With the quality of work he d done and the amount of time he put into it,
I would have expected to pay double that amount. His resistance to naming
his price reminded me of my small business clients who have the same
problem.
People who dream of setting up their own business but don t succeed,
generally fall into one of three categories:
(1) too few ideas
(2) too many ideas or
(3) waiting for the perfect idea .
Any of these three states of mind may hinder the budding entrepreneur.
Would be entrepreneurs with too few ideas.
These individuals typically say if only I had an idea for a business.
Just remember that if you say you don t have an idea it really means you
have no-idea ! If this applies to you, you need to get cracking on that
first idea fast! As soon as you are able to dream something up, you ll have
the essential ingredient that all successful businesses are built upon.
Would be entrepreneurs with too many ideas.
Can you ever have too many ideas I hear you say? Well if your creative
process leaves you feeling overwhelmed for choice then it s definitely a
possibility! Many highly creative people experience inertia in business
purely because they have so many ideas. They don t know where to start or
which idea to implement first!
If you fall into this category, just pick one of your ideas (it doesn't
need to be your best one!) and begin to mentally develop it further.
Consider the first key steps you need to take to push your business idea
forward. Remember that you don t have to have a 100 page business plan or a
fully formed idea before you can start taking action! All you need is a
little focus.
Would be entrepreneurs waiting for the perfect idea.
This is the equivalent of expecting to know how to swim once you ve found
the perfect swimming costume.
If you fall into this category, even if you do manage to find the perfect
idea , ask yourself whether or not you are going to have the right skill
base to get it off the ground. Many successful entrepreneurs have failed
many times before their perfect idea came along. It is through being
prepared to fall down and stand up again that you develop the tenacity
required to succeed in business.
Stay Ahead of the Game.
Whatever your circumstances, whether you are in business already or
looking to start a business, creating ideas and being innovative will help
keep you on top of your game. The way we are doing business globally is
changing at such a rapid rate that if you don t consistently innovate, you
will soon be out of business.
Cultivate your Innovation skills.
All the entrepreneurs that I have met have been possibility thinkers . By
this I mean they keep their minds open to new opportunities and new ways of
thinking. The best way for you to cultivate this ability within yourself is
to spend time around other creative thinkers. Challenge each other to
innovate.
A Simple Idea Creating Exercise.
Two nights ago I had a brainstorming session with a couple of
entrepreneurial friends over a meal. We did a little 5 minute exercise where
each wrote down as many ideas as they could on how to create a million
pounds within a year. The quality of the initial ideas was absolutely
irrelevant. What was really valuable was what came afterwards, when each
person read out their individual lists and we discussed how these particular
ideas could work.
We had a lot of fun, a lot of laughs and generated a couple of really
great business ideas (as well as plenty of ordinary ones!), purely by
focusing our brains to answer a simple question.
So how many entrepreneurs does it take to change a light bulb?
Well I m not entirely sure on the answer to that one! But I do know how
many ideas it takes to start a business
Just one.
About the Author:
Damien Senn is a Life and Business Coach as well as a fully qualified
Chartered Accountant. He helps professionals, artists and entrepreneurs
create compelling futures. He is the author of the 'Senn-Sational Success
Journal' and has developed his own coaching model called the 'Senn-Sational
Success System'. For your free life coaching tool 101 things to do before
you die , please click the following link:
http://www.senn-sational.com/freeresources.htm
