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<\/a><\/p>\nBy MJ Plaster<\/p>\n
In our crazy world where up is down and down is up, big risks can net monstrous results\u2014but not always to the up side. It\u2019s easy to confuse novel with insane and disruptive with destructive. I was tipped off to an article a few weeks ago that led to several nights of burning the midnight oil to bring you this menu of insane business advice. By the end of this article, you will look at everything through the risk vs. reward lens and make decisions based on facts, not stale clich\u00e9s. 1. If You Build It, They Will Come<\/strong> One notable exception, however, is Henry Ford. When Ford asked people what they wanted, he found they wanted better horses. This didn\u2019t fit his business model, so he disrupted far more than the transportation industry with his car\u2014he disrupted society. You might think that he built it and they came. Instead, he relied heavily on another clich\u00e9\u2014one with a long history of success\u2014find a need, fill a need.<\/p>\n 2. You\u2019re Better Suited to [Fill in the Blank]<\/strong> Variants of \u201cYou\u2019re Better Suited\u2026\u201d include:<\/p>\n If there\u2019s ever a time you should cover your ears and scream to the heavens, \u201cLa-la-la-la-la-la-la,\u201d it\u2019s when people tell you, \u201cYou can\u2019t\u2026\u201d when you know you can.<\/p>\n 3. It\u2019s Easier to Get Financing Through Family and Friends<\/strong> 4. The Customer Is Always Right<\/strong> 5. Hire ONLY the Most Experienced People<\/strong> 6. Give Up \/ Don\u2018t Give Up<\/strong> Other people never say die until their company dies. If you\u2019re unsure what to do, seek advice from credible sources. Whatever you do, don\u2019t make a rash decision you could regret later.<\/p>\n 7. Quit Your Day Job \/ Don\u2019t Quit Your Day Job<\/strong> 8. Lie About Your Age<\/strong> 9. Work Hard and Success Will Come<\/strong> 10. If You Want Something Done Right, You Have to Do It Yourself<\/strong> Hang on tight because the best is yet to come in Part Two of \u201cInsane Business Advice That Might Sound Interesting.\u201d We\u2019ll look at some of the current advice that\u2019s infecting the business world, and along with the advice, we promise you a laugh or two. In the meantime, think of some of the insane advice you\u2019ve received over you career because after you have a chance to read Part Two, we\u2019ll want to hear from you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By MJ Plaster In our crazy world where up is down and down is up, big risks can net monstrous results\u2014but not always to the up side. It\u2019s easy to confuse novel with insane and disruptive with destructive. I was tipped off to an article a few weeks ago that led to several nights […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.checkworks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.checkworks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.checkworks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.checkworks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.checkworks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1168"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.checkworks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1211,"href":"https:\/\/blog.checkworks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168\/revisions\/1211"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.checkworks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.checkworks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.checkworks.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nHit Parade of Stupid Business Tips<\/strong>
\nThere\u2019s so much bad business advice floating around that it\u2019s difficult to winnow the list. In our subjective opinion, these are the worst. Some advice been handed down for generations, and some of the newly minted adages border on insane. In Part One, we\u2019ll take a fresh look at the \u201coldies but goodies\u201d that keep cropping up. In Part Two, we\u2019ll look at some of the freshly minted jewels as well as some retreads with a new twist.<\/p>\n
\nFor every success with \u201cbuild it and they will come,\u201d there\u2019s an unmitigated disaster such as New Coke, the Edsel and Bob, Microsoft\u2019s desktop for dummies. They built them, and no one came.<\/p>\n
\nMany people have probably had bright ideas about your suitability for your chosen career path, and I\u2019ll bet it didn\u2019t include owning a business. Parents, siblings, guidance counselors, career counselors, spouses and well-meaning friends all try to put the kibosh on career paths.<\/p>\n\n
\nThis is feasible only if you\u2019re itching to destroy relationships. If you want to make your own way in the world, prove it by making your own way.<\/p>\n
\nWhen society was still civil, the axiom applied. Business owners politely deferred to customers, even when customers\u2019 demands were outrageous. That was then. Business owners are still accommodating, but they no longer allow bullying. It\u2019s a delicate balance. Smart business owners bend over backward to meet the needs of good customers, but with tight margins, you don\u2019t need to reward evil behavior from drive-thru customers. Remember the 80\/20 rule.<\/p>\n
\nWhen I took up tennis, my backhand was awful. I had \u201ctrained\u201d myself to play tennis. My retraining meant undoing months of bad training. It\u2019s the same with employees\u2014even though experience does have value. Sometimes it\u2019s better to train people in the mold that suits your purposes than to undo previous training and bad habits.<\/p>\n
\nSome people give up at the first sign of distress. People who play the market say, \u201cThe trend is your friend.\u201d In business, you need to learn to read the trend and stay on top of the trend. If you\u2019ve given it your all, and the trend goes against you, the you can consider bailing.<\/p>\n
\nBoth of these can be bad advice. It depends on your situation when you consider going into business or opening a new business. Some people work better when they\u2019ve burned the ships moored offshore. Others require a safety net. If you\u2019re looking for one-size-fits-all advice, neither of these applies to everyone.<\/p>\n
\nOh, please! You don\u2019t need to tell anyone (except the bank and the IRS) how old you are.<\/p>\n
\nHow many people still believe this? It\u2019s true that you can\u2019t make it without hard work, but the key to success is working smart. Time is like a closet\u2014we always find a way to fill it. Delegate busywork, what you don\u2019t do well or what doesn\u2019t interest you. Concentrate on the 20 percent of the tasks that produce 80 percent of the results.<\/p>\n
\nThis is true if you haven\u2019t hired the right people. If you constantly take on tasks that you should delegate to others, it\u2019s time to rethink or retrain your team until they not only fulfill your needs but also anticipate them.<\/p>\n