Joining Professional Organizations

The company I started was in a field that was unfamiliar to me (long story, I'll tell you later) but I immediately joined 2 or 3 professional organizations in my new field, initially for the networking opportunties. But what I soon discovered was a treasure trove of educational opportunties as well. I signed up for as many as I could, and learned a lot about navigating my new industry, medical devices.

But many of the educational seminars were very expensive, so in every case I did all I could to get a discounted fee. I always made a point of calling the main office of the seminar sponsor to explain that I was a pre-revenue start up company, and needed the training but couldn't afford it. Nearly every time, a discount was offered to me. In some cases I used existing memberships (even AAA for travel expenses) to get discounts. Sometimes I called up other groups that were supporting me, such as local entrepreneurship organizations, and asked them to pay for the seminar, or at least part of it.

On my website, I have placed the logos of all the organizations I belong to. I am an active member, and if I'm not learning anything or meeting helpful people, I don't renew my membership. Oh -- and I always ask for a "beginner's discount" when I join. Most organizations have a lower, unpublished fee for pre-revenue companies.

Stop Making Your Bed

Shortly after I started my company, I realized that my life was getting very complicated. Not only was I struggling to juggle family, chores, errands, and finances, but each day was an intense intellectual challenge that left me exhausted at the end of the day. I had to figure out ways to make my life easier--or at least less complicated.

I started to let go of things that I could live without, or without doing. I didn't comprehend at first what was happening, but over time I noticed that as I dropped items off my "to do" list, my life was becoming slightly easier, less complex.

The first thing to go was my bed - I stopped making it. (Yes, my spouse could have picked up this chore, but my goal wasn't to make other people's lives more onerous, but to make mine easier.) I haven't made it several months, and it feels good. I do less laundry/ironing, and a lot less yardwork. Instead of planting flowers this spring, I divided some of last year's perennials and stuck in a few tomato plants. Very low maintenance, but still nice to look at. I mostly walk to work, so car maintenance has all but disappeared. My home is not perfectly neat, and the windows are a little dirty, but my life is easier, and I'm just a little bit less stressed. And right now, every item I can cross off my "to do" list is a blessing.

Surround Yourself with Supportive People

This may seem a little cold, but I actually "let go" of a few friends after I started my company. There's no question that my life changed. I threw myself into the most difficult intellectual and emotional challenge of my life, and I needed support. Many of my friends were supportive, some in a sort of curious way "You did WHAT? Why?" Some might have even been a bit jealous, knowing that I was pursuing my dream while they were pursuing a paycheck. But most are excited for me, and eagerly await updates from me.

But a few were not supportive. They couldn't have cared less what I was doing. Asked me no questions, showed no interest in discussing it. A few couldn't relate at all - they didn't know any entrepreneurs, didn't understand it. At one dinner with one of these friends, I was swept by a feeling of "WHY on earth am I sitting here with this person?" It made me realize that with the limited time I had, and the limited emotional capacity, I could no longer spend time with people who gave me nothing. Not support, nor interest, nor help. They merely took up my time.

So I stopped calling, stopped responding to emails, didn't send them a Christmas card. I needed to spend my limited free time with people who made me stronger. People who liked that I had decided to try something new. I am now surrounded by strength, which is the best thing any friend can give me.

Be Nice to EVERYONE

By far the rule (tactic?) that has yielded the best results for my business has been BE NICE. I can't tell you how many entrepreneurs I know blew leads, burned bridges, and generally screwed up opportunities because they weren't nice to people they met along the way. I knew from day 1 I was going to need a lot of help reaching my goals, so it was important to be nice to everyone I met because you never know when someone is going to play a critical role for you. And that role could be weeks, months, or in some cases YEARS away, but you couldn't have known it when you first shook hands.

Here's one example: an angel investment group expressed an interest in investing in my company nearly 8 months ago. But they wanted to see more "progress" before they were comfortable. So I kept up with bi-weekly status calls, multiple trips to another state for meetings, and completing tasks that were not really critical at this stage, but I did them because the investment group wanted to see them done. All the way, I was nice to every member of the group. I grew frustrated and annoyed at all the hoops I was jumping through, but I stayed nice. Last week, the group wrote me a two sentence email saying they weren't interested in investing. No explanation. All that work and I got a two sentence email. BUT...a few individual members of the group phoned me and said they wanted to invest in my company outside of the group. Why? Because I was nice, I did what they asked, I achieved the progress they wanted, and they grew to trust me. I built a bridge.