All my business advice. In just six words
- Del Chatterson
- Jul 30
- 2 min read
Have a plan. Avoid the mistakes.
Those are the six words. Everything you need to know to start and succeed with
your own business. Of course, it’s more complicated than six simple words, but it’s a good mantra to remind yourself of regularly.
Have a plan. Avoid the mistakes.
That conclusion arises from the five books of advice I’ve written on how to start and how to manage a successful business. Let me summarize key points from the 2020 Editions of The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans and DON’T DO IT THE HARD WAY.
Have a plan
Key questions from The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans to prepare a business plan that gets the results you want – from Start-up to Exit:
· Why do you want to start (or exit) a business?
· With what purpose in mind?
· How will you define success?
· Do you have everything you need?
· Can you add what’s missing?
· Is your plan more than hopes and dreams?
· Is it achievable?
· Are you confident and determined enough to make it happen?
· What are you waiting for?
Avoid the mistakes
Note the subtitle of DON”T DO IT THE HARD WAY, A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Only a fool insists on making his own. The theme of the book is how to avoid the seven biggest mistakes that entrepreneurs make.
Here is Uncle Ralph’s list of the Seven Biggest Mistakes:
1. Too entrepreneurial
2. Lack of strategic direction
3. Focus on profit
4. Neglecting key relationships
5. Poor marketing and sales management
6. Let’s do it again!
7. Personal distractions
How do you avoid them?
The answer is balance:
1. Balance energy and drive with planning and analysis
2. Balance strategic vision with effective management
3. Balance the logical head with the intuitive heart
4. Balance short-term profit with long-term value
5. Balance personal priorities with strategic objectives
For more ideas, inspiration, and motivation, you can dig deeper into either book and discover what’s most applicable to your situation. In both books you’ll also learn from the bonus material – Real-life stories, lessons learned from other entrepreneurs, and insights and advice on strategy, leadership and management in the Random Ramblings of your Uncle Ralph.
Be better. Do Better. Be an Enlightened Entrepreneur.
Your Uncle Ralph,
Del Chatterson
Learn more about Enlightened Entrepreneurship at: LearningEntrepreneurship.com
Read more of Uncle Ralph's advice for Entrepreneurs in Don't Do It the Hard Way & The Complete Do-It-Yourself Guide to Business Plans - 2020 Editions.
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