While most other high school kids were simply worried about passing math and physics or finding a job for the summer, Adam Gottlieb was also learning how to manage cash flow, market a business with a limited budget, work with temporary employees, and build real business relationships.
Beginning in high school and throughout his college years, our latest BizSugar Contributor of the Week was also busy running (that’s right running!) several businesses including a mini bike shop, a landscaping business, a painting business, and even a small cookie baking company he co-owned at one point.
“When I graduated college, I decided to avoid the hectic corporate world and instead stake it out on my own as a small business consultant,” Gottlieb recalls.
He spent years working with all kinds of businesses ranging from retail shops to restaurants to independent service providers and even a small mall, helping these companies to leverage their resources and relationships on many levels to become integral parts of their communities.
” I have always been particularly passionate about small businesses, since small companies tend to reveal the unique character and qualities of their owners,” Gottlieb explains. “It’s a feature that often gets lost in bigger businesses. Also, in a small business, those little changes can make a big difference.”
After leaving consulting on a full-time basis, Gottlieb’s next venture would again be inspired by a perceived real world need. He founded his Website, The Frugal Entrepreneur, after spending a few fruitless hours one day trying to find some business resources online, and the rest is history.
“I wanted to create a site where other frugal entrepreneurs and small business owners could find the tips, tools, and resources they need to help them run their businesses, and devote those long, frustrating hours of searching towards other, more productive endeavors,” he explains.
And since he was new to some of the ins and outs of online business, Gottlieb also needed a helping hand.
“I’m a late comer to blogging, and because of this, Bizsugar has been an invaluable tool, helping me to both amplify my content and stay on top of the latest trends affecting small business owners today,” he says.
So what’s next for this busy and frugal entrepreneur? So glad you asked! Gottlieb is working on a new Web resource, Growing Your Business, coming soon.
“One issue that I’ve seen over and over again is that many small businesses owners have a hard time handling those initial stages of growth and development, even if they were able to successfully start up a business,” Gottlieb says. “It’s a trend that is reflected in the often quoted SBA statistic that only half of small business will survive the first five years.”
His new site will be focused on resources that help small business owners create companies that not only survive but grow and thrive.
Have an exciting small business story to tell? Maybe you could be one of our BizSugar Contributors of the Week. Qualifying is easy. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to sign up for a free BizSugar account and start contributing small business stories and information today. You’ll also want to comment and vote on other members’ submissions, and please remember to “like” our Facebook fan page to become a part of our community there too.
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Hi Adam, your story is very inspiring, keep up the great work and a big Congratulation to you!!
Thanks Valentine!
Well, somebody has to take those desk jobs. But for the rest of us “staking it out on our own” is the way to go. Good for you, Adam.
Thanks David, and yeah, somebody has to do those desk jobs… I’m just glad I’m not that somebody 🙂
Adam: Congrats! I look forward to learn more about your new site, Growing Your Business. Have your read Chris Guillebeau’s book, The $100 Startup?
Thanks Martin, and I have read that book. But my problem with it is that it lacked a lot of the day to day details on how these people actually got their businesses up and running. It’s good for a little inspiration, though.
Adam: Do you have tips on books that are dealing with the day-to-day business?
Here are a few I recommend:
-“Getting Things Done” by David Allen (Time management)
-“The Art of the Start” by Guy Kawasaki (Biz start-up)
-“The Personal MBA” by Josh Kaufman (Practical business management knowledge)
-“Networking Like a Pro: Turning Contacts into Connections” by Ivan Misner, David Alexander, Brian Hillard
Congratulations, Adam! We appreciate your involvement here at BizSugar. I, too, appreciate being frugal. It takes longer to build a business bootstrapping on a shoestring budget, but you can sleep at night without worrying about all the high loan payments you have to make. I was pleased to see you had been chosen Contributor of the Week.
– Anita
Thanks, Anita, and I agree about not having to worry about paying off debt with a boostrapped business. You also are not beholden to any investors. Sometimes that outside money can create more problems then it’s worth.
Congrats Adam! 🙂
Congrats Adam and good luck with your new site. I’m sure you’ll have lots of success!
Very inspired! Love Frugal Entrepreneur it is an excellent resource. Looking forward to checking out your new site as well 🙂
@BizRock, @Amanda, @Ashley Neal
Thanks for your kind words!
And thank you BizSugar for choosing me as Contributor of The Week.
Adam,
Thank you for participating with Contributor of the Week and for your contributions here at BizSugar.com for quite some time now. Your posts have always provided helpful information to our community and it was a real pleasure getting to know you a bit better through the interview process.
Congratulations, Adam! I love how engrossed in small business you were and still are. I can relate to your passion. I’ve read a few of your blog posts and they’ve been really helpful to me in growing my online blog and business. I really appreciate your contribution to our community and I wish you much continued success!
Ti
Thanks Heather and Ti 🙂
Hi Adam! I’m a little late posting here, but late is better than never I suppose! Anyway… love the Frugal Entrepreneur site you created. I’ve been there quite a few times and have always gotten something out of it. You will have a real nice following over the long haul by focusing on that theme!