Ladies and gentleman, meet Mo, Larry, and Curly Entrepreneur. These fine fellows are here today to help answer the age old question: Why do some entrepreneurs achieve stellar success while others achieve only moderate success while still others fail in business miserably?

To level the playing field let’s pretend that each of our wily entrepreneurs all started their businesses on the exact same day, selling the exact same product at the exact same price. Let’s also pretend that they started their businesses from identical locations, with the exact same resources and funding, and with the exact same opportunities and odds for success.
Even when starting from the same place at the same point in time with the same resources and same opportunities, the results vary widely; some entrepreneurs succeed in an amazing way and others do not.

Why then does one entrepreneur, in this case Curly because he is my favorite Stooge, reach the stars while most Stooges never make it off the ground? Why does Curly get to give the crowd a “Woop, woop, woop!” while accepting the Chamber’s Small Business of the Year Award while Mo and Larry have to work as waiters at the event to help pay their bills?
Great questions, but before we explore the answers let’s take it a step further. Let’s vary the equation since no two business startups are ever really the same. Could the difference in the level of success achieved be a result of the amount of financial backing each Stooge had? Could it be that one entrepreneur was simply smarter than the others (probably not in Curly’s case)? Or perhaps it was just good old dumb luck that made the difference. Or maybe God was just tired of Mo and Larry pushing Curly around and punished them with failing businesses akin to Lot’s House of Salt.

Stooges aside, there is a very simple reason some entrepreneurs do amazingly well in business while others do not. It has nothing to do with product or location or backing or education or street smarts or dumb luck.

It’s because those who succeed in an amazing way are willing to do whatever it takes – for as long as it takes – to make their dreams come true. Those who are unwilling to do whatever it takes will ultimately fail. That’s it, end of story, thank you, drive through.

I hear it all the time from students in the entrepreneurial classes I teach and from folks who call into the radio show and from consulting clients who call my office wanting to know why their businesses are tanking.

“Tim, I’m doing everything I possibly can and the business is about to go under!”

I listen and say, “Mm hmm,” in all the appropriate places, but inevitably when I ask, “Well, are you doing this, this, this, and this,” the answer usually comes back, “No, no, no, and no.”

The bottomline is this: Curly shoots for the moon and hits it while Mo and Larry talk the talk, but fail to walk the walk. Very few people are willing to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to succeed in business. That’s why so many businesses fail; they are started by Stooges (bless their hearts) who have no business being in business. Period.

Before you even think about starting a business ask yourself this question: are you willing to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to succeed in business? Would you be willing to work for a year without a regular paycheck? Would you be willing to perform every task imaginable? Would you clean the toilets, mop the floors, take out the trash, wash the windows, clean out a grease trap, flip burgers, pour drinks, and deal with customers for hours on end?

Would you stay up all night writing a proposal that you have a slim chance of winning and spend the entire next day cold calling clients who won’t give you the time of day?

Would you sell your car and mortgage your house and live on rice and beans for a year to fund the business? And if that money ran out would you think up creative ways to keep the doors open or would you just shut the doors and crawl home with your tail tucked between your legs?

And would you put your last ounce of blood, sweat and tears into a dream that might or might not come true?
If the answer to any of these questions is maybe, I don’t know, or just no, I want you to hold up your hand and stick out two fingers, then poke yourself in the eyes with them.

Then repeat after me, “Why I oughta— keep my day job.”

Tim Knox
Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker, Radio Host
“Check Out Tim’s New Radio Show!”
http://www.timknoxshow.com
Preorder Tim’s New Book:
Everything I Know About Business I Learned From My Mama
http://www.timknox.com/amazon/

Before quitting the full time job and hanging a shingle outside your door, you need to make sure you know all about running the business and not just how to perform the function of the business that you plan to open. There is more to owning a carpet cleaning business than being the best carpet cleaner in the county. It is called a business because there are functions that need to be done beyond cleaning carpets.

Depending on the type of business you plan to get into there may be specific laws governing its operation and in some cases a state or county license may be needed to operate the business. Zoning laws may also be in place to prevent the operation of some business out of the home and planning to run the business from a stand alone building you should also check to make sure the business can operate there as well. There are times that one type of business, an office building for example, may allow a bookkeeping service in the area but zoning rules may consider your business not appropriate for the location.

Checking with local and county offices can help insure you have all the licenses and permits needed to operate the business before you get it started and find out it does not meet acceptable use clauses. Regardless of the business, you will need a license from the state to collect sales tax, sometimes referred to as a vendors license. Whether your business will be selling taxable products or services, the license is still necessary and you will need to file returns to show if and how much sales tax you collected and make the payments.

Contacting your local Chamber of Commerce is an excellent source for information about starting your own business and their advice can keep you out of trouble with authorities that regulate business operations in your area. They may also advise you if different nearby communities have differing rules covering your type of business. Even non members can take advantage of the information available through most Chambers of Commerce and they are always willing to help potential new members get their feet on the business ground.

For those planning to start a franchised business, there are many resources available to help you pick the right one for you as well as for the community in which you live. Most people who buy a franchise do so based on the name recognition of the company and the information made available to them. While your interest level may be high, check with other franchisees of the same business for their opinions and get the real story about the pros and cons of running that business before making the investment.

Obinna Heche. Los Angeles – California

Delivering the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home successfully..
http://www.homeincomeportal.com/obhmy365/

Coaching, or paid professional mentoring, is replacing some of the traditional mentoring relationships of the past. It is one solution to the problem of helping overwhelmed and overstressed business people cope with the complexities of their turbulent and unstable business and personal environments.

In a turbulent workplace environment, a traditional mentoring relationship is increasingly unrealistic. Traditional mentors usually focus on helping a protege achieve success in a specific company; a personal coach focuses on helping the client achieve success in general, in both business and personal arenas.

Coaching focuses on the various, often conflicting needs of the individual, rather than on achieving any narrow goal. In fact, the coaches first task is to help the client clarify his or her needs, desires and goals.

Coaching To Achieve Both Success And Balance:

For someone consumed by work, the goal might be quite literally to help her get a life.

A VP in a large corporation, on the edge of burnout, was encouraged to drastically cut her 70-hour work week. She decided she could delegate more, insist on shorter email messages, and sometimes work from home.

Once she accomplished this goal (only two weeks later), her coach asked her to complete self assessment instruments looking at other important areas of her life. She soon discovered that her colorless, lifeless environment was contributing to her depression.

That problem was temporarily solved with fresh flowers, and now she enjoys using some of her newly recovered 20 hours a week to redecorate important areas of her home. She reports accomplishing more than ever at work, in less time and with less stress.

For individuals in a workplace which doesn’t promote creativity or spontaneity, the goal might be to help them redefine their work in a way that allows them to enjoy it and achieve a “flow” experience.

A manager who was bored and angry, cutting corners at work, felt that he was just hanging on until he could find something better. His coach supported him in searching for something better, but meanwhile insisted that he treat his current job differently.

By examining his job carefully, with the coach’s help, he found a way to streamline the work of his department, and became so fully involved in the process that he attracted recognition and a promotion.

For someone who is procrastinating about doing something important, the coach may teach the client to identify and move past the obstacles to success.

An entrepreneur is helped to break an enormous task into manageable chunks. She identifies which specific tasks she will accomplish in the next week. How many people she will call, whom she will meet with, which documents she will file, are all a part of the conversation. In her next session, she reports success and elation.

Communicate skillfully about sensitive subjects in business situations. Have the challenging conversations that lead to cooperation and success. Are To Say It Blog
Laurie Weiss, Ph.D. is a Master Certified Coach and communication expert. Dr. Weiss has spent 35 years helping clients resolve conflict in business and personal relationships. Email feedback@laurieweiss.com