Random Thoughts

I was just taking a few minutes and reviewing some of my recent posts here on StartUpStudent.  While doing that I noticed that there is kind of method to what I feel is my madness.  If you put the tasks together hopefully you’re going to find a set of steps that will take you down the path toward a functioning business.  Here’s what I mean:

Step 1: What do you Love?

Really until you know the answer to this question, how do you know where your business is headed.  I truly believe that you must build a business based on your passions.  If you don’t what is there to lean on when things don’t go as planned.  Also, do you really want to be spending all those hours building a business that you don’t love?

Step 2: Write it down (4 Reasons to build a Plan/Organization Chart)

I once heard it said that “A Goal without a plan is a dream”.  That seems fairly true to me.  It doesn’t have to be a 300 page document with financial projections.  Tim Berry did a great job of explaining the proper length of business plan when he said this:

I was about five years old when my granddad first asked me how long a person’s legs should be. His answer was “long enough to reach the ground.” — Tim Berry – The Ideal Length of a Business Plan

It should really just describe what you’re doing and how you’re going to do it.  What makes your company, your company?  This will serve as a roadmap as move down the bumpy path.  Plans are designed to guide your way and keep you on the path.  They give you that destination that you’re striving for.

Step 3: Take action (Be Proactive/Baby Steps)

Now jump.  Make it happen.  It’s time to make your business a reality.  It’s all about standing out on the diving board and then diving in?  Will you belly flop?  Maybe.  How are you going to know until get off the diving board?  Besides when you belly flopped, didn’t you just get back on the diving board and try again?  It took a while but you learned how to dive.  Did you read the entire owners manual of the car before driving it? No, you drove it to experience the vehicle.  So go, experience the business.  Look up what you don’t know.

Step 3A: Bring in people around you (Network/Online Persona)

Putting the right people around you is very important.  Creating your online persona and setting up your networks are profoundly important to successful businesses.  That doesn’t mean you should wait to start your business to create them but you should begin building them.  Maybe that’s taking a good friend to lunch to discuss the idea.  Drinks with an old college friend.  You simply need to start building connections with people and help them where you can.

Two other huge points that I think these items make me think of: Persistance and What goes around comes around.

Take your idea and run with it.  You may have to alter it, tweak it, or flat out come up with another idea but don’t give up.  I think that most people who have made it have simply persisted through the tough times.  Most who “failed”, simply quit trying.  Stick with it.

In many things “What goes around comes around” or saying it another way “Pay It Forward”.  Many times those phrases become cliche.  If you focus on helping others to build their networks/businesses/etc you’ll usually find that your networks are growing and your business is exploding.  This model will help you build quality partners, networks, and in the end business.

These items are a pretty good start in the direction of building that business/lifestyle that most people are trying to build.  It’s all about laying out the necessary groundwork and then starting.  Sure, you’ll have some conflicts, problems,  and headaches but take a shot.  Now is the time.

Be daring…be creative!

Jeremy

Jeremy Lattimore is the creative problem solving guru behind RefocusingTechnology.com and Borea Systems.  Currently, he’s obsessed with business automation/efficiency and social networks.  His question to you is: “How is your technology making you more efficient TODAY?”.