Barriers to planning

There are two people, among many, I admire. Normally one wouldn't necessarily speak about these two in the same sentence or context, but their combined experiences reflect the kinds of qualities that anyone needs to reach some form of success in life. When I was a teenager, I used to actually confuse these two individuals with each other--just because their names began with the sound of Zig.

Florenz Ziegfeld, who had a short but incredibly full life, loved show business. Founder of the Ziegfeld Follies (whose last member Doris Eaton Travis died this year at the age of 106), he said of "his" girls: "And, I may add, from what totally unexpected sources come many of those who from the comparatively modest beginning in the chorus rise to the heights of really great achievement in the theatrical profession."

Regardless of one's profession or pursuits, it is helpful to remember that greatness comes out of modest beginnings and the only obstacles that prevent an individual from success--can be summed up in Zig Ziglar's words when he reminds his audiences that
"Every sale has 5 basic obstacles: No Need, No Money, No Hurry, No Desire, and No Trust."

Whether we are trying to sell an idea, product or business or trying to assess our own abilities and self-worth to find motivation, we cannot succeed without at least clearing three of these: need, desire, and trust.

Women's Entrepreneurship

While I am never sure what it means to put the word "woman" in front of something in order to establish clarity or meaning, I do know that men and women express themselves differently--because society has shown them how to do so AND because there are likely a few chromosomal influences in the internal wiring which we may uncover fully at some time in someone's future.

In the meantime, there are interesting sites to explore out there that should be, ideally, as interesting to men as they might be to women.

Take a look at Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global for instance. Several of the contributors are colleagues of mine from Chicago.

Entrepreneurial Journeys

Silicon Valley entrepreneur and strategy consultant, Sramana Mitra, has compiled 4 volumes of short interviews she has conducted with individuals who have started companies and projects. Through their stories one can gain inspiration and guidance. A nice collection of mini-cases, you can read the invidual interviews from Entrepreneur Journeys at Ms. Mitra's site
.

Ms. Mitra has also started a program known as "One Million by One Million" that seeks to help companies reach a million in revenues. You can attend the weekly 1M/1M roundtable on the web and listen to the sessions between Ms. Mitra and 3-4 entrepreneurs from around the globe, all at various stages of growth. She guides them along a strategic discussion and provides next steps and advice. Some of the typical issues discussed include bootstrapping, raising money, validating the business model, gaining focus/clarifying their story, marketing, distribution, etc. The audience can learn a lot from these often animated discussions. The 1M/1M Strategy Roundtable is open to all entrepreneurs - both to attend and to present. The schedule for the upcoming meetings through September is as follows:

Today Thursday, August 26, 2010, 10am United States Central Standard Time (CST) or 1700 Stockholm time (GMT+1)
Thursday, September 2, 2010, 10 a.m. CST
Thursday, September 9, 2010, 10 a.m. CST
Thursday, September 16, 2010, 10 a.m. CST
Thursday, September 23, 2010, 10 a.m. CST
Thursday, September 30, 2010, 10 a.m. CST