Posts

A general thinker’s tips for entrepreneurs

/in , /by

Giuffre, Remo. ‘A General Thinker’s Trips For Entrepreneurs’. Acuity 2.3 (2015): 40. Print.

THERE ARE GOOD, bad and ugly things about being an entrepreneur. It’s a sporadically very rewarding but often very hard life.

Financial security is rarely a feature. Superannuation? What’s that?

If, as an entrepreneur, you could choose another life, maybe you would. But generally the fact of the matter is you have no choice. It’s in the blood.

If that’s you, then here are my top eight tips for entrepreneurs.

  • Passion

Consider three factors. There’s what you love to do. There’s what you’re objectively good at. And finally, there’s what will enable you to earn enough money to live.

If you’re not already in the place of equilibrium where those three factors intersect, then you should be heading there with all due haste. But, start with passion. Love what you do. Life is too short to spend time doing work that doesn’t bring joy to yourself and others.

  • Vision

Clarity of vision is critical. If you don’t know what it’s all about, your employees and customers have no hope.

It’s always better when people understand why they are doing what they are doing, and ideally why those reasons are worthwhile. Being able to give people context and a shared sense of purpose is an important part of being an effective leader.

  • Travel hopefully

Be optimistic. Hope is paramount.

To quote Robert Louis Stevenson: “To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour.” A feeling of optimism about the future delivers a high quality of life in the present. The outcomes of your endeavours are actually irrelevant to the quality of the life you live in the present.

  • Instinct and cool

Some things are really quite wonderful, but you can’t always know why.

Listen to your inner voices. Hone and trust your own instincts. Quiet confidence is cool.

  • Creativity

Find your own path. Create your own world and value. Celebrate your differences.

Also, be mindful of the value of systems for the creative process.

Having a system in place enhances your capacity to be creative.

It’s like knowing that the bars of the jungle gym are solid and sturdy. When that’s the case you will feel able to swing more confidently and higher.

  • Networks

The golden thread connecting my . projects over many years has been the design, development and nurturing of passionate and engaged customer or member networks. A networked structure really is a better mousetrap for any customer-facing business.

Not B2C. B=C. THEM=US. The community is the brand.

That way, your customer network becomes both your development and marketing engines for the new business.

  • Do good work

Good work is its own reward. The best marketing is a delighted customer.

So, focus on developing the best possible product or experience that you possibly can. Give it 100%.

  • Persistence

The critical ingredient for all entrepreneurs is persistence. Seek and ye shall eventually find. You win some. You lose some.

Rejection is actually the norm. The important thing is to keep trying. Don’t be defeated by rejection. Vision + Hope + Persistence = Success.