How Bad Do You Really Want to Start Your Own Small Business?

"I have a dream..." MLK

Start with this little jam: Startup Music and just realize that you and I both know that entrepreneurship is a dream for many and a journey for all who dare. Those who think otherwise, have yet to experience the true grips of launching a new business.

Now that Chariots of Fire is ringing in your ears....

Those words in quotes above still do this day echo true with every small business enthusiast who dares to take on the challenge of launching a business. I have mentored over 800 "dreamers" since July and I can tell you this, everyone may want to be in business for themselves, but most truly won't do what is necessary to make it happen. If you just read that last sentence, imagine a guy like me on stage and I just dropped the microphone and walked off. That is how I would summarize most individuals I have mentored who shared an idea, were given the tools and resources, but let fear grip and control their reality. This is what I see daily and it pains me.

Maybe today will be different...

Every one of us has that dream of one day quitting the day job and pursuing our passions in life, and through some miraculous determination, make it a career that pays all our bills, allows us to travel, and keeps us going for decades to come. We visualize giving back to the millions who used our products or service, we dream about the day we start a non-profit foundation that saves those less fortunate, or think about the opportunity that looms before us when we get to speak in front of thousands, and share our story. Oh what a dream it is...and for most, it will always just remain a dream.

So let's change the way the game is played. Do all of you remember the scene in Moneyball, where Brad Pitt plays the role of Billy Bean, a GM of the Oakland Athletics baseball team who suggested to his scouts that instead of approaching the off season with the same methodology of building a team, they look at the approach differently? Using methods that are traditional can produce the tools available to build a team in a way that no one has ever built a team before. In case you are interested, here is a little snippet: Moneyball

In starting a business, the focus has to be intensified. I want you to narrow down the distractions if possible, challenge yourself to seek knowledge to find new innovations for your idea or your struggling small business, and apply a small fraction of that innovation to your idea or small business. I assure you, it is going to be hard work, but very rewarding. Think about it, you are doing something that no one is doing, all because you are choosing to think differently, and to go against the grain of traditional business. So in saying that….

Have any of you watched this before:  Opportunity knocks

I post this as a watch because we are all unknowns right now. Not one of you is participating or following this as a successful entrepreneur according to Bloomberg or Inc. Magazine at this point in time. (If you are, I want to talk). We are all unknowns who have talent, and I want you to keep rolling. Never give up and keep the mindset on finishing what you started or desire to start and shock your community or even the world if you dare to dream.

So...moving forward, you have this idea, want to launch, but need help. You have this new idea to start a small business and you lack the resources, tools, and funding to get it going? Does this fit you?

What I love: The responses from everyone. Work is being done. No matter if people are being truthful or not, you all want that acknowledgment that you are moving towards something special. The reality of what I have experienced as a mentor, consultant, or program director of an entrepreneurship directive, is that people are working, and working hard indeed.

With saying that, what is your true hearts desire for the upcoming year? What would you do to launch a business that was all your own? What kind of innovation and new thought process are you aiming to develop and bring to the forefront? What if I shared with you that more resources, tools, and opportunities are becoming available for you to be more successful now than ever before?

What are you talking about? More resources? Tools?

You know what is frustrating. We all love accountability, desire accountability, but don't execute accountability when asked upon. For some of you reading this message, it resonates, myself included. For others, you are reading this and thinking to yourself "wow, a fresh air approach to my everyday reality." Well, now is the time. Who wants to launch something significant? Something meaningful? Who wants to start their own business NOW? Yes. Right now?

Well, now is your chance...

You should now have a great idea of where your social media posts need to belong. Regardless if its FB, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest, etc., you need to start gaining traffic. So, this homework is easy.  I will list some critical social media sites I use to grow myself personally, and they are Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Your mission is to connect with 100 people on each site every day this week. You got this. It’s easy. Just start connecting. If you feel like challenging that idea on other social media sites, go for it, but I want you to connect with 100 combined. (Personally, my goal is 100 per site). 

Now that you are cooking on your social media acquisitions, make sure again to consider using online resources to spruce up your image and also a banner for each site you use. I use different banners on all sites I am active on. Consider that for yourself. It’s all about branding. It’s all about looking and appearing in different situations. So get to it.

Take a break and listen to this:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCJrc6E0m-E

Now after hearing about discipline and consistency, here is your next homework assignment.

HOMEWORK: Create a buyer persona

The hypothetical buyer persona is a key tool to help create a compelling story that will capture the attention of real buyers with a similar mindset. Effective personas are developed by interviewing real customers to understand what makes them tick.

Using the “5 Rings of Buying Insight” found right here:  https://www.buyerpersona.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Example-buyer-persona.pdf

I want you to theorize what your buyers believe are their priority initiatives, success factors, perceived barriers, the buyer’s journey and decision criteria. Your response should be no more than one page for your business plan, but really look into how you find the insight and make yourself valuable.

Take another break and remember that what you are doing is a journey:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSav51fVlKU

And then there is one….just one assignment remaining.

HOMEWORK: Robust Design & Non-Ideal Use Conditions

We are all now looking over website templates, choosing our colors, design, patterns, words, images, etc., and it is important to finish this assignment as you work through all that. Your homework assignment is in four parts: 

1.  Your product or service will not always be used under ideal conditions. Develop a list of 5 different non-ideal situations or conditions where your product or service would be used. For example: Poor internet connections, older devices, outdated browsers. For service startups: The client found you at the very last minute and it is an emergency for them, limited budget.
2. Once you have the list developed, come up with solutions for each.
3. For the 5 different conditions, identify the important variables related to each. Time? Money?
4. Design 1 different experiment type with 5 different variables for each of the 5. Example: Test your application. Older Devices: First generation iPhone, Android, Surface, iPad, Blackberry. 

This assignment should take you no longer than 45 minutes if you are caught up so far. Now if you are asking for relevancy, just remember, you need to be aware of ALL kinds of chaos that can happen when you launch your business and you need to be thinking about it. 

I found some good short reads over the weekend you might want to review:

https://onstrategyhq.com/resources/ten-common-causes-of-business-failure/

https://www.traviscorrigan.com/blog/2012/03/18/designing-lean-startup-experiments/

I thought these would be good reads to help you along in your journey of launching something incredible. For now, we will call it a night. I want you to achieve greatness, I know that this seems like a lot, but in the end, it will be rewarding, and hopefully for some, life changing.

Carry onward and upward,

Simon

Part of the Launch It Jack Ass Movement. Follow me on Twitter, FB, and of course....here.