Don’t Beg for Permission!

I heard another cool quote to inspire entrepreneurs yesterday from Ralph Shaw, a friend of mine and an entrepreneur and the Broker of Record for Partners Advantage GMAC:

"Be in trouble for what you do, not for what you don't do," Ralph Shaw, Entrepreneur and Broker of Record for Partners Advantage GMAC, Ottawa, Canada. February 22, 2008.

It reminds me of the other quote we have been using:

"Entrepreneurs would rather ask for forgiveness than beg for permission," Anon.

Basically, both sayings are calling for action rather than inaction. The US Marine Corps in Vietnam soon learned that when ambushed by cagey Viet Cong, it was always better to attack the ambushers than to hunker down and wait... Inaction was a recipe for death.

There is a well known anecdote about Prince Charles' first naval command. He decided for his first couple of weeks to answer every even numbered question from his crew with a 'yes' and odd numbered questions with a 'no'. He did this to appear decisive and to convince a skeptical crew that he wasn't a spoiled Royal but a competent naval officer. He realized that they would test him with inane questions and it mattered more whether he was certain about things than if he was right.

We also say in sales that there are three possible answers to each question: Yes, No or Maybe. Yes is better than No but No is better than maybe. Don't waste your life with Maybes. I have also told you that when I hear a Maybe, I usually tell the client: "Well, I'll take that as a 'No'." They often respond: "Actually I didn't want to say 'No'." "OK, say 'Yes' then!" I respond.

So many non-startups end up that way because would-be entrepreneurs never take the first step. I have talked with a couple of people who have been to the top of Mount Everest. Now that sort of climb is no joke and your chances of dying either on the way up (or more often on the way down) are much higher than a US soldier dying in Vietnam. They both told me that there was no way they would have been able to make the climb if: a) they had known how hard it was going to be before they started and b) if they looked at the top of the mountain before they actually got there. It would be too discouraging.

To build a successful business is: "going to take twice as long and cost twice as much as you thought, before you started..."

But so what, “the longest journey is the one you never start”.

Dr. Bruce M. Firestone, B.Eng. (Civil), M.Eng.-Sci., PhD., Broker, Keller Williams Ottawa Realty Commercial Real Estate, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Adjunct Research Professor, School of Architecture, Carleton University, Founder, Ottawa Senators. (613) 788-7448 dir (613) 236-1515 Fax

Mr. Matthew P. Firestone, Realtor, Keller Williams Ottawa Realty Commercial Real Estate (613) 788-7438 dir, (613) 794-5560 Cell (613) 236-1515 Fax

Mr. Brendan S. Gillett, Executive Assistant, (613) 302-2736 Cell

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