by Cheryl Isaac
What may differentiate you as a start-up could be a certain "je ne sais quoi" that draws people to you and your product or service. Or at least you can hope that it does not do the opposite. Some call it being "real." Others call it the "knack."
Kaira Sturvidant Rouda believes that being "real" means "your values and your personality are in sync with your business operations and its people...you surround yourself with people who think and act like you...inside and outside of the workplace."
Norm Brodsky thinks that there is "knack"that "allows certain people to accomplish things that no one else would think they were capable of doing."
Reading is the norm for me, since I believe that true education lies in different experiences and perspectives, and that education is not synonymous with classroom academia. I keep myself updated and informed on everything in my industry and I also track the leaders of my industry and their successes and failures. I peruse business books, non-fiction, blogs, newsletters, ezines, articles, newspapers, magazines, informational websites, business television and news, reality shows, business forums, politics, etc.
So I mentioned Norm Brodsky and Kaira Rouda because of their books: The Knack: How Street Entrepreneurs Learn to handle whatever comes up and Real You Incorporated: 8 Essentials for Women Entrepreneurs.
If you are a female entrepreneur, Real You Incorporated is a must-read. The book is an innovative mixture of real-world advice and actual testimonials from women entrepreneurs who have made it. What I especially liked was the fascinating incorporation of femininity (from the polka dot page designs to the "girl talk") with a business education that mirrors most business books. The excerpts that took me through the author's experiences and the recommended reading from business owners was also a plus for me.
Most importantly, the book takes the reader through steps that every woman business owner either struggles with or experiences: 1) Believing in herself enough to start, 2) Finding her passion, 3) uncovering her brand 4) and then bringing the brand and passion together, 5) creating a unique work environment, 6) realizing that her personal brand is her business brand, 7) learning how to do what hasn't been done before, 8) and using creativity to stay afloat of it all. A female entrepreneur in the first couple of years in business would definitely appreciate this book.
The Knack is a must-read for anyone starting a business. To me, it is the first book I've run across (and I read a lot of books) written for small business, yet solely addresses the most important step for a small business: the start-up step. I don't watch much of Dr. Phil, but I would call these authors the Dr. Phils of start-ups. They address every important step of the start-up process from: business plans and cash flow, finding money (angel investors, venture capitalists, banks) to what type of business to avoid and how to buy or not buy a business, how to get a profitable business, how to treat employees, how to value the competition, how to find the customers for your business, etc. They tell you that although business essentials and education matter, an entrepreneur must also have a certain "knack" in order to succeed.
What was truly amazing about this book is that the author managed to incorporate business 101 and other essentials and still keep the book conversational. All the chapters included real world experiences from the authors and their customers. The letters from entrepreneurs, found in most chapters, was also a plus for me. A start-up or aspiring entrepreneur would definitely find this book very helpful.
Cheryl Isaac is the writer of this blog and the Founder & CEO of IBS-Isaac Business Services; a start-up business consulting company. www.IsaacBusinessServices.com
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1 comments:
I read The Knack too and loved it! Especially the part about what makes a business run on its own cash. No one has ever broken it down to me that way before.
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