Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.
Sun Tzu, The Art of War
In a startup business no staff should have fixed position titles. Only established companies with a steady routine can have such! Strategies determine the tactics and since a market is not yet won hierarchy is unnecessary! To have Order at start every staff is in "marketing" ie (Research and Development) and that is the operations for the time, when it is time to "deliver" solutions they transform into the Operations group or groups, and only after they become the administrative group! This tactic allows a startup to develop in a strategic manner where creativity is assessed and enhanced at the same time, this also helps not to be restricted to the supposedly defined qualification needs by the established companies. Everyone works as one team with one voice stage by stage!
Titles are only useful for managerial or directorial levels!
A machine can't do what the human mind can or should! It lacks sensitivity that is most needed in times of crises! It may be programmed to store data but the production and assessment of it is left to the human mind in combination with the heart "intuition"! Technology is also limited by the level of available tools inbuilt! A chisel still needs a hammer to carve the wood!
A stealth mindset is required to manage people. A stealth mindset is developed in people who have had to experience situations of high risk or pressure! This is why kids who have hassled on the streets rather than only read text books become employers! A lot in the business world revolves around risk not necessarily in terms of danger but preventing by foreseeing possible events that could lead or should be taken to forge ahead!
I had performed what one calls "strategic elicitation exercise", in which I pushed people on my social network into conversations from a variety of topics regardless of how simple or obscene it may have looked at at the time and in conjunction with my experience to produce analysis of a given environment.
My tactic was to make myself a dartboard in order to understand the social issues within and outside my group. This way I played the good and the bad cop at the same time. I wasn't really interested in what was going on in their lives but more how they would react by responding to a perception of me and them! Now I am asking myself what are the Marketers and PR students doing sitting in the classroom when they are supposed to be field workers!
Why is it hard for a young person who just graduated/undergraduate to win an interview for a big position in Africa as against when I see kids of 25 heading management positions in developed countries? The key to management is innovation and directorship. I doubt that the old heads are capable of seeing the new in the old because sorry to say we all get stuck in the comfort of the past and glory is sought in conjuring new heights. Heading directorial positions isn't management. Directing the future is different from managing the present. After all if market opportunities are based on trends who's best to channel it?
Look at the type of business you choose and ask "do you see yourself doing it when you reach
retirement age"? Some business ventures need time to brew and some are immediate but your desire is what will push it. A lot of people who wish to start a business start it for various reasons and those reasons are what drives the implementation of it.
Some are happy at their current jobs but may wish to grow their life because they have envisioned that they may not be able to grow within the organisation they are in presently. Some start a business because they have a story to tell. Now how does this work? They wish to prove someone or a society that they are missing out on a vital aspect, these businesses are usually activist types and may end up being NGO's. Some start businesses because they wish to leave a legacy to their kids but the danger of it may be that the kids wouldn't take it up so make sure that your kids are a part of the business before they leave school or university. Family businesses do work but not without them being in it. An option is you can develop it and sell it.
Starting a business for job security isn't the best of options in my view as there is no security in owning a business except for emotional reasons such as pride in what you are doing because markets fluctuate. You will experience financial lifts and setbacks and it is during the ups you must prepare for the moments of downfalls. One can define security in various levels; for some it is in recognition even if they are not making much but enough. For me my reasons revolve around helping in changing the world to be a better place by creating jobs and opportunities for others as well as having what to do when i grow old and what will help me take care of my kids. Don't know if these personal reasons are good enough for you but for me it pushes me regardless of where i am at any stage in my business.
Some startup because they just want to be busy and some because they want to make money. For me being busy is a better reason as during financial lows many stop their ventures but those who want to be busy will keep at it even during financial lows. Most often entrepreneurs whether they are successful at their business or not at a stage find themselves very unhappy because we may have outgrown the passion behind why it all started in the first place. Set yourself Life present and future goals that one can use as landmarks. Look at business as a tool, this way you wouldn't be too anxious in slow times because you will see you are still achieving your life goals.
I am excited because i know who i am, what i am doing to get there and i wish the same for you.
Hiding your business idea is dangerous because ideas don't really belong to you alone, you will be surprised how many people have thought of the same thing. How? Someone in Europe may not have the same line of thought as some in Timbuktu but different experience can produce same needs/drive, the difference is in execution.
It helps if you have a grand project or dream you wish to bring to life. This is what will bind you and motivate you to push on in the face of adversity. Follow the dream; create your reality through your solution. It will get you back on track if you step out of track. The vision helps to bare the ups and downs.
Create a pipeline of new products: You have been working for someone for a few years and during that period you have been stumbling on complaints. Refresh an existing product by introducing new, exciting features; accessories are the kings of cash flow. A shirt with new buttons has a new life. The skill is to find various ways not to let go of a product, resell, renew, repackage, recycle, change cost or distribution to new markets. Come up with completely new ideas for products.
You may have also heard when they say "there is more than one way to skin a cat" find your way; innovation is the art of creation. Service brands are about; what is done, when it is done, who does it. Freelancers usually perform services but then you can become a solution developer. This is the moment where most beginners fail at selling a service. You need to tell a story with your solution. Remember you can’t see a service.
An experiment was conducted on a One year old. There were 3 types of liquids; Milk, Water & Sprite. She threw away the milk got tired of it! She has it every day. Then she was given Water, in the process of drinking she saw the Sprite bottle and demanded for it. It didn’t sit well with her throat, she choked on the gas. Milk is a variable based on need, between these sources of hydration the child set priorities which doesn’t make either less or more preferable.
This is the same effects on brands. Understanding the visual taste of consumers is one thing, knowing the taste and establishing loyalty is another. You can't cater to all. Not everyone likes Coke and it’s not healthy for everyone and in excess but water is a necessity and keeps health (loyalty).
Let’s take for instance the COCA Cola Brand. People needed something order than water. Coca cola decided to create a drink that can satisfy the thirst. COCA Cola satisfies the individual thirst, supports social events and business events through creating entrepreneurs distributing their product as a reseller.
A brand is a strategy that opens opportunities to increase sales and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. Coca-cola has made itself the most valuable brand in the world, with the name alone worth billions of dollars but why? It is Loyal; always the same but modernises its looks.
Looks is one of the many and most important aspects to anything. You are presenting to draw attention whether to yourself or your business. Honestly speaking any promotion is good promotion even Notoriety :) for those who can handle it. Circumstance dictates people choices and usefulness determines loyalty, boredom forces change. Its all about the need and habits of your market.
What do people need? Study the hierarchy of needs. Remember all needs are always individualistic. There are sets of needs: personal, social and business needs. Needs "thirst" are the thriving force of human nature. If we don’t need we don’t ask as well as if we don’t know we don’t care.
There are levels at which we communicate about needs: object, experience and concept. As we go up the levels of abstraction ideas increase, reality recedes.
At the 'object' level, we talk about tangible material things, many of which we can touch and pick up. The truth of an object is independent of people
At the experience level, we talk about the experiences we’ve had. This now has the abstraction of interpretation, however, it is still very real to us at least
When two people talk about common experiences they refer to the same object but may have different feelings and solutions about them. This is a common source of conversation; interest & conflicts, as we often expect others to have the same experiences as us, we try to make people into ourselves. At the conceptual level of communication, we talk about ideas and thoughts we have had. Concepts include our beliefs, values and schemas. Are there aliens?
Words are effectively concepts, in a way they are little packets of meanings by which we try to communicate. Concepts can be accepted or rejected, it is in how it was or is interpreted in the mind of the receiver. When you listen to experiences, receive it as a concept, evaluate it and put your own interpretation on it. When you communicate, what you say is conceptual. Wonder is the platform of ideas, abandonment to those wonders creates a map to follow. What you believe is what creates your reality; Explore, Create, Show! Whether you are conducting an interview, motivating or delivering a keynote address, your success is defined by your ability to persuade with clarity & passion.
Investors buy into the person first then into the concept. Why? Because at the end of the day everyone knows that the driver is the person at the wheel. If you don’t believe in something you can’t sell it, your confidence in your concept brings confidence within you and your clients, staff, partners, suppliers through relatable truths or facts presented.
A brand should develop a habit. What will lure them like addicts? Addiction through promotion, easy access and at the same time not to bore them. In order to grow a brand must change its face but not its taste. There is always more than one way to skin a cat, devise ways to implement something in a way that no one can.
We are all attracted to glam but after you find out that it is just that we loose interest, same it is with a business that has nothing to support its face value, it will be dumped. As said "not all that glitters is gold" hence the need to create/sustain brand quality, not just in visuals but its benefits. A solution at its startup phase is like a diamond in the rough but continuously filing it will give you that brand recognition and loyalty you need.
Imagine you were given a diamond stone in its rough state, you can't pretty much do anything with it, but put it on a shelf or sell it to the dealers but if you want to use it you file it out. This is why you need to test it to find the value. Build your brand on quality, efficiency and integrity, people are always loyal to what they trust.
The creator is the ultimate brander; he has made everyone & everything unique. Even to the smallest of molecules and the brands have their specific purpose. Life is about fulfilling a purpose. Don't be limited in mind, be liberated in your spirit. Everything or everyone has potential. You are amidst other brands. Be different be transforming. Stand out, not just in looks but in value and in a purpose driven life.
Entrepreneurship is like a game of chess. The goal of the game is to checkmate. Play or be Played! Calling upon a higher-order of thinking skills, analyse actions to foresee consequences and visualise future possibilities; this in a nutshell describes the journey of an entrepreneur.
You may discover that you are in fact temperamentally unsuited to self-employment, or that there is training you need to undertake before you begin the venture. It is essential to make a realistic assessment of your talents and work out whether you lack any of the skills essential to the success of your venture. How well organized are you? You have to be an excellent time manager. If you do not already possess this skill it can and must be learned. How else will you: Juggle tasks; meet multiple deadlines; prioritise conflicting demands; cope with basic administration such as sending out invoices.
If you were ever an employee you will be able to reflect on the hurdles your previous employer went through with you and others as well as the business. This should have prepared you for the steps you would need to take. Knowledge in this area will help you manage and plan being the best boss and entrepreneur.
To start first find out the areas you can become a supplier/freelance this allows you to gain insight into the administrative aspects of doing business if you didn't climb high enough on the corporate ladder as well as it will allow you to see loopholes to test your concept.
When you drive do you see beyond the car in front of you? Do you plan ahead? Seeing steps ahead allows you to prepare. The business needs this to minimize uncertainties.
Will you be able to network? Do you really like people? Well there are some businesses that doesn’t require physically meeting people but it is essential to market yourself and your business, often in social situations. Putting yourself in a position of contact is a prerequisite at different intervals.
Are you literate and numerate? What is your relationship with computers? If you are not totally familiar with any of the admin functions you need to or pay others. It may take time to learn but it can also save you some money you may not have at start.
How committed are you? Do you believe in yourself / business idea? Self-employment is not a comfortable option, half-hearted approach can be disastrous. Are you self-motivated? Running a business can be a lonely occupation, no one is going to motivate you other than yourself, strength is from within. Being your own boss seems like an idyllic life away from the drudgery of a 9 to 5 job, find out if you've got what it takes to be an entrepreneur. What does professionalism mean to you? Will you turn up to meetings on time; present a businesslike image; do the necessary homework?
Volunteering, supplying and freelance jobs help build your profile which is like a cv, it also gives you the opportunities to explore other business interest or add more skills. As a general rule, so long as you operate under your own name you do not need to register as a business. This makes it possible to start overnight without hassle. At start try to submit your address and a copy of your ID/Passport for security satisfaction.
The first thing to recognize when starting your own business is that your degree rarely has a bearing on your ability to succeed. Entrepreneurship is about will, creativity and skill. It is not unusual for newly self-employed people to have a second job to help provide a guaranteed source of income for day-to-day living costs. Understand the current employment Market; Africa is underdeveloped & therefore there is always a job to do. A business is like employment but with more responsibilities. It is a challenge for those who don't understand the concept of commitment. Dreams are built not gotten. If YOU ask any successful person how they got there they will say take the path and follow through, you will find out it was not as smooth as they look now.
Could you be a (calculated) risk taker? No business is risk free. What is your response to uncertainty? Do you find this exciting rather than worrying? Are you prepared for changing markets, competition, economic fluctuations? Are you opportunity aware? Given even half a chance do you take it? Better still, can you see it coming before anyone else does or are you too over-analytical? Sometimes gut is a better guide than facts.
How hard can you work? Being self-employed is not an easy option, especially if you are working on your own, results are produced by working long hours. Do you see change as a challenge? Can you minimize its downsides by careful thought and planning? Are you a realist? Can you judge in practical terms what can be achieved or produced within a certain period? In business terms this translates into….:
Your Loves: What You Really Like Doing. If what you love is not what you r planning to convert into a business you may struggle in the motivation department.
Your Skills & Capabilities: What You Do Well? Confidence has a lot to do with comfort in your will and in the knowledge that you are good at what you do. List your abilities, you can build on to attain that ideal life. Your skills need not be strictly from your professional life, list your life’s stories as well.
Your Track Record: What You Have Experience Doing, List those accomplishments in your professional and personal life of which you're most proud of.
Your Ideal Work Style- Whether full-time or part-time, at-home, on the road, working behind the scenes or interacting with lots of people - define the environment. Work Styles describe work patterns that we develop in our early life, that tend to stay with us throughout our lives.
Entrepreneurs Work styles are usually: Realistic. Investigative, Artistic. Social, Enterprising, Conventional/ Google work style quizzes to find out where you belong. For example, researchers-have an Investigative Preference. Construction Workers-Realistic in their preferences. People with similar Work styles tend to gather in certain types of work environments. We get along easier with people who are more like us but that doesn't necessarily bring growth. Your Manifesto: This is your personal mission, your values and what drives you forward, all wrapped up into a one-page (maximum) statement. Once you have done this thinking you may find out that the business you initially was planning on starting might not just fit your life or work style vision.
Time management in business also involves pissing off your market. Get them thirsty for the solution.
Do you have commercial awareness? Do you know how to attract and retain customers; make a profit; corner a share of the market? Your business value is not just based on the market potential but to what level of potential you bring. The brain & entire nervous system is driven by electricity and so is the market. Can YOU feel and fill the market? How much energy you put in multiplies by thousands if not millions. You need to understand the driving forces of your market. Check out the hierarchy of needs and see where your business fits in with the various market levels. When a stimulus is applied in the form of a charge the potential swings over a period of time before settling back to normal so expect some reverse reactions. Too weak to cause an action? then your potential is passive, like a resistive cable. Your expectations on interest should be based on the level of awareness of the need and you as a solution. Being aware of limitations; striving for speed, efficiency and quality; pricing your output so that it appeals to clients and pays you a realistic wage. Can you see the consumer's point of view? Are you able to visualize the product or service you are offering through your customer's eyes? Business is busyness.
Starting entrepreneurs want promises; there are no subjective promises, only objective opportunities. Ideas need to become concepts "a brand of understanding in the markets mind". The market needs the promise in return they will give you the opportunity to deliver. Create a dream. A global dream. A dream that unites and builds, people always want to belong and follow the dream.
It doesn’t matter if it seems big hold it in your heart, its the picture that will keep you going in dark moments. Go as far as creating an anthem. You may need it as a jingle.
Entrepreneurship gives you a chance to excel, gain a form of recognition and take care of retirement. If mediocrity upsets you this is your ship. Sail in!!!
Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.
