Jan 1, 2009 0
I am adding a new category to my blog to journal my startup experience as CEO and co-founder of The 8trk Project, Inc. Hopefully you will find some laughs and lessons along the way (or even better, you can disagree with me before I make a bonehead decision).
Should be fun.
Jan 1, 2009 0
I have a problem.
“Had” actually, because I had been thinking that my blog entries should all be thought-provoking and well written. I’ve since learned that they don’t have to be; that maybe I can add value in a few lines of text. Moreover, consistency adds value. If you guys are gonna check out my blog then I damn well should be providing something to check out!
So I am. Starting today. Conveniently using the new year as my start date. I have only three resolutions for 2009:
My blog seems to be the perfect place to begin all three.
All the best in 2009!
- Bryson
Oct 26, 2008 0
This is not something that I expect to do often, but every so often something can’t be made more clear. Here is something I just read in a wonderful new book by Seth Godin called “Tribes” about what leaders know and do:
“People don’t believe what you tell them.
They rarely believe what you show them.
They often believe what their friends tell them
They always believe what they tell themselves.
What leaders do: they give people stories they can tell themselves. Stories about the future and about change.”
Thank you Seth!
Oct 8, 2008 0
Luck is just another word for opportunity. Good luck is an opportunity that you are prepared for and bad luck is an opportunity that you are not.
For instance, if you feel lucky to have found the person you are dating/married to, you were probably prepared with the essentials to attract and maintain their interests. Conversely, if you feel like you got a unlucky break in your business, you were probably not prepared with the knowledge, resources and audacity to seize an opportunity.
Sep 30, 2008 0
I heard a quote once (of course I did :)) that goes, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers!” That has stuck with me since I heard it more than 8 years ago and has motivated to me to read and collect a library of hundreds of books. Reading IS important and is sadly overlooked for the power it has. I think there are 3 major benefits that reading offers us:
1. Reading helps you become a better communicator. What if you were the smartest person in the world or had the coolest, world-changing idea about something and you couldn’t explain it? You’d build it yourself right? Sure . . . but my bet is that anything you can do alone won’t be world-changing. Big ideas take big people. People being plural and people who need to understand your vision before they can add value. Reading exposes you to new vocabulary and new descriptors for common things in life. Reading adds more color to your conversation. Reading gives you more to talk about.
Jun 23, 2008 0
There is a Japanese proverb that quips, “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare“. While one is just sad and the other is dangerous and scary to watch, both ends of this statement exist all the same.
But why? Why would you do either? Why dream a dream not worth going for? Why tease your heart by hope in vain? I don’t know how to answer that but people do it all the time (myself included). Maybe it’s about not letting the thought of doing something be ruined by actually trying and failing. Whatever the reason, it’s not a good excuse. Think about it . . . is it?
Apr 7, 2008 0
Don’t start your own business to retire young.
I have had the luxury of a few nice trips in my life and I have concluded that long vacations SUCK! No matter what you may think, if you have the drive to build a business at a young age then you won’t have the patience to not do anything for an extended amount of time - even vacation.
Why do you think many entrepreneurs turned millionaires continue with their businesses, build new businesses and/or buy new businesses? Do you really think its about the money anymore? Of course not! It’s about the challenge, the excitement, the risk, the respect and many other things - most of which you don’t find on a beach somewhere.
Mar 20, 2008 0
There’s something about us. And I do mean us as in an “us” versus “them” kind of way. Us as in the one’s who see the pain if staying the same as something infinitely worst than the pain of change and uncertainty. Us as in the one’s who would rather plant our own flag in the ground instead of defending someone else’s. Us – us as in a group of people who dare to predict the future because we are willing to write it.
Because we are entrepreneurs.
Dec 20, 2007 0
“All you have to do is jump!” This is the personal pep talk I have with myself almost every day. That is because I am convinced that my job is misusing my time and my talents. What’s more is that my dreams are very jealous and start to nag me when I don’t give them enough attention. Success takes time; measurable hours of working, talking, thinking, planning and executing. At my after-work, part-time pace, the journey seems to get longer and not shorter. I have to make a decision.
Oh yea, my name is Bryson and I am the CEO and co-founder of The 8trk Project, Inc.. Welcome to my business blog. I have decided to publish a business blog for a few reasons. One, someday I am going to write a book on responsible entrepreneurship. In writing a few things for our company blog, our business plan and marketing materials, I have watched my writing skills get better. I hope that as I pitch my thoughts to you from this page that that development will continue.
Dec 7, 2007 0
There’s no question about the need for talent on your team when building any kind of business. But talent is not the end all be all. The truth in business, especially a start-up, is that a team needs chemistry. Beyond the talent that everyone brings to the table, there is a lot of hard work and sacrifice that needs to be made in order to make a business work. There are long hours, good and bad days, conflicting opinions about strategy, and critical moments when miscommunication can set your project back weeks (or months) at a time.
What I’ve learned is that you need both talent and leadership when you are building your team. You need leaders to move your dream forward. You need people who are willing to come on board because they believe in the vision you have put forth and are not just bandwagon businessmen hitching a ride on a cool new idea. But you also need the talent. Hall of Fame Notre Dame Football coach Lou Holtz once said, “You can lose a championship with great players, but you can’t win one without some.” However, it is critical that you understand the order in which you need these people.
