|
Common problems without common solutions
As entrepreneurs, we all face many of the same problems every day.
And more than likely, we're not experts in most of these topics, but instead
our expertise probably lies in the product or service we're
trying to sell. These are the every day questions such as:
- How do I structure my business?
- What terms and conditions should be in my contracts?
- How do I get affordable office space?
- How do I set up a commission plan for my sales team?
- For that matter, how do I hire a sales team?
- For that matter, can I afford to hire a sales team?
- How do I use Quickbooks?
- How do I track my profit and loss?
- How do I get life insurance? Do I need E&O or umbrella insurance?
- How do I connect my telecommute employee into our office network?
- How do I set up an "Exchange Server" and what is that anyway and do I need it?!?!
If your expertise is in creating custom jewelry, you probably want to
focus your efforts on doing just that. Which means you'll likely answer
each of these questions quite differently than someone else whose expertise
is in creating web sites. You're both pretty sure you can't
afford to hire a consultant to answer all of these for you, so you do what
most entrepreneurs do - talk to friends and family, ask someone who is a few
months or years ahead of you in their own business, or just figure it out as
you go along, and react to a need when it can't be ignored any longer!
But there has to be a better way! And so I see an opportunity and
set out to seize it.
A side trip to the Dreaming Room with Michael Gerber
On a business trip for Copernicus (most likely headed to one of the Miva Conferences), I
picked up a business book at the airport. It looked interesting - and the title caught my
attention quickly:
The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work
and What to Do About It. It's a must read for all entrepreneurs (and all eMediaSales team members) by the way.
I read this book about 5 times while building Copernicus. As vice president and general manager of MIVA Small Business
Solutions, I had the privilege of hosting the 2006 MIVA Conference, where Mr. Gerber graced our presence (and
kicked us in the tail a few times too!) as our keynote speaker.
Perhaps it's needless to say that I am a big fan, his book changed
my business and my life.
So when I had the opportunity to sit in the
Dreaming Room with Mr. Gerber, I jumped at the chance! At the
time I was deeply involved in selling the MIVA Small Business group
for MIVA, Inc., since they wanted to focus on their core business and
shed the e-commerce group. I knew my time working for the Miva Merchant
team was likely limited, and started to explore what I would be doing
next. The Dreaming Room was an eye opening experience. For a while I
had been considering many of the problems faced by small businesses,
and how to help solve them. It was there that the concept of a new
enterprise solidified. I began to ask the question, What if there were
a company, unlike no other in the world, with the sole mission of
answering all of those daily questions and providing the necessary
services to small businesses - the right way. Every time. What if
we built a company with a dream that 100% of all of our clients
build their own successful businesses?
During a lunch session at the Dreaming Room, I tested out the
idea on a few of the other attendees. To these budding entrepreneurs,
I asked some of the questions above and more. Each of them of course
had different answers, but one common theme emerged. IF there were
a company that HAD the answers, could PROVIDE these services to the
entrepreneur at a reasonable cost, and let them FOCUS on building their
business rather than maintaining their infrastructure, they would
sign up to be a customer TODAY.
During that lunch break, I was telling one of the other attendees
how much I disliked doing the accounting, doing the cleaning, doing
the IT work, doing the legal. I want to know about everything that
happens, how it happens and that it happens right, but I
don't want to be an accountant. I want to build a business. So when
I told her that I wanted to build a business to DO all of the things
I didn't WANT to do - she called me crazy. Right then and there I
KNEW I had hit pay dirt, and that I MUST build this enterprise.
Never tell an entrepreneur that something is either crazy or impossible!
... continue to Part 3 ...
|
