Bootstrapper.com - Confessions of Serial Entrepreneurs

As an entrepreneur, one of the most important things is listening to people.  I’ve met a lot of interesting people that have a lot of interesting ideas and get a lot of satisfaction by making sure that I know that they know a lot.  What do I do?  I listen.  (That was a lot of “a lot”’s back there.. stay focused)  Most people that you talk to are dead wrong most of the time, but there is value in what they have to say.  It’s a numbers game really.  If 1% of ideas that you hear are worthwhile, isn’t it worth hearing 99 bad ideas to get to that good one?

My biggest issue is that I’ve already thought about what they are lecturing about so I know why it is feasible or why it can’t be done.  When I was a youth.. just a few months ago… I would often chastise these advice-givers in my mind.  But now that I’m an adult (almost 26 years old… boo hoo), I listen a lot more.  It doesn’t hurt to listen to the advice and THEN ignore it but it’s a disaster to ignore it from the get-go.

“If you arn’t bringing value, throw in the towel. If you’re not having fun, success is a poor reward for a miserable life.”

Larry, you are wise.

1) have experience on your team in the space you are in
2) research
3) go slow, don’t rush
4) make sure you have enough cash to feed your family
5) ask for advice
5) seek professional help (ass in a therapist)
6) seek professional help with your business plan
7)
There is no lucky 7 - because don’t count on luck
9) have confidence
10) don’t give up but know when to toss in the towel
11) spellcheck…learn to us it