Starting a small business.
This post stemmed from a conversation that @Chandler Joyner started, wanting some insights into small business and getting started. He is looking at getting into physical therapy, and he works in sales at Daniel Defense right now. A good book to look at for anyone moving from working corporate to starting a business is The E-myth revisited by Michael Gerber. I'll sum up some ideas and points right here for you. The E myth is the idea that small businesses are started by true-blue entrepreneurs. The truth is, most business are started by people who were initially working for others (e.g. carpenters, designers). They are good at what they do, decide to go into business, and make the fatal assumption that their credentials or specialized skills will allow them to be successful. Business isn't just your technical skills or your product. It's branding and marketing, and administrative management as well. Someone usually starts a business with a strong product or service and abilities there, but they fail in the branding and marketing side or admin side. There is another angle I see a lot in the digital world, and especially people in the space that I am (men's help and dating/relationships). They have a weak product, and they think that their digital marketing and branding skills will allow them to bank money. That bubble has already burst with a market of crappy products for "mens help" now circulating online. Reality is you have to develop (and later hire) skills in all 3 areas: Entrepreneurship Management Technician Entrepreneurship "drives" the business. It focuses on how to market and brand, and how to look towards the future. It focuses on how to scale, which is the survival of any business growth. Management is the administrative side, and is essential to scaling. This is systems focused. This focuses on the structure, fulfillment, and all the inner workings of the business. This is an area that many people with strong technical or entrepreneurial skills often fail, but if you fail here you can't scale or grow the business, and clients won't be happy.