Memo to the Start-up Entrepreneur

Dear Start-up Entrepreneur:

As you may be struggling right now with refining your new business and the temptation to walk out on your dream, I decided to leave this note for you. While you sit alone in the headquarters of YOU, know that you are not alone. Remember these five key things:

1. Do not expect too much. When I was starting I was excited and overzealous and I expected everyone to be the same. My first three months seemed like a let-down to me because people were not excited with and for me. I still look back on that and snicker at myself sometimes. Who did I think I was? It wasn't the responsibility of others to grasp or like what I was doing. Tip: Don't expect people to be overly enthused about your idea and dream. YOU have to work hard to convince them to join in your fun. Just tell yourself this and you'll be fine: Nothing's personal.
2. Accept your odds. A start-up centers around this theme. The odds are against you. Face it and deal with it. The deciding factor is you. This is why I've always loved helping start-up businesses. It gives me a rush because I've always been prepared to take risks, I love risk-takers, and my life has been a maze of defying odds. Each start-up's odds may be different but every startup has this in common: the odds will be against you and you must face it. Tip: The only way to be different is to avoid being afraid to approach things differently.
3. Remind yourself that you don't need handouts. Most aspiring entrepreneurs and start-ups don't want handouts; and I'm sure you don't. Like most, you want advice, someone to listen to them, and support. You want and need assistance. So help people out there understand that instead of approaching everything from a cynical view with their wallet in mind, they could just try listening and aiding your startup venture for three months. Tell them, they would be amazed at what you will be able to accomplish. Tell them to talk to you, and brainstorm with you. Advise you. Let them know that you may surprise them with what resources you can locate for yourself with just a simple nudge from them. Tip: Remember, if someone patronizes your dream, they only risk their own chance of growing and learning.
4. Ask yourself, what does Business mean to you? Knowing what business means to you helps you with a strategy for growth. For most people, it's about acquiring some money and moving on to the next thing. It becomes a project, a specimen that needs to evolve so that you take a sigh, pat yourself on the back, and move on. For some, it's about self-awareness and feeling fulfilled. For others like myself, it's about a sense of purpose; a sense of taking gifts + education, building a business around it, and serving people. And the clients I help are mostly of the same mindset. Tip: Before you partner with someone, first find out what makes you or them tick.
5. Go back to the basics. Sometimes you have to remember where you started in order to see clearly where you want to go. Although new, your start-up business can still get lost in its attempt to grow clients and mature. The lucky startups come to a realization early-on that the accolades really doesn't matter. The people you serve do. Your customers are your gems. And sometimes, having the wrong customers can be the "thorn in a start-up owner's flesh." Having the type of customers who believe in your product or service enough to go all the way to help you serve their need, is the fuel your start-up craves. Tip: you can't help everyone but you must help someone; refine your products and services to focus on your true gems.

After years of working hands-on with aspiring entrepreneurs in banking and now having my own business, I've come to notice that this saying is untrue: If somebody's meant to be an entrepreneur, they'll just become one. I feel the same way about it as I feel about the saying: Leaders are born. Truth is, people sometimes need a slight nudge into the right direction. Not a push, just a nudge. Sometimes that nudge is in the form of the community, parents, family line, a person or group, or it may be in the form of a life-changing moment. I believe that the choices you make in your business and personal life determines how you evolve as a person.

Make the choice to surround yourself with like-minded people. If you can, join me in the movement to encourage entrepreneurship. I'm taking the focus on start-ups to an online community-focused team of experts, a business network, contacts, and most importantly, motivation. Join me in the business club to help aspiring entrepreneurs learn how to be different and defy the odds despite obstacles and skepticism. If you've ever thought that you were too old, too young, too poor, or that business was rocket science and out of your reach, that will all be forgotten once you become a member of this online club. Stay tuned for more information coming soon...

About the Author: Cheryl Isaac is a Startup Business Planner & Owner of Isaac Business Services, The Business Startup Company. She is also the creator of The 12MonthBizPlan.com; an online business planning center where business owners can work with a personal advisor; for up to a year, to plan their new business