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Founder of the Northern California Association of Entrepreneurs

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Napoleon Called—Your Bridge is Ready

So you're not getting everything you want from your small business. Maybe it's those annoying customers. Maybe it's that pesky competition. Whatever the cause, your visions of world domination aren't exactly fulfilled.

What's a Miniature World Conqueror to Do?

As a small business owner or solopreneur, you know what you're doing or you wouldn't be in business. But if you're not getting what you want, something has to change. It's a universal truth that you can't change others: not your customers, not your vendors, not, especially, your competitors. If the things you're doing are correct, you don't want to change them, either.

The greatest strategist and implementer of his time, even Napoleon had to change tactics when he came to a river. This world conqueror couldn't walk on water any more than the rest of us. Napoleon's bridge-builders (his pontonniers) were vital to his dream of conquest.

To reach others and get what you want out of your business, you need bridges; you need to do something you're not already doing.

My job is to be the bridge-builder.

You can be Napoleon.

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Why I Created the Commonsense Entrepreneur and the Northern California Association of Entrepreneurs

Early Origins

From the time I was a small child, my dad obsessed about doing things in the most efficient way. It often wasn't the way other people did things; he was always a maverick and did things the way he thought made sense.

Professionally, he eventually ended up in quality control. QC is where, after something's built, they test it to make sure it's up to snuff. Eventually they realized they needed to move him to production control, which is based on the idea of preventing problems rather than fixing them after the fact.

The Commonsense Entrepreneur Mentality

Over the years I realized the lessons I could learn from this:

• Preventing problems is better than fixing them after they arise.
• Unconventional thinking isn't automatically right or wrong, just like conventional thinking isn't automatically right or wrong. The number of people who believe something has no bearing on its relevance or truth.
• Problem-solving (by resolution or by prevention) is a worthwhile thing to do with your life.
• There is generally a best way to do things.

Clear Thinking for Best Practices

In the opposite of pragmatism it's very rare when two ways to do something are equally good. It doesn't mean that there's ever a one-size-fits all solution. But in each situation there's probably a best way to do something.

This isn't the same thing as trying to make something perfect before you can use it. You'll never make a perfect book or song or website or painting or child. So if you're trying for perfect you'll wait forever.

Nor is 'best' a series of steps to follow. Best is a guided outcome. Best is different from perfect. Best includes practicality, feasibility.

While every situation allows for (and probably demands) a best solution, there are principles that those best solutions are built on. Since you're going to have to be creating the best solution on the fly you can't always go consult someone about what's the best solution for here and there—and you don't want to. Instead, have a good solid foundation in yourself and you can make these customized best solutions.

Complementary Organizations: For Profit, and Not For Profit

The purpose of the commonsense entrepreneur is the money-making side of that: how I, as a business, help other businesses to be a strong foundation for themselves. The NCAE is the social networking aspect of it—a way to get together and in an informal, not money-motivated way talk about business, learn from other people, see if I can teach them. Then, we all use the lessons learned there: they go and improve their businesses and make money from the free information they get by being part of the NCAE. I do the same: use the information gained there to make the Commonsense Entrepreneur a better business for me—which really means being the best possible business for my customers.

A Mentor, Not a Coach

Rather than being a 'business coach' my intent is to be a mentor. A paid mentor, but still a mentor, not a coach. I think about the title I chose for myself as co-founder of the Northern California Artistic Achievement Awards, 'The Grassies'—Anamchara Eolais. It means one who guides others through what could be a complicated process, but is instead a simple path to useful knowledge. It comes from the ancient Gaelic word for the older priest who mentored the younger in. not only his duties, but his thinking. It's combined with a word that means more than just information, but information which has value.

Mentoring AID

This mentoring will have a specific focus: AID—Accountability in Implementation and Decisionmaking.

Making decisions can be incredibly challenging in the vacuum most small business/solopreneurs find themselves. And for every idea that sees the light of day, hundreds languish for lack of a clear plan for implementation.

Knowing that someone else is genuinely interested in your success creates a personal sense of accountability. That's the accountability I'll create: not of you to me, but of you to yourself.

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I'll Show You How Being More Human Sets You Apart

Following my own advice, I'm revamping my mission and vision statements. In a state of flux, this is what I've got so far:
Business is Broken. The Solution is Human.
More technology, more time, more money. Those are all the wrong answers.
More human. More genuine sincere interest, more insight and perception, more time. Those are the right answers.
More time is on both lists. That's because the first list is gimmes. Gimme more technology. Gimme more time. Gimme more money. Then I can succeed.
The second list is about giving. When we give others more time, by being more human, more personal, authentic, insightful—that's where it all begins.

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New Book!

The Commonsense Virtual Assistant

My wife and I have just completed our first business book together.

The Commonsense Virtual Assistant—Becoming an Entrepreneur, Not an Employee, is designed to help the growing number of virtual assistants analyze their business skills, and find and fill any gaps.

It's also a resource if you're looking for a VA. The book outlines what you should expect from a professional virtual assistant.

You can pre-order an autographed copy for $19.95. The book will ship in May.

What Folks Are Already Saying About the Book

"Your book will be a great asset to many new VAs." Jan, Your Virtual Wizard

"Good luck with your book. I hope it will emphasize the importance of self-worth and encourage future VAs to value their skills, to always continue their education, and to be responsible and conscientious business owners." Jennifer, www.ccvirtually.com

"Can't wait to buy your book!" Rosalind Harris CPS, www.instantassistant.net

"Sue and Joel, I really appreciate your efforts in putting this information together and look forward to the final product." Margie Gibson, MG Virtual Office Solutions

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Introducing Friends of The Commonsense Entrepreneur

I'd like to introduce you to some friends; a couple dozen, in fact.

Marketing guru Seth Godin's latest book Tribes inspired a social network where some of the smartest people I've met hang out and share business ideas. A small segment of that group have banded together to create a smaller network of business mentoring professionals. We're going to be sharing business ideas, not just with each other, but with each other's clients. So when you talk to me, you're talking to an international team of incredibly talented professionals.

I've created a full page to introduce them properly. It begins, though, with our shared philosophy on the state of business today. Please drop by and introduce yourself to any of these fine folks who strike your fancy.

And stay tuned for more developments!

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Pictures and Video from the Book Release

My book release party was a smashing succes and lots of fun. Thanks very much to It's A Grind manager Tim Sawdey, musical partners Bill Walker, Bob Gonzalez and Russia Saturn and organizer extraordinaire Sue L Canfield.

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Have I earned your trust? I'd sincerely appreciate five minutes of your time to complete this anonymous survey.

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Friend of Simplicity Interview

Trevor Gay, consultant to the National Health in England, interviewed me recently. Trevor is doing a series of interviews with folks he calls 'Friends of Simplicity' at his weblog Simplicity is the Key. He does an excellent job of tailoring the questions to each friend, making the end result personal and extracting the best snippets of business knowledge from each.

It was a lot of fun. After you've read it I hope you'll drop me a line and let me know what you think.

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2008 Summer Series: Free Business Classes

Attend a free one-hour class this summer throughout the months of July and August. I'll be teaching a series of four classes. Visit my Events page for all the details.

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Special Offer—Risk-Free Consultation

My goal is to help small businesses succeed, while succeeding myself. As one step on that road, I would like to offer you a risk-free 30-minute consultation. Let's discuss the biggest challenge you're facing in business, your most recent 'learning experience' (some call them mistakes), or your dreams for your career and yourself. Let me convince you of my ability to understand your issues quickly and offer practical guidance to help you succeed.

My usual fee is $75 for this initial 30-minute consultation. If, at the end of our discussion, you don't feel that I've helped, you keep your check.

Regardless, I also sincerely ask for your honest feedback, and the right, if I choose, to include that feedback here on my website and in my book (credited to you, or anonymous; your choice.)

Please call (530) 268-5635 or email Book@CommonsenseEntrepreneur.com (or use the contact form) to arrange your risk-free half-hour consultation by phone, email, or letter, or if you're in the Roseville/Sacramento area, in person at your place of business.

Another Free Offer!

We'd love to give you some free advice. Just email us a question, or a description of the issue you're facing, and we'll offer some ready-to-use suggestions and the reasons behind them. All we ask is your permission to re-print the essence of the Q&A.

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Guided Tour

I'd like to take a moment to show you around the website. For information about my consulting services and business background, see the 'About' page. There's information about my books, instructional videos, and a regular weblog. I've included some case studies, links to other websites I find useful, and a press/speaker's kit. If you have any questions at all just fire up the contact form and I'll respond almost immediately.

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