The decade-long itch…and the birth of Springboarders
If there’s one thing that has fascinated and excited me over the past decade, it is – without a doubt – entrepreneurship. As exciting as it is, it has also been the cause of what can only be described as a “persistent itch” I’ve dealt with throughout the past few years.
My early life experiences with entrepreneurship have resulted in a unique understanding and appreciation for what can only be described as an art: the art of creating, managing and growing a profitable company. Barely out of my teens, I was thrust into the responsibility of managing a relatively large family-run manufacturing operation. It took me a few months to learn the ropes of the business and industry. With my feet barely wet, I was fully responsible for reviving, managing and growing the organization. It is from this vantage point that I began to appreciate all that it takes to be a successful entrepreneur.
My career as an entrepreneur and management consultant has lasted for nearly a decade. During this time I have had the opportunity to interact with hundreds of intelligent, interesting and ambitious entrepreneurs. Nearly all of these like-minded people I’ve met are armed with great ideas and a vision for what they want to pursue. Having an idea simply isn’t good enough and unfortunately, not every entrepreneur ends up being successful.
Which brings me back to that itch I was referring to earlier: why do some entrepreneurial companies thrive while others struggle to survive? A quick Google search will bring back tomes written on the topic. In my opinion, it boils down to two things. First, a successful entrepreneur plans well. The most successful ones I’ve met are always on the pulse of their market. They understand what it will take to make their company successful. They have a pragmatic plan and stick to it as much as possible. Of course forks in the road will be encountered, some bumps will be met along the way. The most successful entrepreneurs roll with those punches and make adjustments to their plans. Although planning isn’t an elixir for success, your chances of success shoot up dramatically if you’ve got a good plan to put into motion.
The second element of a successful entrepreneur is great implementation. The most talented entrepreneurs I’ve met intuitively understand what needs to be done to build a company – and then go about doing it. Unfortunately, several entrepreneurs find the implementation phase overwhelming and lose focus quickly.
True, planning and implementing may seem like simple concepts. But if they were, then all entrepreneurs would be successful. Although many entrepreneurs develop business plans at the inception of their business, more often than not those original business plans are tossed out the window when the business is up and running. And rightly so. Traditional business plans are not developed to serve as step-by-step guides that entrepreneurs can use to build their businesses. Furthermore, circumstances change quickly. So those original business plans that once looked so good do not always remain relevant. The key is not only to make planning a habitual process, but also to develop action-oriented plans that you can then use as roadmaps to build your company.
My intent in founding Springboarders is to assist entrepreneurs with developing pragmatic, action-oriented business plans that can be used to build profitable, long-lasting companies. The passion and knowledge I have about running businesses and entrepreneurship translate into a profound “itch” to work hard to help fellow entrepreneurs meet their goals. And only when entrepreneurs begin to reap the rewards that sound, action-oriented business planning creates will this itch subside.
