Utah

Discovery – The Entrepreneur’s First Step to Success!

I started my entrepreneurial adventure while I was living in Park City, Utah. As a young entrepreneur I walked into a friends business one day and saw a poster that almost drove me out of the business world forever.

Looking down main street in Park City, Utah, USA

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What could have possibly have caused a young, passionate entrepreneur to cash it in so early in my career? Well, I turned the corner and in an out of the way spot in their store I saw a picture of a terrible storm on the ocean. You know what I mean; terrible winds and waves, etc. And there in the midst of this terrible storm was a little wooden row boat. Below this harrowing picture was a caption that said, “So you want to start your own business!” (I think that picture caused me to have nightmares!)

While I didn’t quit, the truth of that picture caused me to take the time to discover what it was that drove me to be an entrepreneur. As I boiled things down I came up with three things that drew me to the world of startups and have kept me here for over 25 years.

What three things burn in the heart of an entrepreneur that get them in the game and keep them there?

1. An entrepreneur discovers the person that they really are. This discovery usually involves an understanding that a “real job” just doesn’t work for them.

2. An entrepreneur discovers the passion that drives them to succeed no matter the challenges and struggles that being an entrepreneur brings.

3. An entrepreneur discovers that life is about more than money. Success takes on a unique and personal definition for the true entrepreneur. It is only when this personal definition of success if fulfilled that the entrepreneur is content with life and business.

I think seeing that poster early in my career was a great thing. While I never really considered quitting, that picture did burn into my mind the truth that being an entrepreneur requires more of you than most are willing to pay. But if you are willing to brave the wind and waves, the rewards are greater than any “money making” life option!

Discover who you are, what your passion is, and why business is about more than money and you too can take to the stormy seas and find yourself, your life, and your success!

What other things have you discovered that have made your entrepreneurial life a success?

Remember the Regulars

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This is part two of my five part series: Five Steps to Business Success. Today we are going to look at what I think has become a lost art in business today. Remember the Regulars!

Several years ago I lived in Park City, Utah. When I lived there, the running joke in town was that you either worked for Delta Airlines or were in Real Estate. (I was neither!) However, in my 18 plus years there, I bought and sold several pieces of real estate.

The last four transactions were all handled by the best Realtor I have ever known. Her name is Carolyn and she was (and I’m assuming still is …) incredible. I don’t know that she had any more skill than anyone else, but what she did have was a determination to let me and my family know that we meant something to her as people, not just commission checks.

During the summer of 2001 we sold a house and adjacent lot and bought another home. Carolyn handled all the paperwork and got us to the closing table on time. Even as an issue arose at closing, she expertly worked through it and we moved in that same day. But what made Carolyn stick out in my mind was that she would stop by after the closing with little gifts for my kids (13 and 6 at the time). We were in the run-up to the 2002 Olympics at the time and Olympic pins were all the rage. Carolyn would take time to find really cool pins for my kids and stop by with them.

My children were thrilled and eight years later I would not recommend any other Realtor in Park City than Carolyn. Even after we left Utah for Iowa, Carolyn kept in contact with Thanksgiving and Christmas cards. Her attempts to remember the regulars makes her one of the best in my book.

If you want to create a fan like I am of Carolyn’s consider her strategy:

1. Treat your clients like interesting people, not just paychecks.
2. Look for ways to solve problems that naturally arise in any business transaction.
3. Extend yourself to your clients after the sale. When you remind them how much they mean to you, there is a greater chance they will not only come back to you, but they will refer you to their family and friends.

If you owned a restaurant that could seat 100 and because you learn to remember the regulars, you can fill it to 75% capacity with those regulars every night, would that be a good thing? Just checking!

How do you remember the regulars? What ways to you keep the people you have and encourage them so that they refer family and friends?

Discovery – The Entrepreneur’s First Step to Success!

Remember the Regulars

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