The Freestyle Entrepreneur

by John Ingrisano The Freestyle Entrepreneur Pain or gain?  That is why people buy – always!  As Entrepreneur Dan Paulson points out in his book, Apples to Apples: How to Stand out From Your Competition, “every purchase is an emotional purchase.” Your product or service either takes away the pain (I need a car or else [...]

Hint:  You do not sell product, whether it’s baked beans or loans or funky nautical gifts.  If that’s the way you think, you’ll always be stuck in the center of the pack, loping along, but never breaking out to win big! Let me explain by asking a question.  What’s the difference between the various banks in [...]

                                             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 you do a favor for employees, customers, or even competitors, do it and then drop it.  Never bring it up again.  If you remind them of what you have done for them, they will eventually begin to dislike and even despise you.  That’s human nature.  If they want to bring it up, that’s fine, [...]

  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  

  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 [...]

There’s a whole lot of worrying going on out there in this squeaky tight economy.  Everybody I talk to is having trouble sleeping at night, playing those “what if” or “oh no” tapes over and over in their heads.   As they say, ‘snot worth it.  Worrying just saps your energy and clouds your mind.  [...]

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 [...]

  When I launched an ill-fated business in the Caribbean years ago, I never quit working to find ways, each and every day, to cut my costs by a fraction here, raise my sales by a smidge there, etc.  It was a daily challenge upon which I thrived.  (The business did fail, but that had more [...]

You’ve seen it:  The man or woman who is excited, motivated, charged up.  Women like Mary Kay Ash or men like Bill Gates were not necessarily all that smart.  (Yes, they were no dummies, but still….)  What is their secret? Simple. Success is not about well-balanced balance sheets, fat-cat backers with lots of investment dollars, [...]

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, [...]

I’ve always believed that if it weren’t for the employees and the customers, business would be a breeze!   Actually, I’m pretty good with the customers.  But I am the world’s worst boss.  Ask any of my former employees.  I was overbearing, tending to micro-manage, praised when I should have kicked butt, and kicked butt [...]

As an economic capitalist and and a political conservative, I know one thing for sure:  As business owners, we do not share wealth … we CREATE it!  We take a lump of material worth 50 cents or an idea worth even less, add some sweat and ingenuity, and create a product that sells for $4.50 [...]

  It’s early in the downturn, and I’m already seeing some companies — mostly the new kids on the block — going under.  It’s a shame.  How can you guarantee you won’t be next?  You can’t.  There are no guarantees in business!  But there is one thing you can do — work like a dog. [...]

Rote SOP Can Do Wonders   I’m a big fan of Standard Operating Procedures.   Assuming I’ve researched and planned well, and laid out the steps, I can work by the numbers, knowing I need to do so much X to obtain this much Y in Z amount of time (sort of like the 10-3-1 ratio [...]

I have a minor problem.  My demeanor sometimes exudes arrogance.  It’s something of a family trait.  Plus, when we do something we’re pleased about, we’re proud of it.  No humility here.    The problem?  It really ticks some people off.  Not that I am trying, but it just happens.  But I figured out a long [...]

It’s a one-word answer, and you already know it.  Super success has little to do with having a terrific product.  It has little to do with whether you are wearing a smart suit or have that Pepsodent smile (remember that one?)  It’s not about being smart or slick or even charming.   It’s attitude.  If [...]

I learned a long time ago that the “secret” to success is to keep your mind, heart and efforts focused solely on what you want and then to just keep at it.  No room for doubts or second guessing.   Step One:  Decide what you really want.  Step two: Map out the major steps how [...]

Sometimes it’s not good enough just to be good enough, or even to have a good plan.  I’ve known people — including myself — who have been hammered on and hammered down at times by everything from financial setbacks to relationship upsets, to debilitating physical health problems to their own creepingly painful and dark mental [...]

As a businessman, I have learned that the one sure way to destroy what you are trying to build is to cut ethical corners.  The real irony is that it is almost always the finger-snapping smart alecks, the know-it-alls, who end up getting entangled in their own cool schemes and easy-mark snares.   The fact [...]

Just a quick reminder, in case you forgot:  Life is tough, sometimes challenging, occasionally downright brutal. That’s how we grow, how we become stronger, both physically and spiritually — by running those ten miles, by pumping iron, by sticking with a tough project, by working through a difficult relationship … by just surviving sometimes.  Enjoy [...]

Rumor has it that we’ve become a nation of whiners.  I think that’s because the media and certain political groups feel they must promote victimization to keep their audiences.  Economically speaking, we criticize Bill Gates and Sam Walton and McDonalds (but, curiously, never Walt Disney), because their companies  make too much money, a simple-minded complaint.  [...]

Don’t love what you do.  Do what you love!  When I first started my business nearly 25 years ago, I would leap out of bed every morning at 5:30 eager to get down to work.  I loved it.  Well, I admit that over the years, there were some long stretches when I found myself bored, [...]

Keep good records.  Track your activity.  Maybe in a go-go economy, you can afford to slop along and stay in the black.  But survivors and thrivers in business these days know which products make the biggest profits; which customers generate the most sales; which employees are worth their wages.   Most of all, don’t just [...]