| The word entrepreneur has become a catch all | | | | that may mean that you might have to stop |
| title for just about everyone and anyone who | | | | running around like a chicken without a head. |
| starts and or builds a business. I've always | | | | Take a second and assess what's really going |
| had a bit of trouble throwing that overused, | | | | on around you.1. Are you trying to do too |
| imported moniker around because I believe | | | | many things yourself? |
| it's not always applied in the correct | | | | |
| manner.Is an entrepreneur someone who takes | | | | 2. Do you have so much work that it seems |
| the family business and keeps it going? Is it | | | | like you're never finished? |
| the person who builds a new division of the | | | | |
| company where they're employed? Or should it | | | | 3. Do you know what you want your business |
| be reserved for only those who have put | | | | to look like by the end of the year, three |
| everything on the line in order to build | | | | years and five years? |
| their business? I'll opt for the latter.I'll | | | | |
| never forget being at an area Chamber of | | | | 4. Do you waste time doing tasks that you |
| Commerce awards dinner some years back when I | | | | shouldn't be doing? |
| was surprised to find that the recipient of | | | | |
| the Entrepreneur of The Year award went to a | | | | 5. Can you delegate better than you do? |
| gentleman whose father had started the | | | | |
| business many years before and built it into | | | | 6. Have you lost sight of your original |
| quite a successful venture. By the time the | | | | goal? |
| son had arrived to run the company it was | | | | |
| already a multi-million dollar operation! | | | | 7. Are you not as organized as you could or |
| "Wait a minute", I said to myself, "How can | | | | should be?If you answered yes to one or more |
| this guy be the entrepreneur of the year when | | | | of these questions it's time to sit down and |
| he was handed the reins of a large, seemingly | | | | write out an operations/expansion (OE) plan. |
| profitable, corporation?" Dad did all the | | | | The plan must include:1. A breakdown of the |
| risk taking and sonny boy gets the awards, | | | | tasks involved in the day-to-day operation of |
| huh?!So let's be a little cautious when | | | | the business |
| throwing around that wonderful | | | | |
| term...entrepreneur. It's too near and dear | | | | 2. A listing of the priorities of those |
| to those genuine, "Hey I've got an idea...I | | | | tasks |
| think it'll work...I'm quitin' my job and | | | | |
| goin' for it" folks who really put their life | | | | 3. A clear vision of where you would like |
| on the line for the challenge.The | | | | the company to be at year's end, in three |
| entrepreneur is an interesting study. He or | | | | years and five years |
| she, by definition, is a person who organizes | | | | |
| and manages a business undertaking, assuming | | | | 4. A realistic understanding of the |
| the risk for the sake of their dreams and | | | | strengths and weaknesses of all employees, |
| hopefully profits (which may be one and the | | | | including yourself |
| same).Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and | | | | |
| sizes, yet there are some attributes that | | | | 5. A breakdown of your typical day. This may |
| seem to be common in most of them.They are | | | | necessitate time charting your activities |
| for the most part pretty good at getting | | | | each day for a week. |
| things going. They are an excitable bunch. | | | | |
| Caught up in the enthusiasm of their ideas | | | | 6. A outline of why you started the company |
| and dreams they rush forward with their | | | | |
| embryonic plans until they become reality. | | | | 7. An inventory of how organized, or |
| They certainly can organize and manage their | | | | disorganized, your office and/or work area |
| business in the beginning, but then what?Many | | | | isWith the information in your OE plan you |
| of them get stuck. Why? Because they're | | | | can begin to structure yourself and your |
| entrepreneurs, that's why. The entrepreneur | | | | company. You may find that you may be quite |
| gets his or her juice from creating new | | | | capable of taking your company to the next |
| things, conceiving great ideas and putting | | | | level or that you may be quite content |
| them into action. However, once the thrill is | | | | leaving the structural part of that mission |
| gone so is the impetus needed to keep it | | | | to someone else while you play the creative |
| going in an orderly fashion.Classic | | | | role and still have the ability to reap the |
| entrepreneurs have trouble taking their | | | | benefits without the stress of being in a |
| businesses to the next level. I like to call | | | | position that's uncomfortable.Take the time |
| it going from an entrepreneurial venture into | | | | to understand that entrepreneurs can be great |
| a corporation. Of course I realize that the | | | | at one thing but as the entity expands, not |
| entrepreneurial venture may actually be a | | | | so wonderful at the tasks needed in the new |
| corporation, but that's in name only. It's | | | | environment that the growth they started |
| changing a mindset and beginning to act like | | | | brings. It's ok. Think of it as a parent |
| a corporation.That means structure and | | | | watching their child leave for their first of |
| manuals, policies and procedures. It also | | | | so many days of school. They'll do fine on |
| means less nepotism and more | | | | their own, they have a structured |
| qualifications.Unfortunately, the | | | | environment, with good instructors and a |
| entrepreneur quite often doesn't realize what | | | | president (principal) to oversee the |
| he or she needs because they're to busy | | | | situation.But when it comes time for some |
| creating and building to worry too much about | | | | really important life decisions, the child |
| the details. All of a sudden they turn around | | | | comes back to the parent (or entrepreneur) |
| and they start to see that they could easily | | | | for the insights and wisdom that only he or |
| busy themselves out of business. Yes, that is | | | | she can provide.Dan Goldberg, MBA, is |
| possible.Lack of a solid structure can do | | | | President of Dan Goldberg Consulting L.L.C. a |
| that.Entrepreneurs have a tendency to do | | | | training, coaching and business development |
| everything themselves. That often comes from | | | | firm located in the Philadelphia, PA area. He |
| the way they started the business. But as the | | | | is the founder and former owner of "For Eyes" |
| business grows that becomes impossible. Yet, | | | | the highly successful international optical |
| too many of them can't let go. They become | | | | company and an internationally recognized |
| scattered, do too many things, and at times | | | | keynote speaker. Dan is the author of the |
| compensate by micromanaging. It's tough to | | | | book "Stand Back A Second, Just don't fall |
| watch your baby grow and realize that someone | | | | off the edge," and of "The Six Steps To Solid |
| else can do this or that task better than | | | | Sales Success" and "The Seven Elements Of |
| you.That doesn't mean losing that good old | | | | Successful Management" programs. He is |
| family feeling or stopping the "Let's go for | | | | Executive-In-Residence at Kutztown University |
| a drink after work" routine. What it does | | | | and has been the subject of stories in |
| mean is beginning to realize that you're in | | | | Newsweek, Business Week, Playboy, Successful |
| need of a controller and hiring one, putting | | | | Business, Investor's Business Daily, major |
| a person in the marketing department who has | | | | newspapers in New York, Philadelphia, |
| actually done something like that before and | | | | Washington, D.C., Boston, Baltimore, Miami, |
| even hiring a President or COO to run the | | | | San Francisco, Oakland, St. Louis, Chicago, |
| ship and its structure so that you, the | | | | Los Angeles and many other national and local |
| entrepreneur can do what you do best, create | | | | publications. In addition, Dan has appeared |
| and build, direct and play.If you are a | | | | on Good Morning America and other national |
| classic entrepreneur stand back and look at | | | | and local television and radio programs. |
| yourself and your company. Yes I know that | | | | |