Tactics and Tenacity

Every January there is usually a surge of would be entrepreneurs seeking advice on how to start a business; I am referring to any business not just the Home Seller Assist business. By March though the surge dies down as the New Year’s resolutions loose their shine. One by one, millions of start-up dreams give way to life as usual.

With the right tactics and tenacity, though, you can go beyond life as usual and enjoy the passionate, creative and fulfilling life of an entrepreneur. To make sure you succeed in starting up in the year ahead, follow these recommendations.

Know what you’re after. For a dream to be realized, it has to be built on reality – your reality. Define what you love doing, what you are good at doing and where you have experience. Also, get clear on what resources are available, what you’re willing to risk and what you ultimately want to gain. Put your answers in writing to use as a compass for all decision making. This should help you avoid a situation where you end up working for your business instead of your business working for you.

Research extensively but quickly. Search the internet, conduct a brief survey, read industry studies, attend trade shows – do everything you can to be smart about your business niche. Apply that learning to your specific concept to make sure all of your operational, financial and customer assumptions are on target.

Test-drive your assumptions. As quickly as possible, test your ideas on customers. Your first handful of customers will teach you more about your business opportunity than anything else will. Just be prepared to go back to the drawing board – initial feedback may require you to change key assumptions.

Monitor progress with milestones. Create a chart that shows dates by which you plan to achieve major milestones. Include things like “launch website,” “Close 1st transaction,” “break even,” “Close 10th transaction,” etc. Hitting the milestones is important, but even more critical is adjusting your course when you don’t.

Use the buddy system. I’ve always been more focused and effective when I’ve had someone to talk to about my business. For some people this can be a mentor; for others a paid coach. For me, simply having a buddy who is smart and supportive and who holds me accountable for my wide-eyed entrepreneurial ambitions has done the trick. Knowing that you have to report adds a level of discipline to your work and may be just what you need to help you realize your start-up dreams for the We Provide The Cash business which was created by John Alexander.