Lisa Song Sutton

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Challenge yourself to learn every part of the business.

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Building a powerful network can help your business in more ways than one. Networking is not a new concept in the business world, and certainly not to the business professionals who are doing it. But for business owners, forging new connections with other businesses in the same space can often feel like trying to make friends with the competition, and knowing how or when to reach out might not come naturally. But building that network of support is key to long-term business success, and can be especially important during the first few years of growth. So to help demystify the networking process, the members of Rolling Stone Culture Council provided their best tips on how to do it right and how to ensure you’re building strong relationships for the long term.

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For these business leaders, hindsight is 20/20. Starting a business can be an intimidating undertaking, especially when it’s your first one. You’re often feeling imposter syndrome in full force, and no matter how much planning and research you do ahead of time, rarely does any aspect of business go how you’d expect.  Because of this fact, for many entrepreneurs, hindsight is 20/20. Now with established careers and businesses, they can better reflect on what may have gone wrong or what they could have done better when they first started out. Below, a panel of 14 Rolling Stone Culture Council members share the lessons they wish they had known when starting their businesses and how that knowledge may have helped them grow along the way.

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To find the right match, you’ll need to look beyond their technical skills. When it comes to finding the right business partner, not just anyone will do. However, they also may not be the type of person you think you need at first. While many entrepreneurs will assume they need to find someone with superior technical skills like marketing or sales to help drive their business forward, it may be the nontechnical skills that make all the difference. Below, a panel of Rolling Stone Culture Council leaders share 15 nontechnical skills you may not realize you should be looking for in a business partner, and why having these qualities at your side could make for the perfect match.

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The best way for business leaders to be of value is to get out there and get engaged in the community.

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Coming up with an idea can be challenging, but following the right steps can get you there faster. For many people, the hardest part of starting a business is coming up with a concept. No matter how many ideas you might have on the back burner, choosing the right one to execute can feel intimidating. This is especially true in the culture space, where the stakes are high and audiences are always looking for "the next big thing." Below, 15 Rolling Stone Culture Council members shared some important tips to help you come up with a business idea you think will have a big cultural impact. Read on to get their recommendations and learn how to implement them for yourself.