Tequila for the Entrepreneur's Soul

theme: vision + good execution = great results

framework: intro + thesis 1 + thesis 2 + thesis 3 + conclusion

intro: Life’s lessons creep up on your when you least expect it. Recently, my friend and fellow entrepreneur Jim England, spent 10 hours helping me complete a project. When all was said and done, we had created a beautiful slide deck in preparation for an upcoming presentation. Thesis: But what I had learned from Jim were 5 core principles of design that made me a better entrepreneur.

thesis 1: Vision is the most important thing at the beginning. It will morph over time, but come up with something great and build around that.

thesis 2: Here are the 5 core principles. Pick a theme. Build a framework or storyboard first. Complete the hardest elements of the framework first. Communication is critical, and pictures are better than text. Be clear and concise. Details matter the most!

thesis 3: The finished product is rarely what you had in mind when you started. It’s better.

conclusion: Most of us are design illiterate, but these lessons from Jim England helped me take a step in the right direction.  Take the time to apply these 5 principles the next time you build something. It will be awesome!

PS – In a rush to get this post out, I skipped the details. Since they matter the most, I believe they deserve their own post… good rhyme… [Part 2] coming soon

Love,

Kirtus

I was watching Louis CK’s standup the other night. He did a bit about how hard it is for a married person with kids to change their personal situation if they’re unhappy, but how if you’re single and you don’t like your girlfriend you call her up, say “expletive you” and hang up. That’s it; situation changed.

My personal life couldn’t be better, but Louis reminded me about a good lesson. You’ve got to be happy, personally and professionally especially since that line is so blurry these days.  Louis inspired me to gut check my life as an entrepreneur. Here are the four questions that I asked myself about my professional life, and I think that you should do the same.

1. Am I having fun?
2. Am I productive [or successful / efficient / profitable] every day?
3. Am I learning?
4. Do I have the resources(or can I find them) that I need to have fun, be productive and keep learning?

My only rule when answering these questions is that your answer can only be a thumbs up or thumbs down. There is no gray area, no rationalizing, no maybes.

Here is your rating scale (and accompanying advice courtesy of yours truly):

4 thumbs up = Keep chasing your dreams because you’re almost there!

2-3 thumbs up = Life is a roller coaster. Remember that a good goal in life is to be more dependent on others, not less.  Think about it!

0-1 thumbs up = Stop. Change directions. You’re alive, but are you living?

PS If you’re curious about my answers: 4 thumbs up. I’m having a blast. Every day is the best day of my life. I’m productive. Everyday I try to make, manage and mentor my way to success. I learn every hour. Resources are all around me. Watch out!

Love,

Kirtus

Have you ever been walking on those moving sidewalks at an airport only to get off and feel like you’re still walking on it? It’s such an intoxicating feeling – walking faster and smoother than usual.  It’s the same feeling I get from ‘pulling the trigger.’ I define ‘pulling the trigger’ as making rather than deliberating about decisions that could impact my family, my business(es), my partners, my friends or maybe even lil ol’ me.

By nature, I’m a trigger puller. I’m not a big fan of guns, but I also have a lot of self confidence. I feel like my situational awareness and ability to process things is so high, that I feel comfortable making quick decisions with limited information. If I feel like a snickers at 1 in the morning, I drive to the store and get a snickers that moment. If I need to make a new hire or change my business model or scrap a feature or project or relationship, I do it. Just like that.

Over the past 5 years, I’ve gotten so comfortable pulling triggers that I’ve shot a lot of guns.  I’ve shot everything in size from rocket launchers to bb guns. I carry my metaphorical gun with me wherever I go now a days. The world of startups and entrepreneurship moves so fast that you must have your gun on you at all times or you’ll miss the opportunity to shoot something. Now let’s talk about gun control.

Pros: I’ve hit bulls-eyes, I’ve shot cans and bottles. I’ve nailed a presentation with no prep. I’ve made a big sale. I’ve bought, sold and closed down companies. I’ve picked the right partners. I’ve spent thousands of days and moments making my wife happy. My son is in the perfect pre-school. I’ve saved a company $53,000. I’ve won a few poker hands. Guns help me get things accomplished. I consider myself a good shot. I’ve had a lot of wins.

Cons: I’ve shot the sh*t out of my foot. I’ve shot my neighbors’ car window out. I’ve shot one of my best friends(not in the face thank goodness). I’ve almost had to give my house back to the bank that owns it. I’ve spent countless nights saying sorry to my wife while she cries about my gun shooting. I’ve stepped on people accidentally. I’ve made bad deals. I’ve lost lots of money(directly and indirect costs). I’ve even lost other peoples’ money. You can only say sorry so many times when you hit others with a stray bullet from your gun.

Closing Argument: Today I came close to shooting my eye out. I’m pretty sure I’ll get my vision back, but it still stings. In this particular circumstance, it would be easy to blame the gun that shot the bb that almost hit my eye. But, honestly, it was me who shot me. I take the blame. I was faced with a decision. I had limited information. I did limited research. I pulled the trigger, and to my surprise I hadn’t aimed at anything besides my own eye. Fortunately for me, I’ve shot my own face before, and I have a magic potion for healing it. But, next time I may not be so lucky.

Verdict: I have installed a safety mechanism and a scope on my gun. Lesson learned. I will aim, prior to releasing the safety, prior to firing all significant shots moving forward.

Please pull some triggers, but do not shoot your eye out.

Love,

Kirtus

I have one of those amazing wives that never packs more than she needs when we go on long vacations. We recently took a 10 day leave of absence from real life and headed for the snowy land of Minnesota. My wife packed approx 3 pairs of pajamas, 2 jeans, 4 pairs of socks, a few t-shirts, 2 sweaters, her underoos and her toiletries. That’s it. It all fit in one duffel bag.

Thoughts swirling through your head may be,  ”What about all of the other things she might need? 2 jeans won’t last 10 days. 2 sweaters? Minnesota is cold as hell. What if you decide to go ice fishing?” Here are some great answers to those questions. Layering sweatshirts and t-shirts maximizes efficiency. We’ll have a washing machine and dryer. A lot of our time will be spent indoors where she can wear pajamas or t-shirts. Why prepare for things that might not happen and won’t greatly disturb our vacation if they do happen? Pack the least amount of stuff needed to make our trip enjoyable.  The extra luggage will be a hassle at the airport, cost more money to check and probably get lost and then go unused for most of the trip. If we need an extra this or that, we’ll add it at that time.

That attitude is a winner in the world of entrepreneurship. Building a business is a series of builds, tests, data analyses and conclusions. One of the most crucial questions that you can ever ask yourself about a product, service or operation in your business is “What is the least amount of ‘stuff’ that I can put into this product, service or process and still have it deliver the expected results to my paying customers, my employees or my stakeholders?”

I have spent approx 5 hours per week in January 2011 going through that process for each project I’m involved in. It has been more valuable than I can explain! Try it, strip down your business idea, your product, service or process, to most the basic problem(s) you are solving and write down the minimum requirements for a solution to that problem. I promise it’s hard, but worthwhile. Spend your time and money building that!

Rinse and repeat every chance you get.

Love,

Kirtus