If you have a good idea, a solid work ethic and an idea of how to market things, the world of business should be your oyster. Yet we know that the landscape is not the absolute meritocracy people would like it to be. Some people stick around and even have a modicum of success despite not being the most talented, while others turn their back after one failed attempt – or even less than that – because the business world seems so unwelcoming to them.
There is no doubt, you need to be ready for some slings and arrows if you hope to turn your idea into a thriving business. It’s worth steeling yourself for that challenge, no doubt, but people who point to the tougher side of the business world have a point. It is easy to get discouraged in adversity and shrink in front of the challenge that faces you – but if you read on, you’ll see that there is nothing the business world can do to you that should stop you taking it on.
Business can be a cocktail of adrenaline and testosterone
Watch any film about big business and you’ll see much the same pattern – high-risk behavior and machismo are an expected part of the landscape, and it may well be exaggerated for the screen, but it makes a point worth noting. There is a certain level of aggression that people have come to expect, and even to praise, when it’s about making money. All that you can do in response is be the best at what you do. Offer a service or a product that is better than the others, and don’t try to take part in the shouting matches that can be a part of business from time to time – they’re fundamentally bad for communication.
Business can be a jargon minefield
Something that can be off-putting from a time long before you even start to consider your own business is the way that it seems to have a language all of its own. Which may be true of most fields, but in business it can obfuscate the things it is supposed to illuminate. If you’re good at what you do, the business lingo shouldn’t keep you from succeeding. Resources such as OBpedia.com can help demystify a lot of the jargon that you struggle with, and it’s worth having it open as you peruse business sites as research for your own efforts.
Business can be fickle
As was hinted at in the beginning of this article, the business world is not fair. People can make millions with an idea that someone else had first and didn’t manage to patent. Sometimes you can launch a business that seems to have everything it needs to become huge, and watch it fall flat. Timing can be important, but even when the time seems to be just right, it doesn’t mean your business will do what you were hoping. It’s important to be ready to modify things and hone your business in the face of problems – as entrepreneur.com mentions, some of the biggest companies around today hit their Eureka moment just before they would have gone bust.
