By Dan Miller - Back when I was contemplating opening Veterans Computer Solutions I remember making a list of all the things I was going to need. A CPA, a lawyer, tools, clients and a bank account and from the looks of things then it had better be a big bank account.
At the time I thought the best way to build my business was to model it after the big successes like Intel, Microsoft, IBM but again they have resources for attracting new business that I didn’t have. So I started looking around for ideas and I went thru the flyers, and emails and direct mail and on and on but money was running short and new business was slow to arrive. TV and radio again required sums of money I wasn’t ready to part with.
There were days I would get up and say today 2 new clients and I would beat the bushes till I was blue and maybe get one. Then there were days I just wanted to chuck it all and go back to working for “the man” but I took one more step and the urge went away for the time being.
See the one thing I forgot to add to my list of needs in the beginning was courage.
One day I was surfing the net, instead of doing some kind of marketing, and I ran into a book called the Bootstrapper’s Bible by Seth Godin. It sounded like someone had been listening and recording everything I said and thought about my business.
A Bootstrapper according to this book, the classic bootstrapper is an entrepreneur who is working his or her butt off to start a great business from scratch with no (or almost no) money. |At last count, there were several million bootstrappers in this country, with another few million wannabes, just waiting for the opportunity.
The life blood of America is YOU…the bootstrapper…the dreamer. The one with courage to step out in faith and make those dreams a reality.
We bootstrappers need motivation from time to time and budget wise a motivational coach isn’t always feasible. We need a daily mantra that helps us to recommit to our dream regardless of what the day before put before us.
This is the mantra written for bootstrappers and should be read daily before work:
I am fearless
I will succeed because my efforts and my focus will defeat bigger and better-funded competitors;
I keep my focus on growing the business-not on politics, career advancement, or other wasteful distractions.
I will leverage my skills to become the key to every department of my company, yet realize that hiring experts can be the secret to my success.
I will be a fervent and intelligent user of technology, since technology is an asset not just a liability.
I will conserve my two most precious assets: time and money.
I pledge to know more about my field than anyone else.
I realize that treating people well on the way up will make it nicer for me on the way
back down.
I will be scrupulously honest and overt in my dealings, and won’t use my position as a fearless bootstrapper to gain unfair advantage. My reputation will follow me wherever I go, and I will invest in it daily and protect it fiercely.
I am the underdog. I realize that others are rooting for me to succeed, and I will gratefully accept their help when offered. I also understand the power of favors, and will offer them and grant them whenever I can.
I am a salesperson. Sooner or later, my income will depend on sales, and those sales can be made only by me, not by an emissary, not by a rep. I will sell by helping others get what they want, by identifying needs and filling them.
I will be persistent, consistent, and willing to invest in the marketing of myself and my business.
I will measure what I do, and won’t lie about it to myself or my spouse.
I will set strict financial goals and honestly evaluate my performance.
I’ll set limits on time and money and won’t exceed either.
Most of all, I’ll remember that the journey is the reward. I will learn and grow and enjoy every single day.
To sum it all up the only thing you really need to remember is NEVER GIVE UP!
If the urge hits to jump off that cliff just call me and I’ll join you…..and after we look deep into the abyss and see how dark it is…we’ll turn around, drink a cup of coffee and refocus on the prize! Our business!!
Dan Miller
Veterans Computer Solutions
(317) 937-4967
dan@indyitsupport.com
