Owning one's own business is quite the roller coaster ride. Why didn't anyone tell me???
Sometimes its amazingly rewarding. I love the flexibility of my schedule. I love being in charge of my own destiny. Both other times, when clients are challenging, when I'm struggling with company growth, when I wonder if my invoices got lost in the mail, the thought in my head is usually "what was I thinking?". And then logic sets back in and I remind myself that I chose my path intentionally. I remind myself that if starting a company were easy everybody would do it. I remind myself that the tough times are important. The tough times cause me to reflect and grow.
I believe entrepreneurs are essential to our economy and our culture. I also believe there is much to be gained from entrepreneurs sharing their experiences. This is why ShinyDoor sponsors Entrepeneurial Roundtables at Qwirk. Our latest guest speaker was Mike D'Andrea, founder of Miracle Motor Mart.
Mike relayed some important lessons he has learned.
- Change quickly. Change or die. Dying should never be an option. Pay attention to your industry and the world around you. Track those who are successful. What are they doing right? Make the hard decisions.
- Surround yourself with good people who have a strong work ethic, are willing to learn and understand the expectations. Give them good tools to work with. Too many businesses invest in brick and mortar rather than people. If you can't afford the best then get entry level people and train them. And remember, its not always money that motivates people.
- Make one person happy and they will tell 2 people. Make them mad and they will tell 10. Will take care of customers even when you have no liability. 85% of people buy on emotion rather than logic.
- Treat others as you would be treated. Business is like family. Families break down when they do not communicate. Same with business. The better the working environment, the easier it is to be productive.
- Listen to motivational speakers. Their positivity can keep you going when times are tough. he words you choose are so meaningful. When asked "How are you?" Mike always says "I'm doing super good but getting better." Nobody wants to be around negative people.
Thank you, Mike.
