End of Week #3 & $100 Challenge Update

          This week I really want to talk about what I'm learning in The E Myth Revisited. Basically so far I'm getting that you don't want to work for your business - you want your business to work for you. Gerber talks about the difference between the Entrepreneurial Perspective and the Technician's Perspective. "The Entrepreneurial Perspective sees the business as a system for producing outside results--for the customer--resulting in profits. The Technician's Perspective sees the business as a place in which people work to produce inside results--for The Technician--producing income." When I create my business, I need to do so when the results are systems dependent, rather than people dependent. 

          My next steps for the $100 challenge will be as follows:

1. Reach out to the retail businesses in town and pitch my idea

2. Plan out specific dates and time to run the campaign

3. Contact local models and photographers and pitch them the idea

        There will be more steps involved, but hopefully I'll be able to put some of the campaign pictures up on this blog when that time comes. 

          One other great asset that I learned about this week was an article how Richard Branson would answer on how to avoid common start-up mistakes. His step about staying on target was relevant to me because I have a tendency of thinking too big, or expanding too soon. He says, "Clearly define your goals and strategies, then establish a timeline. Don't let the other possibilities or hazy dreams distract you from achieving your goal".

End of Week #2

     This week I learned about how the Duck Tours company got started. It took a lot of tenacity. The story struck me in two ways. First, he was able to recognize an opportunity; and second, it said that even when he pitched it to someone who was interested in financing him, he really failed. Ultimately though, because the person he pitched it to was extremely interested, his failure in pitching ultimately helped him get the financing he needed. Hopefully for me that means I don't have to know all the answers to everything when it comes to starting up my own business.

     This week was also encouraging because I was taught that ideas can come from anywhere. Personally, I think it best to be out and about doing things and take a small amount of quite time to reflect to get my best ideas.

$100 Challenge Update

     This week I was luckily able to channel some creative juices and nail down my idea for the $100 challenge. I live in a small town were almost every other business is some sort of food product - mostly pizza chains. The rest of the businesses are mostly made up of beauty salons and mechanics. My idea was to try and find some way so that the smallest majority of the business here (retail), felt that they could be successful. Here's what I came up with: I'm going to go to businesses and offer small-scale media campaigns. I'll get a model that needs photos for her portfolio (work for free pictures), and a photographer that is looking to expand their work (or work for little pay) and pick out items at their businesses to promote (or work with the manager on items that they'd like promoted). After I direct how I want to shot to go, I'll edit the photo and blast the picture through social media - making sure that the picture includes vital information for the business. 

     I'm not going to charge the business up-front, but I am going to ask them to track the difference in customer flow and then give a donation for our work. I think it would be a win situation for them because if it really didn't do anything for their business, then they haven't lost any money. 

     Eventually I could see myself getting involved with the local theater program and using their skills to add to the mix - but I think at first I want to keep it small-scale and see where it grows naturally. If it's a success I could possibly move into larger locations (other towns) and begin to pay the photographer and model(s). 

Acton Hero Summary

Watching this excerpt about Tom Monaghan, it made me realize how important it is for you to surround yourself with things that are going to challenge you. Having Tom recognize his flaw of pride by reading the C.S. Lewis book, not only is encouraging to keep reading the best books, but is admirable because He immediately took action on how to change his life for the better. Alma 5:7 talks about God changing the hearts of the people – like they were in a deep sleep, and the scripture says, “they awoke unto God.” It probably wasn’t overnight that the result of that change came to be; but if you look at the way he lives his life now, rather than the way he started out, you can tell that he really took the embodiment of pride and left it somewhere forgotten. In summary; keep reading from the best books, and change course if needed. 

Where do I begin?

I can feel the stress just oozing out of me right now....starting my own business? Now? You mean, RIGHT NOW? Yikes

I better start reading. 

Quick search on amazon....four books and one rush shipping payment later...they're here.

I started with the One Minute Entrepreneur. Bite-sized concepts told through a story about a man and his start-up business. What hit me the most was a section about the importance of customer service. I'll share with you my favorite example:

"Let's take the example of a wake-up call in a hotel. What's the most common wake-up call in a hotel today?"

The phone rings, you pick it up, but there's no one there. Basically, a machine has called your room.

"How about the second most common wake-up call?"

I get a recording that says something like, 'Good morning, this is your wake-up call.' But nobody is really on the line.

"Here's where my example of a Moment of Truth comes in. While I was staying at a Marriott in Orlando, the phone rang for my seven o'clock wake-up call. I picked it up and a woman said, 'Good morning, Mr. Stafford, this is Teresa. It's seven o'clock. It's going to be seventy-five degrees and beautiful in Orlando today, but your ticket says you're leaving. Where are you going?"

I was taken aback - so I stammered, "I'm going to New York City."

Teresa counter with 'Let me look at the USA Today weather map. Oh no! It's going to be forty degrees and rainy in New York today. Can't you stay another day?"

- Now where do you think I want to stay when I go to Orlando? I want to stay at the Marriott so I can talk to Teresa in the morning!

The $100 challenge just began in the works. I choose a lady to donate my profits of my company too who started her own hardware-type business in a rural farming community.