BizPlan Academy

We encourage you to tap into the wealth of information around starting your first business and the people willing to help guide you along the way.  Gary Bizzo is one of those people and here are a few key insights from Gary that he wished someone would have given him.

Ken and his company, SiteSell, have been working with solopreneurs longer than anyone else online today. This is their 20th year in business. That’s a century in Internet years!

Countries that put their artists and protesters in jail will never succeed in building a successful culture of entrepreneurship.  They will be relegated to creating better mousetraps or cloning other countries’ business models.

I keep being asked what I mean by a ‘startup’ business. My first book, “How to Start a Successful Business – the First Time” was about the sole proprietor who had a great idea, had always dreamed of being a business owner and quit a good job to risk everything to go on his own. He’s determined to be independent and like 78% of all the businesses in the US (according to Census.gov), it will start out as a sole proprietorship that will eventually grow into a microbusiness. 

Some men see things as they are and ask why.
Others dream things that never were and ask why not.
-George Bernard Shaw

Over the last decade we assumed that once we found repeatable methodologies (Agile and Customer Development, Business Model Design) to build early stage ventures, entrepreneurship would become a “science,” and anyone could do it.

When I met Ryan, his problems were radically different…

They were growing quickly. His team was doing a fine job. They implemented Growth Processes, but after a few months, they realized that they weren’t moving the needle.

Ask people what makes entrepreneurs successful and you’ll hear a familiar list of adjectives; agile, tenacious, resilient, opportunistic, etc.

Foreign visitors to Silicon Valley continually mention how willing we are to help, network and connect strangers.  We take it so for granted we never even to bother to talk about it.  It’s the “Pay-It-Forward” culture.

As Founders we’ve all more or less come to the conclusion that if we work really hard and make lots of sacrifices, one day we’ll actually be able to pursue our real passions.

We’re willing to trade a painful now for a pleasurable later.