Make the most of your opportunities

We talked with Tom Ledbetter’s FastTrak class the other evening.
They are diverse. 60% female. 80% minority. 100% entrepreneurial.
His students’ enthusiasm for success always impresses me.
They see the opportunities that are all around us every day.
One is a young entertainment attorney just starting his practice.
Three have inventions. One of their inventions could save your life.
One manages properties. Another sells them, in retirement.
One sells convenience. He washes vehicles where you live or work.
They heard about the 10 businesses we’ve started or acquired.
They heard about the 80-hour weeks and other sacrifices we made.
They heard about living off savings until your business is profitable.
They heard about our failures and what we learned from them..
In life and in business, find mentors. Learn from their mistakes.
We don’t need to repeat mistakes others have already made
Learn also how they succeeded and what success cost them.
Be willing to pay the price. Or find something else to do in your life.
It’s simple. Make your plan. Weigh the costs. Take action.
And it will be hard. But hard doesn’t mean hopeless.
We’ll talk more about this next week. For help, click here.

Planning your life

Many of us fly without plans -- and by the seat of our pants.
We’re fortunate that Higher Powers often hold on to our pants.
Without that, we might crash and burn. Not a good prospect.
Planning your life is much like planning a business.
Put it in writing. Weigh the pros and cons. Take action.
Tonight I will share these thoughts with Tom Ledbetter’s class.
Tom teaches entrepreneurship to wannabe business owners.
Here’s the start of our story of venturing into business.
We started our first business at home with a small computer.
Anybody remember the Apple 2e? Yes. Seems primitive now.
We used its small capacity to develop a written plan.
Since then we have started and acquired 10 businesses.
Most have been successful. Some have not.
All were great learning experiences.
The ones which did best were carefully planned.
All began with a gem of an idea: A need to be filled.
How could we fill it? Was the need big enough for success?
That’s where business and life planning start -- with an idea.
It should be a big idea. But without a plan, it’s just an idea.
Over the next few days we’ll talk more about your plan.
We’ll go through the steps in developing it.
Then it will be up to you to take the necessary action.
It’s your life. Make the most of it while you’re here.
For more on planning your life, please click here.