{"id":3421,"date":"2010-06-28T10:33:22","date_gmt":"2010-06-28T14:33:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joyfullyjobless.com\/blog\/?p=3421"},"modified":"2010-06-28T10:39:00","modified_gmt":"2010-06-28T14:39:00","slug":"a-friend-to-entrepreneurs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joyfullyjobless.com\/blog\/2010\/06\/a-friend-to-entrepreneurs\/","title":{"rendered":"A Friend to Entrepreneurs"},"content":{"rendered":"

After I read La Bella Lingua<\/em><\/strong>, I decided to make the Italian Renaissance one of my summer projects. I began by rereading (as I do every summer) Michael Gelb\u2019s How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I promptly tracked down a number of books at my nearby library, including the amusing Uppity Women of the Renaissance<\/em><\/strong> by VIcki Leon, plus the DVD of the glorious PBS series The Medicis: Godfathers of the Renaissance<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Those aren’t the only library books living with me at the moment. I\u2019m working on the next issue of Winning Ways<\/em> newsletter which has a theme of Collecting for Fun and Profit. My exploration of the library catalog turned up a long list of resources.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of the most amusing is a heavy (and heavily illustrated) \u00a0book called In Flagrante Collecto<\/em><\/strong> (caught in the act of collecting) by Marilynn Gelman Karp. Then there\u2019s Collectomania<\/em><\/strong> by Miriam Plans. Who knows where this is going to lead?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no accident that I live less than five minutes away from a library. When I was moving to Las Vegas, I got a city map and plotted out the locations of things I wanted easy access to. Libraries were high on the list.<\/p>\n

In a talk I gave at a library in Minneapolis, I told the audience, \u201cLibraries are an entrepreneur\u2019s best friend.\u201d I wasn\u2019t just flattering my hosts, however.<\/p>\n

A great library system is a basic requirement for me. In a normal week, I make several visits to the library and consider having a personal relationship with the librarians to be fundamental.<\/p>\n

Some people go shopping when they need a lift; I go to the library. If I\u2019m stumped, don\u2019t know what to do next, I can count on a visit to get me moving again.<\/p>\n

The library exists to connect us with information and ideas all stored in one space for our convenience. While the Internet is a fabulous tool, one I would hate to give up, I can go deeper into a subject at the library\u2014and I trust the accuracy of the information more.<\/p>\n

When I see parents bringing their small children to get their first library card, I am delighted. This is an important rite of passage and the sooner the library becomes a familiar friend, the more apt it is to remain a lifetime relationship.<\/p>\n

I also love the sense of not knowing for sure what I\u2019ll find when I go there. Richard Wiseman tells a story about going to the library to do research for a paper he was writing when he was a schoolboy and being directed to the wrong shelf where the books on magic happened to be housed. That started him on his way to becoming a boy magician.<\/p>\n

A fellow library lover told me about the morning she arrived at the library as it opened. She planned to spend some time doing genealogical research. \u201cThe next thing I knew,\u201d she recalls, \u201cthey were announcing that the library was closing. I hadn\u2019t eaten or gone to the bathroom all day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Can you imagine what a thrill it was for a lifelong library lover when a woman came to my seminar in Washington DC saying she was there because she worked at the Library of Congress and had come across Making a Living Without a Job<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0on their shelves?<\/p>\n

“There is an unspeakable pleasure attending the life of a voluntary student,” said Oliver Goldsmith. That’s also true for the curious entrepreneur.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re a regular library patron or not, plan a creative excursion to your library soon and browse until you discover a treasure. Or visit the reference department and see what ideas you get looking through directories of grants or Gale\u2019s Encyclopedia of Associations.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Then do it again and again. And anytime you find yourself thinking, \u201cBut I don\u2019t know how to do that,\u201d take yourself to the library and start digging.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After I read La Bella Lingua, I decided to make the Italian Renaissance one of my summer projects. I began by rereading (as I do every summer) Michael Gelb\u2019s How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci.\u00a0 I promptly tracked down a number of books at my nearby library, including the amusing Uppity Women of the…<\/p>\n

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