The Entrepreneurial Savant

If we all had stores this one wouldn’t need any elaboration. But maybe your ‘store’ is a desk or a pick-up truck full of tools. Either way it is a good idea to set things straight before you start your workday by doing some cleaning up around the shop. It conveys a great deal to a prospective customer or patron about your style and efficiency and makes you and your co-workers feel better about your jobs.
By the way, this rule apples to big shots too. We’ve all heard stories about company founders who still set examples by being on time and involved, even if it means grabbing the occasional broom. Next time you see a piece of litter on the company lawn, pick it up yourself.

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Superficial knowledge and borrowed experience are the rewards of being an observer rather than a participant. No matter how much expertise you accumulate by watching, reading and listening, you will never truly experience success unless you take the plunge and go out into the deep water. When you become fascinated by a subject and go beyond the contemplation stage into the action stage your entire perspective changes. All kinds of opportunities open up. I’ll give you what may seem to be a far-fetched example.
A friend’s father is nearing retirement from a job with a large company. In the past few years he has become interested in carved duck decoys. These decoys have evolved from a utilitarian aid for hunters into an art form. In fact there are  competitions with categories for non-functional decoys that are judged solely on the skill of the carver. Our retiree has read books and articles on the subject, has calendars featuring photos of decoys and has often contemplating trying his hand at carving. One Christmas he is presented with a book of patterns and goes beyond reading and actually tries his hand at making a bird. His first attempts are amateurish but because he has actually done it, his insight into other’s work is radically changed. He begins to look at how they resolved certain problems and learns about carving competitions with categories designed for novices. He begins to enter and receives awards and encouragement from people who he had revered as experts.
After a few years of carving, his birds begin to sell for respectable prices. By now he specializes in certain birds and certain positions and has developed a style that is recognizable to decoy aficionados. His armchair interest in an esoteric discipline has become an important (and profitable) part of his life, opening up whole new groups of relationships and providing an interesting second career.
As soon as you explore an interest beyond what you can absorb through observation you are in new waters. To continue the metaphor, you may get swept along into an entirely new and fascinating life.

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This is a standard military rule that has been broken over and over again throughout history with disastrous results. If something is not working, decide how far you are willing to let it go without improvement and then get out if it doesn’t improve. It’s human nature to cling to bad ideas and shove a lot of energy into holes in a feeble attempt to rectify errors. A successful person recognizes mistakes, cuts them off and learns from the experience.

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All successful people appear to have been naturally endowed with more energy than the average mortal being. Where does it come from? How do you get it? Try the following:
• Exercise-A regular regimen at a gym or club. No matter how tired or stressed you are, an interesting combination of exercise will revive you. You won’t really believe it until you try it. Go to a club for a space in your life dedicated to exercise alone. Many people find it easier than working out at home.
• Food- Some foods like meat and fried foods require more energy to digest. Eat them when you are doing strenuous physical labor, otherwise avoid them. Eat less; you’ll live longer. Eat more green stuff.
• Coffee- If you drink it, try only having one cup early in the morning. There is evidence that different people metabolize caffeine at different rates. One person might be able to sleep 20 minutes after a pot of hot black java, other may toss and turn 24 hours later. I am an admitted coffee maven but I’ve noticed a distinct decrease in energy after I pass the first or second cup (at least I’m admitting it).
• Booze- It’s fattening and hangovers are definitely not high energy experiences. Moderate yourself or join a group for some help.
• People- Stay away from negative people who are not interesting. I know this sounds callous, but if all your friends always do the same thing when socializing and relaxing, whether it’s watching football or talking about work, it’s time to meet some new people. Take a class, go to a seminar or meeting, go for a nature hike in the middle of winter, take up a new sport, etc. Not only will you suddenly look highly energized to all your couch potato friends, you will feel it. New people can be very stimulating.
Energy is at least partly determined by your degree of interest in what you are doing. I never cease to be amazed at how much energy people put into endeavors that fascinate them.

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• Did you ever notice that the people who are early don’t miss anything?
• That the people who are early, get in on the project from the start and become decision makers?
• That people who are early meet the other early people and establish relationships before getting down to business?
• That the person who is early never misses an unexpected success or announcement?
• That early people are relaxed and organized when things get started instead of playing catch-up?
• That the early person gets a chance to warm up and get a cup of coffee?
• They don’t rush, don’t forget things, and enjoy life a little more.

Be early. It’s an easy way to give yourself a promotion in the eyes of your mentors and bosses. It also puts you at the advantage in a negotiation or interview.

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Looking successful doesn’t always mean an Armani suit (although it sure doesn’t hurt!). If you are an artist it might mean paint spattered clothes in the studio and a little black dress at the opening. People like to be associated with successful looking or ‘interesting’ people. A good look says you care about the details, are in good physical shape, whether you’re large or small, and that you have the self assurance that helps so many successful people stay that way through thick and thin.
If you are on a low budget consider the following:

• Accessories like belts, ties, minimal jewelry and shoes should all be the best you can get. Stay understated and avoid flamboyance unless your profession demands it (like maybe you’re a casino gambler or a gigolo). Wear a nice simple watch. Swiss Army watches have the same guts as a Rolex for a tenth of the cost.
• Don’t wear your phone on your belt. And make sure it is turned off for all meetings. Never answer the phone while in a conversation or eating. The only exception is if you have a call you’re waiting for and you warned your guest that you may need to take it.
• Be neat. This doesn’t mean conservative, it means that your taste rather than laziness determines your style.
• Natural fabrics look better than synthetics. Buy real over fake. They last longer and continue to look good even when they’re beat up. And buy one well made piece over several cheap ones- well tailored clothing makes you look better- taking off a few pounds or even adding a little stature if you need it.
• Dry Clean your shirts- on hangars, lite starch. Having a few pressed shirts in the closet means you can look good fast even with jeans.
• If you aren’t interested in clothes, have someone who knows how to dress help you out with your shopping. These shoppers are usually thrilled to be recognized as experts.
• When meeting new clients or business resources, dress one step up from the norm for the first meeting or until you get a feeling for what is comfortable.
• Keep a sports coat in the office on a hangar just in case- dark blue goes almost anywhere.
• Don’t ever wear clothing with logos on it- those days are long gone unless you want to look like a repair person. Especially polo shirts with tech logos- no. no. no.

Why bother with something so material and mundane? Because it makes a difference, sometimes subliminal, in how others assess you as a person or a potential resource and in how you feel about yourself.

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“If I wanted to become a tramp, I would seek information and advice from the most successful tramp I could find. If I wanted to become a failure, I would seek advice from men who had never succeeded. If I wanted to succeed in all things, I would look around me for those who are succeeding and do as they have done.”
-Joseph Marshall Wade*

Mentors come to us in unexpected guises and from unexpected places. Sometimes you will not recognize the great teachers in your life until years later when their message becomes illuminated by your own greater depth of experience. For many of us it is difficult to find teachers but fortunately we have access to the minds and experiences of thousands of interesting persons through biographies, autobiographies and interviews. If you are interested in a subject or wonder how someone gets from here to there in pursuing their vision, read how others did it. The lives of successful and influential people offer a great deal of encouragement and inspiration for your own bumbling quest for success. It is amazing how many others made colossal blunders and went down dead ends before reaching their goals. It turns out these dynamic beings are human after all and we can share their experiences by learning their life stories.
*As quoted in A Treasury of Wall Street Wisdom edited by Harry D. Schultz and Samson Coslow.

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These magic words should be on the tip of your tongue whenever you’re in a situation where you don’t have an answer. In one phrase you admit to being an imperfect human like the rest of us and you make a proactive offer to take action. This phrase will save you from a lot of situations where there is the temptation to bullshit your way along while hoping you can pull it off. Unfortunately for the BSer, most of us have pretty good BS detectors. So be honest: Tell em you don’t know the answer but you’ll find out. Then do it and get back to them right away. You’ll be able to see your stock rise on the spot.

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A lot of us don’t understand the concept of profit, in spite of growing up in a capitalist economy. We earn our wages based on an hourly or yearly figure and hope for raises or bonuses. When you go into business for yourself and that paycheck stops coming in like clockwork, the profit concept becomes a lot more important. When you price something, basing your price on your overhead and paying yourself a reasonable wage, always add in a figure above and beyond for profit. As obvious as it sounds, many of my self-employed friends fail to mark up their services. Profit is the future of your business. It pays for the bigger projects, it pays back loans, it creates equity and it provides an incentive. The profit motive has turned out to be a very effective motivator. Remember the USSR?

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If you have a problem or a challenge, write it down. Then write down the solution. Now eliminate every unnecessary word and phrase until you have reached the kernel at the center. Congratulations, you are learning the invaluable skill of self-editing. Successful people know how to communicate clearly and briefly. Put it in a nutshell.
When he was head of the British Admiralty, Winston Churchill was famous for requiring all reports and memos to take no more than 1 sheet of paper. This freaked out the career bureaucrats who justified their existence by creating unreadable, mountainous documents but it really sped up the ancient Royal Navy’s decision making process. Simplicity….it’s a beautiful thing.
BTW, these became known as Winston’s Prayers because his order said: ‘Pray keep the response down to one page or less’. He was known for his archaic (and wonderfully skilled) use of words.

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