As an author of start-up books, I get very jaundiced when I start
reading others. It’s professional jealousy and it’s childish. Most of
these books (if not all) are better then mine, which reinforces my
jealousy. I was prepared to be unimpressed by Entrepreneur Revolution – How to Develop Your Entrepreneurial Mindset and Start a Business That Works by Daniel Priestly, but after reading it I wasn’t.
The book is superb. Straight talking. Nothing complex about
technology, social media or strategy, but some very simple home truths
that are very difficult to argue against.
The book’s starting point is that the industrial revolution is over;
the information technology revolution is about to be over; and we are
entering the entrepreneur revolution. We are moving from hands and heads
to hearts. The future is customer intimacy, delivered by entrepreneurs
who deliver amazing value, love what they are doing and get paid for it.
Are you a ‘clinger’ or a ‘surfer’?
New technology allows everyone to follow their passion, heart and
dreams. And following your passion makes you able to compete against the
“big boys”. It also allows you to be in charge of your own destiny
without being controlled by “The Man”.
The key question here is whether you are a clinger (ie wasting your
life, holding on to the industrial revolution-type of living, living in
the past, etc) or a surfer (ie someone who follows the joy, opportunity
and empowerment).
Daniel’s book introduces the term “Global Small Business”, because
technology now enables you to go global overnight. And then he explains
how:
- Start, go out and do it, start engaging, meet people, make a mess.
- Save regularly.
- Drop the friends who bring you down.
- Don’t let money rule you (money fear is your lizard brain telling you to flee).
- Create ongoing serendipity (create your luck).
- Switch off the news (go read a book).
- Keep a journal (learn!).
- Blank out the time in the coming year you want to go on holiday (work/life management).
- Understand the system and get structured.
- Build a team.
- Stretch yourself.
- Get resourceful.
- Be accountable.
Once you have that set up, you have to lean in, go for it with all
your being and start building your reputation. And because you are
enjoying yourself, the spark, the energy, the curiosity and passion will
bring the rewards, one way or the other.
Ascending Transaction Model
The icing on the cake is how Daniel gives you a business model that
works. It’s called the Ascending Transaction Model and consists of a
gift, a “quick-win product”, a core product and a logical next step.
Each step has increasing revenue potential, with all steps having great
emphasis on excellence, customer delight, client success and sales.
To quote directly from the book:
“Secretly, many small-business owners have a negative association to
selling and they wish they could simply do extra marketing, extra
servicing or extra networking rather than having to have the sales
conversation.”
“Unfortunately, this is fantasy. Omega, Ferrari, Google, HSBC and
Apple all invest in sales training so their staff know how to have
structured sales conversations with prospective buyers.
“If the world’s biggest brands, with the world’s hottest products,
need to have sales conversations, then so does every small business.”
Home truths
Daniel leaves the best for last, by providing a few home truths:
- You get what you pitch for (you are what you project).
- Influence comes from output, not confidence (you must do the hard work and produce).
- Income follows asset (become your own franchise and create individual IP and assets).
- Get known for the success of your clients.
- You are in partnership with everyone (ensure mutual win-wins all the time).
- Ideas are worthless – implementation is everything.
- Being imaginative is NOT being creative.
This book gave me a jolt. It forced me to look at our business model,
reinforced my belief in entrepreneurship and taught me a few new things
– all the things you want from a good book.
0 Comments: