I was interviewed last week by a local television news station here in West Palm Beach. They were interested in learning more about one of our projects that is related to selling "hot market" sports event-related goods to mass merchandisers. The news anchor wanted to know where the idea originated (my business partner's teenage son), who were our first customers (Wal-Mart) and how did we make it happen. I had to think about that one for a minute but finally said that we just made the decision to do it, started moving ahead and before we knew it, it was really happening. He then asked if I had any advice for any would-be entrepreneurs. I replied that, "If you really believe that you can make it happen then you can."
That got me to thinking about the subject of turning ideas into reality. Lots of us have great ideas for new products or services but very few of them actually make it to market. So I did a bit of rooting around and found that these were the most popular tips for making a dream or idea a reality:
- Have a definite goal-be as specific as you can so that you can focus your energy on achieving that goal;
- Make a plan of action-you ought to have an idea of the route that you will take to achieve your goal;
- Keep your focus on the goal(s), not the obstacles that you encounter-focusing on the roadblocks isn't going to do any good so stay focused on what you want to achieve;
- Take risks-to be an entrepreneur you have to be prepared to take some risks: There's no way around it (whether they're baby steps or a giant leap, they're unavoidable);
- Maintain a positive attitude-a defeatist outlook isn't going to help you along the way. Even though it can be extremely (and I do mean extremely) tough sometimes, a positive attitude is indispensible;
- Keep pushing forward-keep plugging along no matter what. Don't let yourself get stuck in an endless rut.
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