He shares some hard-earned lessons from his experience building an award-winning digital agency over the past 12 years.
Garrett Myles talks about how he went from a full-time employee to an entrepreneur by building a business from scratch. Garrett Myles shares his experience with growing his business and offers advice for anyone who wants to start their own business. You’ll learn:
1. Garrett’s background
Garrett was born in California, raised in Arizona, and now lives in Seattle, Washington. His favorite musician is John Mayer and his favorite sport is basketball. Garrett spent three years as a business analyst, and five years as an entrepreneur. He also had a passion for entrepreneurship and started several businesses of his own before he began working for the company. Garrett says, “I’m a people person, and I enjoy meeting new people, connecting with them, and helping others. I love hearing their stories, their passions, and learning about them as individuals.”
2. Garrett’s three-step formula for business growth
Garrett is a master of the formula, and he’s used it in nearly every aspect of his life. “I’m constantly asking myself, ‘What’s the next level? What else can I do?’ My career is one big journey, and my biggest learning experience comes from trying new things.” His method? Three steps. Find out what’s important to you. Choose one of those things to dedicate yourself to—no matter how hard it is. Learn everything you can about that one thing, and then add another thing to your knowledge base.
3. Garrett’s advice for getting off the ground
I’ve never read a book quite like this one. This book offers an honest, straight-to-the-point description of the realities of being a business owner. The only thing that is glossed over is the financial realities. It provides some very basic but critical guidance on the following: – What a small business owner needs to know about taxes and payroll – How to build a successful online business (including how to do all the things people don’t talk about) – How to start your own business – What it takes to scale your business – How to manage a small business – How to get money to grow your business
4. Garrett’s three top lessons for entrepreneurs
Whether you’re starting a business or running an existing one, entrepreneurs must know how to manage people. “Your employees are going to do things that may be frustrating at times, but you need to be able to manage them and help them understand why you’re doing what you’re doing,” says Garrett. In particular, he recommends that entrepreneurs focus on three key areas: building trust, creating value, and having a compelling message.
5. Garrett’s top three things he wishes he had known before he started
Be aware of how you’re being perceived. While this might seem obvious, I found myself going through a process of discovery before I finally realized how much my persona mattered. It wasn’t until I was writing a series of blog posts for a new client that I learned just how strong our first impressions could be. It’s important to understand that the first time someone interacts with your brand, they’ll form an opinion based on everything you represent. Be sure to make every impression count.
6. How to use your social media channels to grow your business
If there’s one thing that businesses can learn from Facebook, it’s that it’s really hard to make money if your primary source of traffic comes from organic search. That means that if you’re relying on your site’s rankings and organic traffic alone to bring in customers, then you’re putting your entire business in jeopardy.
7. Garrett’s advice to young entrepreneurs
He’s the founder of the marketing firm that makes the wildly popular “Garrett’s” branding identity kits, which he says he sells in about 80 percent of his company’s business. But as a small business owner himself, he knows that it’s not always easy to tell if the products you’re selling are truly profitable or worth the investment. So he advises aspiring entrepreneurs to figure out what they’re really trying to do. “Start with something that excites you,” he says, “so you have a passion to get out of bed.” Then, “figure out what people want. What do they need?”
8. Garrett’s favorite books and podcasts
One of the biggest mistakes young business owners make is trying to do it all themselves. Sure, it’s hard, but there are a lot of people out there who can help you build and grow your business—from family and friends to advisors to investors and fellow entrepreneurs. The real secret to building a successful business is not to figure out how to start it yourself; it’s to surround yourself with other people who can help you figure out where to focus your time and energy.
Conclusion
I found this to be a very interesting read. Garrett was definitely a self-starter who took charge of his own destiny and built a thriving business around his passion. He has always been an entrepreneur at heart, so he understands the need to hustle and to find ways to create value for other people. Garrett’s advice was practical, insightful, and often humorous. As someone who is still looking for his own path in entrepreneurship, I found his approach inspirational and thought-provoking. Garrett had a way of presenting himself as an authority who was both approachable and approachable at the same time. I highly recommend reading this book if you want to learn how to run your own business like Garrett did!
