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Jun12
"The greatest three words of advice for any entrepreneur!"

Small business is never easy, so here's a great bit of simple advice!Small business is never easy.  I don't care what tales and stories you hear of entrepreneurs coming up with the perfect idea at the perfect time.

Most such tales are just that.  Millionaires aren't typically created overnight and they don't automatically and magically appear when an Internet company goes public.

So to suggest that a great piece of entrepreneurial advice and wisdom can be boiled down into three tiny words is really heresy in many ways.

I don't mean to trivialize the great labor it is to think of, design, and create a small solo business.

This is simply a fun little exercise to see how short and simple I can make a great business principle become.

If I had to give you my best shot at the shortest, most succinct, most "to the point" bit of condensed wisdom I could come up with I would steal a slogan from another business.

I would steal the famous Nike phrase "Just do it!"

When you think about those words and what they mean to an entrepreneur creating and starting a business, you come up with all kinds of thoughts about what it takes to become successful.  Here are some of the business principles and tips that the phrase brings to my mind:

- Get started right now

- Gather courage and strength

- Don't let others talk you out of giving your idea a shot

- Stop procrastinating and get down to doing what it takes right now

- Take the risk and attempt something that may seem nearly impossible

- Study things all you want; but there comes a time when you have to implement

- Execution of a business plan is more important than the plan itself

- Persistence over the long haul overcomes a grundle of mistakes and bad choices

- When you fail or "bomb" in a product offering or strategy, learn and quickly move on

- If you own a solo business, you are the business . . . there's no one else to blame

- "If it is to be, it is up to me"

- Sometimes the most important key to business is momentum - doing something

- Forget excuses and all the reasons for failing and move forward

- Challenges and obstacles are a part of business life; accept them, meet them head on, and figure out a way to get beyond them

- Experiment and try new things in product development, business execution, marketing, and customer relations

I'm sure you can think of other principles that come to mind from the phrase "just do it!"  Why not add a comment to this post and let's see how many more great ideas we can come up with.

Steve Browne, Lone Wolf Tracks author Post#330

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4 Comments/Trackbacks




Steve,

I once read a bumper sticker that said, "I'll procrastinate tomorrow!"

I think you've pretty much covered it, other than that ;)

Thanks for commenting Maria.

Disciplin, self-mastery, forcing yourself to move forward when you're tired, scared, or unsure are lessons that we all need to learn in order to succeed in business. I struggle to push myself at times; but when you're the one and only employee, it's the only option you have.

Steve

Good article, I may add one more thought. The number one reason for entrepreneur failure is the failure to plan. Jumping into a river when you have no idea how fast the current is isn't real smart, even if it's with a life vest.

Same with starting off on a new business venture. If you can't put it down on paper and make the important critical evaluations you won't succeed no matter how hard you work. Research has indicated that as much as 80% of the failures in new business startups could have been avoided with this one unyielding principal.

When you shoot from the hip your chance of hitting a target is slim, none, and never. Pay particular attention to cost analysis, market analysis (knowing who your customers are and will they buy), and your competitive analysis. Look long and hard at your strengths and weaknesses and make them work for you. There is nothing easy about starting a business, but it becomes a lot more bearable with a little forethought and planning.

Business plans are guide post to bench mark your direction and performance against so be honest with your assessments. They also are or should be very fluid and changeable if markets or competition changes. Smart business is good business.

Tim, thank you for your insight.

You know, there is a certain school of thought that feels business plans are a waste of time. They are "pie in the sky" optimism and projections based on anything but real world performance.

Magically, most business plans show profitability in Year 3 - funny thing!

I am a planner by profession so your advice rings true for me . . . but many don't feel the same.

I'm reminded of a quote from the movie "Paint Your Wagon." Lee Marvin says:

"There's two kinds of people in this world - them that knows where they're goin', and them that ain't goin' nowhere."

Steve

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