The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organisation comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. Nine of its members shared some of the biggest misconceptions people have about building a company. Question: What is your favourite lie...

Question: What's one suggestion you'd give an aspiring entrepreneur in terms of prior work experience? Should they freelance? Work at a startup first? Go corporate? All of the above? Work at a Startup First "I think it is most beneficial to work at a startup first....

Question: What's your #1 tip for raising your target funding amount using crowdsourcing? Reward the Media "With a compelling offer to your backers, anticipation is built, and a great story is created. You'll attract more backers and give the media something...

We all know what it's like to soul-search, but no one does it quite so well as recent college graduates, many of whom entertain dreams of Mark Zuckerberg-sized success. We asked 13 successful young start-up founders (not so long out of college themselves) to share...

Question: What's your number one tip for dealing with problem employees gently — so the whole team doesn't suffer as a result? "When you need to deal with a problem employee, be prepared to reference the original description for that position or project, and frame the...

Question: Name one great marketplace for people who want to launch side hustles selling their products or services. (Think Etsy, oDesk, etc.) GetHired.com for Side Jobs "I recently came across GetHired.com and love some of the functionality they included, like the...

Which SEO tools have been most helpful to your business Question by: Ashley SEOMoz for Everything "SEOMoz's suite of products has essentially provided us the value of our own personal SEO consultant. We use their tools track keyword rankings, rate on-page...

Question: What's the best way to collect customer feedback on new products or services? Be the Customer "The best way to get first-hand customer feedback is to step into the shoes of the customer. Even if you're selling a product of which you're not typically a user...

Question: What's one tip you would give an entrepreneur who wants to put an accurate valuation on their early-stage company? Question by: Ashley Be Reasonable and Relative "Look around and see what other companies similar to yours are being valued at. If you're in...

Is a data specialist a worthy investment for your small business? Explain why or why not. 1. Try Out a Contract Basis For most businesses, hiring a data specialist full-time is probably too much investment in the skill set, but having a data specialist engage...