Personal
Think Like An Entrepreneur (In Tough Times)
Deadly fact: You cannot ‘MANAGE’ your way out of challenging times!
The following appears a little bit like a ‘ramble’… but it’s actually an amalgamation of field work, thought leaders we really respect and our own entrepreneurial experience.
Here are 7 things that we believe can help you FLOURISH, not just SURVIVE, in tough times:
- THINK BIG. Now is the time to talk about your VISION and TRANSFORMATION and QUANTUM LEAP!!!
- FOCUS ON YOUR STRENGTHS!
“In times like these, you get a chance to show your STRENGTH.” – Jim Collins
Now is the time to get back to your core… focus on your strength… do what you do better than anybody in the world!
- “CRAZY TIMES CALL FOR CRAZY PEOPLE.” This is an old line from Tom Peters that we love, possibly from back in the late 80’s/early 90’s. The point he was trying to make is that ‘MANAGERS’ are, by definition, NOT CRAZY. Tough times call for mavericks, crazy people, thought leaders, innovators, creative destructors (to quote Joseph Schumpeter’s definition of an entrepreneur).
- WHAT BOX? This isn’t just about ‘thinking outside the box.’ Tough times are about challenging the fact that there is even a BOX to get outside of! In times like these… THERE ARE NO RULES!!! (Beyond the obvious moral, ethical, do what’s right stuff.)
- ACT NOW. True entrepreneurs thrive in tough times… because they see so many OPPORTUNITIES to CHANGE the GAME. Times like these require massive amounts of CREATIVITY and INNOVATION. REMEMBER: CREATIVITY is about ideas… INNOVATION is about turning ideas into action!!!
- WORKING ON THE ‘NUMERATOR’… NOT THE ‘DENOMINATOR’. More budget cuts are not the answer!(However, this is a perfect time to reallocate resources, change the people on your bus, and change seats.)
These are the times to focus on your NUMERATOR: SALES, THE TOP LINE, NEW REVENUE STREAMS, etc.
This is what we do. We’re constantly trying to help people increase their TOP LINE, their NUMERATOR. (It’s so much more fun talking with LEADERS and ENTREPRENEURS who understand that they need to ‘SELL’ their way out of these challenges… vs. talking with MANAGERS who want to ‘CUT’ their way out of these trying times.)
- STOP LISTENING TO THE DOOMSAYERS! Trust us. True entrepreneurs are spending absolutely no time whatsoever reading the front page of the newspaper.
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? ‘Managing’, ‘tweaking’, ‘cutting more from a budget that’s already showing more bone than a well chewed chicken wing’ just isn’t going to get you where you know you need to be.
THINK LIKE AN ENTREPRENEUR!
