Dreams do come True with the Right Ingredients!

Twenty years ago I began reading Entrepreneur Magazine. I was fascinated about every article that fell across my eyes and mesmerized with the possibilities that so many entrepreneurs had already achieved.  Being a fifth-generation entrepreneur I knew that the need to be an entrepreneur went through my veins but building a business was still a long journey uphill. 

One day as I was sifting through the articles I decided to put 'Writing for Entrepreneur Magazine' on my bucket list. This would be one of my goals before I died. I wanted to write for the magazine that had given me dozens of ideas and inspiration over the years.

There were three things I had to accomplish before I could achieve this bucket list goal. 

Number One: Master Your Art. 
I had to master my knowledge and experience in the field and be recognized as an expert. For some that may take 10,000 hours, 10 years, or a lifetime. It is not the amount of hours that determine if you are an expert but what you do in those hours that define your level of knowledge and expertise and define you as an expert. 

 

Number Two: Master your Customers Needs
 I had to understand my target audience and what was important for them to learn. Having studied the funding cycle for small businesses for a decade I knew a lot about the ins and outs of finding funds and I felt it was necessary to share my knowledge with the entire world.

Number Three: Find your Mentors
I had to have a mentor guide me through the process or provide insight. Every successful entrepreneur has one or more mentors. Nobody succeeds alone. Even if they tell you they succeeded alone that is never the case. They may have been given an opportunity, a door opened for them, someone guided them through the process, or gave them sound advice.

Now the first two are really something I am responsible for-- since I have to develop my craft and I have to understand my audience but the third part of the equation brings in the magic of connecting to the community. It is those rare people that find the time to mentor and shine their wisdom on others. It is those mentors that see the richness you can bring to the world and open a path for you to share that wisdom.

Today all three of these came together and I was able to check off another item from my bucket list. Today Entrepreneur Magazine published my article and I felt like the clouds opened up to share their rain with me. Today I wrote to my mentor and thanked him for making one of my dreams come true. I expressed I am forever grateful for more than he will ever know.




Now some naysayers may say "I was just lucky"!,  "I got a break!, "I was in the right place - right time" and I would say they are absolutely wrong. There was no luck, no break, or no right place right time happening hear. I purposely have been focused on this dream for twenty years.

What is here is persistence, persistence, and persistence with the belief that one day the dream would come to fruition. I didn't waiver from the dream, throw it out of my bucket list after five years or ten years, I just kept focused on the end goal determined to achieve it before I died.  It could have happened when I was 80 I would still be as giddy as I am today.

How many dreams have you put to the wayside?
How many dreams have you given up after some time?
How many dreams did you just justify as a lost cause?
Why have you stopped dreaming? 

 


I am here to tell you that dreams come true. I am here to tell you that if you are trying to find the funds to build your company, or trying to find the doors to new opportunities, or trying to find a way to make your small business dream come true then start finding your mentors and mastering your craft.  There are mentors out there waiting for you to take the first step and ask for help. That is what I did. Thank you to my mentor Stephen. Forever I will be grateful to you for believing in me. 

The Magic of Persistence Taught by a Three-year old

Over the last fifteen years I have consulted, advised, trained or supported more than 5000 entrepreneurs in their pursue of the Global Dream. It is no longer an American Dream to be your own boss it is a Global Dream. The opportunity to do what you want - when you want it - and how you want it. The challenge though in reaching those dreams is flagged with constant persistence of milestones. Often entrepreneurs show up tired and hungry from the pursuit of success. Usually the words they share involve a consistent theme.

" I have been selling my product/service for years and I can't make a living"
" I have spent hours creating the best product/service why is no one buying?
"Honestly I don't know what is wrong with people -they need my product and service".
" There is no problem with my product or service I just can't find the right customers".
" Look if it was so easy to achieve success everyone would be rich - I am just waiting for my turn".

There is a science and magic to being in business. The science is understanding your product or service and positioning it to compete in the marketplace. The magic though is riddled within the constraints of the entrepreneur. It is the ability to be persistent. The ability to wake up everyday and hustle. To walk away from every 'No' with the belief that 'Yes' is right around the corner if  you can just hold on a little bit more.

My three-year old seems to have mastered the art of persistence with no formal training. Typically at least 3-4 times per week he will convince me to do something that I originally said 'No' to at least five or more times.

A scenario usually goes like this:
Marin: Mom can I have a lollipop?
Mom: No Marin! You can't have a lollipop right now?   (reluctance 1)
Marin: But Mom I want a lollipop.
Mom: I know Marin but it is getting late and we have to go to bed soon so no lollipop. (r 2)
Marin: Whah! Why can't I have a lollipop?
Mom: Marin I told you that its too late to have a lollipop. (r3)
Marin: Boo Hoo! I want my lollipop!
Mom: Marin mommy loves you so much but you can't have the lollipop. (r4)
Marin: Boo Hoo! Dad ....Dadddy - mommy won't give me a lollipop.
Dad:  Kedma can you give Marin the lollipop?
Mom: No - I told him he can't have the lollipop.   (r5)
Dad: Come on it is just a lollipop.
Mom: I know it is just a lollipop but we are going to bed soon . (r6)
Marin: Mom --please can I have the lollipop?
Mom: Ok Marin - here is the lollipop (sale completed)

So in this scenario it took 6 reluctance for me to finally agree to the lollipop. The sales rep (Marin) continued to ask for the sale (lollipop). While there were some added persuasion measures (Dad stepped in to persuade) it is no different then a sales representative boss stepping in to give a better deal or position the deal better. Eventually the persistence outwore my reluctance and I gave in.

Having been a sales champion for fifteen years I can tell you that it takes an average of 5-10 reluctance to get a 'Yes' from a customer. Sure sometimes it is easier but the rule of thumb is you can expect 5-10 no's on any deal. So why do entrepreneurs give up on the first or second 'no'? I have no idea except to presume they don't want to bother the customer, sell them something they don't need, or they feel a 'No' is a 'No'. A 'No' is a 'No' but its you job to continue to convince them that they need you. Children have built this mastery for years and all across the world children are getting their lollipops because they have understood the magic of persistence.

Finding the funds is no different. You will get No after No after No and eventually you will find a way to get a Yes maybe not from that customer right now but eventually a Yes will show up. So the next time you are faced with a 'No' ask yourself how bad do you want to taste that lollipop and keep going until it is in your possession and you are walking away with the deal.