National Entrepreneurship Week is a great time for potential entrepreneurs to surround themselves with people who are very much for them, and very much for what they are doing. Arthur “AJ” Merrill says this will give entrepreneurs idea that they may not have thought about and connections to other people and resources they may need, or even help getting initial customers. “It’s your partners, your investors, your prayer warriors, and your fan club,’ said Merrill.
Business Consultant, AJ Merrill, is a professor at Argosy University, Atlanta. Here are Merrill’s actions steps for entrepreneurs this week:
1. Find Your Personal Passion.
You may have more than one, and that is fine. But if you don’t care about it, and I mean really care about it, you will never be able to get through all of the normal obstacles it takes to get something launched.
2. Create Elements That Will Sustain and Spark Passion.
Often entrepreneurs start out with a lot of passion. But if we don’t build in elements to what we’re doing that will sustain that passion, and Spark it and new and others, it will be difficult to keep caring. Add meaning to what you are doing. Public benefit aspects of your business are a great way to do this! Build in a way that the business gets people involved in doing good things together for others and each other.
3. Build the Right Support Group.
Entrepreneurs learn very quickly that the American idea of doing it all on your own is not a reality. The right support group can mean many things. It could mean, as Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great, says, get the right people on the bus. Once you have the right people working with you, then it will be much clearer what you need to do, and where you want to go, with your business. Or, the right support group could be a group of friends, an entrepreneurs club, a group of prayer partners, or a group of friends and family who will specifically agree to encourage and hold you accountable.
AJ Merrill is a graduate of the University of Southern California law school. In addition to 20 years’ experience working on technology deals, startup and growth companies, representation of artists, and advising leaders of investment organizations on the likely effects of technology trends, he also has 14 years’ experience as a professor of business and law. Merrill spent 31 years working in the entertainment business as an attorney.
