Business dreamers

     Free daily tips, information and advice for people in small business
     from personal experience starting and running small businesses of my own.

     You are an entrepreneur. You had a dream and you created a business.

     This simple fact separates you from those who dream of starting a business but never get there. They had the dream, but you took it another step and made it happen. They are the business dreamers. You are the business owner.`

     Example: A lady breezed into my office one day looking for funding to start-up her dream business. She announced that she was a designer of women's clothing. Judging by the clothes she was wearing, she had exceptional talents and an exquisite eye for fashion. I asked her if she had applied for a bank loan. She was clearly taken aback, replying that banks wanted to be paid back--with interest. She then said that she was looking for a grant--in other words, free money. Now it was my turn to be taken aback. Trying to re-focus and help her get where she eventually wanted to go, I asked if she had sold any of the clothes she had designed. She was incredulous. How could she do that, she asked, without funding to buy materials and equipment, rent a place, and hire a seamstress or two. I was ready to explain how to make a start, generate some sales, and get on the road to that dream business. Instead, she got up saying she was in the wrong place, turned and left, slamming the door behind her. 

     This is the difference between an entrepreneur and a wannabe. The lady's eventual dream business was getting in the way of actually getting there. She wanted someone else to take the risk of starting up her business.

     You already know this what it takes to start up a business. The baby steps you took prepared you for what was ahead.

     There are no shortcuts. Only hard work, frustration, persistence and a little luck.

     I fear that we have raised a generation or two who believe they deserve everything. They have not been taught the value of hard work. And they know absolutely nothing about small business--what it is, how it works, how it serves the community, and how important it is to the fabric of this nation.

     Keep doing what you are doing. Never give up! You, your business and others like you are the stuff that makes America great.

     Your problems of running your business are similar to the problems every small-business owner faces. It doesn't matter whether your business is a salon or an allergist, a plumber or a landscaper, an auto repair shop or a bakery, problems that businesses face are similar. You need more referrals (that's the biggie!) and you need the cash flowing. That's what this blog is all about. I didn't read about business in a book--I've been there, done that, hands-on.