And remember that: Do not generalize an outcome based on circumstances; motivate and inspire yourself to make the best of these times.
Is success eluding you or taking longer to arrive in this present recession?
I recently discussed how the entrepreneurial bloom is all over since recession took away millions of jobs from us. Some of these new entrepreneurs, I know personally and one of their major concern that came up during a discussion was – Can I hang on to my dream when success is taking longer than ever to happen to me?
It was an interesting topic to delve deeper and if we cannot find solutions at least let's put our heads together on “why success might take longer for these new entrepreneurs and the small businesses all around the globe in these trying times.”
When you look at the above statement (Can I hang…) you see three issues here – “hanging on” is closer to survival and “success” of course means success in your profession and “taking longer” is more in respect to today’s changing times or we may call it depressing times of economic downturn.
We must discuss these three issues separately to arrive any closer to a solution (which again is difficult to achieve because a “solution” is unique for all different situations, it cannot be generalized)
Survival of the Fittest
To survive tough times is what many around us are doing and no doubt it is tough for small businesses and start-ups. What would help you hang on and survive this downturn? Take time to write down what you are doing now that is not working and what could be a work around to help you hang on there for one year or more in your business.
You may have great ideas but with no funding and dwindling personal funds, there is no way you can hang on; so financial stability forms the basis of survival at present in addition to several others factors of course. There was a great article in SFgate.com sometime back and worth reading for tips and advice: Tips for small businesses to survive recession
Also take time to read this cool article, some great info and statistics are here which may not apply entirely to your situation but in bits and pieces you will be wiser – Survival vs. Success – How Companies are Responding to Recession and Why it’s not Enough.
What does success mean to you at present? It may be meeting the ends, or achieving a certain percentage of sales or reaching that one million revenue mark you had set for yourself at the onset of your venture. As said before, success is different for all. Take time to revisit your goals and vision of your company or venture, where you are now, how bad or good is it and how worse or better can it get in the coming year. It is time to evaluate, reassess and reorganize keeping in mind that still spending is low and sales are dismal.
Here apart from the statistics you need inspiration and I would recommend that you read Zig Zaglar. One of his books, “Success for Dummies” could be the one you can start with this season, you will be inspired and will be able to define what success means to you (oh yes, the emphasis very confidently is on “will”). Find it out for yourself!
"Success doesn't come to you…you go to it."
--Marva Collins
Success takes longer during RECESSION
This statement may or may not be true – again "success" cannot be generalized, there have been many instances in recent one or two years where quite a few small business owners have launched new successful ventures and those who had them for sometime are thriving and earning more than they expected. Do ask me if you want to read such success stories, will be glad to pass on some relevant links on this topic. (here is one such link I want to share with you: Recession Success Stories)
But let’s focus on why it is taking longer for the rest of us.
It is quite obvious by the definition of recession that we are in some troubled economic times for and success is very much tied to the amount to money you make from a business to survive or thrive. These are the times to reinvent and try out different things to see what can be done to make things better not just sit and lament that “recession is here, this is bound to happen”.
To do this please revisit the two questions asked in this post above and see if you see any answers to this particular question for your situation. Else write your comments to this post and let’s see how we all can put our heads together to find out a "near" solution.
But before you do so, here are some good tips from Daniel Kehrer on 7 Makeover Tips for Recession Success, worth a read.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Why is Success taking Longer to Arrive?
Friday, November 20, 2009
How to be good Employee – lessons from SpongeBob
Here’s how I found some lessons to be learnt from SpongeBob: (Do share yours too!)
SpongeBob is an enthusiastic and happy worker
SpongeBob has been the “employee of the month” for many months and takes pride in displaying his monthly photo to his friend Patrick. He is also a very happy worker, we often see him singing while working and that happy toothy smile is the most SpongeBob fans would remember.
Lesson learnt: You could be grouchy or grumpy at work or can be the happy chappy which our SpongeBob is, but just see Squidward – of the two who would you want to be? Do what you like and also like what you do (Do it this way – first do what you like and then enjoy doing it, enthuse others as well on the job!) Be enthusiastic at your job and serve your customers happily! If you lack motivation; seek one, it could be to get a pay raise or that promotion, strive to be the "employee of the month" in your eyes.
Always ready to “learn” new tools
In one of the episodes SpongeBob dreams of getting this new “high-tech” spatula, but realizes that all frills and glamour does not mean it is the perfect tool for the job.
Employee lesson: Learn new tools and skills at work but respect and be an expert on your old ones. Being perfect at some tool rather than getting lost in the new tools/tech maze is something you should focus on first.
Always protects confidential data
SpongeBob has been lured umpteen times by the “evil” plankton to give up on the Krabby patty formula but all attempts have been foiled so far. The formula is safe.
Lesson learnt- As an employee you must protect all company information and never trade in for money or other attempts from conspiring parties. Also please protect your laptop, you have lots of information on your company laptop and PDAs ensure safety at all times!
Related Posts:
How to be a Good Employee – 5 Lessons from the Golden Rules of Buddhism
What do the Bosses Hate most about Employees
The Traits of a Good Employer
Do you have any inappropriate Webpages or Posts we must know about?
If your answer is no, then there is not much to fear (assuming you are speaking the truth) but if the answer is yes or you say “no” to evade the question for now; you could be in trouble (trouble in the sense that you would not get the job offer if they find out you lied or face a later termination if you have a job contract which follows strict privacy, employee decency or non-posting of ‘undesirable’ content online).
Are there ways you can remove your online footprints?
If you really want to remove your previous postings which could be hazardous to a job offer, consider deleting your account first. There are ways of doing so and this article: How to Delete Accounts from Any Website tells you how. Now since most of the follies reported are from the Facebook account you may want to look at this tip from this website: How to permanently delete your facebook account
And of course now you are on Twitter too.. and your short not-so-cool responses might be retweeted and there are now in the tweetsphere. Before you ask: How to delete a tweet.
How to delete your undesirable comments?
Not only postings and videos there are many people who have posted many comments which on retrospective they hope no one will read. But the web is unrelenting; most of the stuff online can be searched and if you want your name not showing under the list of inappropriate content then follow these tips here:
How to Delete Your Own (YouTube) Video Comments
How to Delete Comments on MySpace
Do you have more tips? Share with us.
Related Posts:
Google Yourself often to see if Employers might find your Cyber-skeletons
Stay Clear of the Internet Marketing Scams and the Phishing Emails
How Twitter can help during Job Search
5 Essential tips you MUST KNOW Before Launching Your Business
Seven out of ten new employer firms last at least two years, and about half survive five years. More specifically, according to new Census data, 69 percent of new employer establishments born to new firms in 2000 survived at least two years, and 51 percent survived five or more years.
Source: U.S Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Business Dynamics Statistics.
Looking at the above statistics the probability of your business being a success or a failure in say 5 years from now is pretty much 50/50!
You have that special big idea and are all set to start your own businees, but looking at the above stats and depending on where you want to see yourself in 5 years, it is time to get set and know these essential tips before you launch your business.
1. Read Research Research
Emphasis on knowledge is a very important step towards building any skill set or starting a business. What you are about to do has been done over and over again somewhere sometime (in all likelihood, of course your ideas may be new or truly path breaking but some inspiration can be derived from other’s previous experiences). And where do you get this knowledge and inspiration?
- Read relevant magazines for example: Entrepreneur, Inc. and if you want something readymade then there are solutions around, for example the Entrepreneur magazine's Startup Guides give you all the information you need to start your dream business (see link: http://www.smallbizbooks.com/ )
- Read the newspapers and information on websites like SBA.gov which assist you with detailed information from putting your plan on paper to legal assistance to your local resources. Look up this FAQ page which might answer many questions you have right now http://www.sba.gov/ADVO/stats/sbfaq.txt
- SCORE (in the US) is “the counselor to American Small Business”, the website (http://score.org/ ) provides very detailed how-to guides and business tools to guide you through the planning and execution process of your dream venture. A very cool page is that of Resources for Young Entrepreneurs. And if you want a personal touch there are various SCORE centers around the nation which provide free and confidential small business mentoring.
2. Business Plan and Goals
Before you even dream about having an empire or making that first million in whatever time frame you have set – make sure that your plans and time frame for execution are practical and doable. A solid planning is the key to success in whatever you do. Must read article on Inc. columns: How to Structure a Business Plan. This article goes through a step by step process in helping you develop the business plan that can be the foundation for your success.While preparing your business plan make sure that you focus separately on your short-term and long-term goals. When on the way to achieving your short-term goals never lose sight of the long-term ones. The short –term goals must strengthen your vision of success and achievement of your dream venture.
3. Legal Awareness
There is this one very good info article on Entrepreneur.com which talks about the legal tips as an outline, good way to start here – gain knowledge on what is being discussed here and then delve deeper into whatever topic is most relevant to your business type. Read the tips at SCORE's Top Legal Tips. (The legal matters and taxes are different in different countries, if you are not in the US or starting a business worldwide, ensure that you spend some time gaining knowledge on your particular country (or the country where you are planning to start your business); it is also strongly advised to seek an attorney in your country of business to understand and deal with any legal matters that might crop up now or later.
4. Financial Planning
Financial awareness and planning is a very essential skill to master if you want to be a survivor in the tough business sector. You may have a great idea, valuable skills and a team to execute your plans to action, but without a sound financial backing and a plan to sustain in the long-term your venture might not see the light of the day. Some very good tips on this topic are here (please take time to read and apply to your situation):
5. Work Hard
There may be many alluring stories around of how people are making hundred and thousands of dollars by “working on two hours a day” or the easy money without “any work”. Remember that there is no shortcut to success. Be prepared to work long hours and also work hard to reach the benchmarks you set for yourself along the way. Breaking down large tasks into small steps can be the ideal way to celebrate your “first achievement” or reaching that first benchmark that seems like an unreachable rugged mountain. Don’t take short cut to success – your careful planning and hard work will reap long-lasting results. A lot has been said about it but still it features in the first 5 steps you must know about when launching your business.
Some other articles and resources you must read:
The Basics of Starting a Home-Based Business
Related Posts:
5 Ways to find out if Entrepreneurship is for you
7 Tips to help you Work effectively from Home
Down Economy Sprouts Entrepreneurial Bloom
I became a Billionaire when I took the Road less Traveled
Monday, November 09, 2009
Down Economy Sprouts Entrepreneurial Bloom
-- Steve Jobs
The quote above is one strong inspiration to quit your job and to follow your dreams - to be on the adventurous entrepreneurial path. The slowdown in the worldwide economy is resulting in a job drought but even in the dry scenario there are blossoms of entrepreneurial spirit all around the world. For some of these budding entrepreneurs, it is a "lets-try-and-see" approach for many it was an urge suppressed somewhere beneath which had earlier been unable to surface because our day to day routine and the full-time job fills up the time and the creative bubble never found time enough to shape into an idea or action. But since there are not many jobs around and those in the layoff have that extra time at hand; it presents an exciting opportunity to live with your own thinking and time to bring your own creation to life!
Then long-term and short-term goals of these budding entrepreneurs might be different. For some it is a wonderful learning experience, but they are not so sure whether it could be a long-term commitment mainly because they are not seeing the revenue stream as yet. And for some it has been more profitable than their full-time job.
Patrick May puts it all together on the Mercury News columns:
Their motives are all over the map. Some are looking for a little income during their job search. As David Noel scanned the job market's bleak horizon earlier this year, he recalled this week, "I felt I had a better chance of creating my own job than of finding one." So the San Mateo software-product manager started rechargeablebatteryservices.com to address — and profit from — the prodigious use of double- and triple-A batteries by government and industry.
Others are simply bored to death with online résumés and figure they've got nothing to lose by starting a small-time enterprise fueled by a big-time passion. After she lost her job with an East Bay nonprofit, Shannon Bowen went into her swing-dance default mode, launching a dance business.
"Unemployment is custom-made for starting a new venture," says Chris Gill, president of the Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs. "You've got the time, and if you've got the passion, you can start a business. And while only 50 percent of them survive five years, if you're lucky the money can start to add up."
Not only in the Silicon Valley or the US, the new sprouts are all over the world. 60% of Canadian entrepreneurs believe the current global recession is creating new opportunities for small business.
Daily Commercial News reports:
Canada’s entrepreneurs are looking ahead to the next year with expectations for improvement. One in four entrepreneurs surveyed reported having sold fewer products or services in the past 12 months, but one in three now expect to sell more products or services in the coming year. Thirty-nine percent of entrepreneurs surveyed expect to create a new product, service or technology.
“These findings prove that the entrepreneurial spirit is still alive and well in Canada, no matter the economic climate,” said Dr. Roberts.
You may or may not be successful in what you have begun now, but the journey itself is well worth it and more so the job market may be down and under but the entrepreneur in you looks positively to the blooms ahead. Ultimately, what is satisfying on walking the entrepreneurial path is not the end result but the exciting journey itself. It is that special journey which teaches you how to create, how to innovate, how to manage, how to inspire and then how to make money on your own. To do all this every day - is exciting; each day to look forward to something new and exciting – that is what the entrepreneurial spirit is all about.'
Related Posts:
I became a Billionaire when I took the Road less Traveled
The Mom Entrepreneur at the Start-up Phase – Accelerate with Guidance and Learning
As an Entrepreneur, I am like a Mom – Always Busy, Never Done
Silicon Valley’s “Restless Mind Syndrome”
Your Brain at Work
What are your biggest challenges at work?
Time management, prioritizing, multitasking, staying cool under pressure, succeeding… and the list goes on. We all want a lot from ourselves and wouldn’t it be nice to know how exactly to achieve what we want.
Here is a review of the book “YOUR BRAIN AT WORK – Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day long” that attempts to explain how our brains work at work and teaches readers how to organize, prioritize, and perform better in the workplace – despite a daily load of overwhelming challenges (and of course the title says it all too!). Right at the introduction page one, the author, David Rock, tells you how this book can help you:
"This book will help you work smarter, be more focused and productive, stay cool under pressure, reduce the length of meetings, and even tackle the hardest challenge of all: influencing other people.”
That is what we all are looking for. So you get it right there that you have picked up the right book to read today! And that was one of my reasons to read this book – the title captured my attention –“Your Brain at Work”; I truly believe that anything is possible if we train our brains that way and if this book helps me understand how I react and how I should react in certain circumstances than this is a must-read book for sure. To be successful one needs to go through a lot of thinking (read brain work) – to get organized, to plan, to execute, to manage, to dream success, to deal with failures and many other things that come along. It is the brain at work that manages it all and how well it manages depends on how well we have trained our brains.
The book is structured in a form of play, the characters are introduced upfront and through the acts I got to know them more and soon became a participant in the analysis of their situations and their reactions to them. It is through vivid examples that we learn much better; and this book has successfully accomplished what it initially took upon.
One of the main problems we all face – time management – has been presented well and some thoughtful suggestions we breeze through the lives of the characters brings in new ideas to avoid being overwhelmed. David rightly summarizes; “As the world digitizes, globalizes, unplugs, and reorganizes, having too much to do has become our biggest compliant.”
Who is this book for?
I would say everyone who wants to understand how to improve performance at workplace or in day-today life. Won't you?
Some of the tips from this book that you can use right away:
- Schedule the most attention-rich tasks when you have a fresh and alert mind.
- Group information into chunks whenever you have too much information.
- To stay in a positive state of mind, find ways to keep coming out ahead of your expectations over and again, even in small ways.
- Playing against yourself to improve your understanding of your own brain can be a powerful way of increasing your performance.
- Practice using solution-focused questions that focus people’s attention directly on the specific circuits you want to bring to life.
For more tips and to know your brain more, get this book at: Amazon.com
See here to know more:
(Please Note: I have not been paid to write this review, it is a sincere opinion and my wish to present the readers of this blog to get to know good books that bring value to day to day work life and overall improve our strengths)
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