Just Start!
You can start small and grow big. You mustn’t become big to start, you can start and grow big. You can start big and grow bigger. Just start! Start your business from where you are. Prepare and start.
John C. Maxwell said ‘‘Pay now or pay later. Either way you’re going to pay.’’ This is true. You must take responsibility to get things done. You have to take off from where you are and ensure you do the right things as you go on.
The man or woman on the journey of life must embrace the attribute of doing things well, no matter the situation.
Philip Dormer Stanhope, British statesman, diplomat, man of letters, and 4th Earl of Chesterfield said, ‘‘Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well.’’ You can start your business small and still start well. You can start big and still start well. You can start from where you are and still start the right way. You can be a professional and stand out, no matter the environment. You can be a student and still get it right in the midst of confusion. Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well.
Following tested principles lead to success in life and in business.
Launching your business in the marketplace requires that you start from where you are and take it to where you want it to be.
Taking your smart products and services to the marketplace is a task you must accomplish. Delaying this task is not ideal because you still have to do it anyway; unless you have decided to give up and throw in the proverbial towel. But know that winners don’t quit, so it’s better you move on and launch out what you have in your hands; your products and services.
Your job is to ensure you are giving value in the products and services you want to offer to the market. This is your first assignment. This is how to start well and continue to stay on track.
An Olympics athlete is expected to stay on his track if he wants to win the race. He must also run the race like someone who is prepared to win. He must run the race to prove himself. Champions are crowned in the ring.
Winning in a race in Olympics is a function of starting at the right time, applying the right speed and doing the right things. Winning on the track is about listening attentively to the umpire when he says: On your marks, get set, go! When the sprinter hears Go! He or she must go at the right time. Responding promptly to the command Go, helps the sprinter in the race; Go, determines a lot in the race. Go, means it’s time to prove that you have prepared to win the race. Go, means it’s time to win!
It is important to note that you may not necessarily have everything in place before you launch your business. You have to start to be great. Zig Ziglar was right when he said, ‘‘You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.’’ This aspect is important and can’t be overemphasized.
An online article reported that in 1949, Nigeria played their first official match against Sierra Leone. The match took place in United Kingdom before a crowd of six thousand spectators. The Nigerian team did not wear boots as they played with their bare-feet wrapped round with bandage and wore their traditional green and white colours. Despite not being protected with boots, the team known as the Nigeria Football Association Team played enterprising football that thrilled the crowd. They played with much pace and skill as well as hitting the ball better than their opponents. The match ended 5-2 in favour of the Nigerian side.
The team didn’t wait for all the required sports kits. They went in and did the job!
Success in business and personal life is about starting with what you have and doing your best as you go. Don’t wait for everything to be available before you start your business. Start from where you are and move with the right mindset.
My book: Starting and Growing a Successful Business, takes the reader to a tour of a successful journey. It is a good read for Entrepreneurs, Startups, and Professionals. It tells how to commence a business from where you are to where you want to be.
The main thing is to commence the journey; the main thing is to go – just like the umpire commands sprinters at the onset of the race.
The smart thing is to start now; begin with what you have and grow your business in the process. Just Go!
The Nigerian team made a mark in 1949 without boots!
My experience in business has taught me that you can start from where you are …with what you have …and still get to your destination. Many successful businesses started this way. Folks start their businesses at different levels. The main thing is to start.
You can move from good to great. You can get better as you move on.
Nobody wins by staying outside the ring. Champions are made in the ring.
This is your day.
Move from good to better, then to best.
George O. Emetuche, CES,
The Selling Champion.
