Repeat After Me…

in Entrepreneurship · Founders · Hiring

We all do wrong things. We all lack things. We all lack perception, possibly understanding….

Entrepreneurs repeat after me:

I need to give up some control of my company if I want to grow it. I may be defined by my ideas, but I’ve got to be passionate about them. I’ve got to risk everything I’ve got. I’ve got to commit to one idea, and pursue it to the ends of the earth. I’ve got to INVEST in my OWN company and ideas if I expect anyone else to. I will attempt to hold off any new ideas, until I finish what I started. I will learn how to build relationships, how to understand (and listen to) others. How to perceive others perspectives. I will never to be too proud/stubborn to ask for advice. And most of all…I will attempt to find my happy place when someone pisses me off before I attack them on email.

Inventors & Engineers repeat after me:

If I build it, they will not come. This is not a marketing issue that will pay for itself, or be solved by a marketing person. I realize this can be a lack of functional and high quality design, lack of relationship building, lack of partnership building, lack of strategy, lack of cost effective distribution channels, lack of market/customer validation, lack of a good business model…lack of a team. I am not the only value, and building the product is only a very, very small part of the battle. And most of all, a patent is NOT a business or really worth anything without all of the above.

Sales & Marketing repeat after me:

I do not spam. Spamming is bad, and pisses my customers off. Marketing and sales is more than numbers, I need to, and have the ability to, build real relationships and relate to people as partners…instead of just a number. I will stop taking the watch off people’s wrist and telling them what time it is. I will add value. I will stop ignoring values, and try my damnest to understand a vision and brand. And, I cannot market or sell something if it sucks…and I need to flat out tell the above two people that. If it does, I should not try to market or sell it just to make a buck. I destroy my own reputation in doing so.

Consultants repeat after me:

When Entrepreneurs come to me for help, I will give real value. I understand the Entrepreneur’s problem is having the time to get stuff done, not having someone tell them what to do, or coming up with new ideas (see Entrepreneur’s problem above). I will give them focus, and help them narrow down their ideas into an executable strategy, not create more ideas/opinions that will keep my Entrepreneur up all night. I will become a real facilitator, and not just add more “to-do’s” on my Entrepreneur’s plate. Most of all, I will understand Entrepreneurs don’t like to pay someone to talk, at least not until much later…as which point they may hire an executive coach.

Bottom Line

Bottom line, a start-up is most often killed by the people involved…not a lack of resources. A start-up team should be built right with opposite skill sets. But it doesn’t stop there. When everyone doesn’t pitch in and help in a start-up team…we wind up with unequal expectations, results, or grudges (so and so is doing more work than so and so). Work on understanding the people aspect of it…although it’s much easier said than done.

Just some random start-up team building thoughts for the day