Business Start Up Tips From Some Hearty Entrepreneurs

When's the last time someone asked you: "What's new?" If you're starting or growing a business, an e-business, or a web site, the answer is: "Everything!" ? especially on the inside.

Face it, launching a new enterprise ? or taking it to the next level ? can sometimes feel scary and overwhelming. Where do you begin? How do you begin? And do you have what it takes?

Granted. We've heard about the classic stages of starting a successful business - like Plan, Launch, and Grow. We've heard about the latest web promotion buzzwords - like Stickiness, Link Popularity, and RSS Feeds. Yes, these are important, but let's start at the heart of the matter. My objective is to help you begin your business by focusing on the inner shifts that accompany committing ourselves to any new business venture - the "hearty" changes that we're unable to see directly, but that happen just the same.

I write these words from my 20 years of experience helping entrepreneurs start all types of businesses - both traditional and online - and having discussions with them about their entrepreneurial lives, about their inner achievements. What has it been like for them? What have they learned? What has worked for them, and what hasn't?

The essence is this: Though the outward steps of launching a business may vary from person to person, if you're willing to look closer, you'll see that the process you go through on the inside will trigger all the deep changes in your life that are truly your own, that you've been waiting and wanting to happen all along.

The nature and truth of these inner changes - and their effects - cannot adequately be put into words. My clients tell me that these changes don't move in logical ways. They are subtle, sometimes masked, even from our self. We see the outward advances ? the sign going up, the website being launched, and the first client being won - however the deep, subterranean realizations that occur when we launch a new enterprise (that sometimes seem to emerge "out of the blue"), end up affecting the success of our business far more than any genius business plan or enlightened promotional strategy ever will. So, it's up to us ? to be prepared for as much transformation as we will allow, personally and professionally.

Here are a few "hearty" Start Up Tips I've learned and experienced firsthand from my clients. I hope they will help you as you shift and as you shape your new business:

"Be as you are"

I used to think that appearing confident and fearless regardless of what I was feeling inside was what it took to succeed in business. "Be strong and in control. Never let them see you cry or sweat" is what we are told. Or, at least that's the way I heard it. I believe what that advice amounted to was this: "Be two people. Appear as a competent person in business at any cost" (even though you know all too well that you are sometimes unsure of yourself and make mistakes). I bought into this lie, hook, line, and sinker (or maybe that should read stinker?).

The truth: a straight-forward approach ? warts and all - works better every time. Be as you are. It takes the pressure off and keeps your ego in the right place, while at the same time it makes it crystal clear to others whether you can meet their need from the very start. No hype. Nothing hidden. A few laughs. They can make a decision faster and feel confident in doing business with you because what they see is what they get. They can trust what's real.

And likewise, the clarity and inner confidence that come from being as you are will guide the right actions for your business as well. They will be your light. They will set you going in the right direction and will provide the ready fuel to keep you going - and growing. The spirit of your business will sustain you.

"Humility precedes confidence"

Right up there with transparent living is humility. For most of my life, my take on "humility" was that it meant being "weak" or "less than" in the eyes of others - descriptions that seemed the very opposite of how an "entrepreneur" was supposed to act. But, the more I experience, the more I see that taking a humble, realistic approach as we start any business is essential. Humility is not a demure personality trait; it's part of living our humanity.

I've been blessed to work with many humble people. You know, it's ironic that taking a humble approach to business will, more than anything else I've observed, have a positive, dramatic affect on your personal confidence and motivation, and your ability to communicate well ? to reach people where they are. I've also learned that I can be confident and humble at the same time, as long as my humility precedes my confidence, as long as I keep the notion that I am no more or less than anyone else ever present.

"A chance to help others"

So, my clients say: "See your idea - your new business - for what it is. Simply a way for you to create a living that helps others." That's it. That's all. That's everything. You have talents and gifts. You want to do something that seems natural and personally fulfilling. So be it. At the same time, there are people out there that need what you have to offer. This same equation of life and work is true for everyone. None of us are any more special, while at the same time all of us are capable of wonderful things.

"It's always personal"

Business is always between just two people - it's always inter-personal, even if your client is a huge company, you're still communicating with a person. Today's emphasis on the one-to-one nature of the Internet has always been the case in business, it's just easier to see it illuminated on the web. Bringing your real skills (and person) in contact with another's real need (and person) is the simple essence of meaningful business.

"Go with your heart"

So, we challenge you. Clearly define the parameters of your business upfront - what you will and will not initially offer. And, know your true values and limitations - what you cannot and will not do. Get these things out of your mind and commit them to paper - and re-commit yourself to your business each time you re-read them. Build it as you see it. Ask for others' input and gain the professional help you need to succeed but go with what's in your heart, with what moves you. When you go with what charges you up, you'll have built-in confidence because you'll be offering what is you. You're not trying to make others see your business for anything but what it is. You're not having to psych yourself up all the time. What a relief!

"Be like an open container"

They also tell me: "Wear life as a loose garment." Be like an open container as you run your business. Be contained in terms of being focused, yet always remain open, in terms of being observant and flexible. You will create the map - your business plan - but without fail know that your map must change as you use it. That's the way it is. As entrepreneurs, we can grow to love the fact that our world and business will change constantly. By saying alert, by consciously observing, by asking ourselves how we can best respond to these changes, we allow our business to take on its own life - a life we don't need to "try" to push or "think through" all the time in order for it to maintain momentum.

"Challenges enliven your business"

And finally, their advice: Remain poised to creatively meet the challenges in front of you. They will appear, and you can benefit from them. They may appear as opportunities. "Oh boy!?" Or, they may appear as hurdles. "Oh, no!?" It's all in how we see them and the actions we take as a result. We can label the very same thing as " a blessing" or an "opportunity," or we can label it as a "problem" or a "roadblock. However, refusing to accept what lies in front of us - just because it is different from what we had envisioned - prevents us from the very thing that will drive our business: change and growth.

"Hope and energy abound everywhere. Surprises are rampant."

Remembering this daily, and living from my heart daily ? is often the greatest challenge for me, and for my clients. It's the challenge of perceiving my changing path and my changing relationship with others clearly and consistently, and allowing the spirit of change ? the spirit of my business ? to propel me forward, without grasping for it, without losing my focus.

Susan Kay Thompson, a Florida Gulf Coast resident, is founder of Emerald Coast Entrepreneur, http://www.emeraldcoastentrepreneur.com, a consulting firm specializing in business start up and web content development services. With a rich and varied background in academic, corporate, and entrepreneurial achievement, she cuts through the theories and the hype to write words ? and find solutions ? that make a difference.

Permission is hereby granted to reproduce this article online without any further arrangement. The only requirement is that it be published in its entirety, including this footer. For information on publishing this article in print media or using excerpts in other publications, please contact Susan personally at: Susan at EmeraldCoastEntrepreneur.com.

RELATED ARTICLES

A Dorm Room With A View
As a senior in high school, he paid cash for a BMW with money made by selling newspapers. In 1983, as a college freshman, he sold custom-made PCs and parts out of his dorm room?hiding them behind his roommate's shower curtain whenever Mom and Dad visited. A year later, with just $1,000 in start-up capital, he dropped out of school to focus fully on his expanding business. It took him just eight years to become the youngest CEO ever of a Fortune 500 company.

Increase Profits with No Pain, No Change Approach
Implementing changes, even when they're good for your business, can be tough. As the old adage goes, old habits die hard and it's just as true in business as it is in our personal lives. It's simply easier to take the path of no resistance and revert back to doing what we've always done. Here's a way to skyrocket your profit potential by linking change to pain and payoff.

Solo Mojo for Solo Entrepreneurs --- Where?s Your Juice?
I recently read a magazine article about Andrew, a 42-year old businessman. He gave up a demanding law practice in the Northeast, moved South to launch a new furniture and interior-design store, and wrote his first fiction novel in the midst of that transition. He persevered with his passion for writing, buoyed by the love and support of his family, by drafting ten pages daily for two years. Since the completion of his novel, he started a new advertising business and is co-authoring a non-fiction tale on top of his other interests.

Rambling Confessions of a Recovering Entrepreneur
I told my family that I finally accepted that my passion had become an ob- session, and you could even call it an addiction. They all laughed. What had taken me 25 years to accept, they had known for years. My wife detected my addiction as early as our honeymoon in Paris. All I wanted to do was spend time at the Bourse trading francs on the spot market. She kept on nudging me to see some old picture in the Louvre.

Pre-Money vs. Post-Money Valuation
When a company decides that it must raise capital, a key question that must be answered is how much the company is worth. For example, if the business needs $500,000 to get started and/or grow, how much of the equity in that company should $500,000 command? Once this question is answered, the company will go out and try to find investors. When doing so, a key question often arises as to whether the valuation is "pre-money" or "post-money."

Drive Website Traffic Unconventionally, Force Your Children To Do It
If you believe that every little bit helps then keep reading...

7 Lean Marketing Laws For The Inspired Entrepreneur
The following laws will provide guidance on how to act,think and work in a lean way. You can apply these laws toall areas of your life, work and business to get biggerresults from the time you invest.

The Secrets to Becoming a Successful Creative Entrepreneur: JJK Secrets #19-21
Hello Creative Entrepreneurs!

Become a Recognized Authority in Your Field - in 60 Days or Less!
You don't have to be rock-star famous before you are recognized as an authority in your field. You just have to begin to get the word out. Your goal is to be the person that people think of when your field is mentioned. At first, that may happen only locally, but take heart. Start where you are, with what you have, and you'll light a spark that could eventually become a firestorm of publicity.

When Your Business Feels Like an Arranged Marriage
Q. I was laid off six months ago. Jobs in my field are scarce so I moved to a new town to start a home business. People have paid me for everything from website maintenance to pet sitting.

Customers - Why Should They Buy From You?
There are a whole range of reasons why customers buy a product or service. They usually buy to solve either real or perceived problems. They want to move away from pain and towards pleasure. They want to feel better after having made the decision to buy a product or service than they did before.

Increasing Business BIGTIME with a Successful Referral System
What I've discovered from most of my small business clients is that most would prefer to build their business through referrals rather than through direct mail, advertising in newspapers, radio, TV. However, most leave the referrals to a somewhat chaotic, unplanned approach. When they have a repeatable system of going after referrals their business growth suddenly explodes.

How Much Risk is Necessary to Grow Your Business?
A business owner is thoroughly responsible for their own financial survival and possibly the financial survival of their employees. Business owners, for the most part, seem to be "risk takers", who really don't easily "go with the flow". They are inventive and somewhat confident, as just having their own business does mandate that they possess these qualities.

Time Management Tips for Solo Entrepreneurs
Does it seem like everyone and everything is vying for your attention all at once? It can be hard for solo entrepreneurs to know what to do first, let alone try to find the time to get caught up. Here are some time management tips that will help you to stay on top of it all:

Dream It, Create It, Become It! Design a Dream Board
Have you ever heard of "Dream Boards" or "Treasure Maps"? A Dream Board is a visual picture of the dreams you have for your life. Some of my clients also use this concept to visualize their businesses! It's their first business plan. One thing that is important to remember, though, is not to "get stuck" on your dream boards. We all have plans for our future, but it's important to watch the universe for signs of "its" plans for us. Otherwise, we might miss out on some great opportunities!

Learn how to Compress Time
In the popular 1980's movie "Dune," man learned that by "folding space" the distance between two points shortened and he could cover those distances faster. Around 1995, we found a substance that could bend time in the business community -- it was called Venture Capital. With enough of it, we could compress the evolution of a startup company from a few decades to a few years. Companies like Amazon, eBay and most recently Google showed us that billion dollar companies could be built in years, not decades.

Secret Revealed In The Business Code
? Beginners often rush into business without any planning.

Creativity & Entrepreneurship - Key Questions From My Students
Hello Creative Entrepreneurs!

Business Name - How to Choose One
It's very important to get your business name right. You may already have a business name but it's not too late to change it. Let's face it; big organisations change their business and product names all the time.

Executive Suites - A Way To Save Cash
Cash is one of the most important resources to a new business. One of the best ways to conserve cash for a startup business that is in need of office space is to rent an executive suite rather than to rent traditional office space. Most people don't even know this little secret. In fact, most people don't even know what an executive suite is.

Home |Site Map