Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat

Chapter 8. A QUICK REVIEW OF THE PROBLEMS, CHALLENGES, AND OPPORTUNITIES FACED BY THE STAGE ONE ENTREPRENEUR

Getting a business (or new product) started is like moving a stopped train. It takes a lot of energy to break it free from its stationary physics, but once it is put in motion it accelerates with relative ease.

Keep this metaphor in mind when you begin your entrepreneurial venture. Imagine your challenge as an immense train, sitting dead still on a set of shiny new tracks that lead directly—and with a slight downward slope—to a Golden City. That city is waiting to welcome you as its newest citizen and shower you with its golden benefits.

You just have to get it moving.

A LESSON FROM SCOTT MOORE: EXPECT FAILURE IN THE BEGINNING

For some entrepreneurs, the biggest challenge at Stage One is maintaining faith in the face of setbacks. Scott Moore, a protégé of mine who started a multimillion-dollar financial public relations company, said he had trouble "learning to balance the emotions of believing in [his] business while being objective enough to change course when things are not working."

Most of Scott's early marketing ideas didn't work, but he persisted because he could see that there was a definite market for his services. There were other successful businesses out there making money, he thought. So why couldn't he?

When one strategy failed, he tried another. It took him almost three years to find his optimum selling strategy (OSS). Nowadays, he has more business than he can handle. ...