Integrity and Entrepreneurship…

I met a man once who said that the best way to be “fully human” is through business.

Strange, I know, but I’ll say this.

I think I’ve learned more about integrity and character in the past 3 years than I did in all the years before that.

Keys to Consulting…

When I started this business almost 3 years ago, I thought that “subject matter expertise” was about 80% of the reason why people hire you.

Now, I think it is about 20%.

The real stuff is in client relationships, marketing, business operations, planning (a lot of planning), management, and just raw execution.

Entrepreneurs Need You to Respect Their Time...

Image via WikipediaIt's common, perhaps even fashionable, for corporate America to say they want their employees to act as "entrepreneurs."

You will often find MBA's who talk about an 'entrepreneurial mindset.'

This is great and I'm all for more people who take calculated risks.

But, there's one critical element to the entrepreneurial experience that I forgot during my time at MSFT. I've seen (and heard from others) that it is often neglected by corporate employees in dealing with entrepreneurs.

The recognition that TIME is an entrepreneur's most valuable asset.


My friend and blogging maestro, Jimmy, calls this the "No B.S. Disclaimer."

Just promise me that you won't give me any B.S.

If you don't want to work with an entrepreneur (buy his/her product or service), that's fine, but the absolute best thing you can do is to say No and say it quickly.

It's easy to keep pushing people off and avoid the confrontation of saying No, but if you really respect entrepreneurs, if you have really no intention of buying and are just avoiding the conflict, just say so.  That's the ultimate sign of respect.

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