A while back (okay, it might have been two whiles ago . . .), I had this great idea for a new business. When I shared it with a friend, she promptly shot it full of holes. Mind you, she had never tried to do anything but a nine-to-five. Which is fine, but not the path that many of us aspire to. Point is, as a budding entrepreneur, pondering a new side hustle or startup, the last thing you need is a naysayer.
On the other hand, any sensible person does want valid and helpful criticism.
If you're thinking the answer is somewhere in the middle, be forewarned. There's also more than a few who either like your idea and want in on it, or have a great idea of their own. And they're going to rah, rah, rah you more than you can imagine. Because it's YOUR money they want to spend.
I've been a serial entrepreneur most of my adult life. Even when I've been engaged in such varied occupations as Stock Broker and Sales Rep for an automotive equipment company, I've always been either working on or on the hunt for my own ventures. I've learned a few things along the way about what works and what doesn't. So if you're considering a new side hustle or startup, perhaps these seven tips will help you plot a better path to success.
Good Advice: It's Called Due Diligence
Much of the advice you'll find out there boils down to one must-do: do your due diligence. To that general admonition I'd add - forget about the gurus. The vast majority of them peddle commonly available information that varies in quality from age-old sage wisdom to plain snake oil. Once you're beyond the due diligence stage, here's what my adventures in business, and my mother, have taught me.
The Golden Rule is Still The Golden Rule.
Yes, treat others the way you want to be treated. Whether it's your customer, your employee, your partner, or your suppliers, deal with them in the same ways that you'd want to be dealt with if the roles were reversed.
Patience Pays Dividends.
Once you have your goals clearly established, constant progress towards them is far more important than the speed at which you're traveling. Keep it in perspective my reminding yourself to look back at how far you've come, not just how far there is yet to go.
Success Isn't Just About You.
Recognize and reward those around you who contribute to your success. IMHO, loathsome is the CEO who gloats "they wouldn't be here without me." I can assure you, the leader who embraces "I couldn't have done this without them " has a very different kind of smile on their face when they go to bed each night.
Decide to Make A Positive Difference.
From Steve Jobs to the smallest business owner, the message that's common to virtually everyone at the end of the journey is the same. What really matters isn't the size of your bank account or the number of vacation homes you own. It's the number of lives you touched and changed.
Let Go Of "I will be happy when . . ."
Don't buy into the elusive fantasy of future happiness. It doesn't exist. Happiness only exists in the here and now. Believe otherwise and you'll find yourself as the runner in a never-ending marathon. Let yourself be happy now, and don't forget to spread it around.
Stay Flexible and Willing to Compromise
In our world of "connections," it's easy to focus only on the shortest distance between two points. But there are multiple paths that lead to the same destination. Life is such that it's highly unlikely you'll be on the route you imagine at the outset. Be open to adjustments, to compromises that might look different than you planned, but might be just what you need.
Ask Better Questions
The questions you ask yourself will determine the course of your life. Why not ask better questions? What if you asked -
"What would I do and love every day even if I were failing?" You'll be far happier, now, if you're doing what you love rather than living a life of drudgery in pursuit of some imagined future happiness.
Want A Compendium of Good Advice? Here it is.
If you want to get more specific business advice, there are literally thousands of websites and books out there offering their advice on how you should start and run a business. And then there are those gurus I mentioned. Most of them want to sell you more stuff or coaching or some wonder program that "guarantees" your success.
Truth is, those who have been successful at creating a business, large or small, have learned it's all about the same core issues, values, and habits.
I recently had the opportunity to review a new book out, and it's quite unlike anything I've come across before. " Straight Talk for Startups " brings together the best of the best bits of advice and insights to help you succeed. Structured as "100 Insider Rules for beating the odds," there no way you can read this book and not benefit. Surely no one will adopt all 100, but it's a fishbowl of winning tickets and any handful you pick will enrich you and your business.
Launching A New Side Hustle or Startup? The Future IS Yours To Create.
Whether you heed my shared thoughts or grab the book and embrace it's jewels of wisdom, one thing is clear. Five or ten or twenty years is going to get here. More quickly than you think. And here's my final tip: That future time doesn't care what your world looks like when you get there. It's up to you. Why not take that budding new side hustle or startup idea and make something wonderful?
I'm a serial entrepreneur, with a resume that makes me look like a Jane of all trades. Pretty sure we are all reluctant Messiahs, travelling through life planting seeds where ever we can. Hopefully, most of mine have been good ones! MA from Miami University (Ohio, not Florida), BA from Cal State.
