The Entrepreneur's Survival Handbook
A Deck of 52 Insightful Pointers From an Experienced Entrepreneur
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The more clear you are about what you want, the more motivated and determined you will be to accomplish it – Brian Tracy 30 Know Your Core Values - Remind Yourself of What’s Important to You Inevitably you are going to have difficult times being an entrepreneur. There may be times when the thought arises to quit and to get a steady day job. You will have those days where it seems you are going backwards, not making progress. You may be plagued with financial, employee, legal, tax matters or management issues to the point where your frustration level regarding your business has peaked. On the other hand, problems at home with your spouse, children or elderly relatives may add stress that is causing you to be ineffective at work. It is during these times that clearly knowing what is important to you can help you towards the right action. There are only 24 hours in a day. Your business, your family and taking care of yourself demands a portion of these hours daily. Knowing your core values is essential to your time management and decision making. If your relationship with your family is important then you will attempt to schedule your time to be present for key events that are important to them. If succeeding against odds or challenges is one of your core values, then you will view business challenges as opportunities to learn and evolve as a business owner versus the ever-increasing internal stress that is deflating and defeating you. Challenges are opportunities for you to grow in resolve and resiliency. Over the years I been through several recessions that seriously impacted capital equipment manufacturers, forcing many to quit and go out of business. I have faced 1120 and 941 tax problems (which are two of the most serious IRS tax problems for a business owner), had key employees leave without replacements, experienced international copying of our technology and seen competition emerge within our target markets. Through all these situations I maintained a strong belief in myself, my business, the products and services we rendered, and that I would prevail.
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About the Book
Being an entrepreneur is risky. USA Today has written that “only 1 out of 5 new businesses survive past their first year of operation.” Even fewer new businesses make it to five or ten years. Those who want to buck the odds must have persistence, resilience, and creativity to survive. An entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience knows all too well what a challenge it can be to start a business and has created a book to help budding entrepreneurs to not only build their business but to thrive. The Entrepreneur’s Survival Handbook covers challenges entrepreneurs face that are not common knowledge—or even discussed. It includes essential topics such as these: • The wisdom of hiring friends and family • The importance of an employee manual • Overcoming the fear of such a big undertaking • How to read a room • Solutions to potential problems The handbook features 52 pointers for entrepreneurs––one for each week of the year––to study and record results. Entrepreneurs can read them one by one or shuffle them like a deck of cards. This one-of-a-kind resource serves as an excellent complement to traditional business school training, allowing entrepreneurs their best chance to achieve success and build their businesses.
About the Author
Derreck Ford is an experienced entrepreneur and engineer who has done business with Fortune 500 companies worldwide. His expertise in manufacturing and product identification marking within the aerospace, electronics, defense, and automotive industries expands over 30 years. Derreck’s company, JETEC Corporation, manufactures digital product marking systems and has customers in the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, Taiwan, Ireland, Brazil, Philippines, and Mexico. Derreck is a motivational speaker and entrepreneur coach. He belongs to the 100 Black Men of Orange County in California; he is a 10-year-plus entrepreneur mentor at CSUF; and he is a participating WRLC DECA judge. He has a degree in industrial engineering from Newark College of Engineering, now called New Jersey Institute of Technology and a MBA from Pepperdine University. The Bronx native and father lives in Southern California. To learn more, visit www.DYCMN.com or contact him at derreck.ford@dycmn.com.