Kenny Manchester

6 followers A few thoughts for new entrepreneurs or folks considering starting a business. If I knew then what I know now I would definitely have done some things differently. Hope this helps some who are contemplating starting up. Jordyn Dahl, a Sr. News Editor, sent an email asking me to share some advice to those looking to start their own business in the shadow of the pandemic. The question that got me was, "What would you go back and tell yourself if you were starting today?" Ok, here goes: 1. Like many major life decisions, there is no perfect time to start a business. If you're waiting for some sign, it's not likely to come. You need to jump in and go for it. Seriously. Decide. It will set you free. 2. Write things down! If something you discussed on the phone or over lunch isn't summarized, memorialized in an agreement seen and acknowledged by all parties involved, it didn't happen. Verbal agreements will bite you and hurt you. It's amazing how people get amnesia or remember things differently as time passes. When I say write it down, I'm not talking about social media posts or SMS Text messages. Come on, man! 3. Trying to be original over being excellent is expensive and risky. Set your sights on excellence and zero in on proven examples of people and business examples to mimic. There's no need to travel into the abyss blindly when reliable maps are all around you. 4. Find and recruit great advisors you can learn to trust. But, choose your advisors VERY carefully. Family and friends are often not the best choices for several reasons, but it may be decades before you realize that. Save yourself the grief. 5. You, and every person that works with you, establish your company culture in the eyes of others. If you and your team are always late, overlook details, fail to listen, communicate poorly, dress like bums, or keep a cluttered workplace, that is how your customers and your suppliers will see you. If you are upbeat, demand timeliness and quality, look sharp, fast, and responsive, that is how your customers and suppliers see you. Things like respect, trust, ethics, fairness are so hard to nurture and so easily lost. Hire people that are 100% and never waiver. Preserving your company's culture is more difficult with growth. Don't settle. 6. The best people aren't usually looking for a job. So, you must get out and find them. When you do, and you're sure, you need to win them over. Persuade them to join you. Pay attention! Great people hide in plain sight where you least expect to find them! The lady handing you the hot dog at the food truck in the park may be your future VP of Sales 25 years from now. 7. Schedule time to reflect and share with your team. What's gone well? What could be better? Say thank you! If you need to close down for a while to share and give thanks, then do it! 8. Embrace change as opportunities. Puzzles worth solving. Pay attention! 9. Preserve your Capital! Do without or buy second-hand. Lease if you must. Save your cash. Avoid debt like the plague! 10. Measure and test and compare everything you do. Know your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) 11. Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life! K

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