Chapter 17

Leading the Way

IN THIS CHAPTER

check Promoting leadership in yourself and others

check Acquiring the necessary business skills and traits

check Establishing your company culture

check Nurturing your company vision and moving forward

One key to success in business is seizing opportunities. If you ask successful business owners how they made it, they usually list two things: They had a solid business plan in place, and when they saw their opportunity, they stuck to that plan. One thing they usually don’t mention, at least not publicly, is that they also were lucky — they were the right person with the right idea at the right time. But having a plan when the fickle finger of fate strikes is what separates them from those folks who got hit by the lightning of luck — and soon perished. Luck always helps; luck plus planning spells success.

Right now, your business plan represents an opportunity. One of the biggest mistakes that companies make is not taking full advantage of the business plans they work so hard on. We’ve seen companies use their plans to raise loads of money and put together a dynamite ...

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