Smiling man pointing
Technical

What is Copywriting?

by user

Defining Copywriting

If you had to talk to customers individually to persuade them
The power to use the written word to persuade someone to take action
Closing in print. The ability to persuade, influence and engage.

Imagine if writing didn't exist. Imagine that, as a brand owner or manager, you had to speak individually to every prospect, customer, partner and passer-by. That means you'd have to tell them your brand name, your sales pitch, and so on. But not only that, you'd also have to fight for attention (even more than you do now). That would mean a lot of effort, time and saliva.

But of course, writing exists. It was invented a long time ago, in 3200 BC. Since then, we could say that copywriting was born. Especially if you consider the following definition of copywriting: The ability to use the written word to persuade someone to take an action.

But wouldn't you say that's the case with all writing?

Copywriting went through many stages before becoming what it is today. Starting with the cuneiforms engraved on stone, which looked something like this:

Up to our alphabet displayed on this:

A more commercial perception of copywriting might be more suited to your understanding: the ability to persuade, influence and close sales through writing.

For your visualisation, imagine if the man in the vignette on this blog was a text.

Why is copywriting important?

Sales and Brand Image

Copywriting is important for sales, of course. Because the writing you put out on your communication channels will become your voice. But beyond this sales-oriented objective, there's another that must not be overlooked, and that's copywriting. is the branding aspect. Copywriting serves your branding because it is your constant and eternal spokesperson for your company.

Like any spokesperson you hire, he or she has to match who your company is and what it's trying to achieve: the way he or she presents himself or herself, the way he or she dresses, but above all, the way he or she speaks. In copywriting, if words are the "what" of the subject, tone is the "how".

When you decided to create a brand, you had an idea of certain keywords you wanted to associate with it. These keywords are then conveyed through all your communication channels as part of your marketing plan. Copywriting is not outside the scope of marketing. And the way in which the content is written must convey these keywords.

This is done in a number of ways, such as word choice, phrasing, choice of pronouns and the type of content itself.

Different Voice Tones

Perhaps you're not sure how a tone of voice is defined or how your brand is represented through it. One obvious way to find out is to check how your customers talk. After all, they're the ones who will read your content and act on it. But they'll feel closer to an organisation that understands them AND has their best interests at heart with an offer to solve a problem they have.

Here is a spectrum of the different tones your company can adopt:

  • Concise / Discursive
  • Detached / Warm
  • Professional / Casual
  • Serious / Fun
  • Formal / Informal

You could look at that spectrum of tones and say something like "I don't really need a tone because I sell to other companies". I get it.

A tone is a polarising thing to some extent and not something you want when working with other organisations. However, I would argue that it is a good thing.

If your content is corporate and bland without any personality, it will only be a few seconds before your reader clicks the back button. Your brand can be many things, but it can't be boring. To think that this doesn't apply to B2B communication is simply not true because we are all humans communicating with each other.

I would even add that we are 21st century humans with a high intolerance for anything boring. So leaving no impression on your audience is the worst thing that can happen to you. Conversely, if someone hates your tone, that's great - it means they'll probably like it.

This is where the commercial definition of copywriting is limited. In a way, it excludes the more psychological approach that exists between the copywriting of your brand and your target.

Here is a more modern definition of the discipline: The written words of your business concept and marketing strategy.

How to do Copywriting?

We want words to boost sales, create good branding and move your target to action.

Brilliant!

But first we have to listen.

We'll want to know about you, your organisation, what you do and the essence of what makes your customers tick. It may seem pointless, but if we can understand who you are, it will be easy to create cutting-edge content and make your target care about what you have to offer.

Sales haven't really changed, but the way we make sales has, here's how:

🚫 Past are the days where a buyer would come on a website for the first time and make a purchase.
🚫 Gone are the days when product-centric speeches closed the deal.
🚫 Gone are the days when aggressive selling and intrusiveness made people buy.

Our customers have matured, they know all the sales tricks.

It gets worse. They may feel they are being led and may push you away. This can prove fatal. Because today, they have access to countless other offers at their fingertips thanks to the power of the internet. If your target's behaviour changes, you have to change with them.

Successful sales today are made by self-persuasion rather than direct persuasion.

Sales copy doesn't make for memorable content. It's either unappealing or boring, and that means that over time your business loses or fails to gain trust and authority.

Here's what good copywriting does:

1 - It makes money.

Just because sales have changed doesn't mean it's become anything different. At the end of the day, good copywriting converts, always. Professional services have a 10% conversion rate, while e-commerce sites have a 3% conversion rate. Copywriting on a landing page can add 2% to these figures. In other words, it can increase sales by 50%.

  • Conversion rate of 1%: you need a copywriter.
  • Up to 3%: not bad.
  • From 3 to 5%: you have skills.
  • From 5% upwards: you have hired a professional.

2 - He is honest and clear

Not telling the truth to sell is a bad idea. Respectable companies know this. However, many companies are guilty of using ambiguous language. All businesses have their shortcomings. It can be tempting to hide them with deliberately ambiguous and obscure language, or with tortuous and misleading wording. This does not work.

Clear, understandable content is more pleasant to read because it flows naturally for the reader. If your text is easy to read, then your audience will get the impression that your offer is easy to buy.

3- It's interesting

As mentioned above, with the changing behaviour of consumers around the world, companies need to change the way they communicate. Today, the road to sales is paved with good content.

Good content can take many forms, but let me tell you that if you think it's about your brand and your product, you're probably wrong. You need to think about your customers:

✅ What do they want when they search for things on their browser?
✅ What information related to your industry would they like to acquire?

Use your website as a direct sales tool, but don't give the impression that's what it's for. Because the internet is first and foremost a means of obtaining information and your company should jump at the chance to give it to them. By doing so, you will become a reference in your target's mind. They'll remember you and come back for more... and probably buy from you when the time comes.

In turn this will increase sales, boost your traffic, give you backlinks and give you better ranking on search engines which will in turn drive even more traffic to your website and increase sales. 🔃

So how do you make good content?

Key Ingredients :

  • Good Writing : Grammar and all.
  • Combined Design and Marketing : The writing can be great but if it looks ugly on the page and no one can find it then it might as well not exist at all. Make sure your pages look good.
  • Highlighting Value The message will have a more lasting impact if it is based on the value provided by the product or service.
  • Getting specific Back up what is said with statistics. Numbers speak louder than words.
  • Making it personal People (usually) read alone, it makes it more natural to write in that matter.
  • Appropriate tone of voice We speak the language of our audience to be understood.

By following these principles, you can create compelling and effective copywriting that stimulates engagement, builds your brand and increases sales.

Don't hesitate to contact us for a free audit of your business - we're here to transform your communications and maximise your impact!

Artist

Flamingosis music

by user

FLAMINGOSIS, a hymn to eternal summer

Listen to this and let yourself be carried away by the reading

Art can have negative connotations and can exacerbate your dark thoughts. But this is not the case with the artist featured here, who is the opposite of pessimistic.

Close your eyes and breathe in the gentle Miami air. Let the sun warm your skin. You lie on a sun lounger while a model with bulging muscles blows air at you with a gigantic palm leaf. Somewhere, far away from your vast garden with its perfectly cut lawn and large bushes carved in the shape of African animals, the waves lap gently against your yacht. You take another bite of...sandwich and dive headfirst into the pool of imported Italian mineral water. The water is good. Good, indeed. You surface to catch your breath. Juan Carlos is standing by the pool, waiting for you with a fruit cocktail. You climb the ladder and give him a gentle squeeze on his bottom. He smiles and winks at you, the rascal. You take a sip. The nectar sends shivers down your spine. Sex, diamonds, exotic cats and unpronounceable car names. The warm limestone tickles your feet. You stroll through the house before sprawling out on your Herman Miller sofa, your gaze lingering on the naked figure of the Picasso in your living room. She returns your gaze with envy! You're about to take a little nap when suddenly your boss taps you on the shoulder and asks how you're getting on with the quarterly report. You wake up in your cubicle in front of an Excel spreadsheet...

Tribute to @moosalini the poet

When you listen to Flamingosis you feel a wave of positivity and optimism. As if the future will be better and the summer sun will never stop shining. The world of Flamingosis is like a parallel universe where the cultural codes of the 60s and 70s have survived to the present day.

This unique artist uses remixing and sampling to create a bridge across time, bringing older songs up to date and bringing out their groove. And it works, as the tracks on his albums follow one another, with different styles ranging from disco to hip-hop and jazz, but always in a graceful ensemble that is the artist's signature.

The man behind the name Flamingosis, an American called Aaron Velasquez calls himself "a sensitive man with a groovy plan". The musician began his career in 2014 and has released a new album every summer since.

The name 'Flamingosis', which sounds a lot like the English name for Pink Flamingo, is actually the name of a Frisbee move invented by his father, a former champion of the sport. A tribute to his father, to whom he owes many of his musical influences.

Whether you're already a connoisseur of this kind of music or you need a gateway to get started in the instrumental music style, don't hesitate to visit Flamingosis on Bandcamp or on his Youtube channel. His level of creativity is off the charts, and quite frankly, a benchmark for those who love good music.

So, did you enjoy the trip?

Man holding a microphone
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Community manager solutions

by user

Community Manager, the Social Marketing

Community management

This profession appeared in 2005. It originally resulted from the tedious, and often voluntary, work of forum moderators. Reinvented and integrated by companies, the essential objective of the Community Manager (or CM) is now to bring the brand closer to its consumers. To do this, he creates digital content and interacts with different communities. Generally speaking, he is in direct contact with his audience.

The audience consists of potential prospects, consumers and brand ambassadors. Thus, the CM (acronym for Community Manager) has an ideal position which allows him to better know and understand his customers, and therefore, the market in which his company operates.

What are the missions of a Community manager?

In order to popularize his responsibilities, here is what the missions of a newly hired CM, representing, for example, a clothing brand, would look like:

  • Identify communities: At first, they will identify the communities that talk about the brand. If the brand is still new on the market and nobody is talking about it yet, they will create this community. You will be surprised to see that there is a plethora of opinions and discussions on all subjects. We are probably already talking about you!
  • Join and animate communities: Once identified, he joins these communities and leads them. At this point, you have to redouble your creativity and empathy, because you have to go from being a new member to a reliable point of contact and absolute reference in this community.
  • Develop the community: They will develop and evolve this community, improving the brand’s influence by increasing the number of subscribers. More people will know the brand, its image, and its values.
  • Engage the Community: They will share exclusive information and support members, increasing interaction rates, engagement on networks, and transforming virtual subscribers into active ambassadors in the real world.

The pattern is simple: The more content you publish, the more love for your brand will grow, and the more ambassadors you will have to speak and praise your products.

The importance of data

Thanks to immersion in your audience, the CM has access to raw, natural, and authentic data. They can translate and format this data for colleagues who don’t have access to it. This source of information brings consumer feedback, response elements on product improvement, and clues for concrete solutions in decision-making meetings. It also helps stay tuned to weak signals to avoid bad buzz.

Choosing the right networks to interact with is crucial, according to your targeted customer (Persona Buyer). A common mistake is wanting to be present on all networks at the same time, which often results in a lot of effort for few results.

How to define your editorial line?

When you have chosen your networks, you need to define your editorial line:

  • Buyer Persona: Choose the tone, mode, style of writing, and general approach of your communications according to your persona buyer. It’s about adapting to your target to make reading easy and enjoyable.
  • Types of interactions: Define the types of interactions you will create with your community. Practice will likely lead you to modify some elements of the first step.
  • Emotion: From these exchanges and interactions will emerge an emotion. This emotion will stay in the mind of your audience when they think of your brand. This is the key element of the editorial line.

By choosing the emotion you want your brand to generate, you can deduce the style of communication you want to adopt. The emotion is often linked to your branding. These choices of communication style, interactions, and emotions are called the editorial line. This is your “communication guide” on social media.

You will need to adapt it to each of your persona buyers and the style of the social network where they are to optimize your communications.

What is the profile of a community manager?

Basic Requirements

The general qualities required for community managers are:

  • Curiosity: Follow the behavior evolutions on social media and appropriate them because it is essential to become an actor there.
  • Common sense: Remember you are the voice of the company, despite the “cool” side of social media. Adapt to the client’s behavior and humor, not the inverse.
  • Knowledge of the editorial line: Know and master the company's editorial line and its positioning on the market.

Depending on your company, whether you are selling a product or offering services, you will need a specific type of Community Manager profile. Define your global communication strategy, determine the criteria to be monitored (views, engagement, conversion rate, etc.), and make them evolve according to your monthly objectives.

Recognized profile types

We can identify 7 different CM profiles with their specific qualities:

  • The content creator: Focuses on content creation. They position themselves on questions that web-surfers ask, demonstrate the expertise of your company through various media, and require skills like copywriting, creativity, and adaptability.
  • The statistician: Takes a logical, mathematical approach, analyzing results to refine and improve content, and needs skills in data analysis and teaching.
  • After-sales service: Represents your services and brand on networks, responding quickly to comments, questions, and messages, and requires communication skills, patience, and empathy.
  • The newsjacker: Keeps up with the latest news and trends, sharing high-potential information relevant to your community, requiring a good sense of information and judgment.
  • The community animator: Engages in platforms of exchange, requests for advice, and support, creating content on recurring issues, and needs technical knowledge and pedagogical skills.
  • The web marketer: Optimizes page layout and navigation to increase conversion rates, requiring knowledge of user behavior and marketing processes.
  • The social media manager: Oversees the CM team, drives the global media plan, coordinates campaigns, and ensures homogeneity in communications, requiring strong decision-making, communication, and negotiation skills.

Need a Community Manager? Drop us a line.

+33 6 12 03 71 16
 contact@whatzhat.com

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by email or phone!

Packaging prototype design
Technical

Packaging 2.0

by user

Packaging: your communication trump card!

As you will no doubt have noticed, with the growth of ecological issues, the trend today is towards bulk packaging. Although these new concerns and consumer habits should not be overlooked, traditional packaging remains essential in many cases, whether for technical or commercial reasons.  

The role and functions of packaging

For some people, packaging only exists to look pretty. However, most of the time its primary function is a technical one: whether to contain a liquid, protect a fragile product, help preserve a foodstuff, enable or facilitate its use by the consumer (as is the case with the famous Flanby tab, or the Pom'Potes propeller caps that make it easier for children to open their water bottles)...

The pack also has commercial and marketing functions. Although secondary, these are the ones that require the most strategic thinking, because packaging is your primary communication tool (the one you can't do without because of its technical functions, and which is therefore in a sense "free") and it allows you to convey a considerable amount of information. In my opinion, this is the most important role from the brand's point of view, especially in supermarkets where your customers don't get buying advice and where competition is fierce. In this case, a well-constructed pack can make all the difference!

Your packaging will enable you to convey different messages such as :

✔️ Identify your brand name, image and positioning. 
✔️ Communicate your strategy.
✔️ Information your consumer on the product itself, its composition and its use.
✔️ AttractThis can be achieved by making your product stand out from the competition and/or by creating a specific appeal and emotion for the consumer. Packaging with sufficient impact will be a real vector for your brand image and will help to improve your reputation.

Source : aesop.com

Source : aesop.com

For example, the Aésop pack, although extremely sober, conveys the brand's key messages:

✔️ The brand name: the first visible piece of information that stands out from the rest
✔️ The transparency strategy is clearly displayed by putting the list of ingredients on the front of the product, whereas this information is usually on the back.
✔️ The use of black and white conveys both the simplicity of the brand and its slightly premium positioning.

How can you ensure you develop striking packaging?

As a brand, you will mainly have to manage the key stages of thinking about and designing the graphic chain during the development of the pack, but you will also have to manage the document control stages during the printing phase. It's a bit tedious, but you shouldn't neglect it, because you're the one who knows your pack best, so you'll be in the best position to spot any potential mistakes. And above all, if there's a problem with the final result, you'll be the one who suffers!

Draw up an exhaustive brief to guide the graphic design process

This involves thinking about the strategy that your pack should convey and centralising everything in a set of specifications to guide your graphic designer in its design. In our experience, we often try to move as quickly as possible on the graphics, but without having validated (at least in part) the format of your pack, there's not much point in starting to think about it in depth. The layout and quantity of information will depend very much on the medium: its shape, the surface area available, etc. I therefore recommend that you start by looking at the broad outlines of the format before tackling the design brief in detail.

Define the functional brief to determine which format and materials to opt for

Here is the list of questions I systematically ask myself to refine my brief:

  • What should my pack contain?
  • What technical functions should my pack fulfil?
  • What are my technical constraints in terms of storage, transport, the production line, shelving, etc.?
  • What is the maximum unit cost I want to invest?
  • What material(s) do I want to use (depending on cost and brand positioning)? For example, in the spirits sector, you may have several options: just the bottle for an entry-level product, the bottle in a cardboard case for a mid-range product, or the bottle in a canister (more solid) for a premium positioning.
  • How many colours (including Pantone colours) can/should I use? If you can, use a Pantone colour for your logo to ensure consistency between your different printed materials.

You should also consider the ecological aspect at this stage. Today, there are a number of aspects you can play with to optimise the durability of your packaging, such as the ink or material used (use less material, a material that is easy to recycle or develop a pack that can be reused).

Here is the list of questions I systematically ask myself to refine my brief:

This is certainly the most important aspect of your thinking. You can opt for a standard pack format and material and rely entirely on the graphics to make you stand out from the crowd. This is often the case for entry-level or mid-range products.

The creative brief will then be interpreted by your graphic designer, which is why it is important to be exhaustive about the content you want to see on your pack and to guide the creative aspect sufficiently to be consistent with your brand image.

Start by listing the written content:
  • Exhaustive list of compulsory and recommended information (regulatory information, information relating to quality, etc.) + specify the position they must occupy if this is required by law. Remember to define these items clearly first, as they will limit the space available for optional items.
  • Name of your brand and product, and logo
  • Advice on using and preparing the product...
  • Marketing information to tell your story and create a link with the consumer, and any other information you wish to pass on, such as promotional offers, the rest of your range, etc.
Give your graphic designer something to work with:
  • Complete graphic charter to be attached to the brief
  • Explanation of the context to enable the graphic designer to understand what is at stake: your target and positioning, the reason for the project (new product, facelift, etc.).
  • Benchmark competitor packaging to understand the competitive landscape and how to stand out from the crowd.
  • If you already have existing products, attach visuals of the packs so that from the outset you can create the harmony and homogeneity that are essential to the brand image, but also provide enough differentiation to clearly understand the construction of your offer.
  • If your market and positioning dictate it: the codes to respect. For example, on products such as infant formula, there is a real need to reassure the buyer. So it's essential to respect market codes.
  • On the other hand, if you are making a limited edition, if your product is not very engaging or if your brand already has a good reputation, you can allow yourself to deviate from the usual codes, for example Heineken's limited editions for the Euro football tournament, where the brand name is minimised in favour of the participating countries.

Source : Danstapub.com

Ensure consistency between brief and graphic expression

Throughout the graphic design process, keep your brief in mind: all the elements mentioned in it must appear on the pack. You should also take the time to make a mock-up so that you can see how it will look in 3D at actual size, so that you can judge whether the various elements are visible and legible when facing (you can only see this sort of thing at actual size) and so that you can test the design in a real-life situation by positioning it:

  • With the rest of your products to ensure both consistency, so that the consumer makes the link between the different products in your brand, and differentiation, so that they understand that these are different products or even ranges.
  • Talk to competing packs to make sure your pack stands out.

Only once all these points have been validated (and you are happy with the design) can you send the file to the printer.

What should you check once your file is in the printer's hands?

Control #1 : Once your file has been adapted by the printer (essential if it is to run on technical machines), remember to check :

#2 control : The proof! This is when you validate the colours in your pack by means of a document called a colour output, cromalin or colour proof. For a very strategic project or if you're working with a new printer, I recommend that you go on site for this stage. It will be easier for you to ask for any necessary adjustments. Don't hesitate to take advantage of the proof to check the text and images again, because a validated proof serves as a control base for your printer for the rest of the production.

Control #3 : A final check on receipt of the first production runs, to ensure that everything conforms to the proof, especially if it's a reprint.

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BAD BUZZ COMPANY

by user

3 WAYS OUT OF THE BAD BUZZ!

BAD BUZZ. The terror of all community managers in the digital age... What are the main principles to bear in mind during this type of emergency? How do other companies do it? This article is here to help. What is a bad buzz?

It's a word-of-mouth phenomenon that can have a serious impact on your brand image, especially on social networks.

Ok your plane is crashing, you have 3 exit doors.

EXIT A: BE RESPONSIBLE

Never be in denial and restore the truth, react!

If a rumour spreads about your brand, there must be some truth in it and some that has been invented by malicious people. Don't remain silent - that would mean you agree with everything that is said about you in the public eye. Take your time, but always give a clear answer that is as close to the truth as possible.

Also, don't delete the content in question, as this will probably have the opposite effect. The aim is not to make bad comments disappear but rather to regulate them as best you can and calm the situation down.

LOOK! Here's how Whole Food responded to the criticism with a quick apology, a good pun and improved packaging. It was a blow to the brand when a Twitter user posted a photo of their peeled oranges arranged in plastic containers... The scene of the crime here.

EXIT B: BE HUMAN

You need to find an answer that everyone can relate to, so that they feel listened to even when they're wrong. These days, with the personalized marketing Customers want to feel that they can have an impact on your company. It's a one-to-one relationship.

LOOK! This is how Next Media Animation, an animation studio based in Taiwan that creates satirical videos, responded to their former employee Marina Shifrin, who had made a video of herself to announce her resignation. The video shows her dancing while listing all her criticisms of her company.

Next Media Company used a more humane form of communication instead of taking her to court.

Here's the parody video (unfortunately Marina's original version is no longer available).

THE ANSWER FOR MARINA

EXIT C: SORRY

It's not too late to apologise. The public need to hear that you (sincerely) regret the situation and they want to know what you're going to do next to improve the situation. "A fault confessed is half forgiven

LOOK! Here's how La Redoute dealt with the naked man affair: bad choice on the part of the brand to leave a naked man in the background of a photo of a group of laughing children! But watch how effective this two-stage crisis management is: first apologising, then this funny advert (sorry doesn't mean boring).

Their Twitter account, where everyone is dressed.

YOUR LIFEJACKET :

After the crisis, it's time to take a step back and analyse why it happened. That way, you'll be an expert next time.

One of the secrets of crisis communication is to be prepared for every eventuality.

Make plans to deal with every possible situation: if something goes wrong with the quality of your product, if there's an employee strike, if your muse doesn't give a good image of your brand, etc. This is how big companies cope: for every potential event that could destabilise the company there's a crisis communication plan.

So you always need to be aware of what's going on about your brand. As Thierry Portal, an e-reputation specialist at Nitidis, puts it: "Reputational crises occur when weak signals are ignored".

Back to the blog

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Passion is the key to success

by user

Fear of becoming an entrepreneur

Work for your passion

As many people say, "PASSION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS". But why do so many entrepreneurs still worry about their business, if passion is one of the main reasons they started it?

Let's start with a few facts:
According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, the average fear of failure rate in the world's economies is 40%. If we look at the statistics, we can see that in the first few years, around 80% of new businesses fail. No wonder people with an entrepreneurial spirit are afraid to start their own business! The prospects don't look good.

As an entrepreneur, you create a business for which you believe that no one else meets the needs of your customers. You want to build something unique that changes the world. Whether it's something that actually solves global problems or offers services to help others. Entrepreneurs are defined as supportive humans who try to help people while keeping the financial motive in mind. They combine their dreams with their careers and do what they love. You could say that setting up their own business is linked to following their passion.

It sounds very attractive, but I asked myself: what does passion really mean?
According to Jemi Sudhakar, "passion" can be described as follows:

"In general, it refers to someone who has intense feelings about a subject. (...) Your passion can be anything that simultaneously challenges, intrigues and motivates you. Contrary to the idea that doing what you love makes work effortless, a passion puts you to work. It's what you're willing to sacrifice leisure and lesser pleasures in life for."

Well, it seems to me that being an entrepreneur is all about doing what you want?

Let me tell you, a passion for business can motivate an entrepreneur in his or her day-to-day tasks - but entrepreneurship isn't just about the good stuff. Entrepreneurship isn't just about being your own boss and working flexible hours. Nor is it just about working from anywhere: today in Berlin, tomorrow in New York and maybe in the local café or in your pyjamas straight from bed? All this may seem very attractive to today's workforce, and doesn't really sound like a real "job". But just between us: you, as an entrepreneur, are scared! I know that there are scary aspects to this job, such as continuous improvement, responsibility for success, competitiveness and supervision of all activities. What's more, leisure time and time for yourself can be limited.

Now is the time to face up to these fears, accept them and embrace them so that you can continue to succeed.

In addition to those already mentioned, what fears do entrepreneurs have when they own or launch their own business?

The fears of an entrepreneur

👉 Fear of not being accepted

Why do people always seek acceptance from others? Why is it so important what other people think of you and what YOU do? Shouldn't you focus on yourself? Develop and strengthen acceptance and confidence in your abilities and skills. Investing in yourself is the most important thing. The more confident you feel in your skills, the more courage you will have to develop your business. And in the end, you don't have to fear the acceptance of others because you know what you're worth.

👉 Fear of financial problems

Starting your own business automatically comes with financial fear. Without it, it would be a bad sign - it would mean you were far too confident in what you were doing. Life can change quickly, so you need to be prepared for the difficulties that may arise. Financial security should be a reason to work hard every day. To make your business successful, there will always be something you need to invest money in. A general knowledge of the financial situation is therefore essential.

👉 Fear of losing creativity

Creative ideas are what entrepreneurs need to run a successful business. So the thought of not being able to come up with unique ideas in the future is understandably frightening. Always feeling the pressure to come up with something more creative and better than last time or than your competitors. So it's important to nurture your creativity.

👉 Fear of failure

Fear of failure is probably what most entrepreneurs feel. It's the word 'failure' that is associated with something negative, as if someone hasn't succeeded. But is it really that bad to fail? What about the things you've learned after failing? Maybe failure can still be a success. Maybe not for the business you've created, but it can be seen as feedback that should be used to improve your business. Always think of the worst possible scenario you could encounter by failing - and you'll see that it's probably not as bad as you'd imagined.

One of the most famous entrepreneurs once said:

"It's fine to celebrate success, but it's more important to learn from failure."

Bill Gates

The resources you'll need

Reading this, you might think that's not what you're afraid of. Why shouldn't I be able to come up with creative ideas in the next 2, 5 or 10 years? But maybe you've just been putting off these doubts? Because you know, in the end, people will just say: I knew you couldn't do it.

I'm telling you: all entrepreneurs experience different fears throughout their careers. The most important question is: who takes risks and fights for their success? Moving forward even if you're afraid means you're always one step ahead of those who avoid fears and take the safer path. Facing your fears will allow you to move forward, take on new challenges and grow, while your competitors will remain stuck in old habits.

Despite all these possible uncertainties, being passionate about what you do can be a differentiating factor between an entrepreneur's success and failure. Not only is passion necessary for an entrepreneur. There are certain characteristics that are also crucial to success.

Essential features for a contractor :

✔️ Imagination

Being creative is the foundation of any business. Entrepreneurship is about thinking outside the box and offering advanced solutions that are better than those of your competitors.

✔️ Self-motivation

Since entrepreneurs are their own boss, there will be no one to push you. It's up to you to provide plenty of personal motivation to stay true to your overall goal.

✔️ Versatility/Flexibility

As an entrepreneur, you'll often find yourself in unfamiliar situations where you won't know what to do. Changing trends are part of your business. Your business only works if you can adapt to different tasks: social media manager, accountant or website developer?

✔️ Self-confidence

Of course, you won't always be confident in what you do. Even so, without confidence in what your business offers and in your abilities, your business cannot succeed. Be committed to your work.

✔️ Optimism

You need the right amount of optimism to achieve your goal. You need to believe in what you're doing. But don't be naive!

✔️ Visionary

Without a business vision, why are you working? A goal is essential - it's what gets you up in the morning and keeps you awake all night. Without a vision, there will be no success.

As you may have gathered from reading this article, entrepreneurship isn't for everyone - and that's normal. But for those of you who have decided to start your own business or are already running your own business, there are challenges you need to overcome in order to succeed. As we've learned, passion can be a useful trait, but it's not the only important one for entrepreneurship. At least we know that passion is what you need to bring when you start your business, in order to get the daily motivation and aim for something bigger and better.

And don't forget :

"One of the big mistakes people make is trying to force themselves to be interested in something. You don't choose your passions; your passions choose you."

Jeff Bezos: Founder, CEO and Chairman of Amazon

As an entrepreneur, don't let your weaknesses cover up your strengths. Focus on what you're good at. It's your job to sell your customer what you're good at, and in the background, get help with what you struggle with. It's your choice to decide how you want your customer to see you: as a company with its own problems or as a company that has everything under control.

At Whatz'hat, we know the challenges you face at the start of your entrepreneurial journey. We've been there, and we've helped many other businesses at the start of their journey or at a later stage when rebranding became an issue.

Working with Whatz'hat frees you from the tasks you struggle with, so you can focus on the aspects of your business you're passionate about. We'll give you confidence in what you do and create something unique WITH you for your future.

Don't hesitate to contact us for a free audit of your business - we're here to help!