The Entrepreneurial Savant

Mention the word ‘research’ and everyone’s eyes roll back into their heads. It conjures up visions of endless Google searches or copying text out of a wikipedia entry. Researching something that can change your life can turn this drudgery into a fascinating task. I’m always amazed how many people start off on complex ventures without doing any research. Perhaps they think that they can learn as they go along. That’s fine, but why go through the painfully boring process of making endless mistakes when there is a wealth of human experience available to help you take giant steps past the competition?

“I don’t know where to start.”
Fortunately there are easy answers to this common complaint about researching things. Research is a process of unfolding. Each fact leads to another group of facts. As you gain in knowledge, you choose which path or paths to take and when to stop. There are several ways to start. The children’s section of the library is a great place to get basic information on a subject. Good children’s non-fiction distills the essential answers down to their most important aspects. A children’s book on a particular subject gives you a basic knowledge of that subject.
Another place to start is the search engines. Look for data sources around your subject matter such as lists of industrial categories, associations, newsletters and periodicals on a subject, databases available, etc. They can point you to experts and provide you with a view of how big the universe surrounding your interest is. (great for networking and business planning). Books and periodicals usually have notes and resources listed in the back matter.
All of these sources are what is known as secondary research sources. Primary sources are the experiments and people whose experiences generated the published info. Most of us will do most of our research from secondary resources, leaving the really esoteric knowledge to the experts. However, doing the secondary research now means that when you can talk to a primary source you’ll know what questions to ask to get the highest value out of your opportunity. And, eventually, your expertise will turn you into one of these primary sources.
Even a little research can help you avoid major pitfalls on your path. You’ll still fall into a few pits but you’ll have the tools required to pull yourself out.

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