For obvious reasons, it’s true. Yet, at the same time, it’s sad. It seems we have taken a strange turn in the direction of business within the “tech sector”. With more and more drive to be the most popular and highest funded contender, less and less about the actual business. True, they go hand in hand; without one, there isn’t the other. Still, I beg the question: how did companies ever survive before the invent and widespread, public use of the Internet? Sure, there was still the idea of venture capital, but there wasn’t he broad idea of a world-wide market place. To few, there were: the corporate conglomerates that had made it to that level. But nowhere in the American entrepreneur’s mind did they consider the fact that their first market should be the entire world. Rather, it usually started with their town. Then to their zip code. Further to their county, state and so on. The change took place when the business landscape changed and the barriers to travel across the world and back instantaneously and transparently. We should really expect nothing less. If given the chance to run faster, jump higher, lift more, eat more; we take it. We’re human. It’s our blessed nature to want more, take more and reach higher. It’s one of the few things we know and do really well. My question still stands though: why? When you ask that question of yourself, you should see the doors that open.At the end of the day, I hate to think that the millions of crazy ideas that pass through people’s heads every day can be squashed because a venture capitalist didn’t necessarily believe in them. This is pretty much the basis of two of my previous posts (here and here). Basically, it takes quite an investment to hit a national or world-wide market. Enter VC (or other investors of some other flavor). Though, I’m really not exactly sure why so many entrepreneurs have set their sights on this level of market immediately out of the gate. I get that to make a dollar in advertising placement, you need the traffic sort of thing. I also get that there are just some business platforms that are based off needing a buck. You’ve got to spend money to make money, right? Ultimately, you have to spend currency, yes. It may be the standard physical currency we’re used to.
I say this not as a directive, but as a reminder. To have a business, no matter where it’s located or the medium in which you chose to deliver the product, it’s OK to start small. It’s OK to put your own time into the business and let it grow naturally into something you can preserve rather than racing to the track hunting for the hidden millions. What would it take to supplement your income now? Start with your goal there. What would it take to get your business to that point? Likely, if we’re talking about an online business, it wont take as much as you’d imagine. When you forget about the scale (both in terms of visitors and cash flow with everything in between), it’s much easier to conceptualize where and how to get where you need to be.
I like to think of a new business much like a new health goal. Say you’re overweight, like I used to be. When I started on a long journey to transform my body into something much healthier, I didn’t set my first goal to the position I’m at now: 110 pounds lighter with a resting heart beat of 39. On the contrary, I took it one week at a time. At first, I had a goal of losing three pounds a week. As time continued, the goals changed as I continued to reach them. And now, I’m at a place where I never dreamed I would be. An extremely fit, active and healthy triathlete and proud husband and father of two.
I’m not suggesting you never set your goals higher than you can imagine. To the contrary, I suggest every goal you set for yourself and your business be just a fraction above what you think you can obtain. Although, back in terms of a new business, your first step doesn’t need to be to appeal to a global market. Concentrate on what makes sense. Think about how businesses have always run, even outside of your industry. Usually they start small and grow over time. It’s unfortunate the mindset has changed as it has in recent years to influence very intelligent people, leading them to believe this concept has changed. Ultimately, it hasn’t. When you start to think of your company in more steps of smaller goals, you start to realize it wont take millions to get things off the ground. It will still take your (most, if not all of your) time, but that’s what needs to happen. You can’t spend half of your every day looking for money. You need to spend that time on making sure your business is solid and operating smoothly. If you can’t get there without needing immediate cash flow, you may need to reconsider what you’re doing.
It’s my opinion and I’m just one man. Don’t make life and business too complex, you’ll forget why you’re even here.
Tags: #thinkaboutit, Business