Entrepreneurship is the recognition and pursuit of opportunity without regard to the resources you currently control, with confidence that you can succeed, with the flexibility to change course as necessary, and with the will to rebound from setbacks.

– Bob Reiss

Excerpt from Blog article:

So many people today face this decision at some point in their working life. Some right out of the gate, after high school or college. Some after being downsized or fired. Some in midlife, when a desire for change is at its peak. Some at retirement.

The question is: which is the best decision for You?

There are a number of personal qualities and favorable external circumstances that lead one to start a business and thus enter the world of the entrepreneur. Understanding these factors is an important first step in making the decision to start a business.

Some of these factors are:

1. A good idea.
2. A marketable product or service.
3. A well-thought-out business plan.
4. An ability to be a visionary and to see the Big Picture.
5. An ability to manage the day-to-day operations of the business, or to hire qualified staff to do this.
6. Adequate financing and a solid understanding of the financial aspects of the business.
7. The ability to sell oneself and to market the business.
8. A high level of passion and enthusiasm for the business.
9. A moderate level of risk-tolerance and the capacity to take educated or calculated risks.
10. A network of paid or unpaid support people - staff, advisors, mentors, etc.

To take this further, what might be the difference between being an entrepreneur and being a successful entrepreneur? These distinctions also need to be understood. Some years ago, government statistics indicated that 80% of small- business start-ups failed within the first five years! What do you suppose accounts for this dismal success rate? There are, of course, both internal and external factors at play, and we don't have room to cover them all in this article. But here are a few points.

In our theme quote, Bob Reis points up some very essential qualities of a successful entrepreneur:

• Vision (the recognition and pursuit of opportunity)
• Confidence (belief in yourself and in your ability to succeed)
• Flexibility (ability to change course as needed)
• Committment (the will to rebound from setbacks and stay with it)

These internal qualities are crucial to success. And, to quote Donald Trump, "If you're not planning to succeed in business, then you're planning to fail." [This could apply to many aspects of life, in addition to business.]

What are you planning to do?

If the topic of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial readiness is relevant for you, please check out our Blog over the next few weeks, as we explore many aspects of this topic in greater detail.

Excerpted from Blog article.

As of January 10th, I have completed 7 months of my 12-month Letting-Go Experiment, in which I have committed to letting go of at least one thing (material item, behavior, practice, habit, etc) a day for a year.

Occasionally, I receive responses to my articles about this experiment, and this time I thought I would share one of them with you.

"I recently moved from a downtown office into a newly-created home office, and in the process got rid of several oversized, unneeded pieces of furniture, old files, etc. As you've found with letting go of some of your old stuff, it wasn't easy for me to say goodbye to a roll-top desk we've had for years (collecting dust and serving as a great storage place for anything that didn't have a 'home') and a Lazy Boy recliner that took up too much space but reminded me of an old chair I had growing up. Once they were gone I felt that both the room and I could breathe. "

Is Entrepreneurship Right For You? This is the theme of the workshop I will be facillitating for the Enterprise Center in Salem on January 30th.

If you are considering starting your own business, but are not sure what is involved or whether or not you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur, this workshop is for you.

Date: Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Time: 8:30-10:30am
Place: The Enterprise Center, Salem State College
Address: 121 Loring Street, Salem, MA 01970
Fee: none

For more information, or to register, visit the Enterprise Center web site at www.enterprisectr.org.
Or, contact Cathy Julien at 978-542-7528.

Winter is an ideal time to re-assess your current life or work situation and to tune up or redesign your life. Our 6-week signature program, Designing Your Life, will be offered once again on the North Shore, beginning in February.

Dates: Monday evenings, February 26 thru April 2, 2007
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Place: Beverly Senior Center, Beverly, MA
Sponsored by: Beverly Recreation Department
Fee: $95 plus a $35 materials fee (for workbook)

For more information, or to register, contact the Beverly Recreation Department.
Phone: 978-921-6067
Email: bevrec@beverlyma.gov
Web: http://www.bevrec. com/