MJ
Gottlieb, who has owned and operated five business ventures and is now the
co-owner of a strategic consulting firm (The N2ITIV Group) that helps
entrepreneurs and small business increase their brand awareness, has written a
lively book called How To Ruin A Business Without Really Trying: What Every Entrepreneur
Should Not Do When Running A Business. (Morgan James). The PR firm I work for, Media Connect, is promoting it.
The book
features over 50 chapters, including eye-catching ones such as these:
·
Don’t
spend time talking to ghosts
·
The
jack of all trades.. is a jackass
·
Don’t
be the seventh man in a six-man line
·
Don’t
accept a boat that comes with holes in the bottom
·
It’s
easier to dissect an elephant than a flea
He has a
lot of do’s and don’ts to share but the first 20 chapters are of the “never
do-this” variety, including to never hire a friend as your attorney, have
anyone work for you for free, spend what you do not have, sign personal
guarantees, or make a decision while in a negative or positive emotional state.
This
easy-to-read book is based on MJ’s own screw-ups and successes, and is sure to
help the would-be entrepreneur get started on the right foot.
Here are
some pearls of wisdom shared by MJ:
“Don’t
Be Confused Between Working Hard and Working Smart”
“The
Right: Always manage expectations. In
other words, always, always, always
under-promise and over-deliver!”
“No
matter what business you are in, your supplier’s facilities must be visited in
person before one penny of business can be thrown his or her way.”
“Write a
detailed business plan on your company, and be prepared to be refused by
hundreds of lending institutions and/or investors until you finally find the
entity that gives you your chance. If
you are thin-skinned and let rejection affect you, you’re not the right person
to be looking to start a business in the first place. Your first hundred or so rejections are only
your welcoming committee to the wonderful world of being an entrepreneur.”
“You
should do your due diligence on not just your suppliers and your customers, but
anyone you consider doing business with in any way, shape, or form… and still
put it in writing, no matter what.”
“Dot
Every ‘I’, Cross Every ‘T’, Leave No Stone Unturned, Believe Wholeheartedly in
‘Murphy’ and Go Over Your Checklist Twice… and Don’t Trust a Soul.”
“Start
by being nice but firm to everyone. For
those you feel are mistaking your kindness for weakness, be firm but nice
(there’s a difference). If that doesn’t
work, be firm and firm only. Eventually
they will get it… then you can be nice again.”
“Know
that the life of an entrepreneur is extremely difficult. Among the obvious reasons this is true is the
fact that you work for an extremely stubborn and bullheaded person (yourself),
as evidenced by what is willingly sacrificed to succeed. That being said, you must find a balance if
you plan to succeed. Or die in the process, as I have witnessed countless
‘successful’ entrepreneurs smoke, drink, and stress themselves to death and all
I can think of is… what exactly was the point?
Was it worth it?”
"Good
luck in your journey, be happy and confident with each and every step you take…
and watch out for the snakes that you will come across along the way.”
2015 Book PR &
Marketing Toolkit: All New
Brian Feinblum’s views,
opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his
employer. You can follow him
on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels
more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by
BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2015
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