Maddy Osman

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Holding fast and spreading the word about what your company truly believes in may galvanize new partnerships and potential customers.  To establish a winning brand that has true purpose, make your company's mission personal not only to yourself but your entire team. So stand firm on the core values of your business and surround yourself with the right stakeholders who are willing to champion your brand and help execute its goals. If you're authentically passionate about providing products and services that can solve your clients' problems, your credibility as a reliable establishment in the field will continue to grow.  Below are 15 Fast Company Executive Board members to share their ideas and increase your influence in the marketplace. 

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Here's some extra motivational wisdom to keep you moving forward as well. Running a business is not for the faint of heart. It requires the confidence to make better decisions and self-awareness to remain humble enough to attract employee loyalty and trust.  In addition to having critical thinking skills, you also have to be willing to consider other people's ideas and be ready to pivot, carefully, as the market—as you once knew it—begins to evolve. We asked 16 members from Fast Company Executive Board what inspires them to keep striving and stay in business. Here's what they had to say.

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Carving out the time for self-improvement on the job can pay off big time. Whether you are a newcomer to the industry or a longtime go-to expert in your field, there is always something interesting to discover, so embark on being a consummate learner.  No matter what the subject, you're bound to find plenty of resources, you just have to know where to look. As you elevate your skill set, put it into practice so you can also begin to teach other colleagues. By doing so, you'll not only absorb a technique, you'll be a master.  Below, 13 Fast Company Executive Board members provide their best practices for approaching continued education opportunities—on the job, online, or on-site.

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Apply these practical solutions to finding loyal patrons who are willing to support your company—financially—for the long term. How can business marketers easily convert emoji-likes into "real" buyers of their products and services? In the business world, the bottom line is that having a million followers on your social media pages doesn't necessarily add up to an immediate bump in quarterly sales.  You have to work for it, hard, if you want your establishment to become a true financial success, beyond comments or social gratification. To win consumer confidence and build their trust and loyalty, try putting yourself out there by sharing your brand's authentic voice. Then create educational content about your company's "why" for potential and existing customers. Avoiding the mistake of being too salesy is another fine way to strengthen B-2-C relationships over time. Below, 11 Fast Company Executive Board members provide other leaders with their tried and true methods for engaging with "friends" across digital platforms, encouraging them to go one step further through the sales funnel—putting their money where they spend most of their (social) time.

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Keeping a close eye on your cash flow is essential to running a successful company. When you are founding your first business, there are so many lessons to absorb—particularly when it comes to hiring the right staff members to ease the workload, so you can focus on your strengths. In addition to attracting a talented and trustworthy team, who can help move the company forward, staying on top of the organization's finances is a priority if you want to maintain and grow a thriving business.  To offer a few more suggestions to keep the business afloat, a panel of 14 Fast Company Executive Board members are here to shed some light on the top financial advice they've received throughout their journey. The following best practices have positively impacted their entrepreneurial careers. 

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Your ability to weather a huge storm, in the marketplace, may also increase the growth potential of your business success down the line. Whether you're a CEO corporate executive addressing a corporate PR nightmare or a small business owner strapped for cash, trying to figure out how you're going to make payroll next month, a business crisis is bound to happen at some point so you have to be ready to face the challenge.  In the long run, taking accountability and keeping a cool head is one of the best ways leaders can avoid knee-jerk reactions and learn to troubleshoot the storm more effectively. Below, 16 expert panelists from Fast Company Executive Board will explain what overcoming industry obstacles have taught them in general and how doing so can help other company leaders improve their business patterns overall.

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Sometimes, the simplest daily habits can have the most significant impact on your overall productivity and mindset. Happy and healthy employees can help enhance a team's overall productivity. The more productive and collaborative your team is, the more successful your business will be. As a leader, part of your role is to model good habits to increase productivity, whether it's by making time for self-care routines or by creating the perfect organizational system that works for your team. Below, 15 Fast Company Executive Board members shared the unique habits they believe can help both the personal and professional productivity of leaders and their teams.

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While email marketing can provide a great ROI, it has to be done the right way to make an impact. By 2025, the number of daily global emails sent is expected to surpass 376 billion. That's why a good email marketing campaign has to stand out from the noise and truly entice its recipient to open and click through. At the same time, it can't be too pushy or sales-oriented -- you don't want to scare off your customers. Mistakes are common in email marketing, especially for companies new to this marketing channel. Below, 15 Fast Company Executive Board members give examples of some of the biggest email marketing mistakes they've seen and how you can avoid them.