On day 1 of any job, endeavour or project how much knowledge about it did you have? Now having been well into it compare your day 1 knowledge to what you know today. I'm sure the years, the challenges you faced, the experiences you've had all lead to your knowing much more today than you did on day 1. That's why  rookies in sports are looked at the way they are. Sure they have the raw talent and skill but it goes without saying that they will make rookie mistakes. If you track the history of any all-star you will see a progression of getting better and better from rookie to seasoned pro.  It takes time and it's not something that happens on day 1. Now take your business ideas, your projects, that charity you're working on. You may have aspirations and plans of great things.  Certainly you have others that you look to as a comparison, someone you aspire to be like. You aren't going to know everything you need to know from day 1, so stop waiting and get started. The challenge comes in realizing that and moving forward anyways.  You aren't suppose to have all the answers, all the ideas, even a complete picture of where you want to go.  On day 1 you just need the willingness and desire. That's what day 1 is all about, getting started. photo credit

A friend approached me the other day about starting a conference for entrepreneurs.  Certainly not an original idea but none the less I think the timing for something like this is very good.  As more and more people branch out and become entrepreneurs there certainly has to be an opportunity to learn from those who have been there before.  One of the traits that will make up successful entrepreneurs going forward is their ability to learn and share new ideas with and from each other. I can see a conference being the perfect opportunity to bring both successful and aspiring entrepreneurs together to dialogue on the latest trends, techniques and technologies. Now I've been to a bunch of conferences in my time and we certainly don't need something else to fill our time.  However for this I could see it being made up of a very small group of attendees and presenters.  Say 200 attendees and 10 presenters.  Each of the presenters would represent a different aspect of being an entrepreneur.  Things such as raising capital, utilizing the Internet, manufacturing and servicing, money management, creative thinking and leadership could all be topics of discussion.  Instead of presentations though I'd like to see that panel take real world examples from the attendees and see how they could help right there.  Perhaps other parts of the days would be filled with stories from successful entrepreneurs on how they made it.  Something to think about for sure. Let me ask you, are there any existing entrepreneur conferences that you know of? Any that you have been to and thought were good? What types of things would you like to learn at one of these conferences? Leave a comment below, who knows maybe we'll take this idea and do something with it. photo credit

Everyone's an Entrepreneur, why not you? Which excuse are you hiding behind? I'm not creative - Everyone is, look at your dreams, your personality I don't have money - Almost all start without money I'm not talented enough - Determination trumps talent I'm not capable - You're the only one who is. It's too risky - Doing nothing is much more risky It's too much pressure - No more than not being in control of your future That's been done before - Execution not originality leads to success That's never been done - Pioneering something can pay off I can't focus - Sure you can, it just takes some practice I can't make decisions - You do everyday, what to eat, what to wear, where to go I make decisions to quickly - Timely decisions are important My parents weren't and it worked for them - Perhaps but it won't in the future My parents were and it didn't work - Your opportunities are better My ideas are horrible - Horrible ideas can be successful too I have ideas but I don't know what to do - You're already well on your way

If you're familiar with Star Trek then you know of The Borg.  The Borg were a pseudo-race of cybernetic beings, half human - half cyborg, that were focused on capturing their enemies and forcing them to assimilate.  Assimilation consisted of turning their captured prey into a kind of half human - half cyborg type that only took direction from the mother ship. As they captured their enemies and prepared to turn them into Borg's they repeated "Resistance is futile" .  Why is it that many businesses treat their employees this way?

"Everyone's an Entrepreneur"  is something that I have preached for quite some time.  It's not just a catchy saying.  As we move forward it is a reality for you and I. The latest issue of Wired Magazine  has a cover article "The Next Industrial Revolution". This is a must read for every aspiring entrepreneur.  The article focuses on all of the manufacturing processes, that have traditionally been available only to big corporations and how they are readily available to everyone.   From the article; “The days of companies with names like ‘General Electric’ and ‘General Mills’ and ‘General Motors’ are over. The money on the table is like krill: a billion little entrepreneurial opportunities that can be discovered and exploited by smart, creative people.” I couldn't have said it any better.  There is no better time to be an entrepreneur than 2010.  For the last 50+ years our culture has been about the factory. Mass production for mass consumption produced by the masses.  No more.  The future is about individuals and their ideas, creating things from their garages, homes, back yards, apartments, anywhere. While I loved the article the title should have been The Entrepreneurial Revolution because that's whats upon us. photo credit