A few posts ago I'd written about how important it is for entrepreneurs (probably everyone, but entrepreneurs in particular) to get comfortable asking because in a startup you're going to be in ask-mode much of the time (read more here). Believe me, it gets easier with practice - it may still qualify as one of your least favorite activities, right down there with doing taxes, but you get it over it much quicker.
Recently I ran across this post on the Groundswell blogs (the book's by Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li - more info here) on how to get help from people you don't know. In short, Josh suggests you send an email. He gives a lot more advice, ranging from how to word the subject line to your signature. This is a good 'how-to', informative and with examples. I personally like an email better than a phone call because you give people a chance to think about what you're asking without feeling pressured to respond right away (not to mention that most of the time when you call someone you don't know you end up in the dreaded voicemail zone). For sure you can't ask for help from someone you don't know on Facebook unless it's for a crowd-sourced thing, ditto for LinkedIn. If it is personal involvement you want your options are basically an email, a phone call - or a carefully plotted 'casual' encounter which is clearly entering sitcom territory.
Yes, Josh's suggestion email suggestion is a good one, but if you're an early stage entrepreneur you need to take some more steps. Don't go on and on about your startup - keep it close to the elevator pitch. Do mention common (and well respected) friends/acquaintances if any, preferably in the subject line if you can do a 'referral'. Most importantly don't include links or attachments - unless you want your email to end up slumming in the junk folder. Get a response first and then, when you're past the spam filters, you can send your exec overview or a link to your demo or both. Do ask, do tell, and hope you do get what you want!
Channeling the inner entrepreneur who views life as a startup. Musings about people, their spirit, the startup ethos and the entrepreneurial attitude, with an emphasis on education and social ventures. The 'how-to'? Not so much. But definitely the why, the what and the whatever.
Universal new year euphoria
On New Year's day I was with friends and family (watching the Rose Bowl was our purported goal) and we got into a discussion about how New Year celebrations were unnecessary and forced on everyone when it was just a day like any other. While I'm all for people not being compelled to do anything, least of all wear silly hats and drink copious amounts of faux champagne, I believe there's a lot to be said for marking and yes, celebrating, the beginning of a new year (emphasis on the new). Sure some might feel a perceived peer pressure to have 'epic' experiences on December 31, but that's like any other social expectation which most secure adults should be able to withstand comfortably. What excites me, and what I like to signify and celebrate, is the feeling of newness and the myriad possibilities starting January 1 - because even though it appears to be just a day like any other, it becomes special just by thinking it is so.
The best thing about an observed new year, regardless of the calendar you choose to follow, is the shared perception that it is open to change - of the good kind. Of course you can resolve to change your life starting September 23 or July 17, it is perfectly doable and people do it all the time, but unless that happens to be 'new year day' in your part of the world you'll be the only one doing it. January 1, on the other hand, is when billions around the world are clearing out cobwebs, literally and metaphorically, and gearing up for the good stuff in work, play, health, relationships, spirit, and all things important. There are the best-of and looking-ahead lists, the planning seminars, the health club discounts, the rejuvenation conferences for minds, bodies, careers, the how-to launch your business workshops, sermons, prayers and rituals of renewal - there's a 'fresh start' zeitgeist that generates a heightened sense of hope and determination that could last for weeks after the new year.
This universal euphoria pulls everyone along, and it's a good thing, particularly for entrepreneurs. It helps you reflect and plan, review and re-energize and often provides a convenient point to shake things up and create new goals and programs. And nobody questions the timing - changes are pretty much the norm for the new year and everyone, whether team member, advisor, investor or customer, is primed for it. Yes, the new year may be all in your head, but when it's in all our heads at the same time, it packs a pretty powerful punch and may be just what you need to make the changes you desire.
The best thing about an observed new year, regardless of the calendar you choose to follow, is the shared perception that it is open to change - of the good kind. Of course you can resolve to change your life starting September 23 or July 17, it is perfectly doable and people do it all the time, but unless that happens to be 'new year day' in your part of the world you'll be the only one doing it. January 1, on the other hand, is when billions around the world are clearing out cobwebs, literally and metaphorically, and gearing up for the good stuff in work, play, health, relationships, spirit, and all things important. There are the best-of and looking-ahead lists, the planning seminars, the health club discounts, the rejuvenation conferences for minds, bodies, careers, the how-to launch your business workshops, sermons, prayers and rituals of renewal - there's a 'fresh start' zeitgeist that generates a heightened sense of hope and determination that could last for weeks after the new year.
This universal euphoria pulls everyone along, and it's a good thing, particularly for entrepreneurs. It helps you reflect and plan, review and re-energize and often provides a convenient point to shake things up and create new goals and programs. And nobody questions the timing - changes are pretty much the norm for the new year and everyone, whether team member, advisor, investor or customer, is primed for it. Yes, the new year may be all in your head, but when it's in all our heads at the same time, it packs a pretty powerful punch and may be just what you need to make the changes you desire.
Just one resolution
I don't do resolutions, but reminders are another thing altogether. And before I head out to celebrate the arrival of Twenty-Ten, I thought I'd make a special note of the one consistent criterion for success (especially for entrepreneurs).
A few years ago I'd met the owner of an insurance company (he brokered our company's insurance needs) and he mentioned that his guiding principle for success in business was 'showing up every day'. I must confess that at that time I was unimpressed and thought that what worked for his industry surely couldn't apply to the dynamic world of startups.
With a little more startup experience under my belt, I now believe that the guy was on the money (and I'm more open to non-traditional sources). What I have seen over and over again is that success comes to those who stay engaged, those who 'show up' to get the job done - those who don't give up or get side tracked. The past year has been a tough one for many, especially early stage entrepreneurs, but the ones who have ridden it with some degree of success are those who decided to stay in the game and just play it, without hankering for spectacular moves or quick wins. Companies with limited funds hunkered down and focused on the basics and those with no funds got creative. The teen entrepreneurs I mentor (read more about them here) are a shining example of this: they don't have a smooth-talking CEO or snazzy marketing material or even an eye-catching product, but they did make it to every single meeting and diligently worked on their weekly checklist - and managed to outsell all other teams, even ones with more flash.
As an added bonus this concept could apply to just about anything - from startups to Pilates to making new friends. So, a simple new year's resolution/reminder: just 'show up' to whatever you choose to do in your life and all kinds of goodness will follow. Cheers!
A few years ago I'd met the owner of an insurance company (he brokered our company's insurance needs) and he mentioned that his guiding principle for success in business was 'showing up every day'. I must confess that at that time I was unimpressed and thought that what worked for his industry surely couldn't apply to the dynamic world of startups.
With a little more startup experience under my belt, I now believe that the guy was on the money (and I'm more open to non-traditional sources). What I have seen over and over again is that success comes to those who stay engaged, those who 'show up' to get the job done - those who don't give up or get side tracked. The past year has been a tough one for many, especially early stage entrepreneurs, but the ones who have ridden it with some degree of success are those who decided to stay in the game and just play it, without hankering for spectacular moves or quick wins. Companies with limited funds hunkered down and focused on the basics and those with no funds got creative. The teen entrepreneurs I mentor (read more about them here) are a shining example of this: they don't have a smooth-talking CEO or snazzy marketing material or even an eye-catching product, but they did make it to every single meeting and diligently worked on their weekly checklist - and managed to outsell all other teams, even ones with more flash.
As an added bonus this concept could apply to just about anything - from startups to Pilates to making new friends. So, a simple new year's resolution/reminder: just 'show up' to whatever you choose to do in your life and all kinds of goodness will follow. Cheers!
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