Entrepreneur's Lifecycle with Jane Allen

Entrepreneur’s Lifecycle with Jane Allen.

The stages of the entrepreneur’s lifecycle and journey with Jane Allen. Jane also shares her personal story, from attorney to business owner and now the CEO of the Nashville Entrepreneur Center.

Jane Allen is an entrepreneur and founder of Counsel on Call (today known as Legility), and Hanner Clarke – a women’s handbag manufacturer and retailer – and is the CEO of Nashville Entrepreneur Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting entrepreneurs with the resources needed to increase their probability for success at any stage.

Since taking over her role at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center (The EC) in October 2019, Allen’s experience in taking a business from the idea phase to a fully scaled, successful company has proven key in helping strengthen the EC’s role as a significant support system for the vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in Nashville.

Jane first moved to Nashville in 1994, where she was an attorney at a firm until 2000 when she left that firm to start her own business, Counsel on Call, an on-demand legal services company, which she grew into a nationally acclaimed business, known today as Legility.

Jane lives in the Nashville, Tennessee area.

Entrepreneur’s Lifecycle with Jane Allen – topics and questions covered in this episode include:

Why did you decide to launch your first business, Counsel on Call?
What led you to joining your sister to build Hanner Clarke, a women’s handbag manufacturer and retailer?
What tips and advice can you share on how to work well with family in a business?
Why are you a business owner? What does it provide you?
Why did you join the Nashville Entrepreneur Center?

Please introduce The Entrepreneur’s Lifecycle (The 4 phases of the entrepreneur’s journey.)
- Phase 1: Innovate (Develop, investigate and plan the launch of a business concept. Aggregate the necessary resources for launch.)
  - What are your thoughts on the Lean Canvas or MVP approach to getting launched and proving the concept?
  - What are some common mistakes you observe in this phase?
  - What do entrepreneurs sometimes misunderstand about funding?
- Phase 2: Rapid Growth (Create, launch and grow a business quickly to achieve growth goals and create a sustainable business.)
  - What if your growth is limited by resources?
  - How do you decide if it’s time to pivot or completely abandon the business model?
- Phase 3: Stabilize or Exit (Stabilize business for longer term sustainability and predictable profit generation. Continue to run the business indefinitely or sell it.)
  - How do you determine when you are stable?
  - How do you determine if it’s time to sell?
- Phase 4: Circle Back (Seed, cultivate and lead the next generation of entrepreneurs. Contribute to the ecosystem.)
  - What are some examples of how successful entrepreneurs can contribute?

Episode Host: Henry Lopez is a serial entrepreneur, small business coach, and the host of this episode of The How of Business podcast show – dedicated to helping you start, run and grow your small business.