The Freestyle Entrepreneur

You know as well as I that successful business owners are dedicated … sometimes maniacally so.  They give it their all … and they succeed.  It is not about luck; it is the result of ferocious dedication. So, do you want to be a success?  Here is how:  Burn your ships! In 1519, the Spanish [...]

by John R. Ingrisano The Freestyle Entrepreneur  Fred Pryor/Career Track, the seminar people, have become one of my key clients.  I get to travel around the country and do business workshops.  Pretty neat.  Check them out at www.pryor.com.  One of their policies is to encourage their contractors to analyze the events of the day, to [...]

by John Ingrisano The Freestyle Entrepreneur Are we there yet?  That’s the kids’ mantra from the backseat.  It can also be our whine when we wonder about when it’s ever going to get easier in our business.  Well, when it comes to you and your business success,  the answer should be:  Not yet!  The fact is, [...]

by John Ingrisano The Freestyle Entrepreneur Are you in or are you out?  Too many business owners these days (and, yes, their employees and sales people, too) are only half-committed.  They’re burned out, fed up, on the verge of going under. They coast, going through the motions of their responsibilities, both dreaming about last weekend’s football [...]

I once set a goal to become a millionaire within five years.  It was the most boring, painful two weeks of my life.  Why?  No, it’s not that I achieved my goal.  It’s that the goal didn’t excite me.  I really didn’t care about it.  Oh, money is fine, but it’s the things money can [...]

                                             As a small business owner, you don’t follow the herd.  You lead it … and if anyone else follows, that fine.  If not, so be it.  (One of the best bumper stickers I ever saw read:  “Unless you’re the lead sled dog, the view never changes.”)  You’re holding your business together and making it [...]

  “When somebody shoots your dog, teach your cat how to hunt.” – Old Southern Saying   The bad news:  Somebody shot my dog.  The good news:  I’m teaching my cat how to hunt.  Let me explain. The recession caught me between a rock and a hard place.  First, my small consulting business crashed, losing [...]

“When troops flee, are insubordinate, distressed, collapse in disorder or are routed, it is the fault of the general.” — Sun Tzu Decades ago, I was doing some training for a big-name Wall Street investment company.  My go-to guy and I were in a meeting when his boss came in and – right in front [...]

We didn’t start the recession.  That, in my opinion, was the brain child of stupid government policy and trough-happy big businesses who couldn’t resist the lure of “easy” government money.  But that’s a topic for a different day.  We – as in the millions of small businesses across the land — didn’t start the recession.  [...]

I’ll get to the title in a minute.  First, I must start by saying that I love to hit the floor running hard every day in the quest for business.  I also love to end the day exhausted, spent, without anything left to give.  Family and friends have told me there’s only one thing worse [...]

  You don’t “stand” your business. You don’t “walk” your business. You “run” your business! Ready?  Set? Go!         –    John R. Ingrisano                The Freestyle Entrepreneur  

I love to work hard.  In my opinion, there’s nothing more demanding or thrilling than getting out every day and taking on the enormous challenges of running a business.  Some days I slay the dragons; some days I come home smoked and char-broiled.  That’s half the fun.    But I also love to get away from [...]

  It has been my experience that there are two kinds of people in this world:  those who dare to dream big and exciting and wondrous dreams … and those who live in little boxes waiting for someone to tell them what to do.   Where do you want to be in a year?  In [...]

I knew the economy was in a bad way when, several weeks ago, I saw a friend’s husband in church.  Not a regular church goer, he was there nonetheless, and he was looking grim.  (I learned later that his business is hanging on by a thread and he is fast running out of options.)    [...]

Hard Work Trumps Brains   My dad was a plodder … but he plodded his way to become an MD and picked up the title of “Nassau County Family Physician of the Year” two years in a row.  I also know a couple of millionaires.  I can beat the pants off them in a game [...]

Falling isn’t the issue. The problem occurs when you don’t get back up and try one more time! We are in a business climate that requires getting back up—sometimes again and again and again. It works for me, when in a bind and on the pity pot, to bring to mind people who have inspired [...]

I’m a draft horse.  I can plug along for hours upon hours when put to a task.  My brother, on the other hand, is off running the Boston Marathon this weekend.  I admire him and others who work and sweat and train their bodies so they can actually run 27+ miles.  I love them because they not only [...]

Some businesses have an atmosphere of quiet competency, confidence and professionalism.  You can walk in the door and almost feel an overwhelming sense of purpose and belonging.  Everyone, from file clerk to CEO, looks as if he or she has an important, clearly defined and respected place in the organization.  It’s called a team.  Consistently [...]

As SBOs, we may be done for the morning or the day or even the week, but we’re never really done.    I had a partner once in the Caribbean who believed that once the shelves were stocked, the ads placed and the doors open, the job was over.  (Obviously, I had made a bad [...]

If you go belly up during these challenging economic times, do not blame (A) the economy; (B) the government; or (C) bad luck.  In other words, do not roll over and play victim or, worse, sit up and beg for a handout. There is honest money to be made and there are genuine opportunities to [...]

As SBOs, risk comes with the territory.  And when it comes to business, if you’re not growing, you’re shrinking.  You can’t stand still.  So it is with personal growth. Example:  I just joined Toastmasters last fall.  Why?  Because, at 58, though I’m not bad on my feet, I know I can be better.  My brother, [...]

Ladies and gentlemen, I spent an amazing Saturday roaming around Green Bay, Wisconsin, doing research.  I visited a number of small businesses, ate in an upscale restaurant filled with the lunch traffic, and drove by malls and store parking lots filled with cars.    And I talked to people.  My question — always — when [...]

       Burnout and boredom are the top reasons small business owners pack it in and either sell out or shut down.  These two factors account for 50 percent of all busi­ness sales.      It makes sense.  Successful busi­ness owners tend to be creative problem solvers.  They are also easily bored.  Plus, they don’t just commit [...]

I hadn’t seen Marty in a few weeks, not since his restaurant failed.  The news had left me sad. It’s never fun to watch a hard-working fellow lose not only his money, but also his dream.  Fortunately, he still had his base business: a small tavern, with quarters upstairs for him and his wife.  But [...]

  Let’s call it like it is:  Tough times ahead!  No, I’m not a doom-and-gloomer.  Far from it.  I am an optimist.  Besides, I truly love the challenge of tough times.  They seem to bring out all the best business instincts in me.     All I’m saying is that it pays to be ready … mentally ready.  [...]