Telling your Story

You can tell us your story in any way you like, but please use the following as a format if you wish. If you would like us to create the story for you, then just send the facts and figures to us - and photos if you have them. We will always let you see and agree to the final version before publishing. Whichever way you want to tell your story, send us your information by clicking here to submit your article, case study or review.

1) Please start all your stories by providing this information: 

Name: 
Years at BVGS: 
Company/Business Name: 
Company Website: 
Industry Sector: 

2) Then, if you wish, use some of the questions below to help write your story. You don’t have to use all of them, and you can use your own if you prefer, but writing your story in this interview style can make it easier.

We would love to hear about what you have done, or are planning to do, and will review your story before publishing and contact you if we need to make any major changes. 

• Where did your business idea came from?
• At what age did the urge to start a business first hit?
• How long was it before you earned a profit?
• What stresses and pressures are involved in doing what you did?
• If your business has already grown large, how many people are employed? What countries?
• What ignited the spark in you to start a new business venture or to make significant changes in an existing business? How did the idea for your business come about?
• How do you find people to bring into your organisation that truly care about the organisation the way you do?
• How important have good employees been to your success?
• What three pieces of advice would you give to students who want to become entrepreneurs?
• If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
• What would you say are the top three skills needed to be a successful entrepreneur?
• What have been some of your failures, and what have you learned from them?
• How long do you stick with an idea before giving up?
• How many hours do you work a day on average?
• Describe/outline your typical day?
• How has being an entrepreneur affected your family life?
• What motivates you?
• How do you generate new ideas?
• How far are you willing to go to succeed?
• What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
• What are your ideals?
• How do you define success?
• What is the best way to achieve long-term success?
• Is your company profitable or what is your profit for last year?
• Where did your organisation's funding/capital come from and how did you go about getting it? How did you obtain investors for your venture?
• How do you build a successful customer base?
• How did you decide on the location for your business?
• Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?
• If you could talk to one person from history, who would it be and why?
• Who has been your greatest inspiration?
• What book has inspired you the most? (OR What is your favorite book?)
• What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?
• To what do you most attribute your success? What would say are the five key elements for starting and running a successful business?
• What has been your most satisfying moment in business?
• What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
• How do you go about marketing your business? What has been your most successful form of marketing?
• What kind of culture exists in your organisation? How did you establish this tone and why did you institute this particular type of culture?
• In one word, characterise your life as an entrepreneur.