| |
| |
|
Entrepreneurialism Information |
|
|
|
Be Where the Pucks Going To Be
The "Great One" said it best Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, when asked how he was always on the puck before anyone else, pointed out that he was by no means the fastest skater on the ice. Instead he explained that he always just focused on skating toward where the puck was going to be. Gretzky knew that if he couldn't be the fastest in the middle of the game, he would have to figure out how to stay ahead of the game. Sometimes trying to keep up in the middle of the game is a wasted effort, especially if you're not necessarily the fastest company in your market. Instead of wasting your energy trying to keep up with the big boys, think like Wayne and get your edge by moving ahead of the game. If you can't move faster, take a shortcut Taking a shortcut really means getting a sense for where the market will be at some point in time and heading in that direction now. It's a lot easier to defend a space before people start fighting for it, especially if no one else realizes it's valuable yet. Taking the shorter path allows you to get in early and pick up a lot of the low hanging fruit. Fortify your position Chances are you're going to have a limited amount of time before the competition realizes they also need to be where you are. You need to spend this valuable time fortifying your position as best you can with your available resources. If your business involves intellectual property that you can potentially patent, even provisional patent can be a valuable tool to ward off the competition. Additionally, you may be able to land some early customers with exclusive agreements that provide an effective barrier to entry to later participants. Keep in mind that you gain a potentially huge advantage from building early relationships in your space before your competition or your customers even know how big it could potentially be. Definitely take advantage of this. Stay ahead of the puck, not out of the game There is a big difference between being ahead of the puck, and being out of the game entirely. When thinking about where the market is headed, it's important to have a reasonable expectation of when the rest of the action will catch up to you. Sure, someday we'll all be flying around like George Jetson in hover cars, but before you build the next Spacely Sprockets to manufacture them, you may want to have a good guess when the future is going to show up at your doorstep. Often when you progress ahead of the existing market you get into a position where there few (if any) customers looking to buy. To avoid this, it's helpful to pick a point ahead of the game that gives you a first-to-market advantage but still leaves you enough room to do business in the with current customers. Startup companies are often strapped for cash, so being too far ahead of the curve without any ability to generate revenue while everyone catches up can be disastrous. Keep your eye on the game Like a hockey game, the business world is in constant flux. It's almost certain that the path of progress will change as time goes by. This is fine as long as you continue to adapt your position to fit the path. If you ignore the changes in the existing market you may find that the "market-leading" position you created for yourself is not ahead of the game, but rather in the wrong game altogether. Promote your early position A nice benefit to being "first to market" in a new segment is the ability to claim that title early on. Claiming your "number one" status early on will help you build your position among customers, investors and even competitors. Even later on when the market catches up you may still be able to use your "we were the first" claim to legitimize the forward looking position of your product and your business. Take your shot With the right timing and some careful planning you will find yourself in the right place at the right time, with a healthy lead on your competition. This means it's no longer time to "plan for the market" but instead to execute on all of the planning you have put in place. Don't hesitate here. Your early lead is only valuable if you use it to not only get ahead of the market, but stay ahead of the market. Keep Moving Some companies make their legacy from making one move ahead of the market at the right time and reaping the rewards for a lifetime. Short of making such a lucky move, you're going to have to keep looking for new opportunities to take shortcuts and play ahead of the game. Hey, it worked for Wayne. - Wil Wil Schroter is a serial entrepreneur, author, and public speaker. Wil has been recognized as U.S. Small Business Person of the Year, twice as the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year (1999 & 2004), and is a member of the Business First Top 40 under forty. Connect directly with Wil at wschroter@yahoo.com. Visit http://www.goBIGnetwork.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Veteran Entrepreneurs Are Growing In Ranks When I'm not running my own business, writing articles about business, speaking to groups and organizations about business, or consulting with companies who want my advice about the running of their business, I teach a weekly class on the subject of (care to guess?) starting and running a business.To quote my frequently-mentioned and wise-beyond-her-years teenage daughter, Chelsea, "Dad, you really need to get a life. Creativity & Entrepreneurship: The Creative Evolution of an Intellectual Property© In each of us, there is a creative spark - a unique purpose and destiny for which we are born. Most of us have forgotten what that special gift is, or we are afraid to live it. Four Steps to Entrepreneurship As more and more people start or consider starting their own business, it is important that they understand the core steps that are required to launch successful ventures. These steps include spotting, assessing, selecting and executing upon opportunities. Top 10 Business Plan Myths of Solo Entrepreneurs Don't let these stop you from having a business plan for success!A recent study of 29,000 business startups noted that 26,000 of them failed. Of those failures, 67% had no written business plan. What Makes a Person an Entrepreneur? Entrepreneurship is generally characterized by some type of innovation, a significant investment, and a strategy that values expansion. The entrepreneur is often quite different in mindset from a manager, who is generally charged with using existing resources to make an existing business run well. Use Your Youth To Your Advantage You should wait until you're older and have more business and real-world experience before starting a business. You should just focus on school for now. Secrets of My Favorite Government Auction I love bargains. And there's no better place to find bargains than an auction. What Part of Handwriting on the Wall Dont You Understand - They Dont Hire People Over 50 In a recent talk to the Detroit Economic Club, President Bush told of a powerful statement made to John Bailey by his wife, "Just what part of the writing on the wall don't your understand - companies don't want people over 50!" The White House staff had become aware of an amazing story of entrepreneurial success stemming from John's wife's words.John's wife was very quick to read the writing on the wall, rationalizing that it would be virtually impossible for John to find a new job. The Power Of Personal Environments I've got to admit, I'm a big fan of comfort. I like it when things in my world are stable and reliable. Entrepreneurial Excerpt from a Speech to Small Business Having built a business from a bucket of water and sponge, which started over 25 years ago in a National Franchise chain in 23 states, I feel comfortable discussing entrepreneurship.While building my company in the beginning we learned the value of grass roots marketing, being involved in the community and giving a little back as we grow. Goals and New Venture Creation More and more corporate workers are leaving their jobs to start new ventures. When taking this leap, it is important that the goals of these entrepreneurs are solid, as these goals may ultimately determine the success of the new venture. Entrepreneurs - 9 Top Mistakes to Avoid 1. Isolating Yourself When setting up a business, you can get so overwhelmed with the administration that you don't focus on building up your network. An Entrepreneurs Challenge Living in the twilight zone has its advantages. In the early days of starting my business, I found the limitations of living in a rural area to be restrictive. Do You Have What it Takes to be a Successful Entrepreneur? Print off this page, take the quiz and find out if you've got what it takes! See the scale at the bottom to mark yourself.Answer the following questions on a Scale of 1 - 51 - definately not 2 - not likely 3 - sometimes 4 - probably 5 - definitely--------------------------------------------------------------------------------1) Do you have many hobbies (besides TV viewing and playing video games)? ____2) Do you take a leadership role in group settings? _____3) Can you discipline yourself to finish a project, even if it means late nights and low recognitionfrom your peers? ____4) Do you often think of new and innovative ways to do things? _____5) Do you enjoy meeting new people? ____6) Have you had success in the past in planning a project, and carrying it through to it's completion? _____7) Would you consider yourself a positive person? ____8) Even when things go wrong do you try to "learn a lesson" from the experience? ____9) Do you enjoy working alone? ____10) Do you manage your time well? ____11) Do you like to set goals and achieve them? ____12) Do you like to take calculated risks to achieve an objective? ____--------------------------------------------------------------------------------ScoringIf most of your scores are 5's you have a very strong "entrepreneurial streak" and should strive for your goals. Is Running a Business for You? Not everyone is cut out to run a business. Not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur. Business Name - How to Choose One It's very important to get your business name right. You may already have a business name but it's not too late to change it. Entrepreneurial Ongoing Education Advice I would like to give some advice to all the up and coming entrepreneurs; if you really want to be a superstar not only do you have to work harder and smarter than the competition, but you must always keep learning. I built a company from a bucket of water and a sponge into a National Car Wash Franchise System in 23 states. Which Niche To Conquer? I'm sure that you've heard about how many start up companies fail when they first begin, and the reason that most (if not all) of their failures is because they don't create a good fountain to build on.If we start right, it is easy to go right all the time. The Risks of Entrepreneurship The "spark" for many entrepreneurs is seeing an opportunity that doesn't yet exist. Ted Turner, for example, launched CNN because he perceived that people wanted more television news than they were being offered. 100% of Nothing What would it be worth to you to receive a steady stream of new customers with little or no effort on your part? Would you be willing to pay 10% of the revenue they generate? 20%? 50%? Or do you believe that you can't afford to pay anything?During a recent discussion, I was surprised that people said they could not afford to 'give up' 20% in commissions to reach new customers. If you have more work than you can handle, that makes sense.
|
| Article List | Index | Site Map |
|
All logos, trademarks and articles on this site are property and copyright of their respective owner(s).
The comments are property of their posters, all the rest is Copyright © 2006 CanadaSEEK.com - All Rights Reserved. |
