Category: Success

Embracing the Unknown: Why Young Entrepreneurs Can Thrive

I follow a small handful of Youtubers.  Most of the channels I watch focus on small business owners in various industries, or folks who are building an independent lifestyle…mostly off-grid. 

I love to watch them create something valuable and useful out of nothing but an idea and their belief that they can do it.  Sometimes they succeed on their first try, other times they need to adjust and try again.  I admire their willingness to push themselves way outside their comfort zone in pursuit of the way they want to live.      

This past weekend, I watched as the twenty-year-old daughter of someone I follow took the plunge to start her own coffee house.  She has 1-2 years of experience being a barista and talked about how much she loved that job, her teammates, and her customers. 

She told a nice story about how her mom met her dad 20-plus years ago.  He and his band came to perform at the coffee house where her mom worked as a barista.  She said that she would be investing her life savings in this new venture. 

She started by leasing a 1,900 square-foot space that had all the bones to become a great coffee house location. She and her mom set about visualizing and planning the space, identifying the equipment she’d need, and how they’d work together to remodel the space.  They talked about where the small kitchen would go, how the prep tables would be organized, where the coffee counter and espresso machines would go, how the space would be decorated for comfort and a relaxing vibe. 

As I watched them walk around visualizing, the experienced business manager in me started thinking about all the paperwork she’d need to file.  The health code permits, the special equipment she’d need, the certifications that may be required to serve food, the creation of a business and DBA, opening bank accounts, capitalizing, and accounting for the business…sales and income tax filings. 

I wondered how many customers she’d need to serve each day to generate an adequate cash flow and profit.  Had she identified her suppliers?  Did she know the supply costs yet?  How many employees would she need to hire to cover all the shifts?  Was she ready to establish a payroll process for her new employees, establish HR systems, purchase the various insurance coverages she’d need, including worker’s compensation coverage. 

Cut to the next scene in their video, and they’re filing the DBA paperwork, and starting to file the health code paperwork and forms.  It turns out that there is a healthy server certification that she’ll need to obtain (which includes a ton of study materials and a written test). 

She was undeterred.  She plowed straight into the process, all the while renovating and remodeling the space along with the help of friends and family. It was truly a labor of love for her.  After 3-4 weeks of work, the place was starting to take shape. 

What happens next?  I’ll be tuning in next week to find out.        

There’s a prevailing stereotype that youth and inexperience are synonymous with recklessness and abandon.

How can this 20-year-old possibly know enough to successfully launch her new coffee business? 

Look more closely and it may be that her lack of experience and knowledge are the catalyst for her leap into entrepreneurship.  She knows that she doesn’t want to work for someone else, and she loved her experience being a barista.  Why not create her own coffee house?   

One of the paradoxes of entrepreneurship is that knowledge, while valuable, can sometimes become a barrier to action. Older generations, armed with years of experience and a deep understanding of the intricacies involved in starting and running a business, may find themselves paralyzed by the fear of failure, or an unwillingness to put in all the work they know lies ahead. Knowing what they know, they can easily talk themselves out of almost anything.

On the other hand, young entrepreneurs often possess an infectious optimism and a sense of invincibility that propels them forward. Unencumbered by the weight of past failures or the mounting responsibilities of adulthood, they approach new ventures with a boldness that can be both exhilarating and inspiring. Their willingness to take risks stems not from ignorance, but from a belief that they can overcome any obstacle that stands in their way.

They are adaptable, more willing to pivot and change course when facing unexpected challenges. They haven’t yet become set in their ways or entrenched in established routines, allowing them to embrace change with a sense of excitement rather than fear. They view setbacks not as roadblocks, but as opportunities for growth and learning.

Young entrepreneurs understand the value of learning by doing. They’re not afraid to dive into the nitty-gritty of running a business, knowing that experience is the best teacher.

Will any of it be easy?  No.

Will she have moments of self-doubt, and fear of failing?  Yes. 

Will she overcome the wall of worry and doubt, plus all the challenges associated with owning and running a successful business?  Maybe, but I know she has what it takes to make it successful. 

Would I open a coffee house at this point in my life?  Nope. 

But I love that she’s pursuing her dream.  I love that her parents are there to help.  I can already see that they’re being supportive, but also letting her drive the process, take the risks, and make the decisions. 

If she were to ask for my advice, I’d tell her to consider the following (in no particular order):

  • Create or join a network of trusted allies and service providers.  Join the local Chamber of Commerce, a BNI chapter, or a group that has other business owners as members.  You’ll get to meet other entrepreneurs, compare notes with them, and many of them will provide services and expertise that you can use.
  • Focus on the customer’s experience in everything you do.  Advocate for your customers and they will advocate for you.
  • Start your marketing and awareness campaign long before the day you open your business.  While you’re remodeling the interior or your space, take the time to remodel and brand the exterior.  Put up “coming soon” signs.  Try to generate as much anticipation in your surrounding neighborhood as possible…again, long before opening day. 
  • If possible, ensure that your business has at least 3 months (or more) of operating capital in the bank at any time.  The more, the better.  You never know when something unexpected might happen…a big expense or capital investment opportunity, or maybe a cyclical downturn in your business. 
  • Remember that leaders always eat last.  This means you’ll probably have some lean times, financially.  Keeping your business healthy and paying your employees must come first.  It’s quite possible that you won’t be pulling anything that looks like a paycheck from your business for 6-12 months.  Prepare for this and realize it’s completely normal.   
  • As you hire employees, whether they’re part-time or full-time, make sure they know your values, why your coffee house is special, why they are fortunate to be part of your team and that you feel blessed and fortunate to have them on your team. 
  • Advocate for your employees, but don’t be afraid to quickly let go of employees who aren’t embracing your company culture. You need to employ believers in your mission…anything less is unacceptable.  I don’t remember who said it but hire slowly and fire fast.  Both are extremely difficult to do in practice but will pay off with amazing results if you’re able to do it. 

p/c – Nathan Lemon – Unsplash

Want to see what happens next with Belle’s coffee house?

Turning Hope into Action: A Path to Achievement

Hope is extremely powerful.  Its power rates right up there with the power of love. It’s the whisper of aspiration that accompanies our desires and dreams. We hope for success, for love, for fulfillment.

But hope alone is not enough. Hope is not an action—it is merely the spark that ignites the flame of possibility. To transform hope into reality, we must take tangible steps toward our goals.

Consider these hopes (I could list 20 more examples):

“I hope I can pass this class.”

“I hope I find someone I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

“I hope I get to my appointment on time.”

“I hope I can get promoted at work.”

These statements reflect our desires.  Our aspirations.  But they do not guarantee outcomes. Hope, though powerful, cannot materialize our wishes on its own.

Hope is most powerful when it energizes our ideas, motivating us to translate our hopes into concrete plans and steps.    

The journey from hope to action is challenging. It requires us to believe in our possibilities and commit to making them happen. It requires us to confront our own inertia, to overcome self-doubt, and to navigate the uncertainties of the future. It demands courage—the willingness to take risks, to persevere in the face of setbacks, and to embrace the unknown.

Will our actions always lead to success?  Can we get everything we hope for? 

Of course not.  Life is filled with obstacles and disappointments. However, by taking proactive steps toward our aspirations, we increase the likelihood of realizing our dreams. Actions propel us forward, opening doors to opportunities we never imagined possible.

While hope is undeniably powerful, it is action that transforms hope into reality. We can’t merely hope for a better future.  We must actively strive to create it.

In the end, it is only through action that we shape our destiny and manifest the life we envision.    

p/c – Tommy Lisbin – Unsplash.com

Planting Your Ideas…and Cultivating Them in an Environment of Trust and Collaboration

Imagine presenting your boss with a blank canvas, expecting them to sketch out the details of your plan—not impressive.

Instead, consider offering a detailed outline of your proposed actions, complete with timelines and expected outcomes. This approach allows your boss to review your thoroughness and provide feedback, while still enabling you to take the lead on the initiative.

As you consistently demonstrate the quality and reliability of your ideas, your boss may rely less on reviewing your plans in detail, knowing they align with your track record of success. This trust opens the door for you to play a more significant role in decision-making and strategy development.

Bosses appreciate having the opportunity to refine and improve upon existing ideas rather than starting from scratch. They usually don’t have the time or are unwilling to take the time to create from scratch. That’s your job.

By presenting well-researched proposals supported by data and evidence, you provide a solid foundation for collaboration. Offering multiple options allows your boss to feel involved in the decision-making process while subtly guiding them toward your preferred solution.

Timing matters. Choose moments when your boss is receptive and avoid times of stress or distraction. By seeking feedback and actively listening to your boss’s input, you demonstrate a willingness to collaborate, adapt, and learn.

Your goal is always to build a relationship of trust and collaboration. When this happens, your ideas have an opportunity to thrive and contribute to your organization’s innovation and growth.

You can walk around with your blank canvas, wondering why your ideas never get attention. Or, you can raise your hand, and share your ideas in a way that multiplies your boss’s (and your) effectiveness.  I choose the second option every time. 

p/c – Jonny Caspari, Unsplash.com

I have one favor to ask. If you enjoyed this post and found it useful, please forward it to someone else. Thanks!

Making the Clay: A parable about how projects come to life.

p/c WAI – John Cargile

In the dim glow of his studio, the sculptor stood before a vast expanse of pristine clay, lost in thought. His mind danced with visions of what he would create—a masterpiece that would captivate hearts and minds, a testament to his skill and vision. Yet, before his hands could shape the clay, there were crucial steps to take, like preparing the raw material before the artistry could begin.

As he contemplated the sculpture taking form in his mind’s eye, he pondered the perspectives he would bring to his creation. Each angle, each curve held significance, and he knew that his vision would resonate differently with each observer. He envisioned the awe in their eyes, the whispers of admiration as they saw his work.

But this sculpture would be unlike any he had attempted before—it would be monumental, stretching skyward in grandeur. The clay alone would not suffice; he would need the finest materials that could withstand the test of time. Yet, the cost of these materials weighed heavily on his mind. It was a venture that would require more than just his own resources.

Thus, he embarked on a journey to seek investors—patrons who believed in his vision and were willing to invest in its realization. With their support, he would procure the materials necessary to bring his creation to life. But it was not just financial backing he sought; he needed a team of skilled artisans who would join him on this sculpting journey.

Finding the right team was no small feat. Each member would bring their own expertise and perspective, enriching the project with their unique talents. Yet, it was not just a matter of talent—they would need to share his passion and commitment, willing to sacrifice their own pursuits to see the vision through.

And so, he set out to assemble his team, each member drawn by the promise of being part of something extraordinary. Yet, he knew that their dedication could not go unrewarded. He would provide for them, ensuring they had the means to sustain themselves as they poured their hearts and souls into the project.

With each detail meticulously planned, he secured a space large enough to accommodate the monumental sculpture, a blank canvas upon which his vision would take shape. And in his heart, he held onto the hope that there would be a patron waiting in the wings, eager to claim his creation as their own.  A customer.

As he surveyed the clay before him, he saw not just a mound of earth, but the embodiment of possibility—the first step in a journey that would culminate in something truly extraordinary.

With determination burning bright in his eyes, the sculptor began to mold the clay, each touch infused with passion and purpose. He knew that before the sculpture could stand tall, it must first be brought to life in the fertile soil of his imagination.

Sound familiar? 

If you launch a new idea, a new project, a new company, or a new rocket…you’re the sculptor.  You alone see your vision.  To see this new vision come to life, you will need to gather others, inspire them, challenge them, and ultimately organize your new team toward the goal of making your vision a reality. 

It won’t be easy.  Great things never are.  You’ll risk failure at every turn.  You’ll have to overcome challenges you never knew existed.    

But you’ll never achieve meaningful success in your project (whatever it is) without taking the risk, making the clay, gathering your team, and ultimately bringing your vision to life. 

I have one favor to ask: If you like this content and think someone else will like it as well, please forward this post to them.

The Power of Multiplying Yourself: Why Training and Supporting Your Team Leads to Success

The belief that doing everything yourself is faster can limit growth. Training and empowering your team leads to expanded capabilities, time for strategic initiatives, and a strong organizational culture.

p/c: Andrea Gian – Unsplash

“It’ll be faster for me to just handle this task now and get it done.”

“It’ll take me more time to train someone how to do this than it will take me to do it myself.”

“I’ll just take care of this task myself and get it out of the way.”

Sound familiar? 

It’s easy to fall into this trap of thinking that doing everything yourself is the most efficient way to get things done. This mindset not only limits your own growth and potential but also minimizes your team’s and your organization’s potential.

Investing your time in training and supporting your direct reports is not just beneficial—it’s essential for long-term success.

Here’s why:

  • Trust and Empowerment: When you take the time to train your team members, you show them that you trust their abilities. This trust fosters a sense of empowerment, motivating them to take on new challenges and responsibilities with confidence.
  • Expanded Capabilities: By preparing your team for their next levels of challenge, you expand their capabilities and push their limits outward. Consider this: Instead of just solving today’s problems, imagine if your team could handle tomorrow’s challenges without you needing to intervene. As they tackle new tasks and acquire new skills, they become stronger and more versatile contributors to the organization.
  • Time Management: While it may seem faster to handle tasks yourself in the short term, investing in training your team ultimately frees up your time for higher-level responsibilities. Imagine if you could focus on strategic initiatives, process improvement, and growth opportunities for the organization, rather than being bogged down in day-to-day tasks.
  • Cultural Impact: Creating a culture of learning and growth within your team not only boosts morale but also strengthens the entire organization. When your team members feel challenged and supported in their professional development, they’re more engaged and motivated to contribute their best work.
  • Preparation for Growth: By nurturing the skills and talents of your team members, you’re preparing the organization to adapt and grow. A team that is continuously learning and evolving is better equipped to handle the new challenges that are just around the corner (whether you see them coming, or not).

Neglecting your team’s development can have serious consequences. Employees who feel stagnant and unchallenged are more likely to become disengaged. Disengaged employees will leave, or worse, they’ll choose to stay and become seat warmers—adding nothing valuable to the organization.

People want to learn. They want to be challenged. They are most engaged when they’re pushing the boundaries of their capability, taking on new skills, and becoming more valuable to their organization.

The adage of “it’s faster to do it myself” is short-sighted and will limit your career growth.

Take the time to train and support your team. You will multiply your effectiveness and create a powerful culture of empowerment and continuous improvement within your organization.

Delegation isn’t Abdication

Delegation isn’t a “set it and forget it” task. As the leader, you aren’t abdicating the task and walking away…

How’s your delegation game? If you’re like most managers, I bet there’s room for improvement. As leaders, our ability to delegate effectively is a cornerstone of organizational success.

When done correctly, delegation is a powerful tool for growth, multiplying a leader’s effectiveness and unlocking the full potential of individuals and their organization.

Delegation isn’t a mere task transfer—a way to dump all the unpleasant tasks off your plate and onto someone else’s. True delegation involves entrusting the responsibility and authority needed for the team member to take emotional ownership of the assignment. This is the only way they’ll be able to make the decisions necessary for success.

Delegation isn’t a “set it and forget it” task. As the leader, you aren’t abdicating the task and walking away. It’s critical that you remove your ego from the equation, recognizing that your team member’s approach may differ from yours. Your job is to provide the necessary space and grace for team members to be successful. Moreover, you should offer support, insights, and resources to aid in their success without dictating every step.

Delegation is the linchpin for developing a pipeline of future leaders. Breaking employees free from routine tasks pushes them outside their comfort zones. They learn more about their organization and themselves. Their picture of the organization becomes clearer, and their connection to the organization strengthens.

Success breeds confidence. Not only is the leader’s effectiveness multiplied when their team members succeed, team members gain confidence to handle future challenges. When setbacks occur, leaders should provide guidance, help redirect efforts, and work collaboratively to identify lessons learned.

Managers who refrain from delegation or hoard the “secret sauce” of their roles create a bottleneck in leadership development. They will find themselves locked into their roles, unable to develop or contribute to other parts of the organization. Their failure to prepare team members for advancement creates a stagnant environment that hinders overall organizational agility. Without a culture of delegation, an organization will struggle to identify and nurture emerging talent.

One other thing about delegation: when you delegate an important task, it’s your job to champion your team member’s efforts within the organization. If you’re congratulated for their success, make sure your team members get recognized for doing the work. If things go poorly, own the failure and work with your team members to improve their chance of success the next time.

Delegation is not just a skill. It’s a long-term strategic commitment to nurturing and building tomorrow’s leaders.

How can you enhance your delegation practices today?

I have one favor to ask:  If you find this information useful, please forward and recommend it to someone else.  Thanks! 

The Unsung Heroes: Driving Excellence in the Shadows of Mediocrity

The pursuit of excellence is always a journey worth taking. Do you have what it takes?

It’s an unfortunate truth that a large cohort of our society defines their success as doing the minimum.  For them, success means not failing (or being seen to fail). 

They’re okay with mediocrity, inefficiency, and ineffectiveness. They believe they can’t make a difference anyway, so they welcome the warm embrace of the status quo.  They take comfort in joining the flock of mediocrity. 

Do you find success in simply avoiding failure, or are you one of the rare renegades who can’t stand mediocrity?

In a landscape where inefficiency and ineffectiveness are accepted norms, there’s a shrinking community of individuals who see an opportunity for improvement. They envision a future defined by hard work, creativity, and continuous efforts to break free from the shackles of the status quo.

These unsung heroes view mediocrity as a chance to make a difference. They are willing to undertake the hard work necessary for transformation. These passionate individuals are the driving force behind organizational change, pushing boundaries and overcoming obstacles in the relentless pursuit of excellence.

They are willing to try.      

They’re willing to risk failure, often multiple times, to pull themselves and their organization kicking and screaming toward a better future. 

In a perfect world, organizations would recognize and elevate these passionate individuals, recognizing their contribution. 

Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world.  Status quo is like a warm blanket.  Those who threaten to take away that blanket are often seen as a threat. The well-organized flock of mediocrity is a powerful deterrent to new ideas and improvement. 

Do you have what it takes to be one of the renegades?  One of the unsung heroes? 

Are you willing to toil in relative obscurity, pushing back the walls of mediocrity, making room for excellence in their place? 

Few are up to this challenge.  But organizations count on these renegades for their success everyday…even if they don’t realize it.

What a Wonderful World

Sadness can find us with little or no effort…

Sadness can find us with little or no effort…sometimes on a daily basis.

I see trees of green,
red roses too.
I see them bloom,
for me and you.
And I think to myself,
what a wonderful world.

Sadness, defined as anything that’s the opposite of joy:

Emotional pain

Feelings of disadvantage

Loss

Despair

Grief

Anger

Helplessness

Disappointment

Sorrow

Frustration

Guilt

I see skies of blue,
And clouds of white.
The bright blessed day,
The dark sacred night.
And I think to myself,
What a wonderful world

Oddly, we sometimes seek out sadness for our own purposes.  Maybe we need an excuse for not being the person we know we can be.  Maybe we find comfort in burdening others with our pain.

The colors of the rainbow,
So pretty in the sky.
Are also on the faces,
Of people going by,
I see friends shaking hands.
Saying, “How do you do?”
They’re really saying,
“I love you”.

When sadness in its many forms pays a visit, we have two fundamental questions to ask ourselves:

  • What will we allow inside?
  • How long will we allow it to stay?

It’s easy to say that we get to decide.  That doesn’t mean it’s easy to kick sadness out once it arrives for a visit.

I hear babies cry,
I watch them grow,
They’ll learn much more,
Than I’ll ever know.

What to do?  Here’s a list that I have to remind myself of from time to time:

  • Tune your mind to find joy in the simple things
  • Seek out and cherish love in your life
  • Offer forgiveness to yourself and others
  • Share your time and attention with others
  • Seek opportunities to serve others first
  • Observe life with a sense of awe and gratitude.

Joy won’t find us the way sadness can.  Joy only shows itself when we take action to greet it warmly with open arms and outstretched hands.

And I think to myself,
What a wonderful world.

Yes, I think to myself,
What a wonderful world.

Oh Yeah.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

The Value of Goodwill

Do you serve others first?

How much is your goodwill worth?

The accounting definition of goodwill describes it as the established reputation of a business, quantifiable by taking the fair market value of the tangible assets of a company, subtracting that amount from the full purchase price, blah, blah, blah.

The accounting definition is important, but the goodwill I’m interested in is your personal goodwill, which is measured with the answers to these questions (in no particular order):

  • Do you have a personal reputation as a good person?
  • Are you a person who can be trusted?
  • Are you reliable?
  • Do you work with others based on honesty and integrity first, above all else?
  • When people describe you to others, do they do so fondly or derisively?
  • Are you a person who people want to be around?
  • Do you repel people, or gather people?
  • Do you have a track record of acting fairly in all situations?
  • Do you serve others first?
  • When the proverbial chips are down and everything is going wrong, can others rely on you to rise above the chaos, identify root causes, and get to work solving the problems?
  • Are you known as the person who runs from trouble?
  • Are you the one who looks to blame rather than solve?

The answers to these questions will matter more to your long-term success than any college degree or career accomplishment you may achieve.

Your actions and attitudes will show people your answers more vividly than anything you say.

It’s easy to say words like honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, or empathy.  The real test is how you act and what you choose to do, whether or not other people are watching.

Show me a team of people who don’t value their own personal goodwill or that of their teammates, and I’ll show you a team that fails 99 times out of 100.

The most important choices you’ll make in life are the ones that either add value to, or take value away from your personal goodwill.

Choose wisely.  Your happiness and success depend on it.

Photo by Jukan Tateisi on Unsplash

Premature Judging

The easiest approach is to prematurely judge, declare failure and decide who to blame…

Should a new home construction project be judged when only its blueprint exists?  How about when the site has been prepared?  What about when the materials like wood, rebar, and electrical conduit are delivered?

Should we wait to judge the home build until the framing is complete?  Should we wait until the walls and roof are added?  Or, wait until all the windows are installed?  What about the paint and other finishing touches on the house?  Should you wait for those to be completed?

Can you judge the success of the home build before it’s finished?

When making chocolate chip cookies, do you judge the success of the cookies while mixing the ingredients?  How about when the chocolate chips are poured into the batter?

What if the recipe called for real butter, but you only have that non-diary butter substitute that’s supposed to be healthier than butter?  Are your cookies doomed at that point?  Should you call-off the project and declare it a failure?

Assuming you’ve made it past the butter/non-dairy butter issue, is it right to judge the cookies after they’re spooned out onto the cookie sheet, but not yet baked?

Just before placing those filled cookie sheets into the preheated oven, is that the time to re-evaluate the entire cookie-making process to determine if it’s failing?  Should you call a meeting to discuss whether the cooking temperature listed in the recipe is the correct one for your cookies?

Houses and cookies are obvious examples of “projects” that have a lot of moving parts.  They build from a set of raw ingredients, mixed with time and effort, into a completed item.

What about less obvious events in our lives?  When’s the right time to judge these for success or failure (using whatever measures you’ve chosen)?

  • new job
  • new business
  • new business strategy
  • new information system
  • new software development project
  • new friends
  • new marriage
  • new workout regimen
  • new hobby
  • new home

The easiest approach is to prematurely judge, declare failure and decide who to blame.  Failure is comforting.  The status quo is easy.

The new thing is never easy.  Creating something new is almost always uncomfortable.

When we judge too early, failure soon follows.

By the way, the cookies were amazing, but not until they came out of the oven.

Photo by NeONBRAND on Unsplash