Growing Success – A Real Challenge

I live in a single world but have a split personality.  I love technology, computers and such, but my life is also out playing in the dirt.  I guess I never grew out of that stage as a boy.  Spring is here in Alberta and it’s time to get in the field and plant some seeds.  Before we get seeding though some ground-work has to be done.

Growing any company is much like farming.  You have to have good ground work established before you can expect any good results.  I’ve been asked to speak at a conference on May 7, 2009 that deals with start-ups.  The conference is called “Growing Success” and I will be speaking on what it takes to make your place in the world of technology and what to avoid.  There are a lot of things worth spending money on and several things that are a complete waste.

Grow:

  1. Get an Education. Without some sort of formal education, you’ll likely spend your life as a burger flipper at your local DQ.  Although there are always some examples of people who succeeded after dropping out of school, really smart people take the advantage of a good education – even smarter employees hire people who’ve shown they can commit to something.
  2. Great Ideas are contagious. If you’ve got a great idea for something new, something different or something that you can dramatically improve upon; tell people.  If it is as great as you think, you can get others supporting your cause, chipping in with other ideas and soon you’ll have a platform to build on.
  3. Build a presence. The internet is a great tool that allows you to get the word out.  Although it may seem like an impossible ocean to swim in, if your great idea is in a niche market, you’ll find that the ocean is really only a small lake.  Use tools like Facebook, Twitter, Friendfeed, Seesmic and other social media tools to become known.  Spend time responding to other people instead of posting your ideas and waiting for the world to come knocking.
  4. Don’t be afraid to adapt. Many “great ideas” are great starting points for a better finished product.  I started in the world of computers by moddifying computer cases to look more attactive.  Keep in mind that this was back in the days when every computer was a beige box.  I painted, added windows, fans, switches and lights to enhance the user experience.  At that time you couldn’t purchase anything like that.  Mainstream companies started to mass produce these produce and I could no longer compete.  I took my love of computers a slightly different direction – posting daily tech news on my site and reviewing hardware.
  5. Never be content. If you’re great idea is online, never be content with the product.  There is no website that is “finished”.  There is always room to change, adapt, tweak, improve and sometimes fail.  Those who fail are those who never try.  Always be willing to change, but change for the sake of change is useless.  Change for the better.  Change to improve your great idea.

There is a lot more to be said and a few things to stay away from.  Make sure you stop by either qik or ustream on May 7 at 7:30pm MST and check out other tips and information on growing your great idea into an amazing reality.