If you're not scared are you making progress....

I saw this video this evening and it reminds me of one of my daily goals which is to push my boundaries every day, to do something that is a little more scary, a little more difficult than I really want to do because it is only when you push the boundaries that you learn and when you learn you make progress.





wingsuit base jumping from Ali on Vimeo.




What a great feeling it must be to have that feeling of falling and then stretch out your arms and fly ( I think these guys are still falling just a little bit more slowly!)


I used to dream a lot of falling and then flying, sounds like entrepreneurship in a nutshell, sometimes you need to fall a long way before you fly.


Freud said that the content of all dreams is wish fulfillment, perhaps if I dream of falling and flying again I should immediately proceed to Norway!


But I prefer Walt Disney who said "all of our dreams can come through if we have the courage to pursue them."


Best of luck with your pursuits

"We read to know we're not alone"

I very much liked the film Shadowlands, with Anthony Hopkins. The film details a period in C. S. Lewis's life (Lewis wrote the the Chronicles of Narnia amongst other things). Lewis is introduced to us in the film as a man who feels that all pain should be suffered with patience. But he discovers that the simple rules by which he lives no longer apply when his own wife, Joy Gresham is afflicted by cancer and ultimately dies.

During the course of the film, C S Lewis (Hopkins) says "we read to know we are not alone". It seems to be a matter of debate as to whether Lewis ever actually uttered these words but it is a great line and all budding entrepreneurs should take it on board.

As entrepreneur, you don't have to be alone. Guess what no matter how bad things may seem for you right now , someone else out there has probably made all the same mistakes as you - only ten times worse. So learn from others. Alterately, business may be going well, but guess what I bet it can go better - a lot better!

There are lots of great books out there and with the rise of blogging and the internet, the support rescource of reading is even more accessible. The weight of shared emotional experience cannot be underestimated, so put some time aside and read!

I am currently reading "The E myth revisited" by Michael E. Gerber. It's a great book for small business owners and it divides our characters into three portions "The Entrepreneur", "The Manager" and "The Technician". Unfortunately these are not equal divisions! From that unequal division many of our business diffculties emenate.

If you are a small business owner (successfull or not) have a look at this book, I guarantee you'll see a lot of yourself in there!

There are a number of blogs out there recommending various publications and blogs for entrepreneurs:Diane K. Danielsons Top Shelf Reading Picks - book abd blog reviews for savvy entrpreneurs. Bootstrappers the 100 daily must reads for entrepreneurs

Ps. When nobody's looking I still reach into the backs of wardrobes and give a little push - I haven't found the door to Narnia yet but I still believe!

€100,000pa MBA

I'm in the middle of a €100,000p.a. MBA course.

The course has lasted two years so far and I can say I've learned a lot a long the way.

€200,000 for a two year course! - Where am I Harvard, Yale, a secretive Swiss MBA which guarantees business success?

The answer is much more mundane - I am in a struggling business - what's worse it's a struggling franchise.

A struggling franchise - impossible I hear you say. You buy a franchise is to buy into a successful existing business plan and model. Surely nothing can go wrong - well I've learned some hard lessons there also - but more of that in due course.

My business, and I use the word reservedly, has been like a New Years Eve celebrant on the streets of Barnsley. It lurched forward occasionally, back regularly, and around in circles. In a similar fashion for the past two years I have had constant nausea and been always on the verge of vomiting!

Recovery is now on the horizon and as I emerge from this two year business hangover I thought I might put some thoughts down on a retrospective and ultimately current blog.

They may be of some assistance to some of you would be entrepreneurs and may help you achieve a respectable “doggy paddle” and keep your head above water.