Just be yourself

I would make a normal post...but this song conveys what I wanted to say beautifully. Enjoy!



Someone falls to pieces, sleeping all alone
Someone kills the pain, spinning in the silence
To finally drift away

Someone gets excited
In a chapel yard and catches a bouquet
Another lays a dozen, white roses on a grave

Yeah and to be yourself is all that you can do
Hey, to be yourself is all that you can do

Someone finds salvation in everyone, another only pain
Someone tries to hide himself, down inside himself he prays
Someone swears his true love until the end of time
Another runs away, separate or united, healthy or insane

And to be yourself is all that you can do, yeah
(All that you can do)
To be yourself is all that you can do
(All that you can do)

To be yourself is all that you can do
(All that you can do)
Hey, be yourself is all that you can do

Even when you've paid enough
Been pulled apart or been held up
Every single memory of the good or bad
Faces of luck

Don't lose any sleep tonight
I'm sure everything will end up alright
You may win or lose

But to be yourself is all that you can do, yeah
To be yourself is all that you can do

Oh, to be yourself is all that you can do
(All that you can do)
Hey, to be yourself is all that you can do
(All that you can do)

To be yourself is all that you can
Be yourself is all that you can
Be yourself is all that you can do

--Credit given to Audioslave: "Be Yourself"

Prioritizing is essential to success

CLEARLY, this guy's got his priorities wrong. In fact, I don't even know why this image came up on a Google search for "prioritizing tasks" ;)

"He who takes a minute from me, takes something he can never return." -Anonymous

Whether you own a business already or are in the process of starting one, it is easy to get caught up in A LOT of things. Time is the most valuable resource we have, but it is also the most scarce and most elusive to notice. Like many things, we don't realize its full worth until it's gone.

Money is the lifeblood of every business. However, time equals money. Therefore time equals the lifeblood of the business. Like my math there? ;) This is true whether your business exists or not. Only difference is that in the beginning, that lifeblood is needed for the "embryo" to become a live "child". If you already own a business, then it's to sustain the life and growth of the business.

Often times, when starting a business, new entrepreneurs get caught up in activities and tasks that are not necessarily the most vital. Some entrepreneurs spend way too much time thinking about fancy marketing campaigns or other non-essential "hot air" even before they've fully fleshed out their product or service. BIG mistake. Spending time thinking about bells and whistles will do 1 or 2 things (or a combination of both):

1) Delay your launch
2) Ensure the failure of the business

The most essential tasks that you need to prioritize are those tasks which directly relate to the operation of your business. I'm talking about the skeleton and muscles of the business. The foundation underneath that allows you to earn revenue. Once the core is in place, then you can worry about the skin and make-up.

Pretend that you've already done all your research and your business idea is a great opportunity. In the startup phase, some key tasks you want to prioritize and tackle first are:

• Developing a solid plan of how your product/service will make your business money
• Ascertaining WHAT suppliers and/or labor you will require and HOW you will get it (and of course, how much it'll cost)
  
• Plan for your business on how you will deal with too little or too much demand

Basically, your priorities should be about PLANNING PLANNING PLANNING. Then execution. Any activity that is not absolutely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, essential to the launch of your business must be placed in a lower priority. Marketing for example, is one such item that is a lower priority. You can't market what doesn't exist. There will be plenty of time to go out there and market the business once the foundation has been established. There will also be plenty of time to come up with new ways to market the business afterwards.

Before you spend time on a task, always ask yourself, "Does this directly contribute to the launch of the business? Or is this something that can be done after launch?" If the answer is "It can be done after launch" then set it aside and tackle more immediate needs.

Now...for those of us who already own a business, the playing field is a bit different. As a current business owner, your priorities must be towards value-added activities. ALWAYS. For any task you're about to do, you should ask yourself, "Will this activity boost/retain my profit?" If the answer is, "No" or "Not really" then set it aside for now...or don't even bother with it. Your time is limited.

Any task that is required for the maintenance and growth of the "skeleton and muscles" of your business, it must be given highest priority. Notice that I specified "PROFIT" in that question. Boosting revenues is nice, but if you're spending just as much as you're gaining, then you've gained nothing. Lowering costs is good too, but if that lowers your revenue (i.e. because you've cut service, etc.) then the benefit is nill.

You cannot let non value-add activites consume you. (see my post "Don't be a helicopter entrepreneur" on March 31st).

Not convinced? Everyday in the news, you hear about companies going bankrupt. Some are liquidated, others are what they call "restructuring." Restructuring is a HUGE business. Consultants love it. Restructuring is exactly what I just stated above. It is doing what NEEDS to be done. Restructuring efforts prioritize tasks that directly relate to the skeleton and muscles of the business (its core foundations). Bells and whistles like cool marketing, events, or whatnot are CUT until the core of the business is stabilized. It's almost like performing emergency surgery on a dying patient. The first priority is to stop the bleeding, then repair the damage, then give the patient the ability to recover and continue onwards.

Often times, companies enter into bankruptcy because they fail to prioritize correctly. They let cracks in their foundation to fester and grow until the entire house is on the verge of collapse. They keep focusing on trying to sell more and more and come up with crazy marketing campaigns while the core problems (i.e. the quality of their product/service) is deteriorating) is eating them alive. There's just not enough time.

If the lifeblood (time and money) of the business is not being pumped to its "vital organs" it will die. Bankrupt companies are the ones that pumped lifeblood into non-vital areas.

In fact, some companies I've seen were so terrible...I'm convinced all the lifeblood was pumped into their hair or something. "Hey, we're losing millions of dollars, but we're a great company!" Famous last words? Probably.

With that said, I want to leave you with a quote from a philosopher who's name has been lost to time....or maybe it's just me...I don't remember:

"To look outward, you must first look inward. It is the power within that determines what your fate shall be."

Hmm, yeah...actually that is my quote...

Entrepreneurs can be a great force for good

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." -Edmund Burke

Chuck Norris knows this!

Actually, I want to add to that quote. It also triumphs when good men don't do enough.

People have many different reasons why they become entrepreneurs. However, with great power comes great responsibility as well (I did NOT get that from Spider Man!). There are many people in the world who don't even have the luxury of clean drinking water or clean clothes to wear. As a current or future entrpreneur, you should always be grateful for what you have and the opportunities and education you were given. Gratitude cannot be expressed in words or feelings alone, however, it must be expressed by actions as well.

Like I mentioned in my previous post ("Be Selfishly Honest" - April), it is a fundamental law of our existence that if you give, you shall receive. Whether you call it a blessing, karma, mutual cooperation, etc. the concept is still the same. The world is whatever we make of it. Our entire lives have been shaped by the actions of generations before us, and by our actions, we shall shape the generations after ours. It is our responsibility...no...our RIGHT...to give back to our world and do as much good as possible before our short time on this Earth is over.

There are many people in the world that are good-hearted, but they either don't have the means or the strength to take action. However, as entrepreneurs, we have the means and we have the strength. We can inspire people through leading by example. Heck, we look good doing it too. There's nothing wrong with embracing the practical benefits of doing good. It's in our nature. You did something good, therefore you get rewarded. Nothing wrong with that. I believe that as a society, we've been brainwashed by hypocrites to believe that unless we suffer or be 100% selfless (which is impossible) in our good deeds, then we are being selfish and bad.

There are many promising start-ups out there that are making a real difference in people's lives. Whether it be making $100 laptops (One Laptop Per Child) , micro-lending (Kiva.org), or eco-friendly shoes (Autonomie Project Inc.). There are SO many ways as an entrepreneur that you can make a positive difference in the world. That is the beauty of entrepreneurship, you have the FREEDOM to do whatever you believe in. With that freedom, comes your responsibility to your fellow human beings. As an entrepreneur, you are your brother's keeper. Never forget that.

If you want to improve your communities and the world, you need to start doing something about it.

...or else Chuck'll roundhouse kick you in the face ;)


In a future blog post, I am going to dedicate the entire post to list some great examples of social entrepreneurs and their companies. I'd like for you guys to submit your ideas to me. Email me your submission to floid@gogravytrain.com

You can also contact me on Twitter (user name: GravyFloid). Or just click on the little Twitter button on the right side of the blog.