How to Start a Business - The Practical Guide

The School of Hard Knocks

Years ago, as one of the agents who would help me get temporary jobs observed me displaying "entrepreneur characteristics" and told me I should perhaps consider running a business, I replied telling her that I "didn't have a business degree."  In my mind, business was for business people, and I was someone who loved to read and learn.  How naive I was!

That said, entrepreneurship was not "cool" in the late 1990s.  We're at the other end of the spectrum now, which Gary Vee refers to as #entrepreneurship, or as Mark Cuban labels it: "wantrepreneurship."  People have realized the lifestyle that comes with being in control of your work and schedule, and want it, but perhaps aren't sure how to get it (or worse, are not willing to put in the work to obtain it).

Not another business book or entrepreneurship course

If you ask anyone who knows me, they'll tell you that I'm a voracious reader.  It's something deep in my soul that pushes me to always learn more - not just about business or personal development, but about science, or literature, or even rock climbing.  This course is a marriage of the book learning I have certainly had (including an MBA which you don't need to pay for) and the street learning that was forced upon me (I built a business with two investors and one business partner to a mid 6 figure sale).  I've built dozens of streams of income in the last 20 years and lived to tell about them, though I have plenty of scars and war stories to share.  In this course you will:

• Take a step back and start with why: are you building this business because you have to or because you want to (the difference is important!).

• Be reminded that your goals need to be specific, as vague goals have never been achieved by anyone, anywhere.

• Hear my perspective on the oft-touted importance of "passion" as it relates to building a business.

• Find out what the 1000 day rule is and how you need to contextualize it within your business journey.

• Think through more concretely what it means to have business partners and how to screen for them.

• Gain a solid understanding of the different types of business structures you can use.

• Know the difference between accounting and bookkeeping (and why you need both!).

• Be able to answer the question, "Do I need a lawyer?"

• Understand the true importance of branding, how it needs to pervade all you do, and be represented appropriately in social media channels.

• Learn how to create a lean business plan, not a 20-page monstrosity.

• Be able to parse the different ways you can fund your business, be it bootstrapping, crowdfunding, or asking for investment.

• Understand the two levers of growth and profitability and how you need to manage them as you build your business.

• Be able to speak intelligently about the difference between owning a job and owning a business.  Either is okay, just make sure you actually know what you're doing instead of fooling yourself!

• Be prepared for an eventual exit, and know what your options are.

Not a Fortune 500 or Future Billionnaire Course.

There are no #hustle promises here.  I've never built a 9 or 10 or 11 figure business, so this course isn't about helicopters and champagne hot tubs in St. Tropez.  It's about building something sustainable that not only pays your bills and allows you to do something meaningful, but is built on a platform to grow, so that you can thrive and move beyond profitability to dominance.  All successful business depends on sound fundamentals, and this course lays them out for you.  Join us and learn them for yourself!