. Photo by Rafael Saavedra
Kenny’s Best Words of Advice
1. The buck stops with you. A lot of entrepreneurs rely on consultants, accountants, and lawyers. We all need those people but the buck stops with you. There is no such thing as,
“That wasn’t my job.” Everything is your job.
2. The deal you don’t do is sometimes more important than the
deals you do. Trust your gut. I’m sure you’ve heard that so
many times but it really is true.
3. Learn from your mistakes. You will make mistakes; you’ll
make plenty of them. Don’t beat yourself up but learn from
them.
4. Try to maintain balance. Being an entrepreneur can consume you. I have seen it consume many people. Try to
maintain some balance. Remember that you have your
family, your friends, your health, your hobbies, and other
things outside of work. Maintaining balance keeps you
from burning out.
5. Don’t make things too complicated. Whenever there’s a
problem I always tell myself that it’s not as complicated as
it seems. Ask yourself, “What really matters?” Approach it
from that direction. As an entrepreneur, I know that everything we’re dealing with in the business can make life seem
very, very complicated. Problems usually are very simple
when you take the time to step back and look from a different viewpoint.
6. When you’re first starting a business, always ask yourself,
“What’s the fastest way to the dollar? What’s the most direct way to the income?” You have to keep the lights on.
You can’t lose sight of why you’re in business but you have
to know what’s going to keep it going. Whenever I talk to
young entrepreneurs or people who have ideas, I always say
all that seems great but how do they get the money? I love
how nifty that website is or how cool that app sounds but
how does it make money? I personally believe that it is necessary to get back to the basics.
7. Establish credit before you need it. Even if you don’t think
you need it and you’re well capitalized, go ahead and establish some credit now. Inevitably, life is going to be difficult
at times. That is when you will need it so do it in advance.
8. Education is its own reward. Don’t look at it as drudgery.
Don’t look at it as punishment. Enlightenment is its own
reward. You will reap the benefits of it many times over.
Educate yourself whenever, however, and wherever you
can. Get formal education whether it is through a mentor
or independent study. Education and empowerment are
things that are in your hands.
[ AUGUST 2015 ] WWW.SBTMAGAZINE.NET 11