Recently, I was talking to a friend who is a successful businessman. He mentioned that he had sold one business, and was looking at another venture to become involved in. Knowing that he was a very competent person, I asked him how he was going about it. Did he hire a consultant, do a web search, or what? He said, “Well, actually I have been very busy with this. I have been doing a lot!” Here are some of the things he was doing. He:

• Created an analysis of how much he was willing to invest in terms of money, time and energy, and what the geographic parameters were. For example, he didn’t want to move, so it had to be something that was local, or web-based, or that he could easily fly to, but not too often.

• Called a lot of successful friends and asked them if they were aware of any interesting opportunities.

• Did a web search on various industries and new businesses.

• Found an industry that seemed to have potential and that he thought he might enjoy.

• Went to their conventions and association meetings as a learner, and listened and asked a great deal of questions.

• Found some successful experts who were in that field, and met with them several times to go deeper.

• Took a hard look at the downsides, risks, and competition.

• Took a break from the research and got away from it so that he wouldn’t lose perspective and get too much of a myopic view of the opportunity.

• As it was a retail venture, he drove around and visited ongoing sites to see what he could learn in the moment. He actually found that his future competitors were willing to tell him lots of helpful info! People in the same industry often have affiliative relationships, with a lot in common.

• Went to the county offices and got a great deal of information that is public record, which helped him to further figure if this would work.

• Drove around some more and looked at potential sites for the business and how those particular locations would need what kind of marketing, advertising and services that would be a good fit.

• Did projections on where the industry would be in 3,5 and 10 years, and decided on his plans of when to sell the business.

  There were many more tasks that he did. When I asked him how long he had been working on this project, it was over a year. It did not take up all his time, but he was always, almost every day, doing something about it. And at this point, he had greenlighted the concept, and had started the new company.

  Too much information is better than too little. Spend the time to get the facts, and even facts you may not think you need. You will be surprised how valuable it may be at a meeting when someone says, “What about the demographics of the neighborhood” and you have a file that spits it out that you didn’t think was that helpful at the time. This research phase will be the most intensive fact-finding period of the whole project, so get it all done now, rather than having to ramp up later. There certainly is such a thing as too much information, but lean toward that direction of “more better than less.”

  Listen to the right people. By this I mean that you want to pay attention to people who know about your research and interest, who are both neutral about the direction, but positive about you. That is, their primary concern is to protect your welfare. They are not invested in going for the idea, or against it. So you need to make these people those you listen to the most.

  Be diligent and patient. Success comes from spending time showing up, and doing the right thing, sometimes over and over again, over time. This isn’t a miracle, and it is often tiresome, but it works. It is also the mark of an adult. Some leaders have character issues that cause them to give up quickly if the ducks don’t fall into a row pretty soon. And some get frustrated and impatient with the due diligence process. While projects do need to have an end and a deadline, make time your ally, not your enemy.

  There really is a miracle here, however. It is the hard work miracle. You do the diligence and stay at it. And ask God to provide opportunities, clarity and wisdom. That results in miraculous outcomes. Get involved, do the homework, and see what kind of fruit occurs from your efforts! God bless you.

Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.

(Prov. 21:5, NLT)

A one-week
intensive workshop for leaders
with Dr. Henry Cloud
and Dr. John Townsend

 

Upcoming Ultimate Leadership workshop
in San Juan Capistrano, California

May 6 - 11, 2007

What one leader had to say about the Ultimate Leadership workshop experience...

The Ultimate Leadership Workshop is like nothing I ever imagined and everything I ever needed in a conference. On my second day, I called my wife and told her that I had either made a huge mistake in coming or that this week would change my life. As a leader, over time you can become numb to a lot of things, especially yourself. This week will give you the opportunity to take a good hard look into your core. Don’t worry, this conference is a safe place to land. The principles that I learned about myself and those around me have changed my heart, and my perspective, forever. Since I attended the ULW, my father-in-law died suddenly of cancer and I have changed churches after 13 years of service. To say that God has used this conference to prepare me as I leaned into these challenges is an understatement. I didn’t realize how important this time was, but it continues to impact me almost a year later. How many conferences can make that claim? If you are on the fence because of money, time commitments or fear, trust me, at the end of the week you will understand what I now know. It’s called “Ultimate” for a reason.

Kevin Scruggs Pastor
Elk Grove, California

 

 

 

It's innovative, it's interactive-          
         it's our new Solutions Web site!

www.solutionsonvideo.com

Take a moment to click on the link-we think you'll agree that this is a site with a lot to offer. It provides hundreds of video answers to questions on topics that are important to you: love, singleness, marriage, parenting, career, leadership, emotional struggles, and more. You can submit questions, participate in a Blog, build community online, and access endless free resources to help you navigate life. This new site is not a replacement for our Cloud-Townsend Resources Web site; it is a new resource we have added. Let us know what you think of it!

DR. HENRY CLOUD AND DR. JOHN TOWNSEND PRESENT THE ULTIMATE LEADERSHIP SIMULCAST SERIES-VIA SATELLITE!

In their ongoing work with hundreds of leaders, psychologists Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend have identified issues and challenges relevant to leaders everywhere. A few years ago, they created Ultimate Leadership, a one-week intensive workshop designed to address these leadership issues. Workshops are held throughout the year in Southern California.

Now, in conjunction with CCN (Church Communication Network), Drs. Cloud and Townsend present a monthly simulcast series that continues and complements the leadership training offered in the Ultimate Leadership workshop. Each one-hour simulcast provides key leadership insights and practices, all solidly based on biblical principles of leadership and character development. Each is designed to help fulfill the desire all leaders share: to become better leaders!

9 Things a Leader Must Do

by Dr. Henry Cloud

 

Here's an excerpt:

I chose these Nine Things for very specific reasons.

First, they are paths or patterns of behavior that really do make a huge difference in the lives and leadership of those who practice them. I consider them uncontainable in their fruitfulness.

Second, avoiding these principles can lead to disastrous consequences, such as loss of dreams, goals, potential, relationships, profits, market share, trust - even faith itself.

Third, these principles are often ignored. I seldom hear them talked about as specific patterns to be observed and diligently applied.

Retail price $12.99 - yours for only $8.00 - save $5.00!
Enter code UL0407 to order - offer expires 4/30/07

Interested in bringing Dr. Cloud or
Dr. Townsend to your organization?
Please call (800) 676-HOPE (4673)
for information about creating an exciting event for your church or group!