GET A JOB!

There has been an upsurge in folks wanting run their own business in the last few years. I don’t like to use the word entrepreneur, because most people that i’ve met that call themselves entrepreneurs are just business people that aren’t yet doing business. Or put another way, they are ideas people, not action people.

I guess it may have been fuelled by shows like Dragons Den and the Apprentice, but it seems to me that everyone wants to, generically, be a mogul on other people’s money.
The story usually goes like this:
An entrepreneur gets an idea to produce or provide a service that no one else is doing right now. They see this as a gap in the market, and become determined to get it to market.
When I say determined, I don’t mean trying to raise funds by getting a second or third job, or by downsizing their house, or not going on holiday for 5 years, or by not buying new clothes while the old ones still fit. By determined I expecting a grant from the government, or a loan from a start-up trust, or a bunch of cash from angel investor... Now that’s determination!

I worked in nightclub security for three years while setting up Neo Marketing. Security is so far away from marketing and design, it’s not funny. Security isn’t a glamorous job, and sometimes it can be be extremely dangerous. I did learn a few skills though, not least being the ability to communicate and reason in very tense situations. I was also able to sleep for 4 or 5 hours, then meet clients and get work done.

I would have much preferred being able to work 10am to 4pm and sip Pina Coladas by the Clyde, but it wasn’t realistic. I needed start-up capital, and figured that if I was going to benefit from a successful business, then it was right for me to make sacrifices.

It really bothers me that business owners complain so much about how bad the market is and how little the government is helping. Stop worrying about hand-outs and step-ups and start worrying about making your clients and customers happy.

So in summary, if you want to be a mogul, stack shelves, wash dishes or wait tables. Or tell people “Sorry, tracksuits are just too casual for this nightclub”.