Six-Week Start-Up. Rhonda Abrams

Six-Week Start-Up

instead of designing. Fortunately, she had a partner to take over those responsibilities. She gave up some control—which wasn’t a major concern of hers—to maintain her creativity.

Which of the Four Cs motivates you most?

images Creativity. Entrepreneurs want to leave their mark. Their companies are not only a means of making a living, but a way of creating something that bears their stamp. Creativity comes in many forms, from designing a new “thing,” to devising a new business process or even a new way to make sales, handle customers, or reward employees.

If you have a high need for creativity, make certain you remain involved in the creative process as your company develops. You’ll want to shape your business so it’s not just an instrument for earning an income but also a way for maintaining your creative stimulation and making a larger contribution to society. But don’t overpersonalize your company, especially if it’s large. Allow room for others, particularly partners and key personnel, to share in the creative process.

images Control. Most of us start businesses because we want more control over our own lives. Perhaps we want more control over how our good ideas are implemented. Perhaps we want, or need, more control of our work hours or conditions so we can be more involved in family, community, or even golf! Control is a major motivator for most entrepreneurs—usually more important than money. But how much control you need—especially on a day-to-day basis—directly influences how large your company can be.

If you need or want a great deal of control over your time, you’ll most likely need to keep your company smaller. In a large company, you have less immediate control over many decisions. If you’re a person who needs control, you can still grow your business larger. You’ll need to structure communication and reporting systems to ensure that you have sufficient information about and direction over developments, to give you personal satisfaction. If you seek outside funding in the form of investors, understand the nature of control your funders will have and be certain you are comfortable with these arrangements.

images Challenge. If you’re starting or expanding a business, it’s clear you like challenge—at least to some degree. You’re likely to be a problem-solver and risk-taker, enjoying the task of figuring out solutions to problems or devising new undertakings. Challenge-hungry entrepreneurs can be some of the most successful businesspeople, but they can also be their own worst enemies—flitting from one thing to another, never focusing long enough to succeed.

If you have a high need for challenge in your business life, it’s important to develop positive means to meet this need, especially once your company is established and the initial challenge of starting a company is met. Otherwise, you may find yourself continually starting new projects that divert attention from your company’s main goals. As you plan your company, establish goals that not only provide you with sufficient stimulation, but also advance—rather than distract from—the growth of your business. (Or take up skydiving on the side!)

images Cash. Every entrepreneur wants to make money. Perhaps it’s just enough money to provide a decent income; perhaps it’s so much money you can buy a jet. How much you want or need affects how you’ll develop your business. Will you need investors, and when? Will you sacrifice control to grow the business quickly?

Keep in mind there are sometimes trade-offs between personal goals: Wanting more cash often means having less control; staying at the center of the creative process may mean you need to have a partner or grow slowly, once again trading off control or cash. Examine your personal goals and those of key personnel using “The Four Cs” worksheet on page 6.

Spell out your business values

As we build our companies, we have goals not only for what our business will help us achieve for us, but also for how our business will impact others: our employees, customers, the environment, our communities.

For many entrepreneurs, the business values they want their company to project are part of their inspiration for getting started in the first place.

Check It Out

Many businesses foster social responsibility in their organizations through volunteer work. You can find opportunities for donating your time—and your team’s—at Volunteer Match (www.volunteermatch.org).

Incorporating your values into your business will help you build a company that gives you greater satisfaction in the long term and, quite possibly, a more successful company as well. Having a company that ascribes to and practices certain positive values can be a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining employees and in developing customer loyalty.

Be cautious, however, that as you build your business around your values, you do not impose your personal beliefs (especially religious or political beliefs) on others.

To help clarify the values you’d like to incorporate into your business, use the “My Business Values” worksheet on page 10.

MY BUSINESS VALUES

Describe what values are important to you in building your company as they relate to:

Corporate Culture and nature of the work environment (management/employee relations and communication, work hours and flexibility, dress code, office location, decor, etc.):

Business Ethics (customer treatment; relations with vendors, distributors, competitors; advertising, etc.):

Employee Treatment (wages and benefits, layoff policies, promotions, empowerment, etc.):

Community and Civic Involvement:

The Environment:

Other:

MY ROLE MODELS

Use this space to list the names of people you admire, whether they’re in business or not.

Name and Job or Role	What traits of theirs do you admire?	How could you incorporate those traits in your business?

Remind yourself of your source of inspiration

At some point in their business lives, all entrepreneurs are inspired—by an idea, a person, or an opportunity. That inspiration not only gets

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