{"id":4185,"date":"2018-12-20T08:15:00","date_gmt":"2018-12-20T13:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.method.me\/blog\/?p=4185"},"modified":"2026-01-05T09:11:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T14:11:09","slug":"how-to-succeed-as-an-entrepreneur-bram-warshafsky-at-quickbooks-connect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.method.me\/blog\/how-to-succeed-as-an-entrepreneur-bram-warshafsky-at-quickbooks-connect\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Succeed as an Entrepreneur: Bram Warshafsky at QuickBooks Connect"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are a million different strategies for succeeding as an entrepreneur. In fact, only one thing holds universally true \u2014 there’s no set roadmap for building something unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That being said, it never hurts to take some advice from someone who has been there, done that. At QuickBooks<\/a> Connect, 5Crowd<\/a> founder Bram Warshafsky<\/a> shared his top five tips for building a successful business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Fail forward<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Failing happens. It doesn’t have to define who you are or what your business is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warshafsky shared a story of taking on a project for a client in the early stages of his business. Although he completed the project, he wound up losing a lot of money on it. It’s a disheartening experience that many entrepreneurs can relate to \u2014 when you put your time and effort into something that turns out to be unsustainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the project itself turned out so well that the client asked Warshafsky to take on additional work. Warshafsky turned the offer down, but the experience didn’t end his business. Instead, working with this “founding customer” taught him which types of projects he shouldn’t pursue. This led him toward better ways of marketing his business and skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s natural to want to be perfect when you try something new. But in entrepreneurship, “good enough” beats perfect \u2014 because “good enough” keeps you moving forward. Said Warshafsky: “If you ever find yourself whiteboarding something to death in your office, just get out and take action.” When it comes to making concrete progress, trial and error is more productive than strategic thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, the best thing you can do while getting your business off the ground is to embrace those small failures. Warshafsky recalled how he made a thousand small pivots in the early stages of his business. Those pivots didn’t stop him in his tracks; they helped him find the right direction. And in the end, that’s the best way to learn the ins and outs of your industry and identify where you fit in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Listen to the market<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In order to build a successful business, you need to fulfill your customers’ needs. But in order to get to that stage, you need to understand what those needs are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warshafsky described how when he first started out, he tried a lot of different pitches to explain what his company did. But eventually, he realized that his potential clients didn’t care what he did. They cared about what he could do for them<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, Warshafsky stopped announcing what he did and started asking his clients what their problems were. From there, he could simply showcase how he would solve those problems. \u201cThe people who close the most deals do the most listening,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By listening to what your customer needs before jumping in with a sales pitch, you can identify what type of selling will resonate with them. There are three different levels of selling:<\/p>\n\n\n\n