Recently I\u2019ve been thinking about several entrepreneurs that I know who don\u2019t seem to be making progress. One of them (although I know this isn\u2019t an isolated case) is quick to brush off advice and information with a, \u201cYes, yes, I\u2019ve heard that before.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
Hearing a good idea is not the same as embracing and integrating one. You can have a garage full of power tools, but if you never take them out of the box they don\u2019t serve any purpose other than taking up space.<\/p>\n
That’s also true for ideas.<\/p>\n
\n
So I\u2019m kicking off the new year with a month devoted to Reviewing and Rewinding. It\u2019s a perfect time to revisit a few basics that can make a big difference in the foundation we\u2019re laying for our enterprises.<\/p>\n
\n
Let\u2019s start with thinking about recognizing opportunities.<\/p>\n
\n
Opportunities are floating around everywhere, yet they remain invisible to those who aren\u2019t seeking them. That may be because opportunity often appears as a problem needing a solution.<\/p>\n
\n
Several summers ago, college student Joe Keeley took a job as a nanny.\u00a0 Before long, people in the neighborhood began asking him if he had any college friends who would do what he was doing.<\/p>\n
\n
\u201cThat\u2019s when I started thinking there might be an opportunity here,\u201d he says. Now he runs a flourishing seasonal business called College Nannies<\/a> and Tutors<\/a> which matches families with carefully selected nannies who have special skills and interests that fit the family\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Young Mr. Keeley is an\u00a0 example of the two most common ways in which opportunity appears: by summons and by serendipity<\/em>. Summoned situations come after we have set a goal or made a decision to do something.<\/p>\n \n For instance, you decide to set up a practice as a personal trainer and get busy finding clients. Everyone who hires you becomes a new opportunity to expand your business. By taking action you\u2019ve drawn opportunity to you.<\/p>\n \n Serendipitous opportunities appear to be unplanned. Let\u2019s say you have a client for your personal training business who happens to be a filmmaker and thinks you\u2019d be perfect for a series of exercise videos he wants to produce.<\/p>\n \n That\u2019s a possibility you\u2019d never considered, but once it\u2019s proposed to you, it is an exciting idea and you start working on the production, planning the marketing and thinking of new ways to share your expertise.<\/p>\n \n Either sort of opportunity requires that you have opened your heart and mind to\u00a0the possibility of favorable events occurring in your life and business.<\/p>\n <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \n At the same time beware of opportunity imposters. A Google search I conducted a few years ago turned up 3,810,000 listings for business opportunities. Not only were most of these offers questionable, many of them were outright scams created by con artists who cost Americans more than $6 million that year.<\/p>\n \n If something advertises itself as an opportunity, it probably isn\u2019t.<\/strong><\/p>\n \n Real opportunity is never a one-size-fits-all affair. In fact, when you come across an opportunity that is right for you it will feel, well, right.\u00a0 You\u2019ll have an intuitive sense that you\u2019ve been preparing for it all along\u2014perhaps without even realizing it.<\/p>\n \n Whether opportunity finds you by summons or by serendipity, it requires that you respond quickly or it will move elsewhere. When an idea gets your attention, stop and give it your thoughtful consideration.<\/p>\n \n Does it fit into your current plans? Can you make room for it? Is it exciting enough to pursue farther? Might you want to pass it along to someone else?<\/p>\n \n We are more likely to attract genuine opportunity when we\u2019re willing to meet it halfway. Stuart Wilde points out that closing the gap between where you are and where you want to be may involve taking exploratory action.<\/p>\n \n \u201cIt may be\u00a0 a matter of showing up in the marketplace,\u201d he points out, \u201cbecoming a face that people know, demonstrating your expertise, and getting into the loop where the movers and shakers are. People who could bestow great opportunities upon you aren\u2019t scouring the distant hills for talent. They\u2019re in the flow.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Recently I\u2019ve been thinking about several entrepreneurs that I know who don\u2019t seem to be making progress. One of them (although I know this isn\u2019t an isolated case) is quick to brush off advice and information with a, \u201cYes, yes, I\u2019ve heard that before.\u201d Hearing a good idea is not the same as embracing and…<\/p>\n