What do
high end watches, coffee, and news aggregation have in common? Kevin
Rose, of course. An advocate of trying new things and creating your own
path gives some tips on going from zero to one and beyond.
I
have taken his interview on 30 Days of Genius with Chase Jarvis,
extracted the information, and used it to answer common questions by
readers just like you, who are looking to take their lives to the next
level, or at least a different level than the one they are on.
Please enjoy.
How Can I Make Sure My Business Is A Success?
There are no guarantees in life, especially the life of an entrepreneur. But that is part of the fun.
I
don’t want to say that there are steps, because each person has their
own path, but one thing you should consider as a first step is, are you
ready to put in some serious work? Because there is nothing easy about
starting a business. Hopefully you are coming from a place of passion,
because passionate work does not feel like work. It’s hard, stressful,
time consuming and everything in between, but it doesn’t have that 9–5
feel. That makes sense, because you should be running this business from
5–9 until it gets off the ground.
Use
you 9–5 as your base salary. Pay the bills, keep a roof over your head,
but take all of the extra money and put it in to your side gig. This
will be a nights and weekend project until you can build it up enough to
see if there is something really there. You may have to do things over
and over to make them work. Failing is learning and learning is building
a better business or product. Failing can be fun if you are working on
the right project.
Remember these three things: try, fail fast, and iterate.
Notice
that “try” is the first thing. There are so many people that don’t ever
take that leap of faith. At some point, you are going to have to.
Practice
looking out 6 months, 9 months, 3 years, and 5 years. If it works, what
does it look like? Are there things that you can do now to help reach
those goals down the road?
How Will My Business Fail?
1. More money going out than coming in.
People
think starting a business is very expensive. Throughout your
development from zero to one it may be costly, but not as much as people
think. Expenses, lawyers, over production, etc. Launching a business is
not that complicated. Keep it small and manageable. Build slowly.
2. Permission.
If
you are looking for permission, you may never get it. Keep in mind that
if you are doing something really big, it is going to be different. You
will be presenting something that is outside the box, and people may
not “get it.” If you are relying on permission from your friends,
co-workers or investors (watch out for taking too much money), you may
never receive the “permission” you are looking for.
The best founders I
have ever worked with see something before anyone else. If you think you
have that insight, who cares what anyone else thinks? Take the leap!
3. Social pressure.
This
is not completely different from #2, but it’s from your loved ones.
There are not many people that truly understand what having a great idea
is, let alone what to do with it. People are comfortable with
structure, and starting a business may be planned out, but it’s not
secure in any sense of the word. They are looking out for your best
interest, but in a framework that makes sense to them. Unless you come
from a family of entrepreneurs, that framework may not include what you
are doing. Social pressure is tough. You need to be too.
If
you are lucky enough to have a partner, in business or life, that has
the same vision as you, that is a true blessing. It is even more of a
blessing if they will challenge you along the way. That will bring out
your best.
Quotes
Err on the side of saying no.
Be honest without being an asshole.
There is always another story on the other side of things.
When you try to get unstuck is when you will get yourself more stuck.
Kevin Rose Links
Chase Jarvis Links
Joey Links
