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While speaking to a former work colleague, I mentioned that I had left the position held at my previous employer and he first congratulated me and then mentioned that I had “guts” to make this bold decision.  Actually, he didn’t use the word “guts”, but used more colorful language and referred to parts of the male anatomy.  Since this is a family-friendly post, I’ll use the word “guts”.  I thought about it later, and I guess he’s right.  I DO have/ need GUTS in order to become an entrepreneur.

• G - Goals:  I think and focus on them every single day before checking my email.  I visualize where I am headed and how that vision translates into annual, monthly, weekly and daily tasks.  You may have heard it before, but my goals are specific, measurable, actionable, reasonable (within reason) and trackable (achieved by a specific date). 

• U - Unique Selling proposition:  I don’t recall who coined the phrase “unique selling proposition” (right after writing this, I checked the internet and credit has been given to a gentlemen named Rosser Reeves in the 1950s), but this has been put forth as a major reason for business success.  As an entrepreneur, I must let my prospects know how I can meet their needs in a way that only I can do.  I also read somewhere that the more I “become myself”, the more unique my selling proposition.

• T - Tenacity:  An entrepreneur MUST have the tenacity of a bull dog in order to achieve success.  Make no mistakes about it; starting your own business is NOT for the faint of heart.  You will encounter many obstacles, many “naysayers”, fierce competitors and the entrepreneur must meet each and every challenge that comes on a daily basis.

• S - Self-confidence: According to Walter Wintle’s poem, “The Man Who Thinks He Can”, “….You’ve got to be sure of yourself before you can win the prize…”  If you don’t believe that you can do this, no one else will.  William James stated that “Belief at the beginning of a doubtful undertaking is the one thing that will guarantee the success of any venture.”  An entrepreneur must belief in himself even if no one else does.  Maintaining a positive mental attitude is an essential tool in the tool kit.

Here’s to soft landings,

Dino Herbert

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 10th, 2008 at 3:24 pm and is filed under My initial jump. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.