Starting A Startup

The ebbs and flow of owning a business can either be stressful or exhilarating. It is all about how you want to perceive it. Many business owners get overwhelmed with things that others think are enjoyable. Identifying where you really are and for how long helps create a light at the end of the tunnel. Stay focused, trust yourself and have confidence that you may not own the result, you can own the inputs. Input your best.

Eleanor Roosevelt said "Do one thing every day that scares you." Stepping into a new role or challenge is often intimidating. The hardest part is starting. Talking with someone fresh through many of them may help shed light on how often this can be done and what it feels like for those scared to dive in.

When a desired outcome is not being achieved, look back to what inputs changed from when you were achieving desirable results. There is probably a lot of them, but one will start to emerge.

Mind shift changes immediate emotional response. If your thoughts can create a chemical reaction, what is the recipe for progressive action? It is easier than you imagine and it feels oh so good.

Remember that drinking game where you had to take the "Little Man" off your beer before taking a drink? He is still with you.

Right now is all that matters. The past has already happened and does not matter anymore, the future is not guaranteed. All you can do is impact the right now. You can not control the outcomes. All you can do is impact the inputs. If you focus on the appropriate inputs, the outcomes will happen. Let go of the outcomes and put everything you have into the inputs in front of you in the present.

A 5 year old conversation revolving around culture between two different companies and two different industries is reignited. What is easier, changing a culture or starting a new one from scratch? My guest Tony Grace and I discuss the nuances of lessons learned over 5 years and their implications to the most important aspect of a business, its culture.

When everything changes, you need to consider changing everything.

Revisiting with CEO Tony Grace about his recent acquisition. Summaries and updates about lessons learned by myself for setting up a a multistate business.

One CEO who is 4 weeks post acquisition and myself 6 weeks away from closing on a location out of state, we sit down and discuss the different techniques, mindsets, and lessons learned in the process of acquiring a competitor.

A lot can happen in 9 months. Many people over estimate what they can accomplish in a week and under estimate what they can accomplish in a year. Here is the update to what was accomplished between both companies in since the last update along with lessons learned.

As the companies grow, things begin to look different. They are not better or worse, they are just.... different. The feelings involved with those changes will always pass on as we move into the next change. The only things we can do is choose how we want to experience that change.

A friend once told me "Say yes and then figure the rest out later." I thought that was an irresponsible way to live. Then, I realized it is how I should live. Weird... It worked!

Being able to modify and move is one of the most important aspects of running a business. Whether you are a seasoned company or an early startup, rigidity can end you. There are no shortage of surprises that happen in business. The only rigidity that keeps your business strong are your core values and ethics of operation. How you act and adapt to these surprises should be anchored in those. You should be willing to die on the mountain for those values. Everything else can and will change, be prepared to be surprised CONSTANTLY. Things rarely turn out the way you expect them to.

Pointing fingers has s negative connotation. When yopu hear the phrase, you may think of "blame". Sometimes though, a different finger pointing is exactly what you need. Pointing your finger to the horizon or to provide accountability will grow your business.

Habits quickly form whether they are good or bad. Holding others accountable for top performance also helps hold yourself accountable. Appreciate those in your life that identify ways to help you grow through criticism. Learn to love criticism and critique. Eliminate the emotion and listen to the message. Grow yourself by enjoying the pain of improvement and change.

Whether it is your friends, your vendors, your employees, or your mentors, surrounding yourself with great people is something everyone knows is a key to success. Can you stake a claim to a squad? Have YOU built your badasses? Who have you raised up grown developed or mentored? It is your responsibility to grow others as much as it is to grow yourself.

Your mind is freshly turned soil. If you don't do something with it, shit is going to grow there that you don't have any use for. Rip out those weeds and start planting your seeds. Dreams are the seedlings of reality.

With chaos, lack of control can be pervasive in your thoughts. Finding what it is you have control over and focusing on positive thinking and executing will bring you back to the top. This update has examples of how dire things can feel and how you can grab the steering wheel and regain control over your journey.

The strong survive any new obstacle but those that thrive are the ones who are willing to adapt. As people claim measurable failure due to things outside their control, many of us look at those failures as an excuse over a long standing weakness. Find the direction you need to go and move. Adaptation is more important than stability.