Cats Can Teach Us To Be Entrepreneurial
In my work as a consultant and as an executive director of Inc. Magazine's CEO roundtable, Inc. Eagles, I noticed that successful entrepreneurs that have created balanced lives share some common traits with cats. Yes, cats! Whether you own your own business, you're planning to start or buy one or if you just want to be more proactive in your career life, take some unsolicited advice from our feline friends. It could pay off financially, emotionally, developmentally and even spiritually. Here are just three of the thirteen relevant characteristics I have observed.
I. Do What Comes Naturally
Cats don't worry about what others think. Part of their considerable charm is their "cattittude." They delight in their own independence. So should you delight in yours. Pick a business or career that suits you and allows you to express your talents.
What do you love doing that others might find boring? Undesirable? Unique? What draws your attention? What are you passionate about? If you don't know, try asking yourself, "What makes me mad?" The answer will give you clues about what gets you excited. The flip side of anger often tells you what you care about. Perhaps the most telling question of all is, "If success were assured, what would you do in life?" In other words, if you put aside perceived limitations, what would your dream career really be?
In her book, Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow, Marsha Sinetar tells the true story of a man who loves watching baseball games live. At first he's baffled by how to convert this passion into a thriving business. Then he observes that the fans are having difficulty getting to the ballpark and finding parking. So he starts a van service and gets to watch all the games while he earns a living. Because he's an avid fan, he provides extras for his customers that only someone who stays close would see. His business grows.
The same principle is true in an established organization. So often entrepreneurs stop doing the things that made them successful and that they enjoy such as meeting customers or planning strategy. Instead of outsourcing responsibilities like accounting and recruiting (pick yours), or hiring an operations person to handle day to day internal functions, many business owners bog themselves down with tasks they dislike.
In the January 1998 issue of Inc. magazine, Doug Mellinger, CEO and founder of PRT Group, was billed as the next Bill Gates. PRT helps companies with technology solutions to their business problems. The company was started in 1989 and grew to $62 million in 1997. In order to solve the problem of finding great programmers and avoiding the red tape in foreign countries like India, Mellinger decided to create a "country" for programmers on the island of Barbados.
His innovative approach resulted in a 21st century high tech community where workers, customers, capital and infrastructure have all been imported. When asked about his unconventional methods and how he accomplished this, Mellinger commented: "I never ask how can I do it?" But, "Who can do it?" Part of doing what comes naturally in business is finding "who" can get things done that don't necessarily play to your strengths.
High powered desktop technology and the latest software packages offer new options to ferret out information you didn't think you had. Want to develop exclusive promotions or analyze customer-buying patterns? Try putting a new spin on routine data.
II. Be Curious and Find the Right Niche
Cats prowl for opportunity. They explore their territory by sight and scent. Cats squeeze into nooks and crannies other creatures wouldn't consider like drawers, bookcases and shopping bags. They use conventional things unconventionally. So do successful entrepreneurs. Take your products or services and explore old ground as if it were new.
What are some opportunities you see in your work environment? What do your customers want that they aren't receiving? What are some ideas to improve your products or services that your customers haven't even thought of yet? As you read these questions, you might be saying, "This costs money!" Concern or fear keeps people from brainstorming. Wonderful ideas don't surface because self-imposed barriers like these arrest the creative process. Suspend judgment for a moment and ask yourself, "If resources were not an issue, what could I/we offer to deliver a unique mix of value to our customers?"
One of the main reasons entrepreneurs are attracted to having their own business is the opportunity to imprint their style. Successful entrepreneurs are often creative and usually curious. They combine ideas or structures that already exist in a new way. Take 1-800-FLOWERS as an example.
For long distance floral delivery, FTD and its participating local florists were the only game in town. You never really knew what your gift arrangement would look like and the recipient would often be reluctant to say anything negative. Then one day someone said, "Why not look at distributing flowers in a whole new way? Why not show pictures of exactly what the floral arrangements look like and let people order direct?" Offering a unique mix of consistency and convenience to its customers, 1-800-FLOWERS was born.
Another way that small business owners can view old things as if they were new is by booting up their computers. Technology has made it possible for small businesses to track customer demographics and conduct advanced customer research. You can go "data mining" by looking at routine data found in your accounting program, contact-management files and other sources.
III. Make the Leap
Dogs trot. Cats leap. Cats gauge the distance they want to cross then strategically position themselves to spring with confidence. They are fearless. Fear of failure can keep even the most talented people from leaping to new heights and fulfilling their dreams. Once you discover a natural direction for yourself and find the right niche, develop your plan. See yourself succeeding and take the plunge. Even if at first, cats miss their mark, they land on all fours, ready to leap again. So can you.
What do you want to do next that presents the greatest challenge? What keeps you from leaping? Whether it's to start a business or to reinvent the one you're in, moving to a new height isn't usually easy. Past experiences and anticipated problems can stand in the way of making a commitment. If I had to isolate one variable that separates successful entrepreneurs from their counterparts, it's commitment. Commitment frees you to focus. Commitment breeds confidence, in yourself and in what you're doing.
IBM has a great ad about entrepreneur, Martha Diaz Aszekenazy. Aszekenazy loves restoring things and decided to start a construction business in LA that restores and renovates statues and landmarks. As you can imagine, the construction business in LA is pretty competitive. Aszekenazy believed in herself and developed customized construction project software with IBM's support. This technology gave her company a competitive edge and "leveled the playing field." Aszekenazy has grown her company from zero to approximately $18 million last year. She made the leap.
Sometimes reinventing yourself or starting over again can be much more difficult. Not so in the case of Robert Deutsch, founder of General Physics Corporation. In the March 9, 1998 issue of Forbes, he is featured as a man who bounced back in the twilight years of his life. At the age of 63, Deutsch was ousted from the company he started and grew to over $115M. Taking his "retirement package," he used the money to fund a technical training business, RWD Technologies, Inc.
Started in 1988, RWD retrains frontline workers to use developing technology in the workplace. Deutsch got the idea for this business when he noticed the frustration corporate management experienced when they didn't get the return anticipated on their technology investments. Employees didn't know how to use the technology effectively and Deutsch saw the possibilities for productivity gains. He had always been a champion of the frontline worker. This business fit him, his interests and the unmet needs of other companies. RWD Technologies, Inc. recently went public and projects sales to be at $105 million this year. How many of us would make another leap at 63?
These are just three of the thirteen ways that cats and successful entrepreneurs cross paths. Observe what you love. Allow ambiguity and suspend judgment as you look at yourself, your motivations, and your vision for the future. Take time to be curious and explore your environment. Examine new niches and see old ground from a new slant. Get your plan in place and take a deep breath...then, make the leap!
Dr. Mary Key is consultant, speaker and the author of several books including CEO Road Rules and The Entrepreneurial Cat: 13 Ways to Transform Your Work Life.
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Mary Key & Associates, Inc. ©2003
