Saturday, January 30, 2010

Daring to take the first step

We live in an amazing world with so many talented and creative people. Every once in a while I see something that is so different and novel that it makes me stop and marvel. I just watched a YouTube video that had this effect on me. I found it mesmerizing. It takes six minutes to view, but read the intro first to understand the story.

This video shows the winner of "Ukraine 's Got Talent", Kseniya Simonova, age 24, drawing a series of pictures on an illuminated sand table. The story shows how ordinary people were affected by the German invasion during World War II. Her talent, which admittedly is a strange one, is mesmeric to watch.

The images, projected onto a large screen, moved many in the audience to tears and she won the top prize of about $130,000.
  • She begins by creating a scene showing a couple sitting holding hands on a bench under a starry sky, but then warplanes appear and the happy scene is obliterated.
  • It is replaced by a woman's face crying, but then a baby arrives and the woman smiles again. Once again war returns and Miss Simonova throws the sand into chaos from which a young woman's face appears.
  • She quickly becomes an old widow, her face wrinkled and sad, before the image turns into a monument to the Unknown Soldier.
  • This outdoor scene becomes framed by a window as if the viewer is looking out on the monument from within a house.
  • In the final scene, a mother and child appear inside and a man standing outside, with his hands pressed against the glass, saying goodbye.
  • The Great Patriotic War, as it is called in Ukraine , resulted in one in four of the population being killed with eight to 11 million deaths out of a population of 42 million.
Artist Kseniya Simonova says:

"I find it difficult to create art using paper and pencils or paintbrushes, but using sand and fingers is easier for me. The art…even brings some audience members to tears, and there's surely no bigger compliment."

Please take time out to see this amazing piece of art.



So what does creating sand art have to do with Entrepreneurship? Everything. Creating a painting or creating a business requires that you start with a vision, with a desire to do something, and with the courage to take action. The vision is not always 100% clear when you start, but by taking action – by taking the first step down a new path - you will open doors and discover new opportunities that you never dreamed were possible. My challenge to every artist and entrepreneur is to dare to take that first step.

- RICK

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The Entrepreneur Mad Hatter

Today I feel like Johnny Depp in the movie Alice in Wonderland, who plays the role of the Mad Hatter. An entrepreneur in an early-stage startup company has a lot of different hats to wear, and this can be enough to drive you stark-raving mad.

In order to keep my business afloat I need to be skilled with a number of different tasks such as: Marketing (including web, CMS, branding, advertising, social media, desktop publishing, copywriting…), Sales (including distribution models, negotiation, networking…), General administration, HR & personnel issues, Engineering, Legal issues, IP & patents, Government reporting & compliance, etc. The list is endless and each area requires some time and energy. How do you keep from going crazy?

In coaching entrepreneurs I often use a tool called a balance wheel. You start by identifying your most important areas of focus – whether it be with your business or with your life. For example, in my life I might pick the following 6 areas: health, wealth, family & friends, career, and charity. I then give each area a rating from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest). I then plot out a wheel with each of the values. Here is the wheel for my current business:

What does this wheel tell me? Nothing that I did not already know, but as with any graph or chart, it illustrates the imbalances between the areas. It reminds me that I need to devote more time to the development of technology, a team and administrative routines. This tool gets really useful when you track changes over time. When I return to this same exercise 3 months from now, it will be interesting to see how I have changed my perceptions and what sort of results I have achieved. This will make for a valuable discussion with my own personal coach.

To avoid becoming a Mad Hatter, I need to keep my focus on balancing all the different aspects of my job. If I am very successful in one area, yet I make a total mess of others, then it will cause me big problems. I need to achieve a good balance and create a wheel that is well-rounded and can be driven at high speeds without bumping or falling apart.

Would you like to try a free coaching session? Contact me today to set it up. Not only is it a lot of fun, but it may help you achieve that balance and avoid becoming an entrepreneur Mad Hatter.

Want to turn-around your business and achieve results in record time? Contact me to discuss Executive Coaching, Group Facilitation and Management for Hire services for technology companies. You can learn more at www.ricksalmon.com and at www.xelerator.com.

Rick Salmon is an energetic entrepreneur who believes that this beautiful world that we have created needs our help. Subscribe to this newsletter/blog to receive frequent updates and tips.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

What every entrepreneur should learn from Abraham Lincoln

Starting a business is tough. No one will refute that fact. USA Statistics back this up to tell that approx. 90% of all startups will fail within the first 5 years.

What is the key entrepreneurial trait that differentiates the other 10 percent?

No, it is not that these entrepreneurs are smarter, have better technology, have whiter teeth or have rich sugar daddies. There is a key personality trait that keeps them trying until they eventually succeed. They are simply stubborn.

Success for an entrepreneur is about keeping your vision intact while constantly working to solve the complex problems and the numerous challenges that arise with any startup. Winston Churchill was once quoted as having said “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” The key is that successful entrepreneurs keep going.

Here is a brief summary of the life of Abraham Lincoln:

• 1809: Born to a poor family on rural Kentucky farm
• 1816: Family bankrupt and forced to move from farm
• 1817: 7-year-old Abe had to work to support family
• 1818: His mother died
• 1831: His first business fails. BANKRUPT
• 1832: Ran for the State Legislature - DEFEATED
• 1832: …Also lost his job - FIRED
• 1832: Applied to law school. DENIED
• 1833: Borrowed money from a friend to start a business
• 1834: Bankrupted again. Spent next 17 years paying off this debt
• 1834: Ran for the State Legislature - WON!
• 1835: Engaged to be married, but she died and broke his heart
• 1836: Total nervous breakdown and bedridden for 6 months
• 1840: Ran for Speaker of State Legislature - DEFEATED
• 1843: Ran for USA Congress - DEFEATED
• 1846: Ran for USA Congress again - WON! Went to Washington
• 1848: Ran for USA Congress again - DEFEATED
• 1849: Applied for job of Land Officer in home state - REJECTED
• 1854: Ran for USA Senate - DEFEATED
• 1856: Sought the Vice President nomination- DEFEATED
• 1858: Ran for USA Senate again - DEFEATED
• 1860: Ran for President of USA – WON!
He went on to become one of the most respected presidents of all time.

Abraham Lincoln was one of those people who refused to quit.
We entrepreneurs have a lot to learn from history and from other wonderfully stubborn people.

Want to turn-around your business and achieve results in record time? Contact me to discuss Executive Coaching, Group Facilitation and Management for Hire services for technology companies. You can learn more at www.ricksalmon.com and at www.xelerator.com.

Rick Salmon is an energetic entrepreneur who believes that this beautiful world that we have created needs our help. Subscribe to this newsletter/blog to receive frequent updates and tips.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Earning vs. Learning

On this first day of a new decade I was going through some old papers and I saw the original shareholder documents from a company I co-founded 20 years ago. I gave 6 years of my life to that startup and yet the value of my shares today would barely pay for a dinner on the town. Was it worth it? Wouldn’t it have been better to have had a normal 9-5 job, stable income and a regular contribution to a retirement fund?

Answer: Absolutely not! The reason is that the experience from the startup company taught me so much. It was an experience that opened my eyes to the fact that it is possible for an entrepreneur to create immense value and to have a lifestyle of freedom and independence. This was the startup that changed my beliefs forever and therefore put my life on a completely different and exciting path. Today the company is a successful market leader and even though my stocks got diluted in the process, I do have the satisfaction of knowing that I was part of something really special... and I learned alot in the process.

What are you going to do during the next decade? What will you attempt to accomplish? Remember that the most valuable thing is the learning, not just the earning.

Want to turn-around your business and achieve results in record time? Contact me to discuss Executive Coaching, Group Facilitation and Management for Hire services for technology companies. You can learn more at www.ricksalmon.com and at www.xelerator.com.

Rick Salmon is an energetic entrepreneur who believes that this beautiful world that we have created needs our help. Subscribe to this newsletter/blog to receive frequent updates and tips.

www.xelerator.com