Business Advice for Entrepreneurs: From 10+ Years of Experience

Want my top business advice for entrepreneurs?

If I knew what I know now about making money online, I could have made my first million dollars in just two months. After more than a decade in business, I’ve learned lessons that every entrepreneur should know before launching or scaling.

In this post, I’m sharing the most powerful business advice for entrepreneurs that helped me build multiple six- and seven-figure income streams, so you can skip the trial and error and start growing faster in 2025.

It took me five years (and countless mistakes) to make my first million in profit. My goal now is to help you shorten that timeline by learning from what actually works.

My Top Business Advice for Entrepreneurs

1. Business Advice for Entrepreneurs: Focus on Increasing Your Average Order Value

One of the most practical pieces of business advice for entrepreneurs is to raise your average order value (AOV).

If you want to hit your first $100K fast, you need to either sell a high-ticket product or find ways to increase multi-item orders. In my Etsy shop, I started small with $50 floral letters. But when I introduced $600 flower walls and custom team apparel orders, my daily revenue jumped from hundreds to thousands.

Whether you sell handmade goods or digital products, your AOV directly impacts how quickly you can scale.

2. Build a Strong Product Mix

Another powerful business advice for entrepreneurs is to think of your products like players on a winning team. Every product has a different strength and purpose—some drive profits while others attract new customers.

When I focused only on floral letters, I capped my growth. Once I expanded into name signs, cake toppers, and supplies—all serving the same audience—my sales exploded.

Your goal is to create a product mix where each offer complements the others and raises your average order value.

3. Create a Financial Sales Plan Early

One of the best business advice for entrepreneurs is simple—track your numbers.

Every month, forecast your expected sales, cost of goods, labor, shipping, and platform fees. You can’t grow what you don’t measure.

A solid financial sales plan helps you identify what’s working, what’s draining cash, and what can scale.

4. Plan Your Hiring in Advance

This business advice for entrepreneurs can save you years of stress: plan your hiring before you’re desperate for help.

When someone quits unexpectedly, the pressure to fill the role fast leads to bad hires. Instead, forecast your next two to five hires at least a year in advance. Build a pipeline of talent so you’re always ready when growth demands it.

Hire to solve current bottlenecks, not to chase new opportunities.

5. Avoid Desperate Hiring Mistakes

Desperate hiring is one of the most common mistakes entrepreneurs make. When you’re overwhelmed, it’s easy to lower your standards.

To avoid this, use a two-step process:

Negotiate a longer notice period with the outgoing employee (3–4 weeks is ideal).

Require a short Loom video from applicants to see how they communicate.

This business advice for entrepreneurs ensures you hire quality people who match your company’s values.

6. Business Advice for Entrepreneurs: Master Your Pricing Strategy

Pricing isn’t just about covering costs—it’s about understanding your value.

A core business advice for entrepreneurs is to set your pricing based on the results you deliver, not what others charge.

At Zappos, we built product plans around key price points like $20, $30, and $50. You can apply the same principle. Know your target margin, then reverse-engineer your product cost to hit it.

And if you can’t compete on price, compete on speed. People will always pay for convenience and great service.

7. Use Reviews to Build Trust

One of the most underrated business advice for entrepreneurs is to make your reviews work for you.

Customers buy based on trust—and reviews build that faster than any ad ever could.

High-quality testimonials, especially with photos, can skyrocket your conversion rates. Showcase them everywhere: your product listings, website, and social media.

8. Make Sourcing a Superpower

Great sourcing is one of the most overlooked business advice for entrepreneurs.

It’s not just about finding cheap materials—it’s about finding reliable partners and high-value suppliers that give you an edge.

If you can source well, you can scale fast, control quality, and maintain consistency that others can’t.

9. Manage Labor Costs Wisely

As your team grows, so does your labor expense. The best business advice for entrepreneurs here is to track your profit growth alongside your labor costs.

If profit isn’t increasing at the same rate as revenue, something needs to change.

Every hire should either directly generate income or save you measurable time and stress.

10. Start With Organic Growth

Paid ads amplify what already works—but organic growth builds a solid foundation.

This business advice for entrepreneurs is all about sustainability. Use organic strategies like SEO, Pinterest, and email marketing to test your offers before spending money on ads.

Once you have consistent organic traction, ads can help you scale faster without unnecessary risk.

11. Business Advice for Entrepreneurs: Handle Haters and Stay Focused

As you grow, not everyone will support you. One of the hardest business advice for entrepreneurs is learning not to take it personally.

When people criticize or doubt your success, remember—it’s often a reflection of their own fears.

Stay focused on serving your customers and building your business. The best revenge is results.

Final Thoughts on Business Advice for Entrepreneurs

After more than 10 years in business, I’ve learned that success comes from strategy, consistency, and a willingness to adapt. These lessons—about pricing, hiring, sourcing, and growth—aren’t just theory. They’re what actually work.

Take this business advice for entrepreneurs, apply it, and watch your business transform.

A Free Gift for You

I know how frustrating it can feel to do all the “right things” and still not see traction. That’s why I created a free 16-step daily checklist you can use to start building momentum in your Etsy shop—no ads required.

These are the same steps I recommend to every seller I coach, from brand-new shops to those making over half a million a month.

 Download the Free Etsy Growth Checklist

If you have any questions about SEO or your listings, reach out to me and my team at team@dylanjaras.com

or connect with us on Instagram (@dylanjaras) and YouTube (Dylan Jaras).

We’d love to help you grow your Etsy shop and start seeing the traffic your products deserve.

Ready to Grow Your Etsy Shop in 2025?

I’ve helped thousands of students generate over $10 million in Etsy revenue, and I want to help you too

Download my 16-Step Etsy Checklist with profit-focused action steps you can use daily to drive more traffic, sales and momentum fast!”

 Start with my Etsy Kickstart Course – the exact system you can use to scale your shop to six figures.

 Or explore EtSEO, my Etsy SEO software built to help your listings rank higher, faster.

2025 can be the year your shop finally breaks through. These strategies are just the beginning—are you ready to use them?