In the New York Times Your The Boss Blog, Paul Downs posted, Twenty Five Years and I'm Still Standing. The essence is he has survived the ups and downs of business after 25 years and is wondering what is next? OK... we all are.
Well if a highway is a metaphor for the business environment, then standing implies the potential of colliding with traffic going in either direction? The white line in the center of the road is narrow and easy to move off of... yikes!
My take is this: Small Businesses need advice and skills NOT to stand but to move ahead. Hopefully I along with other business bloggers can use 2011 to help small businesses do more than stand? Maybe we can at least start with staying in the right hand slow lane :)
Small Businesses for the most part are based on technical skills of the founder and generate a paycheck. They enjoy their craft but not the business and marketing strategy. They are "doers".
Entrepreneurial companies are designed to Replicate and Scale which generates value for the founders while the business is operating and when the business is sold.
Scalability and Replicability are the key differentiators.
Let us be clear… there is nothing wrong with aspiring to be a small business and there is nothing inherently correct about aspiring to be an Entrepreneur.
Small business no longer can take the attitude that "I am still standing". This is particularly germane to businesses in retail consumer goods. Retail is changing rapidly due to major shifts in consumer behavior. Loyalty is eroding and morphing to Preference which is why consumers reportedly shop 5 to 7 stores and are not really driven by supporting small business or Walmart.
Small business future survival is gaining some entrepreneurial knowledge and skills so their lifestyle and paycheck is sustainable.
My take is this: Small Businesses need advice and skills NOT to stand but to move ahead. Hopefully I along with other business bloggers can use 2011 to help small businesses do more than stand? Maybe we can at least start with staying in the right hand slow lane :)
Small Businesses for the most part are based on technical skills of the founder and generate a paycheck. They enjoy their craft but not the business and marketing strategy. They are "doers".
Entrepreneurial companies are designed to Replicate and Scale which generates value for the founders while the business is operating and when the business is sold.
Scalability and Replicability are the key differentiators.
Let us be clear… there is nothing wrong with aspiring to be a small business and there is nothing inherently correct about aspiring to be an Entrepreneur.
Small business no longer can take the attitude that "I am still standing". This is particularly germane to businesses in retail consumer goods. Retail is changing rapidly due to major shifts in consumer behavior. Loyalty is eroding and morphing to Preference which is why consumers reportedly shop 5 to 7 stores and are not really driven by supporting small business or Walmart.
Small business future survival is gaining some entrepreneurial knowledge and skills so their lifestyle and paycheck is sustainable.
The FoodPreneur provides Tips on Starting a Specialty Food Business and helps you become more successful at:
- Getting your Idea out of the Kitchen
- And on to the Retailers Shelf
- And on to your Consumers Plate
Dom Celentano The FoodPreneur
