How To Grow Your Passion

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​Founding Apple Computers: Steve Wozniak.
  • The importance of having a goal.
  • Success drives culture and direction.
  • Building reputation is important.
  • Predicting customer wants is impossible.
  • It's vital to differentiate your products.
  • Make products as good as they can be.
  • Give people what they want.
  • Stick to what you know (define roles).
  • Think different thoughts.
  • Always get to an “end-point”.
  • Motivation is an important thing.
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  • Stay centred and focus on things you can control:  To paraphrase golfer Tom Kite; distractions are easy to find if you are looking for them.
  • Live in the moment:  Solve today's problems, do today's work and tomorrow will take care of itself.
  • Avoid belligerent people:  In this context I'm referring to people who say you can't do it.  You will be surrounded by people who doubt your ability, ignore them.  The only person that matters is you.  If you truly believe it can be done, you will do it.
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NFL Coach Vince Lombardi talks about the price we pay for success is dedication to the goal and a determination to make sure that we always do our best.
  • Be sceptical, there are personal and professional tricksters:  I am always amazed at how many people want to 'help' me once I have built something.  Some come honestly with free ideas that they feel would make a difference, others describe ways that they can be useful if they are paid.  I have no hard-and-fast rules on how to deal with these people but you need to be aware that 'not everything that glitters is gold.'
  • Recognise the power of love:  If you love your product it makes it much easier for others to love it also.
  • Be happy:  There are a lot of challenges to setting up a new business and making it successful BUT if you succeed you will be your own boss and able to define the future that you want for you and your loved-ones.

What's Next?

Having found your passion you need to make it real by writing it down.  In my early days I always avoided business plans because they were works of fiction.  I now realise that they are an essential starting point because they concentrate the mind, help crystallise thought and are a way of you sharing your thoughts with others.  All good business plans should include -
  1. An overall description of your  proposed business.
  2. Detail showing how what you have to offer is unique/better than anything else available.
  3. Research outlining the market you will be operating in.
  4. A document outlining key positions and people needed to run your business.
  5. Technical details of your product and/or service.
  6. Plan for manufacturing.
  7. Plan for marketing.
  8. Plan for distributing.
  9. In-depth financials regarding capital required, cash flow forecasts and a prediction of profit and loss over the first 3 to 5 years.
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​Many banks offer templates for writing business plans.
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