Someone recently asked me, “What is the biggest challenge facing people who leave a regular job in the corporate world to start their own business?”
While there are many right answers, here is my observation: A big challenge is transitioning from a corporate mindset to a small business mindset.
Having lived in both camps, corporate and small business, I believe small business owners survive because they are fleet of foot. In the time it takes a fortune 500 company to establish a committee, the successful small business owner has made 10 decisions with 7 that are probably bad but the other 3 more than make up for it.
Transitioning executives must learn that acting often trumps accuracy. It works because one person is making the decisions not a bureaucracy!
The detail and thoroughness that brought us success in the corporate job is just too time consuming to work in a small business. Besides, we will never have the depth of knowledge available to a big corporation. What’s the solution? Small businesses need to out maneuver them! Like the smaller football player, you can’t knock down the 250 pound opponent, but you can run circles around him.
By Thom Crimans, FranNet of Mid-America.
