Brought my bike in for routine service this morning and there’s something about being around bikers and other bikes and that automatically takes me to another place. It’s a bit rebellious, a bit of ‘I know something the everyday guy doesn’t’…a step outside of mainstream. 

I was told by the owner one day that she didn’t own a business; she was the caretaker of a clubhouse.  It’s our place to come together and buy new bikes, new parts or just hang out swapping stories about riding.  It’s about a collective attitude, not cocky per se…just a feeling of confidence one gets from control within a vulnerable environment.

We’re not the biggest and baddest; 18-wheelers are.  But we are agile, powerful and fast.  Just like an entrepreneurial company ought to be – just like your company used to be. 

Where do you go to re-capture that feeling?

Dwain – The BusinessBiker

As always – This is just my attitude, I could be wrong.  So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com  I look forward to hearing from you. www.bikersguidetobusiness.com

I was asked recently my thoughts on starting a business part-time.  From my perspective, business is a calling and a mindset that doesn’t allow you to succeed half-stepping. It can be the harshest win/lose game there is that requires total focus and a winner’s mentality to play at the highest level. Talk to any successful business person, athlete or artist and the first thing that hits you is their passion and laser focus. Nothing distracts them from their vision – nothing. 

Part-timers all start from the same spot – tired of your current job because the boss is either stupid, doesn’t understand you or last but not least, you’re not fulfilled. You look around and see others who are successful in business and ask the question – “Why not me?” You brainstorm ideas, read the latest “You can start your own business today!” book and would jump out into the world of entrepreneurship in a heartbeat if you only had the money. 

But you need the cash flow to pay the mortgage, car, and the current lifestyle you so desperately want to break out of. So part-time makes a lot of sense right?  Wrong.  

The problem is the job you want to leave becomes a financial monkey on your back that will get in the way of every key business decision you need to make in order to be successful. Wish I had a quarter for every time I heard that keeping the current job is just a temporary ‘security blanket’ and you have a plan showing exactly when to walk away. Right after you land that big job or sell those hundred widgets. 

But reality is the monkey on your back gets harder to kick as your business begins to make money. Some or all of that extra money ends up going into a new car, nice trip that you deserve because you’re working so hard or to fix up the house instead of going back into the business where it belongs. You get used to this new lifestyle and the idea of one day removing your safety net gets harder and harder. 

This is why, in my almost 20 years of being an entrepreneur, I’ve never seen a part-timer make it big in business. It’s because to be successful you must to have the necessary guts to put it on the line at any time and that my friends is a full-time job.

In business, success never comes to those afraid to move forward without a safety cord because it’s like riding down a two lane road straddling the center line. Sooner or later you’re bound to get run over. 

Dwain – The BusinessBiker

As always – these are just my thoughts on the matter, I could be wrong.  So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com  I look forward to hearing from you. www.bikersguidetobusiness.com

In my last blog I gave you five reasons why all entrepreneurs should own a motorcycle.  Within an hour I received an email from my buddy PapaMike , who brought another view as to why entrepreneurs who ride are also found at the front of their industry. Mike Walrath is the publisher of Steel Horse News and talked about how the total commitment it takes to start and run a company is the same as getting onto and riding a steel horse and that for either one, you can’t come in half-shifting. 

This got me to look deeper into some of the common characteristics of the top entrepreneurs who ride, or as I like to call us – BusinessBikers. 

BusinessBikers are a bold lot – independent, adventurous, strong-willed and downright intolerant of fences. We crave the open road because it’s in our DNA.  When we walk into the room we’re the alpha dog exuding confidence and just the right touch of swagger that lets everyone know we mean business. It comes from a burning desire to carve our own path and a belief deep down in our soul that we have a better idea and go for it. 

And we know each other when we meet. 

There’s no secret handshake, just a revealing look in our eyes that tells the other we understand. That we’ve both felt the highs and lows of getting where we are today and paid our dues without reservation. In the beginning, we have, at some point, awakened at 2:30 a.m. on a Friday in a cold sweat trying to figure out how to meet that week’s payroll. And, at some point, we’ve looked at our bank balance not as a safety net, but as a down payment on something really cool to push us forward. 

Aside from the thrill of not having a safety net, biking is our way of maintaining an edge as well as a proper perspective on business and life. More than just a metaphor for how we live, understanding the edge in both business and biking allows us to approach life full out because that’s where the real jazz is. And it’s now a scientific fact that it’s good for both business and our overall health. 

The title to Guy Proctor’s article in the March 25, 2009 edition of Motorcycle News states that “Bikers have fitter, faster brains…” In the article, neuroscientist Dr. Ryuta Kawashima is quoted as saying “Biking is good for your brain and your life. Long term riders enjoyed improved cognition, concentration and happiness, performed better at work and had lower incidences of stress, illness and worry.”

I think something John Paul DeJoria, biker, CEO and founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems and Patron Tequila told me one day sums it up best – “The difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is that successful people do all the things unsuccessful people don’t want to do.”

So saddle up, it’s time to grab your business and life by the handlebars!  

Dwain – The BusinessBiker

As always – These are just my thoughts on the matter, I could be wrong.  So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com  I look forward to hearing from you. www.bikersguidetobusiness.com

We’ve heard about how poorly the motorcycle manufacturers are doing these days. Sales and profits are down, some plants are in danger of closing and now dealers with multiple dealerships in one city are being asked to consolidate into one location. They say it’s because ‘discretionary spending’ is down.

When did owning a motorcycle become discretionary??

As American as entrepreneurship, I argue that owning a motorcycle is vital to an entrepreneur’s long -term business success. I learned many years ago that the skills and techniques necessary to be a successful biker directly transfer into my daily business life.  Here’s my List of 5 reasons why:

1.  Running a business is one long road trip – The first thing bikers learn is how to get from here to there safely and successfully.  We know how to select the right destination, plot out the right course to get there and prepare for the unexpected.  We know how to overcome adversity along the way whether it’s bad weather (the economy), poor road conditions (market fluctuations), or crazy cagers (competitors). 

After all, both biking and business are nothing more than vehicles designed to take us where we want to go…one physically – the other economically. 

2.  Sharpens your focus – Biking and business both require that we assume reasonable and controllable risk.  And that if not ridden properly…can cause severe damage to you. Therefore, staying upright requires awareness, timing, and a keen ability to sift through the background noise and BS that surrounds you. 

So the lesson here is not about overcoming fear, but instead understanding and embracing it. Because riding scared is a fast ticket to the hospital and you darned sure can’t run a company scared and be successful.

3.  You get to hang out with real people – Bikers and entrepreneurs are a similar and bold lot – we’re independent, adventurous, strong-willed, and utterly intolerant of fences. Go to any biker hangout and you’ll see business leaders and professionals sitting next to mechanics, carpenters and real life bikers.

We come together to celebrate the culture of riding…we come to exercise our passion. And we come together to have the type of real-life, no BS conversations that can only happen between two people with nothing to gain but an honest point of view.  When’s the last time that’s happened at some flipping Chamber of Commerce meeting? 

4.  It re-charges your passions – Passion is the fuel of desire.  When that desire is properly channeled you achieve excellence. For an entrepreneur, this passion is fired up by the jazz you can only get when putting yourself ‘out there. On a bike, it’s about feeling the crisp air while navigating the winding roads…in business it’s the winding roads of the marketplace.  

At the end of the day, happiness comes when we turn our passion into performance.

5.  It’s a total attitude adjustment – Ask any entrepreneur who rides and we’ll all say the same thing – we ride to get away from it all for a while.  We do some of our best thinking in the saddle because our synapses are popping right along with that V-twin.  Riding an open road seems to charge our brain impulses with an even hotter spark as the sights, sounds and smells combine to rev up all the senses.  

That’s why I’d rather be riding my motorcycle thinking about my business instead of sitting in an office thinking about my motorcycle!

That’s my list…what do you think?  Let me know if you have any other reasons.

D

Dwain – The BusinessBiker

As always – This is just my opinion, I could be wrong.  So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com  I look forward to hearing from you.  WWW.BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com

Today’s tough business environment is forcing all of us to work harder than ever just to maintain status quo.  We’re running hard, not sure if and when another shoe will drop.  But we can’t run wide open all the time or else we’ll blow a gasket.  So the question is, in these times, how do we avoid burnout? 

Here’s my List of 5:

1.  Run the numbers – I once worked with a former CFO who became CEO of his company during a time when the company was in danger of going under.  From this experience he gave me one piece of advice that I always turn to in times of business trouble – “The numbers will set you free.”

Running my numbers always calms me down because I now know reality.  Not having all the facts allows my imagination to drive me up the wall causing me to constantly chase a moving target.  More times than not, running the numbers tells me I only need one more client or something simple to make things right.  So run your numbers and get the facts. 

2.  Stop watching the evening news – Let’s face it, news organizations thrive on the bad stuff.  If they can’t talk about someone’s loss they literally have nothing to say.  To be sure the events of the day are important, but they reside on a whole other level than where I am.  When in survival mode, I can’t impact the changes in healthcare; the only thing I can do is make sure I generate enough cash to afford it. 

It’s the old “Garbage in – garbage out” thing, except in this case its “Negative in – negative out.”  Stop listening to the gloom and start celebrating your victories. 

3.  Do what it is that you do – Sitting in my office thinking about the current state of affairs and strategizing how to overcome it stresses me out and wreaks havoc on my blood pressure.  So I go out and simply do my job because working with a client or mentoring someone reminds me of why I do what I do and how much I love it. 

It also gives me an opportunity to have a positive affect and right now we need as many little victories as we can get. 

4.  Join a peer group – Being an entrepreneur is lonely, so I recommend you either find a formal peer group (monthly dues to participate) or create one of your own.  For the past 15 years I’ve navigated a couple of groups that meet monthly for a half to a full day.  Each of us has an opportunity to discuss what’s going on in our world and get valuable feedback because over time we’ve come to know each other’s businesses intimately.

Besides, there’s nothing better than to have a close group of trusted advisors to lean on. 

5.  Ride my motorcycle – (Bet you thought I’d have this first) I love nothing more than to take off for a 6:30 a.m. ride and clear my head.  Sometimes I do it alone and other times I connect with another BusinessBiker or two.  We’ll link up and take a 30-45 minute ride to one of our favorite out of the way breakfast spots and talk business.

The cool thing about meeting this way is that the ride over serves to clear our heads allowing us to focus on what’s really important.  This makes our breakfast conversation more focused and productive. 

That’s my List of 5 – let me know what you do to cope.

D 

Dwain – The BusinessBiker

As always – This is just my opinion, I could be wrong.  So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com  I look forward to hearing from you.

A couple of BusinessBiker buddies and I recently came up with five major reasons why more people – aside from the usual start-up money and fear – do not go into business for themselves.  Here’s our list:

1.  They down play and therefore lack confidence in their abilities – Most people do a poor job of self-inventorying their skills, knowledge and abilities. To us, greatness is something other people will accomplish. After all, if we thought of and did it, anyone else can too…right? For example, it wasn’t until a year after I left banking to start my own business that I really understood everything I not only knew, but excelled at.

2.  They focus too much on the need to make money – Most successful entrepreneurs do not start their companies to simply make money. Where that’s important and how we keep score, entrepreneurs start companies because there’s a passion for what they do and a desire to go their own way in order to do it. Money in and of itself is not a motivator; therefore it must begin with a passion for the business.

3.  They seek advice from the wrong people – Had I listened to my friends and those who want the best for me, I’d be neither a CEO nor an author. In fact, one of my dearest friends, upon hearing I was writing a book looked me in the eye over a glass of wine and said – “you’re going to lose your ass you know…” Understand that your friends always taint feedback with their own fears and limitations. Go out and find established entrepreneurs who are currently in the game and seek their advice. You will rarely be turned away and who knows, you might pick up a few mentors along the way.

4.  They focus on their short term needs – When in a survival state it’s hard to stop and figure out exactly where you want your life to go beyond paying this month’s mortgage, but that’s exactly what you need to do. Because when times get hard, you need that vision to sustain you during the sleepless nights. It goes back to that age old saying about keeping your head while those about you lose theirs. Therefore, it’s imperative that you slow down when things are flying the fastest because only from a position of quiet can you really see the weak signals that will guide your path.

5.  They don’t know where to start – It’s difficult when starting out to both see and understand the weak signals of opportunity that when recognized, will lead them to success. For too many years their direction and focus has been determined by others or the organization. They must learn how to read the road signs now that they are leading their own pack.

That’s our list…what do you think?  Let me know if you have any other reasons.

D

Dwain – The BusinessBiker

As always – This is just my opinion, I could be wrong.  So, if you disagree or simply want to pile on, please do so either here on the BLOG or email me directly at Navigator@BikersGuidetoBusiness.Com  I look forward to hearing from you.