Hey don't we measure Contribution (value of results generated) instead of Performance (what you do)?

In my experience, no entrepreneur is fully prepared for the journey they are embarking upon when they start a new business endeavor. You simply can't have everything you need before you begin this journey. Being an entrepreneur is about being resourceful, or as Paul Graham puts it, being "relentlessly resourceful". You'll need to solve problems as you go and you can't anticipate every hurdle you're going to have to overcome. Ask people around you if they would describe you as resourceful. Ask yourself this question. It is the one skill that every entrepreneur needs to have. That said, I think you can try to stack the deck in your favor before you begin. Money, knowledge, a head start on your product or service idea before you go full time, the right partners, and the support of your significant other are all things that will greatly benefit you. In the end, you're going to have to be willing to do whatever it takes to make your business endeavor a success. You're also going to have to be willing to work hard and live an unorthodox lifestyle while you are getting things started. If you're not looking for this kind of life and you don't want to give up a lifestyle that you've become accustomed to or if you don't have the confidence that you'll be able to figure it out as you go, then you may not be ready yet. I've always thought that you never really know what you are capable of until you are put in a position where there is only one way forward and failure is not an option. In this respect, sometimes I think it's worth a try if starting a new business endeavor is something you've thought about for a long time. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there to see what you can do. I know my experience of starting a business was one in which I didn't have many things going for me, but I still managed to find a way to make it work and find success. Work hard. Don't give up. Strive to be the best. Do whatever it takes. You can do it!

Hi - I run three successful companies of varying sizes. It can be done, but it is not easy to accomplish and it is easy to get sidetracked if you are not intentional about developing focus each and every day. I've written and podcasted a fair bit about this subject (http://wisenapkin.com/tag/focus/) but the key is this: develop a very clear picture of where you're going; develop a top 5 list each and every day of the most important things that you can do that day to work toward your goal, maintain records of your progress, ask for help along the way, get a coach/mentor/forum of your peers, and execute consistently. Make it a great day!

I highly recommend reading the book "Blue Ocean Strategy" that is the best and simplest way to map out the landscape of the marketplace and identify opportunities or methods of differentiation. If you don't have time to read the book I'm sure there videos out there summarizing and explaining the core principles. We walk our clients through the Blue Ocean Strategy mapping and simply follow the process in the book, and it's quite powerful and valuable. I don't know of any other process that VISUALLY REVEALS the opportunity in your market. The other way is to look at your past clients: Is there a majority of clients that you worked with that fall into a niche demographic? Is there a subset of your clients that you enjoyed working with more so than others? Is there an area of your expertise that you're more passionate about that would lead you to dive deeper into a niche? (IE: career transition, executives in healthcare, women in tech startups, Female executives for 7-figure startups, etc.) Hope this info helps!

Say "NO." It's a complete sentence.

As a lifelong student, i've come to understand what sitting does to the human body. Generally-speaking, people who sit in (and thus outsource their skeletomusculature system to) chairs for extended periods of time will develop very predictable mobility issues, which leads towards a loss of physical function. This has many implications. Then you must consider myriad of other factors... Sitting (especially in the same environment) causes brain atrophy, and negatively impacts our glymphatic system, metabolism, and ability to control blood sugar. Bottom line: Humans aren't meant to be sedentary. Sitting in excess creates many problems. Move or die.