BEING YOURSELF

Many small business owners are trying to be someone different than who they are. The way they talk, the car they drive, the clothes they wear, etc. are patterned after a person that they perceive as being successful. If, in fact, that person is successful, it’s not because of the clothes they wear or the car they drive; they are successful because of who they are.

We can learn techniques from others, operational systems and marketing concepts, but we cannot become the other person.

In order to achieve success, the main ingredient is to have the courage and the faith to be yourself. If you are willing to do the work and know that you have both the ability and drive needed to produce a good product or service, you have won the battle. Remember that hopes and dreams alone cannot propel you to success. You have to articulate your vision and dedicated yourself to reaching it, one step at a time.

To grow a successful business you should create and travel on your own road, but have the open mindedness to accept and use the tools necessary to carve out that path to your vision.

I am writing this column because of an experience I had this week with a new client. His idea for a new product was, in my opinion and his, brilliant. We spent several weeks finalizing his Pitch Deck and conducting interviews with his target market to determine the viability of his idea. The idea was overwhelmingly accepted to a much larger degree than either of us had hoped for.

The next step was to finalize the cost to develop the product and take it to market. This week he brought the final figures to my office which included the total amount of capital we would need, a production schedule and a sales forecast. As I looked at his figures I found a $43,000 amount for a new car. When I questioned this, he said he felt he had to look successful in order to be like “other” business owners looking for venture capital.

Thus a lecture (lesson) much longer than this blog took up the rest of our meeting time. We discussed who he was and why he was doing what he wanted to do. We looked at the benefits his product would provide and his passion to deliver his product. An hour later the $43,000 was removed, and a sense of joy replaced his desire to own a new car. The joy came from the realization of who he was and where he could go.

“To grow a successful business you should create and travel on your own road, but have the open mindedness to accept and use the tools necessary to carve out that path to your vision.” Nick Petra