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1. Expertise ensures success.
They say don't start a business you're not an expert of. They make you equate success with expertise and then sell you loads of materials on how to become a business expert or urge you to enroll in their school. But truth is, ask around and you'd discover people who started a business without much knowledge about it and ended up a success.
I have a friend who started a food business although he graduated an electrical engineer and holds a license for it. To tell you the truth, he didn't know how to cook and marveled at my expertise in cooking when we were in college. But now he has 3 small restaurants.
As he did the business, he became an "expert." And that's how it usually goes. Of course you need expertise. But when "experts" say that and then sell you something, it becomes doubtful. It's good to be able to train before doing a business, but it's a lie to say that without expertise (especially "expertise" you'd get from their school or material) you'd surely fail.
And anyway, training does not always guarantee good skills. I've seen numerous trainees who never get the idea or the correct form.
If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success. [Ecclesiastes 10.10]The important ingredients are love and interest for the business. Those are the foundations of skill learning.
Some people have the money to train to become experts before launching their business (but even this does not guarantee success). But most of us don't at the outset. So what do we do? Do we forfeit ourselves of the business opportunity just because we don't have the money and know so little about the business?
I successfully did a lot of businesses by trial and error. I took up music and art in college but have successfully landed on sales, marketing and investment businesses without much knowledge about them. I learned as I did them, committing numerous mistakes that cost me a lot. But I gained some success! And when I had earned enough money, that was the time I formally enrolled and trained.
They say training makes you do less mistakes and lose less money by the time you're actually doing the business. Wrong! Training or not, YOU WILL LOSE A LOT. And that teaches you to be smarter and tougher. It's like a martial arts instructor who advertises that training in his style will prevent you from getting hurt. Probably, but that won't teach you anything. And you'd get the shock of your life when a real street fight happens.
2. Guaranteed success
They always promote how you'd have guaranteed success if you enroll in their schools or buy their materials. But truth is, there is no "guaranteed" success in business. Everything is a risk. You may or may not succeed now or ever. They may offer you a "money-back guarantee" but it will take you forever and lots of stress before you get your money back. And by the time you get it back you've already lost a lot of time and money following up.
I've seen so many times business people (seen as "experts" by other people) who have been successful in their first businesses but miserably failed in their second and third ventures. Why? Because there is no guaranteed success. But they won't admit it. They'd go for excuses and other reasons except admit that success cannot be guaranteed---because their basic premise is that you can control your life and determine your success---which is a flawed business belief.
3. You can determine to succeed.
They say success is for those who grab and run after it. You cannot have success if you just sit down in a corner and wait for it. It all sounds so good, but is it true?
The reality in life is that, I've seen so many folks eager to be rich and who grabbed and ran after success. They're college graduates, took their masters and doctorate, attended every business seminar available, followed success formulas to the letter, worked real hard to do the business and yet ended up a big failure.
And I've also seen sluggards get rich and successful. I know a sales lady who married a rich guy whose business has already been prosperous. She didn't have to sweat it out to become rich, but somehow that's what she claims when asked how she got rich.
Business "experts" won't tell you about these realities because they want to perpetuate the idea that you can control your destiny. They like to perpetrate that premise because they want to sell you their "success formulas" on how you can take charge of your success. You can't. Everything is decided by God.
Business success is like parenthood---you won't get it through education, although education is important (if you have the opportunity to get it, GET IT!). You get successful in business by God's grace and by following God's Word. No kidding. I've seen it happen. It happened to me. It may sound religious but it's not.
Because the truth of the matter is this:
Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. [Ecclesiastes 9.11]Time and chance. See that? In laymen's terms, luck. That's God telling you the truth in Ecclesiastes. Success is not because of your schooling, skills, intelligence, hard work, greatness, titles, degrees, or any advantage over others.
It's because of luck.
Now, when God talks about "luck" it does not promote idleness. "Luck" is actually how the bible depicts grace. You do not work for grace---it is given for free. And because it's free, there's nothing to boast about it when you get it. Get it?
But you have to do something to get the grace. But when you do get it, remember that it was not because of anything you have done. It was by grace alone.
Here's another eye-opener:
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. [Proverbs 16.33]The right attitude in business then is this---prepare to succeed because God has a good plan for you. But don't boast like King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and tell yourself you can do it all by yourself. You can determine to succeed. You can take charge and control everything.
I always tell God something like this, "Lord, I will prepare for success. By your grace on my life, I will do my best. But nonetheless, not my will but your will be done."
4. The customer is always right.
Truth is, most times customers are wrong. Even silly. We sellers are supposed to be experts of what we sell. And then we teach our customers about the product. The problem with saying "the customer is always right" is that sellers tend to take their products for granted. Their knowledge of their product is so minimal that customers become more knowledgeable about it than they are. Which is dead wrong.
Now, I don't mean you tell every uniformed customer that he or she is wrong. Let customers think they are always right but you get a different mindset, which should be that you are there to help customers know more about the product. You're the expert. Show yourself to be one by studying your product well. Then customers look up to you and always come back to buy more because they trust your expertise.
5. Don't borrow money for your capital.
Do you know how foreign investors invest in our country? They don't bring in new capital. Instead, they borrow money from banks, especially government banks or financial institutions. Well, some business "experts" will tell you how it's lots better and safer to get your capital from your own savings---which is ideal but seldom realistic.
If you are moneyed, perhaps you can say that. But most folks in the Philippines are not. As hard as they try, most of them cannot save money for business capital. That's reality. If you insist on saving money for your capital, it's like saying good bye to your small business dream.
If you asked me, I'd say borrow money for your capital. But borrow from relatives or close friends who won't charge you interest. And make sure to pay them back. Worse scenario, make an SSS business loan. Or, why not borrow from the bank?
Just make sure you live an austere life. Don't live beyond your means. Stick to whatever is left after you have deducted a portion of your money for credit payment, rent, food, necessities and savings (obligations first before savings and savings first before anything else).
Lastly, in business you may win or you may lose. Accept it. If you lose, don't feel so bad because for sure you learned valuable lessons from it. And especially, the experience made you a better person inside. I believe what Horace Greeley, editor and politician, said:
Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings. Only one thing endures and that is character.
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