200 Startup Tips
For Becoming a Strong Leader
& Creating a Successful Company.
by
Ilya Kaganovich
eBook Edition
Buy the Audiobook version read by the author at www.200startuptips.com
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Dedicated to my parents, who encouraged
and gave guidance in making this eBook,
and everyone else who helped.-
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PUBLISHED BY
Ilya Kaganovich on Smashwords
200 Startup Tips
For Becoming a Strong Leader and Creating a Successful Company
Copyright © 2010 by Ilya Kaganovich
eBook Edition License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.
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200 Startup Tips
For Becoming a Strong Leader
& Creating a Successful Company.
Table of Contents
Section 14 - Bonus Section-Inspiring Quotes
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200 Startup Tips
For Becoming a Strong Leader
& Creating a Successful Company.
This eBook is a compilation of 200 introductory ideas for becoming a strong leader and creating a successful company. It is highly recommended to study business more in detail to develop better understanding of the concepts. Highly suggested authors are Brian Tracy, Tony Robbins and Donald Trump. On our website, 200startuptips.com, you can also download a free complimentary copy of the world famous book, Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill, in audiobook format.
We will begin with the top five tips, the fundamentals, in some detail, and then quickly go over the remaining tips in the following categories: thinking of ideas, starting, attitude, people, health, money, marketing, sales, investors, leading, public speaking and quotes.
Section 1
Fundamentals
1.Develop Confidence.
It is important to have a strong belief in your abilities to achieve the goals you set for yourself. Brian Tracy suggests asking yourself the following question to develop confidence: “What one goal would you dare to dream if you knew it were impossible to fail?” Write down your goal on paper, put a deadline on it, make plans and take action everyday toward the realization of this goal. Confidence develops when a person truly believes that they can get what they want in life. Your goal may be related to business or some other area like health or relationships, but regardless, as you put in effort toward the realization of your goals and gain experience, you will become a person with more confidence.
2.Write Down Your Goals.
This is one of the most underused success techniques. We can think how much we want something in our head, but an energizing force is created when we write our goals and plans on paper. On a piece of paper write a variety of goals from the long term, ten year goals, to the short term, one month goals. Make goals in the various areas of your life, from your health, to your relationships, your finances, and the things you want to own. Create lots of exciting goals for what you want in your life. Now, it is important to make the goals measurable. For example, instead of an abstract goal to have lots of money soon, make a goal that is measurable; having one million dollars by a certain date. Then write action steps that you can do each day to achieve the goals you have written down. Choose your most desired goal and expand your plan with three to five action steps you can do each day. Focus on this main goal and do something every day. As you reach your main goal, you will also notice that many of your other goals have come true.
To get a boost on what you are working on any particular day, write down what you want to finish, by when and the steps you will take.
3.Surround Yourself with Successful People.
People that we associate with can influence our habits, thinking and attitude. For example, we have all experienced being in the presence of a confident person, making us more confident. Get around people you want to be like and those that are living impressive lives. If you do not have that social circle yet, read autobiographies of people you admire and business books and with time you will attract the type of people you want into your life.
4.Have Empowering Beliefs.
Think in a way that will lead you to create a successful business and become wealthy. There are many people with advice out there and it is important to select who to listen to. Is it possible for you for to create a successful business within five years and become a millionaire? It depends who you ask. Believe that your big dreams are realistic for you. Embrace the idea that it is possible.
5.Do Not Give Up.
Do not give up in business. If you have little experience in business, it is okay to try some of your ideas to gain experience and quit if you realize they are not good businesses and do not inspire you. When you are feeling confident in yourself and an idea, a vision of the future, really inspires you, fully commit to it. Take a loan, go on a trip, build a prototype, take a risk to go to the next level, and never stop, just keep moving forward with whatever your business needs. With persistence it may be important to adjust your approach, but regardless, keep moving forward. If you have a desire and keep on trying, you will find a way sooner or later to make it a reality, learning what works and what does not along the way. People that have started successful companies started with an idea, acted on it and kept on trying until they reached success.
Section 2
Thinking of Ideas
6.Do something you are passionate about and you would do even if you were not paid for it, that you would do sixteen hours a day if needed and where time flies by for you. What did you enjoy doing as a kid, what are your hobbies and what would you do with your days if you had ten million dollars in the bank?
7.Visualize your life into the future as if it was the way you wanted it; who surrounds you, what is your lifestyle and how do you feel?
8.Listen to your intuition and not always to logic; for example, travel to a new city even if you do not have a logical explanation.
9.Be productive with your free time. For example, when you are commuting and not working, think about business ideas, draw inventions and listen to business audiobooks.
10.Find your strengths and weaknesses. What makes you unique in this world? Look at your talents and life experiences; there is only one like you.
11.Ask yourself this question everyday for some time: “What can I do and only I do that would bring me and others the greatest benefit.” Your business idea can come at anytime, from anyone and when you are least expecting it. When the idea presents itself, act on it.
12.Ask yourself : “how can I earn one million by ____, a certain date.” As you change the goal and timeframe, the plan can change. Like wanting one million dollars in five years versus thirty years. Be okay with dreaming big, solving big problems, and creating big businesses.
13.Study your industry to recognize trends; like a captain with a telescope, you will see what is coming up on the horizon.
14.Don’t focus on past successful industries and what everyone else is talking about; look at what will be coming in the future with changes in technology and consumer demands.
15.Consider these business approaches. Create a product that caters to a specific demographic, for example Skull Candy succeeded by making headphones with a style for the snowboarder crowd. Create a luxury oriented business, for high income customers. Create a business that has recurring revenues like monthly subscriptions. Create a business that has low production costs, has high margins and requires little startup capital, like a guitar pick that cost five cents to make and sells for one dollar. Lastly, look into buying a business.
16.Pay attention to globalization and live your life and run your business in way that is good for society and the environment.
Section 3
Starting
17.Once you have an inspiring idea, make it a reality by taking action every day until you succeed. Be prepared for the possibility of many years of hard work and sacrifices without many rewards.
18.Have an exciting long term vision for your company, this vision can help you push forward when times get hard.
19.Improve on your personal weaknesses one day at a time to become a stronger leader; you will notice yourself gradually becoming the person you want to be. There may be times when you have big breakthroughs and then things level off, but as long as you keep trying, you will have those upticks in abilities again.
20.Build credibility by putting in your time and money into your business, showing others you really believe in it and are not quitting. The other option is financing your company with one or more investors. Cash is vital to a business, so value it and use it carefully.
21.Find ways to make more time to work on your business. It may be hard to work on your business if you come home tired from work. Try to make your business your full time effort.
22.Do not talk about your business goals and what you are going to do too much, talking about your ideas can deflate your motivation. Make progress and show your results when you have completed a goal. The other option is to tell many people what you are going to do so you feel accountable to follow through.
23.If someone thinks your idea is impossible and even laughs at it, it may be a good idea that has not been made into reality yet. For example, people once thought that Edison could not create a machine that could record the human voice.
24.Do not let this and that stop you, there are challenges that can be foreseen in the future, but they can be overcome. Focus on what you can do right now to move the business forward.
25.Do not worry about people stealing your ideas until you have something very valuable. Have people sign Non-Disclosure Agreements that say that the information discussed shall not be disclosed. Apply for a provisional patent by yourself or with the help of a lawyer if you want patent pending protection for one year.
26.Let people try a prototype of your product and put it on YouTube to get feedback that you can use to adjust your product. When you are ready, put it up for sale.
27.Build momentum by keeping active and getting assistance with your business. If you take a break from your business, it may be hard to re-create the inner drive again.
28.Find a good way to distribute your product. Be aware that retailers normally mark up products three fold.
29.Get to market first or second. Being first has the advantages of getting brand recognition and a head start on sales. Being second can allow your company to do a better job with what the first company did not do a good job with.
30.Build barriers to entry by finding a way to have a crucial part of the market. For example, some video gaming systems are sold at cost and then money is made on the games.
31.Consider focusing on high quality so you do not have to play in the low cost battle with little margins.
32.Make your product and service easy to use. People do not like to read instruction manuals and like products that work easily in their busy lives.
33.Study or go back to school if you want to develop new skills to achieve your goals or see if it is something you can hire out. Consult with people that are a very close match to what you are doing and read books written by experts on marketing, sales, negotiating, management and other topics to know what to do. Know that you may not have the natural abilities in some areas like other people and it may be very good idea to get their help.
34.Consider licensing your product or idea to another company rather than starting your own venture. Go to the store to find company names that may be interested in your idea, call them and setup appointments to show them what you have.
Section 4
Attitude
35.Take responsibility for where you are in life. Know what you want and be willing to pay the price. The second part is where most people mess up, be willing to pay the price.
36.Work very hard for five years rather than working at 80 percent for your whole life.
37.Be prepared to do everything the business needs. For example: sending out letters, visiting manufacturers, going to trade shows and buying materials. Do things by yourself to save money and to learn how to run your business.
38.Do what others are not willing to do. If it is hard for you, it is probably hard for others too. For example, write down goals and plan for your future, exercise and take care of your health, and study business to become more knowledgeable.
39.Stop procrastinating. Write down your to do list, write down your action steps, and then start on the hardest task. Do not get overwhelmed by a big job, break it down into its smaller parts and gently start.
40.Do a little each day to have big progress with time. For example, you can become very knowledgeable in business by just reading five pages a day for three years.
41.If you are not excited to get up in the morning, make more exciting goals for yourself. Hang a goal sheet where you will see it every day and photos on your walls of what you want in your life. Celebrate when you reach one of your goals by doing something you really enjoy.
42.Write in a diary; it is like a great friend that always listens. It helps the mind get clarity, helps a person understand themselves and is relaxing. Write what you did well today, what you can do better, what you enjoyed, what you learned, what you did during the day and whatever is on your mind.
43.Ask for what you want in life, you may be told no, but you also get more yes’s than if you did not ask at all.
44.Think about the long term consequences of your actions. When you are in a position and are thinking about saying something or not, doing something or not, think about the effects of your actions on the next year and the next ten years of your life.
45.Develop habits of success, like showing up on time. To make a new habit, try it for thirty days and associate with people that already have the good habit.
46.Create a good environment for your business activities. Clean off your desk and have everything handy that you may need. Have an office or go to the library if you want a quiet place to work.
47.Make commitments to force yourself to follow through. For example, pay for a space at a trade show. This way you will have to show up to the show with your finished product. Give yourself no retreat. For example, put lots of your money into starting a business. This way you will try very hard to make it a success and will not consider quitting, this is recommended for people who have some experience in business and feel confident about their venture.
48.Show up. If there is an event or meeting, just showing up can help you.
49.Fake it until you make it, act as if you are a successful business person in the way you dress and carry yourself.
50.Throw out ten things a day until you are happy with the space around you. Keep your computer desktop tidy and archive email messages so your inbox is nice and clean.
51.Live the best life with what you have right now. Have a clean home and car, and dress as nice as you can.
52.Prepare as if. For example, if you want to move, prepare all of your things as if you are moving and visit new homes.
53.Smile more than you normally do, walk with a straighter back and look people in the eyes.
54.Push your comfort zone. For example, do some public speaking and read new magazines. Read health magazines if you want a healthier and more attractive body and financial magazines if you want more wealth.
55.See what your role models would do in a situation and talk to them in your head. Ask yourself: “What would Bill Gates do?” or whoever is your role model for a particular situation.
56.Ask others how they see you to better understand yourself.
57.Give and you shall receive. If you want more respect, respect others more. If you want more friends, be friendly to people that do not have many friends. If you want to lose weight, help others reach their goals, etc.
58.Have humility and an open mind. Recognize the limits of your talents and abilities and learn from others. Be flexible in your views. Pay attention to where you get emotional about topics, there you may not be flexible in your thinking and are not seeing some viewpoints.
59.To get a psychological boost when talking with someone, visualize a limo waiting for you, your dream car outside or something else that you like.
60.When you see somebody that has something you like, say: “Bless you for ____.” Like, bless you for having the money to buy such a nice car.
61.Boost yourself up by repeating positive things to yourself like: “I can do it” and “I feel great.”
62.When talking to yourself, ask productive questions. For example, ask: “how can I make things better” rather than “why are things so bad”. When we ask ourselves a question, our mind looks for answers and these answers can shape our lives.
63.Pay attention to the words you use and try to use mostly positive words. Study a positive words list to learn one positive word a day.
64.Think positive thoughts for three days. If you accidentally think something negative, fix it by saying something positive. Say in your head what I meant was _____, saying something better.
65.Practice saying things more diplomatically by avoiding the word “no” for one week.
66.Do not label events as bad. When we look back on our life, sometimes what we thought was bad was actually good.
67.Talk to yourself as if you were talking to your best friend. Be nice to yourself and let yourself make mistakes and be human.
68.Be patient. If you have to wait, say to yourself: “Thank you for this opportunity for me to learn to be patient.”
69.Before going to sleep, say thank you for what you are happy to have in your life.
70.Do not act on impulse, wait a day to think over something new so your emotions do not affect your decision too much.
71.Make your decisions slowly and change your decision even slower.
72.Help enough people get what they want, and you will get what you want in your life.
73.Stand on more books to reach the nicer things in life. Watch television in moderation and instead read business books, autobiographies of great businessmen and envelope your thoughts with business success. Read about business for twenty minutes when you wake up and before you go to bed. Listen to audio books in your car rather than to music. In the time you spend driving you can get a college education. Remember to apply what you learn in a business of your own.
Section 5
People
74.Have a variety of mentors and coaches. Listen to experienced business people and realize that family and friends may have good intentions but may not be knowledgeable in business.
75.Become excellent at dealing with people. Be kind to others and treat all people well, from a taxi driver to the CEO of a company.
76.Give people positive reinforcement by commenting on and rewarding actions that you want more of and ignoring what you want less of. Give praise as soon as possible for it to have the biggest effect. With time, you should notice a person doing more of what was given attention to and less of what was ignored.
77.Be a role model rather than just giving others advice on how to live life. Imagine someone you care about is becoming like you.
78.Be thankful for the people that have helped you, with big things and small.
79.Do nice deeds without asking for praise. You can write about it in your diary.
80.Give your best and try your best. Others will naturally try to give you their best. For example, if someone gives you a gift, don’t you want to give them something in return?
81.Compliment others. Give three compliments a day for a month. How rich would you be if you were given ten cents for every compliment you made?
82.Give others good things to live up to. For example you can tell a youngster: “I think you will be a success when you grow up.”
83.Imagine good things for others. When talking with someone, visualize them successful and happy. Visualize being friends with people you already know and those that you meet way into the future.
84.Repeat to yourself: “People are on a mission to bring each other happiness and success.”
85.Become comfortable talking with strangers. Say hi to people as you pass them on street, in a classroom, while waiting in line at the grocery store, and anywhere you want.
86.Surround yourself with people that you admire and that you want to be like. Learn how they have achieved their successes, their approaches to life, the kind of questions they ask, and the habits they have.
87.Get away from people that constantly find faults, bring you down and zap your energy and get around positive, encouraging people that increase your energy, and ,make sure you are one of those positive people yourself.
88.Forgive others. If you have a grudge with someone, imagine that one day they may be your best friend. Give people time for their good side to come out. Do not take it personally if someone is mean to you, they may treat everyone that way. And be compassionate toward others; realize that if we grew up in different circumstances we would turn out differently ourselves.
89.Go to speaking events, ceremonies and wherever successful business people are. You will become comfortable being around successful and wealthy business people, get a feel for how they think, see their viewpoints on the world and perhaps make some interesting friends.
90.Talk to yourself positively before going to an event. For example you can say, “I am going to have a great time here” or “I am a great guest.” The other thing you can do is ask yourself a good question right before an event. For example: “How can I and the people with me have fun here today?” You do not even have to think of an answer, you should notice that somehow you will have more fun.
91.Treat others as important people and find something to admire in them.
92.To socialize at a gathering, ask questions and listen, listen, listen, because we all like to feel important. Ask open ended questions and follow up with questions like: “Can you explain more?” Give the other person your complete attention, do not text or talk on your cell phone, be present with them. Also, do not think about clever responses while they are talking, just listen fully. Wait for three seconds after the person is done talking to reply to wait to see if they have something more to add. Listen 60 percent of the time and talk 40 percent of the time. Talk about the other person’s hobbies and interests, the location where you both are, what you enjoy, and what is on your mind. Let others save face, do not point out others errors and make them look bad, make others look good and do not gossip and try to remember people’s names. Remember that these are just guidelines and don’t always apply. Read the famous book, How To Make Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, to get more pointers.
Section 6
Health
93.Make time to work on your body and soul. Eat nutritiously, get exercise and dedicate time for yourself.
94.Treat yourself like a million dollar race horse. If you had a million dollar race horse, how would you feed it and take care of it?
95.Sit down and enjoy your meals and do not just grab a power bar and run out the door.
96.Only buy things that are healthy and do not bring in junk food into your home that you know that you will not be able to resist eating. If you want to lose weight, count calories and look up nutritional facts of the foods you eat online. Try to stick to healthy foods such as fresh fruit, vegitables, fish, and rice. Exercise in the morning so the energy will radiate throughout your day and your taste buds will want healthier food choices.
97.Do some things no matter what. For example commit to running six days a week. With time, running can become as easy as walking.
98.Breathe deeply; take a deep breath right now.
99.Nap for five minutes to get more energy and to reduce stress. Take breaks at work for more productivity, rest for a minute and then going back to work with more pep.
Section 7
Money
100.To increase your motivation to get money, think about what you would buy first if you had lots of money. Each person has their own likes, one person may love great clothes, another person likes stereos and another person likes nice cars. Write down a long list of reasons why you want to be rich.
101.What is your image of a rich person? Look into the mirror. Imagine yourself being in a financial position where you have enough saved up to live on for the rest of your life.
102.Repeat these two affirmations: “It is my right to be rich, happy and successful; I give my talents freely and am wonderfully blessed financially” and “I have a millionaire mind”. Become a person that thinks about having millions, not hundreds, and thousands.
103.Treat people with respect, regardless if they are rich or poor. Study rich people to see how many of them have created their wealth.
104.Do not take a loan to buy a house or expensive car if that means you will have less time to work on your business.
105.Pay off your debts and credit cards with high interest rates. Save up enough to live on for six months, this can give you peace of mind at work and a sense of security. Open a savings account to build a habit of saving.
106.Do not spend money for luxuries and going out to eat for one month.
107.Do things that make you feel wealthy when you have some money saved up; for example get a massage or go to a great restaurant.
108.Have 150 dollars in your wallet to build the habit of having riches with you. Have a jingle in your money pouch and plenty in storage.
109.Increase your income by getting a second job and work jobs even if they are below your abilities if you need the income.
110.To be paid more and to have more people want to hire you, become more valuable to the marketplace. For example: develop new skills and have a good attitude at work.
111.Tell your boss what you have done so they know, they may be too busy to keep track of each person’s contributions.
112.Write down ten reasons why you love your job and what it brings to your life to notice more good things about it.
113.Read personal finance and investing books. If working with an investment professional, make sure that they have a proven track record. Be careful about investing in stocks unless if you are a professional. Consider investing in a company because you care about what they are doing and they have a good functioning business.
114.Talk openly about money and how to manage it with your family.
115.Pay a fair market price for others products and services if you want others to pay a fair price for what you sell. Do not always look for what is on sale. For example, at the grocery store do not just look at what is on sale, pay attention to what you want to eat.
116.Help others become rich or save money.
117.Give freely, knowing you have more coming in. Be generous with your wealth, time and talent. Give small and large donations; regardless if you make a lot or a little money and volunteer, sharing your time and talents.
Section 8
Marketing
118.Decide on a specific target market for your product or service, especially in the early phase of your company to get the most results for your effort. Who are your ideal customers? Serve the customers that really like your product.
119.What word does your company represent in a person’s mind? For example, when you think about Volvo, you may think safety.
120.Make your company name easy to remember and spell, have it convey what you do and seek timeless rather than trendy.
121.A logo can make an ordinary product look much more interesting, aim to make your product look great even without its logo.
122.Share your news with people in online forums and networking groups.
123.Hire a marketing person, an advertising expert and a copywriter to make promotional messages that are powerful and persuasive. Make press releases for your company to communicate with the press. Tell the truth to the press and work on having a good relationship with them.
124.Do something out of the ordinary to get publicity for your company; you can get a huge amount advertising for free this way. Become personally comfortable getting lots of attention. Remember that publicity does not guarantee huge amount of sales and profits. Consider the long term effects of a marketing move on the company reputation and sales.
125.Send your products for free to the press and celebrities.
126.Have high standards and legendary service. For example, each time you go into a Subway or Starbucks you know what to expect. Give such high quality service that you create raving fans that tell all their friends.
127.Find the leaders weaknesses and flaws and show why your product or service is better.
128.Be careful with line extension and diluting what your brand stands for, stand for something, not for everything.
Section 9
Sales
129.Learn how to sell because it can be a useful skill for selling your product or service and can be used throughout life. Get a sales job to practice your skills and read sales books.
130.Have a professional persona. Groom yourself nicely and look presentable, do your best, be reliable, be positive, be diplomatic, be a leader, be patient and have integrity.
131.Treat every customer as a one million dollar customer. How much will they buy from your businesses in their lifetime? Be welcoming and treat all customers exceptionally, from kids to adults, even if they are not buying your product that day.
132.Details can make or break your business. Smile when greeting a customer, have a clean and well lit store and respond to customers email, phone calls and questions promptly.
133.Ask for customer and employee feedback to find areas for making improvements.
134.Sell a product you believe in, use the product you sell and study it to be very knowledgeable.
135.Give people a free sample and a money back guarantee.
136.Write down sales goals every day and write down an opening line, three selling points and a closing line to have things clear in your mind.
137.Write out commonly asked questions and objections and find the best responses so you are prepared and sound confident when questions come up.
138.Treat the person you are selling to as your best friend and look out for their interests. Make it simple for them to know what to buy, inform them clearly about the product and what it can do for them. Entice them to want the product. Tell stories, paint mental pictures, and make people’s desire for the product increase. For example a salesperson can entice a beverage like this: “Enjoy this refreshing cool beverage on the beach or in your car.”
139.Do not say bad things about your competitor’s products. Talk about what makes your products different and how it benefits them.
140.Get them saying yes and in an agreeable mindset by asking questions that you know they will say yes to.
141.Knock on doors and cold call even if it scares you that a person will say no, because eventually someone will say yes. To get rid of fears of rejection, remember at that moment that someday you will die, but you will survive what you want to do now and become stronger. Relieve the pressure that you need to get a yes by having many prospects.
142.Make a script before making an important call. Greet callers with a smile; other people can notice a smile on the other end of the call and record your sales calls to analyze how you sound and see what is working and what is not.
143.When going into an important meeting, repeat positive statements to yourself like: “I can do it” and “I am a great salesman” and visualize a past similar successful experience.
144.Be memorable and different. Do not try to be overly friendly with the secretaries, sit down and wait patiently. Do not ask about your prospects pictures on their walls like everyone else does. Find an interesting way to connect and show your own personality and style.
145.Get over objections and remember to ask for the sale. Assume that the person is interested in buying your product. Go the extra mile for the customer, putting in hours, days and months to win them over. In negotiating, ask for a something if you give something. For example, will you place the order today if I find the car in the right color? For a silence close, ask the prospect to purchase and then waiting until they give you an answer. Do not talk because you feel uneasy in the silence. Have persistence if you get objections because most sales are made after six attempts. Some people are just not great matches for your offerings and won’t buy and so focus on the best prospects. After the sale is made, exceed expectations by under promising and over delivering. And finally remember to ask for referrals.
Section 10
Investors
146.Choose business partners that you like because you may be in business with them for a long time. Keep in mind they can be very helpful with their experience, knowledge, connections and their motivation to make the company succeed.
147.Do not give up too much stock early on, but be willing to give up stock and control to create a stronger company. Make the pie bigger, rather than keeping a larger chunk of a smaller pie.
148.Be fair in negotiating and control your emotions.
149.Pitch your investment opportunity to many people to get practice. To find investors, talk with manufacturers, lawyers, accountants, entrepreneurs, professors, go to networking events and try to connect to those making investments.
150.Have a backup plan, if a particular person does not invest, what will you do?
151.Tell investors the risks of your business. Do not promise success, investors know there is risk and hearing it from you will help them trust you.
152.Create a business plan and a brief investment letter, do this by yourself or hire a business consultant. Ask for twice as much cash as you think you will need.
153.Write investor reports to keep investors informed.
Section 11
Leading
154.Act as if you are a public official. Keep your promises, making your word mean something and have integrity all the time, not just when it is convenient. For example do not download music illegally.
155.Develop common sense with this exercise. After a day at work, an important meeting or event, write down what you did well and what you can do better next time.
156.Test the market with a trial version of your product or service. This can keep you from making costly mistakes. Do not become too attached to what you create. For example, rewrite your book from scratch.
157.Limit the products you pursue, like Apple not pursuing the palm pilot concept years back and focusing on their other products. Be willing to cut what is not working.
158.Do not stop at mediocre, keep trying until you reach excellence. For example, when creating a product photo, take 500 pictures and then use the single best one.
159.Be flexible. Like a tree bending with the wind, change your approach with changing conditions.
160.If something does not work out for you, one of your dreams dies, go through the stages of disappointment as quickly as you can.
161.Have an understanding of basic corporate accounting.
162.Know when to call in help and give credit to those that help. Thank people financial and look for other ways you can return the favor. Send thank you cards to people that do big favors for you.
163.Do not point out disagreement in opinions; others may just try to defend their original viewpoint.
164.Do not do something you may regret when you are mad. Wait a couple of days to cool down and talk to the person face to face rather than sending an email where information may be misinterpreted.
165.Listen to people that are angry to hear their feedback and to let them release their steam. Acknowledge their viewpoint by putting yourself in their shoes. If in a conflict, make “I” statements because they focus on your thoughts without judging others and express what you want and how you feel. In contrast “you” statements blame or criticize the listener and can lead to increasing negative feelings. If you make a mistake, apologize quickly.
166.If finding fault, say something you like first and then mention the fault and make it seem easy to correct.
167.If you have a problem with someone at work, try to solve it with them there and not with your spouse at home.
168.To stop worrying, fill your day with activities and become busy, not giving yourself the free time to worry. Another effective technique is to write on paper why you are worrying and then make a list of possible solutions. After brainstorming solutions, decide on what you will do and write it down.
169.Instead of doing something later and keeping it in your mind, do things right away. For example pay your bills right away and answer emails right away, unless if it really must wait.
170.Do your research and gather the facts before trying to make a decision.
171.Believe in yourself when nobody else does. A leader gets information from others, but makes their own decisions, gives orders and assumes responsibility. Keep trying even when others say that your idea is impossible. For example, Henry Ford’s engineers did not believe an eight cylinder engine was possible, but after one year of working on it, they found a way.
172.Write a mission statement and your company values. Why does your company exist and what values will it stand behind? This can take months to figure out, but helps create the long term direction for your company. Create an expansive mission statement and look it over every couple of years to see if it still makes sense. Be able to explain what your business does to others in fifteen seconds.
173.Hire a close fit for a job. Think about the ideal person for the job and try to find them. Skills are important, but attitude is also very important. Some people may need coaching at some time and some people must be let go. It may be a hard decision, but do what must be done.
174.Treat workers as though they were super stars and they will live up to it.
175.Listen to people that question you and poke holes in your plans. Do not surround yourself only with people that agree with you. Show people that you care to listen to them and someday they may come to you with good information.
176.Have open communication. Talk with workers about how the company is doing and the details of the business. If there is unpleasant news that can affect the employees, be sure to share it with them. If you have a concern, bring it up quickly and let others come to you with their concerns.
177.Delegate responsibility to lighten your workload. Express what you want clearly, give the person space to do the job in their way and monitor their results. Resist the urge to micro-manage.
178.What gets measured gets done. Measure peoples work to increase productivity and results. For example, make people compete to see which person or group can make the most parts per hour and reward the winners with money, public praise and days off.
179.Prepare whenever possible. For example, if meeting with someone, look the up the person, read about their company, prepare your presentation and prepare answers to questions you may be asked.
180.Have an agenda for a meeting. Start a meeting on time even if someone is late. Be candid and voice your concerns. Be okay with asking questions that may make you look stupid, because other people in the room may be wondering about the same thing and by meetings end make it clear who is responsible for what.
181.When persuading someone to do something for you follow these guidelines: ask in advance, be polite, make it a question and not a statement, be grateful if they agree and do not whine if they disagree, and in the last case scenario negotiate.
182.To build support for your idea, get buy in from people at all levels of an organization.
183.Make business fun and do team activities outside of work. For example, have a break room with video games, work in a coffee shop, listen to music while you work and have company parties.
184.Make continuous improvement a companywide priority, and have periods of improvement initiates where people at all levels find ways to improve their part of the business and the business as a whole.
185.Develop strategic alliances with other companies and see how you can help each other. Study your competitors and know how you are going to compete with them.
186.If you have a questionable decision to make, do the Warren Buffett newspaper test and see if you would be okay with having your contemplated act appear on the front page of the newspaper tomorrow.
187.Look after your people and encourage them to follow their dreams and start their own businesses. Give people options to move up to leadership positions, with the option to later move back to their previous roles.
188.Start another company. For example when Steve Jobs left Apple years back, he co-founded Pixar.
189.Plan for succession. Who will be the next leaders of your company and do they need to be trained?
Section 12
Public Speaking
190.Improve your public speaking by giving speeches. When giving a speech, talking about what you are passionate about is often more important than a well crafted speech. Do not wing it, prepare. For a five minute speech, prepare 30 minute worth of material to increase your confidence. Practice your speech because practice does make perfect.
191.Ask people to move to the front rows, interact with crowd and be entertaining. Before making a speech, say something nice in your head, like: “Thank you for listening to me speak.”
192.Get to the point right away, start with something exciting and deliver high quality content, as if you are being paid ten thousand dollars for every second of your speech.
193.Build a bond with the audience before asking them to take action.
194.If put on the spotlight to talk, say what is on your mind. For example, the first time Larry King was put on the air, he did not know what to say, so he just said that the producers put him in a room and that he was nervous to be on radio.
195.To have clearer pronunciation, break down words into their parts, like document, into doc-u- ment, saying each part exaggerated for practice. To read a passage with strong inflection and better sound, read it in a super high pitch voice, and then hum it in a very low voice inside your throat. It should sound better after that. Also take deep breaths between sentences to have energy in your voice.
Section 13
Quotes
196.By Earl Bakken, inventor of the cardiac pacemaker. Ready, Fire, Aim. First, people should believe in their intuition and their future vision. Then act on it and fire. They will learn from the experience and can adjust the approach until they succeed.
197.By Sam Walton, the founder of the retailer Walmart. Set high expectations, commit to your business, share profits, have competition, communicate, listen to everyone, exceed customer expectations, control expenses and swim upstream. He also became an expert in retail, spending an enormous amount of time visiting and studying retail stores.
198.By J.Paul Getty, who was once the richest man in the world because of his oil company.
a.Only one way to make a great deal of money and that is in your own business.
b.Choose a field you know and understand.
c.Do not start until you have a good knowledge of the business.
d.Never lose sight of the central aim of all business, to produce more and better goods or provide more and better service at lower cost.
e.Thrift, be economical in business and personal life.
f.Forced growth can be fatal, but still look at growth opportunities.
g.A business person must run his business and watch employees.
h.Constantly look for opportunities to improve products and services, especially in good times.
i.Be willing to take risks, risk your own capital and borrowed money, but repay.
j.Look for untapped markets and foreign markets.
k.Stand behind your work.
l.Improve living conditions everywhere.
199.By Jeff Schultz, founder of the retailer Best Buy. Have discipline, be accountable, set goals, be self reliant and take action.
200
Be free from the suggestions.
These are just strategies to get what you want in business and in life and may or may not apply to your particular situation. You do not have to be perfect; you just have to do enough things correctly for things to work out.
That is it, 200 Startup Tips, For Becoming a Strong Leader and Creating a Successful Company by Ilya Kaganovich. To recap, to start a business, write out your goals and do something each day to make it a reality. A great next step to become more knowledgeable in creating a successful business is to download your free copy of the world famous book, Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill, in an audiobook format from our website, 200Startuptips.com. If you liked this, tell a friend. Thank you and good luck! Continue for a bonus section of inspiring quotes.
Section 14
Bonus Section-Inspiring Quotes
Time is our most valuable asset, yet we tend to waste it, kill it and spend it rather than invest it.
-Jim Rohn
He that walketh with wise men shall be wise.
-Bible, Proverbs 13:20
To win, you have got to stay in the game.
-Claude M. Bristol
No matter what you've done for yourself or for humanity, if you can't look back on having given love and attention to your own family, what have you really accomplished?
-Lee Iacocca
You can tell a big man by the way he treats little men.
-Thomas Carlyle
Love is the ability and willingness to allow those that you care for to be what they choose for themselves without any insistence that they satisfy you.
-Wayne Dyer
The person who really wants to do something finds a way, the other finds an excuse.
-Unkown
Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.
-Mark Twain
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did.
-Mark Twain
Intense love does not measure, it just gives.
-Mother Terressa
You have reached the pinnacle of success as soon as you become uninterested in money, compliments, or publicity.
-Thomas Wolfe
Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.
-Samuel Johnson
Success is determined by those whom prove the impossible, possible.
-James W. Pence
I learned more from the one restaurant that didn't work than from all the ones that were successes.
-Wolfgang Puck
Don’t ever let somebody tell you you can’t do something, not even me alright. You got a dream, you got to protect it, people can’t do something themselves they wanna tell you you can’t do it. You want something, go get it. Period.
-The Pursuit of Happyness.
Ideas are easy. It’s execution that’s hard.
-Jeff Bezos
It is no achievement to walk a tightrope laid flat on the floor. Where there is no risk, there can be no pride in achievement and consequently, no happiness.”
-Ray Kroc
A wise man among the ignorant is as a beautiful girl in the company of blind men.
-Saadi
Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors.
-African Proverb
I will pay more for the ability to deal with people than any other ability under the sun.
-John D. Rockefeller
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NOTE TO THE READER:
This is the eBook edition of 200 Startup Tips For Becoming a Strong Leader and Creating a Successful Company which is available at www.200startuptips.com.
Buy the Audiobook version read by the author at www.200startuptips.com