What A Potato Peeler Can Teach You About Starting A Business

I like to cook.  My family just made a huge move a few months ago, and we are renting a furnished house for a year, while we settle into the new city, and figure out the area where we want to live permanently.  Most of our stuff is in storage, and that includes most of my cooking tools.  So tonight, mashed potatoes are on my mind, only the peeler in the house is broken.  No problem, I just need to run to the store and buy one.  The problem is, the one I own (in a box somewhere) is one of those good ones, with the big black rubber handle and razor sharp blade.  The only one the store has is one of those cheap $2 metal handled ones.  So pealing 6 potatoes, which usually takes less than 10 minutes, ends up taking 20 minutes (not including the 20 minute trip to the store).  What does this have to do with starting a business?

When you have bad tools, doing even the simplest tasks will take you twice as long.  Accomplishing big things like starting a business, with bad tools, is next to impossible.  That is why I put together the Business Startup Tool Kit and why I give it away for free, to anyone who signs up for my newsletter.  It is far from every tool you will need to get your business started, but it will definitely get you started in the right direction.

It will take more than a business plan, and financial planning.  That is only the beginning.  You will need to educate yourself in every way you can.  If you are like most people, you will need to read books, attend seminars, take courses and join networking groups.  You hear about these people who seem to fall into money.  They have a good idea, and the next thing they know, they’re millionaires.  Urban legends.  Real success takes work.

I have been self employed for more than ten years, and I can tell you that for most of them, I have worked harder than most of my friends with 9-5 jobs.  True, I define working hard a little differently then they do.  I work shorter hours and I have the freedom to work when and where I like.  The difference is, I create every single dollar I make with my own imagination, determination, and follow through.  They have a boss, or a job description that says do x, y, and z, and you will make x dollars.  I have no such road map.

This is a good thing though!  As entrepreneurs, we have unlimited money making potential.  We do not depend on salary or bonus.  If I need more money, I work more, or launch a new product.  You need to keep you tool box full and current though.  You need to read the business books, find the good blogs in your field of interest, and participate in on-line forums.

I highly recommend reading,The E-Myth Revisited, by Michael Gerber , if you haven’t already.  This book literally changed my life at the beginning of my entrepreneurial journey.

So keep at it.  And PLEASE, buy the good potato peeler.  A few extra bucks will save you half the time.

Do you have something that has made your business life easier, or changed the way you approach your business?  I would love to hear about it.