Every Entrepreneur

–And Every Business–

Experiences Exhaustion

The hardest part of being reborn, reinvented, revitalized is knowing when you need it, and then making the commitment to make it work.

For a business, the same entrapments lie in waiting. Does your business need help now? Are your organizational viability, adaptability, finances, and market position in lockstep with zooming technology changes? If they’re not standing tall, do they seem to be plummeting… or slowly disintegrating? Are you prepared mentally, physically, and emotionally to pick up the pieces and lead the charge?

The rate of business exhaustion will of course determine the pace and extent of your pursuit. And even if you’re thinking no special effort is needed, it’s never a bad idea to step back and assess where you and your business are headed. If the present path leads to a cliff, you’re going to want to have a pretty clear idea of  how long it will take to hit bottom.

Why? Because without some sense of the speed you’ll need to crank up, there’s no way to know whether you’ll have the resources, support, and personal energy it will take to get you where you’ll need to go. Being born the first time is pretty hard all by itself. Being born again is definitely not a matter of cruise control.

If you’re too entrenched or stuck or resistant to take the risk of jolting things back into place, or into an entirely new place, but know deep inside that some survival steps are, or will soon be, necessary, it may serve you well to begin thinking more about opportunities than about consequences. In other words, be aware of where you’re headed, but don’t dwell on the sunset. Take a hard look instead to the sunrise!

Avoid falling into a savings frenzy! Cutting back expenses does not make money. Only sales produce money.

So if you’re going to jump on something, jump on sales! Assuming you have a viable product or service and make it available at a price point that’s affordable for the market your business targets, then don’t waste time analyzing who did what to whom and when and why and what the circumstances were. Just jump on sales!

What can you be doing right this minute that

you’re not doing, to be able to help boost sales?

If you’re a true entrepreneur, odds are you’re good at representing your products, services, and business ideas to others. If this does not describe your skill set focus, find a great salesperson ASAP and tie her or him to a great reward system. Don’t give the farm away, but do pull out all the stops that bogged things down to start with.

Oh, and do remember when it comes to getting the support you need from others who work with you, that pulling teammates along gets MUCH more done than pushing them… every time… all the time.

If a bit of personal stress management or self-appreciation is in order to help your psych up for the task at hand, try clicking on a couple of links in this post. Good luck!

Catch you on the rebound

— you and your rebirthed business!

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 STOP TURNING OFF LIGHTS

AND START SELLING!

Reality: The economy still sucks, and no amount of government or media mumbo jumbo will change that. We are sunken into knee-deep muck in the worst of economic quagmires. Yet entrepreneurs continue to rise and fall with the sun as they position themselves to save every dollar possible.

But saving money doesn’t make money.

ONLY SALES MAKE MONEY! ONLY! SALES!

In other words, being thrifty is good, but being thrifty will not end the revenues nightmare, so adjust your spotlight. to focus on what’s important. 3 things:

1) STAY IN THE PRESENT “HERE & NOW” MOMENT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY HOUR OF EVERY DAY.

2) INVEST IN YOUR SALES EFFORT.

3) MANAGE YOUR STRESS & TIME TO BE MOST PRODUCTIVE.

If you can’t do all three of these, quit trying to jamb your corporate or government brain into running a small business, and –instead– go flip burgers, sort mail, or get into politics. Anyone with some energy and half a brain can be a superstar in one of those roles.

Being successful as an entrepreneur takes gigantic amounts of gumption, endless hours of devotion to an idea, and willingness to take reasonable risks (which, contrary to popular myth, does NOT include “betting the farm”). It requires enormous sacrifice of family time and attention and the ability to ignite innovative thinking in a heartbeat!

No, it’s not a career for everyone. Mostly, because it’s not really a career. It’s a lifestyle. Entrepreneurs don’t shut down at 5pm, they don’t sleep and party all weekend, they don’t gamble or buy lottery tickets more than one or two a month, they don’t over-analyze, they take action and make ongoing adjustments and keep moving forward.

Entrepreneurs are passionate and inspired about what they believe is possible, and that overrides fear of falling or running off a cliff. They don’t get breaks in life. They make them. And they are needed now more than ever. This economy will NEVER turn around because of government. It will only turn IN SPITE OF government.

Government, after all, is what put us in the position of having to worry about saving money instead of earning money. Government is the instrument of uncertainty and the pile-driver that continually forces small business to take steps backward. The SBA? That’s a joke. SBA Advisory Boards are comprised of corporate executives!

So bottom line: Entrepreneurship requires internal spirit to start up and fan the fires of small business success. The road is always rocky. The quest has to rise above all else. But for those who have what it takes, they will leave their mark, and they will drive the economy back to reality. Encourage and support those who fight that good fight!

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