Non-fiction / Small business book part I
If you want to start your own business, you are on the right track. If that is your only goal, this book may not be for you. This work is for women who want more out of their life, more happiness, more money, more wealth, and more satisfaction. This book contains the recipe by which you can create your ideal life. You can have more friends, more wealth, and more health than you ever imagined by following a time tested cookbook to define your own life. Ladies, your time has come. It is time for you to own your power, and take your place among the rich and successful. Not only will you succeed, you will excel amongst the successful.
Expect the process of becoming a business owner to take a minimum of 1 year. If possible, give yourself time to plan, then execute your plan to perfection. As we all have learned from previous experience, it is not so much what you say, but how you say what you say that generates the desired outcome. Having a firm idea of what you want your product or service to do, and the way that you will get that message across to your customers can be the difference between success and failure.
This is the best time to be a woman, particularly in America. Most women don’t realize how blessed they are to be women. No matter how fat, short, ugly, stupid or whatever you have felt in the past, know this: Someone will always want you. It’s true Your children will always love you, men will always desire you, and someone will always want to be your friend. Furthermore, we are free. Free to be stay at home mom’s, free to scale the corporate ladder, and free to create wealth through self employment.
We all know someone who is fatter, shorter, less intelligent that has more friends, more money, or more happiness than you do. This contains the answer to the question: Why don’t I have what she has?” This book will be your constant companion on this journey to self empowered wealth and independence. I have written in detail about my personal experiences to help assist you on your journey. When you feel vulnerable, read through the chapters, and you can use my experiences to feel strong. When you are about to give up hope, draw strength from this book, and go on. You no longer need to rely on hearsay, or others to give you what you need to grow. More powerful than hearsay, than trite stay positive messages, you will be successful because you have the plan. By picking up this book, you have taken the first step on your journey towards empowered self employment. The trip will be strain your mind, exhilarate your soul, break your heart and fulfill you in ways you never imagined. Most books aim to make you feel good, and pad the truth with easy fables. This is not one of those books. This book will make you feel good because you are good, and we will face the truth together and feel no fear. I hope to make you successful in your business venture. The only way to be successful is to believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself today, right now, You will soon believe in yourself because you put the work in, did the research, planned what you could, and put the rest in the hands of the universe.
Women in particular have a lot to overcome in the search for self employment/empowerment. We are so hard on ourselves, wanting to be perfect wives, mothers, friends, daughters, etc. the list goes on and on damn the lists and our expectations. Staying mentally strong is the main challenge you will face on this trip. Allow yourself to cry for a while, then pick yourself up and try again. I am by no means a perfect person. I am just like you, with failures, hang ups, and my own fears. But I have lived through my mistakes and broken through to the other side. We will succeed together in paving the road for others.
I started my journey towards CEOwnership at the age of 7. The oldest of three kids (soon to be four), I saw my parents struggle to inch out of poverty and into the middle class. My Mother was a pharmacist, my Father an RN, both working long hours.. As the eldest, I considered it my responsibility to make things easier on my parentsI looked around, and with the logic of a 7 year old, decided that the solution to my family’s financial problems would be to get a job and help my family out.
The only obstacle to my grand plan was that children under the age of 14 were not allowed to work in Iowa. I couldn’t believe it I was astonished that the government of America would be so short sighted as to preclude children from assisting their families. I had seen Ronald Reagan on TV before, and he looked to be a fairly reasonable fellow. I just knew that this law could be changed if only he understood the importance of my being gainfully employed. I wrote to the White House, and demanded to be able to work in order to help my family pay bills. I was so sure that the President would see the solid reason of my arguments, the fervor of my belief, that I promptly forgot about the letter I wrote and started looking through the classifieds.
After about a month, I received a letter in the mail from washington DC I jumped up and down, crowing my victory to the world, then opened the letter. I fully expected a notice from the President himself changing the child labor laws. Imagine my disappointment upon recieving a form letter that didn’t even address the purpose of my letter. It congratulated me on writing to the president, assured me that the President was concerned about the welfare of the American people, and said nothing about changing the child Labor laws That was the first time I understood that you can’t depend on others to make it possible for you to do what you want to do.
I looked for ways to bend the law. I knew I wouldn’t be able to make a lot of money, but maybe I could make a little. After all, a little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing My neighbor sold popsicles to the neighborhood kids for 25 cents a piece, and did a pretty brisk business. All the kids around bought popsicles from my neighbor. When I asked her how she made them, she confided in me that all it was was frozen Kool-Aid I was astonished that she made what in my mind was close to millions from powder bought at the store for 10 cents a piece I knew that kids liked sweet things, and there were tons of kids in the area. This taught me the second principle of small business; Know your target market, and research before you invest. Using this information, I decided I would sell candy. I borrowed 1 dollar from my mom, went to the corner store, and bought 2 packs of starbursts for 50 cents a piece. I then sold each piece seperately for 10 cents a piece. By the end of the day, I had made a whole dollar from my sales This new business quickly failed because my “sampling” of the product “ate” into my profits.
I learned a few lessons from this enterprise, mainly the importance of doing your homework. You can’t be successful if you don’t know your industry inside out. Regardless of what line of business you are in, knowledge is power. You need to become as powerful in knowledge as possible when it comes to your industry. You can’t be successful if you don’t know your industry as well as you possibly can. You also need to have mentors to guide you through the mistakes that are bound to happen.
Having bankrupted my first business, I moved on to others. Throughout the course of my self employment career, I have done a neighborhood puppet show, Braided hair, sold Mary Kay, Opened 2 staffing companies, and moved on to showing others how to start businesses. The point here is, you may fail, time after time after time like I did, but don’t give up. Some blessed folks can start their own company and go from debt to having millions in months. Those people are few and far between, the lotto winners of the business world. It took me 20 years of practice before I found my niche, so if you don’t immediately start seeing returns, don’t get discouraged. From each of my failures, I have learned a new life skill, and I hope you use this information to keep your eye on the prize.
Remember this: there is nothing new under the sun. Any idea you have, has likely been had before. Any store you want to open has probably already been opened. Whether or not the previous enterprise or discovery was successful, 99.9% of the time, the concept has existed before. Most new discoveries are are either rediscoveries, or new ways of marketing old ideas. Rather than discouraging you, this information should exhilarate you. Rather than struggling blindly through the desert, you have the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of those that passed before you. If some one else has already had your idea, or opened your store, then you can learn from their mistakes, refine and perfect their ideas for your benefit. How then, you may ask, can I become a success in my business? This is what you need to identify, well before you open your doors.
The best way to research the industry is to work in it. You can take as many classes as you wish, attend all the lectures in the world, but nothing will prepare you for your own company more than working in your chosen line of business. Prior to opening my own agency, I worked for 2 other local staffing companies. Believe it or not, I was actually fired from my first position. Having been in the telemarketing area for 3 years prior to working for a staffing agency, I thought I had a leg up on the other sales rep’s in my office. It’s true, I did. I outperformed, outnegotiated, and generally did an excellent job at making money for the staffing agency owner. My failure was in considering the human element of business. For certain personalities, particularly in male/female interactions, overachievement is an unacceptable threat. My downfall was not in performance, but in failing to recognize the insecurities of my team mates. When I was first let go, I raged at the unfairness of it all. In retrospect, I realize that my performance was actually upsetting the group dynamic, which to the owner of the staffing agency(also a male) was more important to the long term profitability of his company. Always learn who is the decision maker in the team, and make sure to assuage this person’s ego. Remember, your goal here is not to become the most popular, or generate the most revenue. Your goal is to learn as much as you possibly can about your industry, sales techniques, software, whatever you can to further your business to be.
After this discouraging experience, I was still determined to learn as much as I could about staffing and employment before opening my own company. Having learned what a beast jealousy is, I applied that lesson to my next position in the staffing industry. If you fail in your first attempt, try again. If you hope to sell insurance, go work for the largest insurance agency in your area. If you hope to go into manufacturing, look for a company which manufactures your item. With this birds eye view of the beast you can analyze the benefits and strengths of the way they do business, and improve on that for your own company.
Experience is not just gained in corporate America, however. For example great lifestyle Guru Sandra Lee was the product of a very difficult childhood. When her mother fell ill, the responsibility for clothing and feeding her three younger siblings fell to her. Against great odds, and with greater still creativity, she was able to budget for her household, and provide healthy, delicious meals for her family. This ability to make something out of almost nothing is a trait that I have seen in women from all social backgrounds and income levels. She was able to take those skills learned during her childhood and become CEO of her Kurtain Kraft company at the age of 25. She then spun her success on to even greater heights with her “Semi Homemade” cookbook series and Food Network shows.
Her success in using her past to create her company did not come without a backlash, however. In her own words, the “Food Purists” generated an outcry. How dare she use basic pantry ingredients in her cooking? How dare she not do things exactly the way they have been done for years? Part of being a woman, unfortunately, is that others feel that they have the right to dictate your life, and discount your success. You may not be a Harvard graduate, or come from a middle class background, but those skills you developed as a stay at home mom, surrogate caretaker and nurturer do still apply. The ability to make a dollar stretch until it screams will certainly come in handy during those early low cash flow days of your company. Using ugly, substandard products to create something new and inviting has honed your creative abilities. Take your previous experiences and draw on those lessons learned to help you create your ideal company.
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Thanks for sharing your story with us. I definitely understand what you are trying to say and the message you are trying to get across. Writing is a very personal thing. As a writer, I feel I could say it better (with a little editing and re-writing) but it might not work for you. Proofreading is about spelling and grammar but also the right way to phrase things. Nevertheless, the anecdotes speak volumes and your common sense style is easy to digest. I feel as though there are a lot of self-help books but, as you say, a lot of them make very shallow promises. I’m interested to know what happens next. Even though I am a mere man, I’d love my own business one day. I sense a lot of your information and ideas will be helpful to me too. I am seeing a rise of ‘cottage industries’ in all fields, so I think this book might be quite timely.
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If you want to start your own business, you are on the right track. If that is your only goal, this book may not be for you.
[Here through the next few paragraphs sounds like your establishing a broader premise than the success in business book, you started with. And that can work. I’ve seen people without degrees in psychology, for example, pass on some pretty sound folk wisdom. I’m thinking of, “He’s Just Not That Into You.” But maybe you need too expand the title]
[Maybe condense this paragraph to something like…]
This is the best time to be a woman, particularly in America. Most women don’t realize how blessed they are to be women. We are free. Free to be stay at home mom’s, free to scale the corporate ladder, and free to create wealth through self employment.
[This is from a woman’s standpoint, but couldn’t the other statements … no matter how fat, etc. .. children will love… someone will want…etc, be said of men too? However I don’t think women need to justify being stay-at-homes, as much as men. So that’s gender specific.. ]
I sensed from the first, you enjoy telling stories in a personal way. Chronicling your climb this way might actually work for you, because you seem fearless about the stories you’re willing to tell and their impact on that climb. I guess the trick is balancing everything; useful facts, relating experiences to other industries, your own work diary, and the near fatal distractions. After all we’re all emotional creatures as well as strategists. Maybe injecting the personal angle into the story, should be part of the pitch. In any case, it’s a book that would interest me.
Oh and I like the start-from-bottom-even-if-it-means-selling-koolaid approach. Sure it’s apple pie and the 4h of July but it works.
Some notes on this reviewer; my wife owns her own business, I grew up in business and we have both read numerous books on business and leadership.
If this is an intro, I had returned your book back to the shelf after the first sentence. Why? because how can you tell me I’m on the right track? It makes me think you’re gonna tell me anything to sell this book. Your book has to give me the tools for me to figure out if I’m on the right track. Entreprenuership is not for everyone.
You also seesaw a lot in your points, at one point you say “execute your plan to perfection” and then you say no one is perfect. I think the very reference to “perfection” in the beginning will ward off anyone who is trying to warm up to the idea that they could have their own business. Also you mention that this is not a book of trite messages and then you say you have to “believe in yourself.”
You also spend 4 paragraphs on lessons learned from your childhood and one sentence on “adult” business, if you target is anyone over 30, they are not interested.
I think the reason people question our creditibility is because it sounds like you are trying to prove yourself to your reader.
Suggestions: you refered to a women feelings of inadequacy, what inadequacies do you have to overcome daily? Get personal with your reader, if not personal then give them a personal story about someone else. You kind of do that with Lee but I feel like you are just reporting on it, you aren’t telling her story, you explaining her inadequacies from her point of view. Get an interview with her and talk to her.
Overall, it sounds like your message is “don’t quit.” But because you’re 26, your message will not be heard, I’m sorry but you’re not old enough to carry the endurance message. However, what I do think you can credibily convey is “don’t quit before you start.”
I think self-employed “moms” want their time respected, they want real stories of success, they want quick insights into managing their doubts, their relationships, their expectations, and simple tips on planning, execution and review and resources. You give them this, you gotta book.
I’m going to make the assumption that this is the intro section of your book (it would be helpful to the reviewing process to know what the chapters are supposed to be covering) and comment accordingly. Sorry if my assumption is wrong…There are a lot of great ideas in here ; I’m hoping you’ll cover them in more detail in subsequent sections. I think you should steer clear of too much cheerleading in the opening paragraphs. Generic pep talk should only take a paragraph or two—if it’s too long you start losing credibility as an expert. The more specific you are, the better the examples function. To my mind, you could leave off the Regean anecdote and stick to the Starburst story.
Are you going to address specific industries? I think that would serve you best. Hearing about your hands-on experiences (and how they might apply to other industries) is compelling. I would be careful about using a lot of women-are-victims language. While it’s true that women have more standing in their way in the world of business, dwelling on it overmuch isn’t worthwhile for your audience.
There’s quite a bit of proofing that needs to happen before this piece is ready to show a publisher. I noticed many missing hyphens (“stay-at-home moms” is one example), and missing punctuation (commas are a frequent one). Try reading your manuscript out loud and you’ll catch a lot of them.
It’s a good start, and I think there’s a market out there for it. Best of luck.
I understand what you want to accomplish, but with that being said. I think this is a little too long winded. I don’t think you need to write all of this to get your point across that women can open their own business. I am a Business Owner, and when I read something, I want it short, packed with lots of info, and to the point. I don’t really think your age is relevant, but don’t come across too strongly with trying to sell your experience. State the facts, that will sell the book on it’s own. You need to check your punctuation, don’t expect people to do it for you.
First of all I must say, I will buy your book when it comes out. Your book grabbed my attention and kept me interested the whole 2327 words. You gave some good advice when you said that we all know someone who is fatter, shorter, less intelligent that has more friends than you or I. That is really true. I also like the fact that your book could be used as a reference book on my desperate journey towards wealth and independence. To be able to make something out of almost nothing takes great skills and that’s why I like your book. You said that your target market for your book is women who are looking to start their own business. I feel if though this book could be just as helpful to men who are looking to start their own business. Great work so far.
Alright I am going to write my comments as I read, so here goes. I found the line “it is not so much what you say, but how you say what you say that generates” to be a bit confusing to read. Perhaps because I was expecting “but how you say it” but I found that line a bit hard to read.
The line ” , than trite stay positive messages, ” I think you need to insert something before trite, for instance “a trite” or “some trite”
“The trip will be strain your mind” remove “be”
There are quite a few more that I skipped over so this won’t take all your credits to read. I suggest that you read it over to yourself aloud. I think you will probally pick out most of them.
I also think you might want to think about reducing some of your rating categories, A lot of them are pretty much the same thing.
I like the idea af the book very much and will wish you luck in getting it published. I am sure you can if you set your mind to it and don’t give up.
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