The Sometimes Life Of The Early-Stage, Mid-Stage And Even Late-Stage Entrepreneur Can Be Scattered

The word entrepreneur has become a catch all titlestructure so that you, the entrepreneur can do what
for just about everyone and anyone who starts andyou do best, create and build, direct and play.If you are
or builds a business. I've always had a bit of troublea classic entrepreneur stand back and look at yourself
throwing that overused, imported moniker aroundand your company. Yes I know that that may mean
because I believe it's not always applied in the correctthat you might have to stop running around like a
manner.Is an entrepreneur someone who takes thechicken without a head. Take a second and assess
family business and keeps it going? Is it the personwhat's really going on around you.1. Are you trying to
who builds a new division of the company wheredo too many things yourself?
they're employed? Or should it be reserved for only2. Do you have so much work that it seems like
those who have put everything on the line in order toyou're never finished?
build their business? I'll opt for the latter.I'll never forget3. Do you know what you want your business to look
being at an area Chamber of Commerce awardslike by the end of the year, three years and five
dinner some years back when I was surprised to findyears?
that the recipient of the Entrepreneur of The Year4. Do you waste time doing tasks that you shouldn't
award went to a gentleman whose father had startedbe doing?
the business many years before and built it into quite a5. Can you delegate better than you do?
successful venture. By the time the son had arrived to6. Have you lost sight of your original goal?
run the company it was already a multi-million dollar7. Are you not as organized as you could or should
operation! "Wait a minute", I said to myself, "How canbe?If you answered yes to one or more of these
this guy be the entrepreneur of the year when he wasquestions it's time to sit down and write out an
handed the reins of a large, seemingly profitable,operations/expansion (OE) plan. The plan must include:1.
corporation?" Dad did all the risk taking and sonny boyA breakdown of the tasks involved in the day-to-day
gets the awards, huh?!So let's be a little cautious whenoperation of the business
throwing around that wonderful term...entrepreneur. It's2. A listing of the priorities of those tasks
too near and dear to those genuine, "Hey I've got an3. A clear vision of where you would like the
idea...I think it'll work...I'm quitin' my job and goin' for it"company to be at year's end, in three years and five
folks who really put their life on the line for theyears
challenge.The entrepreneur is an interesting study. He4. A realistic understanding of the strengths and
or she, by definition, is a person who organizes andweaknesses of all employees, including yourself
manages a business undertaking, assuming the risk for5. A breakdown of your typical day. This may
the sake of their dreams and hopefully profits (whichnecessitate time charting your activities each day for a
may be one and the same).Entrepreneurs come in allweek.
shapes and sizes, yet there are some attributes that6. A outline of why you started the company
seem to be common in most of them.They are for the7. An inventory of how organized, or disorganized,
most part pretty good at getting things going. They areyour office and/or work area isWith the information in
an excitable bunch. Caught up in the enthusiasm ofyour OE plan you can begin to structure yourself and
their ideas and dreams they rush forward with theiryour company. You may find that you may be quite
embryonic plans until they become reality. Theycapable of taking your company to the next level or
certainly can organize and manage their business inthat you may be quite content leaving the structural
the beginning, but then what?Many of them get stuck.part of that mission to someone else while you play
Why? Because they're entrepreneurs, that's why. Thethe creative role and still have the ability to reap the
entrepreneur gets his or her juice from creating newbenefits without the stress of being in a position that's
things, conceiving great ideas and putting them intouncomfortable.Take the time to understand that
action. However, once the thrill is gone so is theentrepreneurs can be great at one thing but as the
impetus needed to keep it going in an orderlyentity expands, not so wonderful at the tasks needed
fashion.Classic entrepreneurs have trouble taking theirin the new environment that the growth they started
businesses to the next level. I like to call it going frombrings. It's ok. Think of it as a parent watching their child
an entrepreneurial venture into a corporation. Ofleave for their first of so many days of school. They'll
course I realize that the entrepreneurial venture maydo fine on their own, they have a structured
actually be a corporation, but that's in name only. It'senvironment, with good instructors and a president
changing a mindset and beginning to act like a(principal) to oversee the situation.But when it comes
corporation.That means structure and manuals, policiestime for some really important life decisions, the child
and procedures. It also means less nepotism and morecomes back to the parent (or entrepreneur) for the
qualifications.Unfortunately, the entrepreneur quite ofteninsights and wisdom that only he or she can
doesn't realize what he or she needs because they'reprovide.Dan Goldberg, MBA, is President of Dan
to busy creating and building to worry too much aboutGoldberg Consulting L.L.C. a training, coaching and
the details. All of a sudden they turn around and theybusiness development firm located in the Philadelphia,
start to see that they could easily busy themselvesPA area. He is the founder and former owner of "For
out of business. Yes, that is possible.Lack of a solidEyes" the highly successful international optical
structure can do that.Entrepreneurs have a tendencycompany and an internationally recognized keynote
to do everything themselves. That often comes fromspeaker. Dan is the author of the book "Stand Back A
the way they started the business. But as the businessSecond, Just don't fall off the edge," and of "The Six
grows that becomes impossible. Yet, too many ofSteps To Solid Sales Success" and "The Seven
them can't let go. They become scattered, do tooElements Of Successful Management" programs. He
many things, and at times compensate byis Executive-In-Residence at Kutztown University and
micromanaging. It's tough to watch your baby growhas been the subject of stories in Newsweek,
and realize that someone else can do this or that taskBusiness Week, Playboy, Successful Business,
better than you.That doesn't mean losing that good oldInvestor's Business Daily, major newspapers in New
family feeling or stopping the "Let's go for a drink afterYork, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Boston, Baltimore,
work" routine. What it does mean is beginning toMiami, San Francisco, Oakland, St. Louis, Chicago, Los
realize that you're in need of a controller and hiring one,Angeles and many other national and local publications.
putting a person in the marketing department who hasIn addition, Dan has appeared on Good Morning
actually done something like that before and evenAmerica and other national and local television and
hiring a President or COO to run the ship and itsradio programs.