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The support and experience of others may just be the solution you need. Success is often not a straight line; it’s full of ups, downs and plenty of surprises. In entrepreneurship, the path to success comes with obstacles you’ll need to overcome if you want to continue on. Many entrepreneurs share similar obstacles, and some may be more unique to specific situations or people. However, when all is said and done, it’s the way an entrepreneur solves each problem that can serve as a guide for others to solve their own. Below, 11 members of Rolling Stone Culture Council each share one major struggle they've faced as an entrepreneur, the steps they took to overcome it and how other entrepreneurs might learn from their journey. 

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Even the smallest advice can grow to have a big impact. In the business world, it’s not uncommon for aspiring entrepreneurs (and seasoned ones) to have someone they look up to or whom they hope to be like one day. While this person can often be a fellow entrepreneur or business leader, they can also be an everyday person — someone in their family, a friend or an inspiring acquaintance. Regardless of their role, their wisdom can have a profound effect on their ability to lead and have the confidence to do so. Below, 10 business leaders from Rolling Stone Culture Council share the lessons they’ve learned from powerful female leaders in their life or their industry, the impact those lessons had on them and why these lessons remain so important to them today.

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Building a business can be a slow process — but it doesn’t always have to be. One of the most difficult parts of starting a new business is getting sales. When you first start out, you’re still trying to find customers to purchase your product or service, so sales can often take a while to really ramp up — even if you’ve found a few repeat customers. But such a slow start can be frustrating, especially when you’re not yet making a profit or breaking even.  While growing a business is often a test in patience, there are ways you can speed up the process and increase your sales at a quicker pace. According to the business and culture leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council, implementing any of the following eight tips can give your business the major boost it needs to attract more customers, quickly increase sales and really get your budding business off the ground.

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Prioritizing your website is prioritizing the happiness of your customers. A website is, more or less, the “face” of any business. It’s where your customers can learn more about your brand and products, where they can peruse your offerings and, if you’re an online-only brand, it’s the only opportunity they have to make a purchase. Because of this, business leaders who don’t put a high priority on both the beauty and functionality of their websites are at a distinct disadvantage among their competition, and potential customers may not stick around long with a poor user experience. To ensure your business website meets and exceeds customer expectations, you’ll need to consider the following nine factors, as suggested by the business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council. Here, they go in depth on the reasoning behind these considerations and why prioritizing them will have a positive impact on your visitors.

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You can tackle more than you think — as long as you plan properly. After finding success in one business, entrepreneurs will often dip their toes in one or more other businesses, either as the founder, a board member or in another leadership capacity. While this can be very rewarding to do, it can also be the cause of a lot of stress if not managed properly. Overlapping schedules, a bursting to-do list and not nearly enough time for everything that needs to get done can quickly turn a rewarding endeavor into an overwhelming one. So how do serial entrepreneurs do it? According to the business leaders of Rolling Stone Culture Council, the secret lies in the following 12 tips. Here, they expand on each one, offering up their best advice for any aspiring entrepreneur on how to juggle multiple businesses and responsibilities at the same time.

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Start with developing confidence in your business and what you have to offer. To be “the best in the business,” a business leader must first get intentional about owning their niche. This means finding ways to stand out from the competition, nailing down a distinct point of view and committing to learning and growing as a leader and as a business. While ignoring these steps, and others, may not mean a business will fail, it is likely that, as a result, the business will never rise to the top. Here, 13 members of Rolling Stone Culture Council elaborate further on the key steps business leaders will need to take if they really want to own their niche and why these particular strategies will ensure business success for a long time to come.

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Lessons from the past two years stand out for leaders looking to carve out their own piece of a market.