The Entrepreneur's Toolbox

Written by Claudette Rowley


You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print as long asrepparttar resource box is included. Please notify me of publication by sending a website link or copy of your publication to claudette@metavoice.org.

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Thanks, Claudette Rowley ============

The Entrepreneur's Toolbox Claudette Rowley Copyright 2003

Entrepreneurship is largely an inside out proposition. Whether you're trying to create a technology or develop a product, entrepreneurship starts with who you are, and blossoms out from there. In other words, as an entrepreneur, your style is unique to you. You can take every class on how to "do" entrepreneurship - learn business strategy until you could teach atrepparttar 105366 Harvard Business School, and network until you know everyone inrepparttar 105367 phonebook. Whilerepparttar 105368 knowledge base required for entrepreneurial success in your field is critical, no one can tell you how to "be" an entrepreneur. That you must discover for yourself.

In my experience, entrepreneurs of all stripes require an internal skill set that I callrepparttar 105369 Entrepreneur's Toolbox. These tools, just as much as what's happening inrepparttar 105370 business environment, can make or breakrepparttar 105371 fulfillment of your entrepreneurial vision.

The Tools:

Intuition - Intuition is knowing something without knowing how you know. In other words, it's a form of inner guidance or "gut feeling" that allows you to know things that your rational mind can't. Developing your intuition is critical to your entrepreneurial success. Sometimes it's all you've got.

Self-trust - Believe in yourself. Trust your intuition. Understand that your idea, your vision, or your product is needed inrepparttar 105372 world. True innovation can't exist without self-trust. Innovation requires us to leap intorepparttar 105373 unknown. Unless you trust, you won't leap.

Vision - This is your ability to establishrepparttar 105374 big picture of what you want, and pursue it. It's closely tied with passion. Have a BIG vision. It's much easier to scale back a grand vision than it is to amp up a small one. Big visions are based in passion and generate enormous energy.

Passion - If you're not passionate about your idea or vision, what'srepparttar 105375 point of pursuing it?

Human resources - Any successful entrepreneur will tell that she didn't do it alone. She drew onrepparttar 105376 experts she needed to build her business. She also developed and maintained a group of people who continued to believe in her when she forgot to believe in herself. This is crucial.

Risk taking - The tolerance and ability to take risks is paramount for any entrepreneur. We don't get guarantees in advance, as much as we'd like them. Sometimes not taking a risk isrepparttar 105377 biggest risk of all.

Creating Profit Trails That Lead Back To You

Written by Dan B. Cauthron


A wise person once said, "There are many trails torepparttar summit of any mountain." I've also heard it said that "all roads lead to Las Vegas" and that there is "more than one way to skin a cat."

While I've never skinned a cat (I love animals) and haven't been to Las Vegas (don't want to go) I have hiked many different trails to reachrepparttar 105364 summit of my favorite Oklahoma mountain. Each trail I took landed me onrepparttar 105365 same spot, atrepparttar 105366 top of my mountain, where I could enjoy a breathtaking vista and see a hundred miles or so intorepparttar 105367 lush and verdant landscape of neighboring Arkansas.

So, how inrepparttar 105368 world does all that relate to your own business success?

Simple - you need to create profit trails that lead back to you - and you need to create as many different profit trails as it will take to get you where you want to be.

But unlikerepparttar 105369 mountain, where any single trail will eventually land you atrepparttar 105370 top - chances are that no single profit trail will ever deliver what you want in terms of income and lasting business success.

A Case In Point From The Dirt World Recently I visited a small privately owned pharmacy to get a refill on a medication. While waiting I made note ofrepparttar 105371 numerous profit trailsrepparttar 105372 owner had working for him, all of which lead back to one spot - his cash register.

Besidesrepparttar 105373 usual pills, ointments and elixirs, he also offered unique gift items and a classy wrapping service, greeting cards, healthy candies and snacks, gourmet kitchen items, stuff for horse lovers, a full magazine rack and best selling novels, and more.

Now, if that pharmacist relied only on a single profit trail derived from selling pills, chances are he wouldn't be in business much longer.

Business Is Still Business - Even On The Internet It seems to me that many people are completely missing this point. Rather than view their Internet efforts in terms of a real and lasting business, I think many people equate Internet success with winning a Lotto. They unknowingly doom their own chances by jumping from one opportunity to another, hoping for a single huge payoff from a single profit trail.

I'm sorry, dear reader. It probably won't happen that way, no more than a small pharmacy can make good only by rolling pills.

Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket That seemingly silly old wisdom hits a home run in this context. When you have multiple profit trails leading back to you, your income will not only increase, it will stabilize. You won't suffer when one trail is suddenly blocked by a landslide.

You might not know thatrepparttar 105374 women and men who are presently atrepparttar 105375 top ofrepparttar 105376 Internet marketing ladder have been working for years to develop their own multiples of profit trails. Not many, if any of those successful people derives her or his total income from a single source. That, if anything, isrepparttar 105377 big secret that very few are talking about.

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