Sometimes it's just hard to do something...

I have been posting a blog every Sunday and Wednesday for a while now and have been true to my schedule. Some blogs have been well received, while others not so much. But I have always published. Today, it has been hard to come up with something to write about.

Today... every idea I have come up with keeps crashing in the proverbial "ball of flame". I just can't get it together, and in fact have been wrestling with it for over a day now. 

The big question I have been asking myself is, "do I just not post today, or do I at least publish something?". If you have gotten this far, I guess you have the answer. As I write this, it strikes me that there is a message in all of this. When it is hard, do you just put it off, or do you put the best foot forward you can? Is it better to do something, or nothing at all?

If it was another day, I suspect I would have something to say about this, but because it is today, the best I can come up with on this day is ... 

Do something!!

As a consolation for reading this far, I have attached the link on a great talk by Dr Brene Brown on vulnerability. Click here. It is very inspirational.

Tomorrow is another day,

gpe

Speak up... nothing gets solved unless you do.

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here.

I was at a conference today and had the opportunity to listen to a speaker named Talli Osborne. Without getting into her story, I think it is safe to say she was inspirational, motivational and will look back on a very rich life when she is eighty-five.  Click here to go to her website. She told many stories, but I was struck with the story when she consciously decided to speak up.

She spoke of a point in her life where she decided to tell people what she thought when asked... instead of shying away; ultimately she got into the habit of telling people what she thought, even when they didn't ask. She started to influence and change things. I remember hearing the same sentiments from a General Manager I knew long ago, who simply said, "if you are not participating in the conversations to manage the business, what value do you offer". He was a little bit more "harsh" than Talli.

The point of speaking up, speaking your mind, and adding to the conversation is extremely important. Not only for yourself, but for whatever issue, problem, idea or plan you are involved with.

Here's what I have learned so far on this topic - 

• At any given time, you will be the smartest person in the room... so share.
• If you are shy, please get over it. It serves no one, including your self.
• If a leader asks, "are there any questions?"... they mean it, so ask.
• More often than not, if it falls apart it's because the person who had the answer didn't speak up.
• Engagement is the easiest way to tell everyone you care.
• Do not assume people "know what you know"...
• If you want to engage a leader, tell them what you think. They may disagree, but they will respect you. And listen the next time.
• When you ask a question, you can bet 75 % of the room wanted to ask.
• Although it can be said a committee created the camel*, more often than not, you end up with a better solution when there are more "voices" involved. 
• If you don't say it in open forum, you should not be saying it behind closed doors.
• Speaking to "power" can be intimidating, but it can make things happen.
• No one knows what you are thinking unless you "say".

Is this easy? It should be, but sometimes it's not. You still have to speak up though... There is no one stopping you...

gpe

* It is said that the camel was a horse designed by committee.

A growing awareness of being an entrepreneur...

I will say up front, that I struggle with the word entrepreneur for a number of reasons, one of which, I constantly spell it wrong. With this said, I find myself "playing on the entrepreneurial side of the business fence"; I am building a business to support small and medium sized business leaders with their "commercial problems". I thought I would start with this particular idea, as I can leverage my experience; as they say, "go with your strength". You could say the plan is to become an entrepreneur to support entrepreneurs.

One of the biggest struggles I am having with the word entrepreneur is the definition. Is it a person, a state of mind, or representative of the life stage in a business? 

• Is an entrepreneur a person who is interested in making money, but simply has the inability to work for someone other than themselves?
• Is it simply the state of mind of wanting to creatively build something from an idea or concept, opposed to administrating a business process or business function?
• Is being an entrepreneur an aspect of the size of the business? When it is tiny you are an entrepreneur, as it gets bigger you manage to an entrepreneurial spirit, and finally when it is large you are "corporate".

As with all things, it's probably a combination of the above and a few other things that haven't come to mind. There is definitely one thing that has become apparent... the word "entrepreneur" is a badge of honor for those building a business from an idea or passion. There is also no doubt, no mater how you define an entrepreneur, they by necessity are salesmen. Being an entrepreneur is a sales activity, as you are selling your idea to anyone who will listen; building awareness, looking for support (either in money or in time), and building a viable revenue stream. 

As I continue to wade into this pool we call entrepreneurship, a number of business fundamentals have come to the forefront... some of which if I am honest with myself, took for granted when I was surround by a corporate structure - 

• You have to build your business infrastructure yourself, and the expertise to get it done may not be close at hand. The trap I have already seen is that "having a brilliant idea" and "being able to build a business" are two independent skill sets; having one does not mean you have the other. More often then not skills to build a business will probably have to be brought in and those early decisions will reverberate for years. The people who you want to partner with initially, are crucial.
• For those organizations that are five, ten or more years in business, (with a proven model and customer base), a "forecastable" revenue stream comes across as "straight foreword". When you are much earlier in the business developing process though, the cold reality is that revenue is hard to realize. There is a large amount of work between that first product idea and having someone ultimately pay you money for it.
• The timeframe between your idea and "exiting" as a millionaire is counted in years, not months. Yes, there will always be exceptions, but it is better to settle in for the long haul. The big dream is very important, and will carry you far, but as they say, "Rome wasn't built in a day".
• Most likely you will have to involve investors or bankers so ensure you spend their money wisely - You will need to borrow more of it down the road. To this point, it is being said money is readily available; although this may be true, you will still have to sell your idea and it's value. An investor will always be looking for a return.
• I am learning quite a lot... with so much more to learn.

Can I call myself an entrepreneur at this point? Sure, why not. Can I call myself a proven, success entrepreneur? Nope... but give it time and I do have an idea after all. Wish me luck.

gpe