Starting out

I am starting 8 GR8 Ideas after many years of thinking and living them. I have spent most of my adult life in the pressure cooker, fast-growth world of startup high tech companies and have learned much. When one of those companies decided to churn their executive ranks yet again, I found myself out of work and turned to ‘consulting’, naturally, as all good ex-executives of startups do.

I did a bit of work in high tech but then some friends and family asked me to help them with their business. ‘You know small business’, they said. Did I? I knew companies that started small and grew large. I had an MBA for what it was worth. I knew how to get things done. But small business was so different.  No executive row. No smart, young guys right out of school working 24×7 to meet impossible deadlines.

But I wanted to help so I sat with my friends and family and listened to their issues. One by one, I helped them see the other sides of the issues, suggested alternative courses of action and even helped them to make the final decisions. They thanked me, took many of my suggestions and improved their businesses. Wow! I felt great! I could really help.

And that made me think. The experience of helping these people, so passionate, so close to their businesses was very gratifying. It was their families, their livelihood. The businesses were real and tangible. So different from high tech startups with their ‘dominate the world’ strategies.

Fast forward to 5 years later. I founded Next Step Business, became a business coach to solo and micro-entreprenuers (at least part time) and started writing the book to take all of the ideas I have distilled down from the things I have learned working with the best and brightest in high tech. I came up with 8. I know odd numbers are better but 8 is a lucky number, according to the Chinese at least, and I stuck with 8.

So this blog is about those 8 GR8 Ideas, how I came up with them, how they can be used, and how they can impact a business. I am still writing the book and as I finish the chapters, I will post them here for all to read…and hopefully comment on.

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