I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I was not an A+ student. I wasn’t even an A- student. I didn’t graduate in the top ten percent of my class, I wasn’t the valedictorian, and I didn’t go to an Ivy League school. As a matter of fact, I graduated from a state college right smack dab in the middle of the class, and it took me four and a half years to do it. (There were reasons, but still, it’s not like I finished in three with a year to spare.)
And you know what?
No one cares.
That’s right: No One Freaking Cares.
All things considered, I’m pretty darn successful. I’ve run my own company for closing in on fifteen years. I own my own house, my car, and can afford all the things I need, and a few of the things I want. Life is not so bad in the middle of the pack.
Also, I didn’t do anything extraordinary. I’m an accountant. How blah can you get? I take care of small businesses finances. I teach others how to get their business started and take care of it. I didn’t invent Google or create some new medical device or figure out how to spin straw into gold. I do something that’s been done for eons, and it isn’t exactly sexy. ☺
I read a great post the other day and one of the author’s comments has been bouncing around in my head ever since. He said all you need is an average idea with above average execution.
He’s absolutely right.
Average intelligence and above average execution is all you need to be successful. Heck, I’m proof of that! You don’t need an advanced degree, you don’t need a brand new computer, and you don’t have to spend all of your 401k to get started. You don’t even need a cutting edge idea (although you do need to know why you’re unique).
Why? Because the “average” person won’t get out of the starting gate with their business. They’ll get all pumped about a new idea (and probably buy business cards, a logo, create a facebook page, start tweeting, etc, etc, nothing that makes them money), and then once the real work starts, they’ll realize that what they really want to do — is go watch TV. So, really, all you need to do is stick with it longer than that guy and you’re going to be more successful than the average person.
Creating a successful business isn’t magic or good luck or being in the right place at the right time. It’s hard work. It’s having the patience to stick with it even when you have no idea what the heck you’re doing. It’s the place where hard work and the opportunities that hard work creates, finally meet.
Have you ever heard someone say: “Wow, I’d love to do XYZFillintheblankPDQ!”.
Did they do it? Probably not.
I say all the time how I’d love to play the guitar. Have I done anything about it? Nope. Have I called about classes or researched guitars in any way? Nope. Heck, I OWN two guitars! (Long story, don’t ask.) Has this helped me? Nope.
So, what I really mean is that I’d love to be able to play the guitar as long as I didn’t have to put in the time and do the work. If I could just magically know how to play the guitar that would SO work for me!
Yeah. Doesn’t work like that does it.
I’ve worked with guys who started their business literally in their garage, and millionaires who started a business in their guest house. I’ve seen both succeed and both fail. Even the millionaires who had previously created very successful businesses. Trust me, it has nothing to do with intelligence or money or space or advertising budget or how many twitter followers you have. All that is secondary.
What matters is being totally committed to your business, to your vision, and to your passion and not giving up when things get tough.
Don’t let yourself make excuses. Everyone has bad days and everyone has days where the phone rings off the hook. Expect both and you’ll do yourself a huge favor. But, you won’t get either if you quit before you’ve even gotten started.
If you want to be a successful small business owner the first thing you have to do is get out of your own way. Sorry, I know that’s harsh. But, it’s true. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel, it works, move on. There’s an old saying in the writing world that there are “no new stories”. So don’t try to come up with something brand new that no one has ever seen before. At least, not at first. Just get yourself started, get a little momentum, make some money. Then, let your imagination run wild and branch out and try something new.
Don’t worry about whether or not you graduated first in the class. Heck, don’t even worry about whether you finished college or high school or what your class ranking was. It doesn’t matter. Why build a better mousetrap when the tried and true one works? Find a unique way to sell it and do that. Aspire to be just a little better than average and don’t quit the first time you stumble. We all stumble. The most successful of us expect to and have the tenacity to get up, dust off our backsides, and keep climbing.
Remember: You don’t need to be the first across the finish line — you just need to Start the race and Finish!
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