It Takes a Village

The old African proverb states, "it takes a village to raise a child". No man, woman, or family is an island onto itself. We venture into a new role, undertake a new project or set out to do what no man has done before. Whatever direction we choose to take, we go there with limited knowledge and experience. “The Village” can take many forms, but the one commonality is we seek the knowledge of those who have come before us.

Entrepreneurs are a proud and independent group; we have a better way and are willing to assume all the risk to deliver our product to the world. Unfortunately, pride and independence can work for us and against us at the same time. An entrepreneur is someone with the courage and passion to take a concept and turn it into a business and is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their desired outcomes. An entrepreneur can also restrict themselves to solitary confinement and resist the aid of “the village”.

Why do we resist?

• Fear of looking bad
• Need Permission
• Didn’t know the option was available
• Waste of time
• Don’t know who to ask

I am a mother and an entrepreneur. As a new mother I also resisted “the village”. How could I admit that I didn’t have the faintest idea what to do with this child? All I knew for sure was that I loved her, and wanted to take the best care of her. I soon realized that I wasn’t alone; my mom shared how she felt after I was born. “What a relief, I may actually have a shot of raising this child.” From that moment on, I sought out the expertise, took classes, surrounded myself with other parents, and got involved in activities to help support the village. We are now the proud parents of 2 teenagers who openly communicate, take pride in their work at home and school, and set goals for their own future.

Unfortunately, I didn’t realize the same rules applied to entrepreneurship, and it took me a little longer to get acquainted with “the village”. How could I admit that I didn’t have the faintest idea what to do with this business? All I knew for sure was that I had a better way, and wanted to deliver the best product in my industry. Someone recently asked me “why I do what I do, and what makes me good at it?”. I do it because it gives me joy. I am good at it because I eventually got tired of solitary confinement. I got tired of repeatedly making the same mistakes. I grew weary of the paralysis of my fears. I looked at the areas in my life that I was the most successful, and applied them to my business. “The village” has become my greatest resource. The residents of the village are fellow entrepreneurs that have shared with me their experiences, and expertise. In return, I gave them the gift of my experience and expertise. They come in the form of my accountant, my attorney, peers, clients, and most importantly my Mastermind group. My mastermind group has become the governing branch of my village. They have shared with me their experience, supported me when I have fallen, been patient, and never judgmental. They have helped me to align myself with my business, take leadership, and look at the business for what it is and what it can become.

We all posses the power to accomplish what we set out to do, some take the long route and others seek the direct route. When we accept the village we remove the fear, and isolation that can stunt our progress.

Related Stories

http://www.justpeace.org/village.htm

http://www.villagetalkradio.com/

Michael Keiser Managing Member American Mobile Scan

Michael joined the Army after High School to pursue a career as a helicopter pilot. During his training he got injured and couldn't continue. He then pursued a career as an X-Ray Technician. Disillusioned when the job became mundane, he sought out something that offered him satisfaction.

In 1997 Michael and 2 doctors began American Mobile Scan. A mobile imaging company that provided Bone Density Testing to post and perimenopausal women.

Why Michael Started American Mobile Scan

Michael developed a desire to be in business for himself, and thought the concept had the potential to become a profitable business. He had a background in medical imaging, and wanted to create something that hadn't existed before.

Did the business give you joy?

"I knew that the success or failure of the buisness was dependent on my efforts, and the team I created. The everyday challenges had their ups and downs, but there was a lot of fulfillment in the relationships that were created with clients and colleagues. The money was a great reward as well."

Business Education

Michael started this venture without any formal business training. He learnt from his failures, business books, and other entrepreneurs.

Being in Business day to day

There were many aspects of the business that Michael enjoyed, but there were also things about the business that he didn't. Due to Michael's extroverted personality he was natually successful at sales and marketing. However, the business owner soon finds out that once you hang out your shingle you suddenly become a man/woman of many talents, (whether you posses them or not). The administrative details were the aspect of the business he disliked.

Success & Failure

Michael's greatest success with American Mobile Scan was taking the company from $0.00 to $1.5 million. Unfortunately, his greatest failure was the choice of his 2 business partners who became more of a hindrance, than a help. This resulted in stunting the growth of the business, which led to it's dissolution.

Advice to other Business Owners

"Gut it out everyday, don't think it's going to be easy. Be willing to fight the fight even when you don't want to. Partners are for dancing, but if you choose to take on business partners, make sure you choose carefully, and have a comprehensive operating agreement."

Turning A Concept that gives you joy into a Business

An Entrepreneur is someone with the courage and passion to take a concept that gives them joy into a business, and is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their desired outcomes.

A Concept that Gives you joy

In my case this wasn't why I became an entrepreneur. My husband and I owned a medical imaging company. If you remember from one of my past entries How I Became an Entrepreneur I mention my passions were to become wife/mother/and teacher. I didn't get involved in the business because I cared about the business, I did it because my rose colored glasses had just gotten a shot of windex sprayed on them, and I wasn't going to be caught with my pants down if something happened to Michael.

Director of Operations

Director of operations was my title. Yes, I loved the business, but I loved it for the wrong reasons.

1. The business made my husband happy


2. It provided our family with more income than we had ever made


3. I could buy more things, go more places


4. I felt a freedom I hadn't ever experienced in the past
   

My husband Michael on the other hand was living the dream. He had taken a concept that gave him joy and turned it into a profitable business.

Definition of an Entrepreneur

Somebody asked me once to give them the definition of an entrepreneur. The answer was simple. An entrepreneur is someone who has the passion and courage to turn a concept that gives them joy into a business and is willing to take the necessary actions to achieve their desired goals.

An entrepreneur can be anyone who has a dream, concept, passion or desire to better themselves, their way of life, or the world around them. The word entrepreneur means different things to different people. To some it means unemployed, to others it means wealth, and then there are those who just aren't sure.

The intention of this blog is to pick apart the definition of the entrepreneur, using case studies, and my own real life experiences to enhance your experience as an entrepreneur. This is a blog for entrepreneurs and those considering taking the plunge to entrepreneurship. This isn't meant to be a data dump. For those of you who are interested I will have exercises that you can go through to determine if you are on the right path. There will be questions to ask yourself. Don't worry I won't ask you to do anything I haven't been willing to do myself. This blog comes with a workout.

I have had the pleasure to work with dozens of entrepreneurs, and I can share some amazing stories, strategies, and tips on how to implement these strategies in your own entrepreneurial life. This is an opportunity to hear from the ones who have come before you, the ones that have been there and done that. But it has been my experience that unless you start implementing and taking action yourself this will just be more information for you to talk about around the water cooler. Success stories and tips are a great resource, but they are just a resource. The most important thing to remember is "take action" and utilize these tips and techniques to fit your style. If you try to copy or adopt another's philosophy it will be the equivalent of wearing someone else's shoes. They may fit, but you know they aren't yours and as a result people will start to wonder why you are walking funny.