The Three Faces of an Entrepreneur
The Leader (Entrepreneur)
This is the role most frequently associated with being an entrepreneur. A leader has a clear picture of the future and inspires others to share it. Vision and passion drive the creation of a new business.
The Manager
This role is essential to take the dream and make it into a world class business. There are two distinct types: business and people.
A great people manager is a catalyst to get the maximum results from people in alignment with business goals. Great people management is a talent that is not always learnable.
A business manager handles the building of the business (systems, processes, […]
Entrepreneurs, Creation and Enlightenment
A couple of quotes from "E-Myth Mastery" by Michael Gerber that I found interesting:
"Entrepreneurship is, first of all, the power to create.
But creation is not something you do.
Creation is something that is done through you."
and
"Your job is not to become an entrepreneur. It is not to create.
Your job is to commit to the process of becoming an entrepreneur and then to practice what entrepreneurs do so that entrepreneurship can find you when you've practiced enough to be ready.
Commitment and practice."
What is not stated here is how long? That is because the […]
Great, Good Enough and Poor
It is important to distinguish.
You only have 24 hours in your day, 7 days in a week, 52 weeks in a year and who knows how many years.
Your company only has so many people and the same constraints on time.
Great
Great effort or great results? I think the world rewards you mostly for results over the long-term. Sure you can put in a lot of hours on something, but if the results aren't great?
Because being great at something usually requires a lot of effort over a long period of time, you must choose wisely; you can't be great at everything.
Focus […]
Are You Building an Entrepreneurial Business?
Are you an entrepreneur or are you a builder of an entrepreneurial business?
An entrepreneur is someone who has an idea for product or service and turns it into a viable business; making money in the process… repeat.
A builder of an entrepreneurial business is someone who builds a business full of people who have ideas and they turn them into viable products and services; making money in the process.
The first depends on one person. The second leverages the potential of many.
Both can work and can generate enough to retire on, plus some.
One has the potential to become much more.
Which one are you? […]
Look After The Customer
I've had it in mind to write on this subject for a while. It is so easy to find examples where companies don't look after their customers as much as they should, but harder to find examples where they do.
Unfortunately, my experiences lately have been more negative than positive; and I find that surprising when everyone is saying they are different and understand their customers; and even more bizarre in a down economy.
The idea is that if you find a great product or service that people want and focus on great customer service, the market will reward you.
If that is […]
Knowing When to Quiet the Lizard Brain
Another great post by Seth Godin about how fear sabotages success; often subconsciously. The thing is, without it you would live life recklessly and probably have already doomed yourself.
So the trick is to ignore the irrational part that keeps you from succeeding and pay attention to the part that helps you survive. How do you do this?
Walk through the possible outcomes of things that are causing your fear to their logical conclusion. Usually, the worst outcome is not nearly as bad as you imagined in your subconscious. In that case ignore the fear. And if it is real, then you can […]
Who Is Right?
Read ten different business books and get 10 different stories on the secret to business.
Talk to 10 different entrepreneurs or business owners and you will get another 10 answers.
The reality?
There are many paths to business success.
Most companies will make lots of mistakes along the way. Some will have some luck and some will have some hard luck. Some will ride a trend and some will pick one that doesn't pan out. Some will survive and some will thrive. Some will bloom quickly and fade just as quickly and some will struggle and bloom later.
Just like judging people, it is easy […]
Lessons from the Coyote and Hare
This morning I saw a hare (big rabbit) duck under our fence with a coyote hot on his heels. The hare stopped and went motionless. The coyote could not fit through and stood 20 feet away, staring at the hare, trying to figure out how he could salvage his breakfast.
Who is trying harder?
The predator or the prey? The obvious answer is the prey. However, if the predator doesn’t eat on a regular basis they will eventually become too weak to catch food.
If your business is struggling, it may feel like you are the prey and the market is out to […]
How Software Development Really Works
This post is based on a presentation we sent to a client when they wanted early screen shots of the working application and said we seemed to be a serious bunch. We are serious about our work (building great software) but do have some fun doing it.
Initial Specifications – Build Something that Works
Make it better than a horse and buggy but not too fancy.
During the budgeting phase the requirements are a little down-played.
Project Startup – Application Framework
The developers scramble to put together the framework and plumbing that […]
Development and Business Optimization
The other day a developer asked me what we really know about business optimization; after all, developers build software not run businesses.
I would suggest that the right kinds of developers are exactly the right people to help with business optimization. I say help because no one person should be responsible for business optimization; it should be something done by everyone in your business and any external advisers as a team. No one person has all the answers and every business is different.
So if you are great developer what talents and skills can you bring to the table? Great developers:
- Regularly work […]