Posts Tagged ‘best business lessons’

As a Consultant, Here Are The 10 Most Important Lessons I Have Learned Over the Past 10 Years

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

The 10 Most Important Lessons I Have Learned over the past 10 years.
By Dr. Doug Hirschhorn

1) Find a Mentor at Each Stage of Your Growth

2) Be Specific with What You Want to Do (Principle #1 from 8 Ways to Great)

- What population? What type of work?

3) Go into a Space that is NOT Over-Crowded (Principle #4)
- Easier to differentiate yourself and build reputation
- You can always widen your net later

4) Be Willing to Relocate (Principle #7)
- Go wherever the best opportunities are for what you want to do– most people wont do this; and it gives you an “edge” in business if you do
-  I moved to 6 states in 15 years

5) Build a GREAT Model (something I am currently working on) that fits your goals (Principle #3)

- Do you want to be a highly paid hourly person?
- Do you want to build a business with multiple revenue streams?
- Do you want to do the work? Do you want to manage others?

6) Be Willing to Pass Up Good Opportunities for GREAT ones later on
- You only get ONE reputation – be smart with it

7) Get Someone Else to Negotiate Your Fees for You (I still need to get better at this) (Principle #6)

8) Bury Your Ego (Principle #2)
- It is NEVER personal and It is not about YOU, it is about what you can DO FOR THEM

9) Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable (Principle #7)
- As an entrepreneur, you are always unemployed and you may live in constant fear – get comfortable with it

10) And MOST IMPORTANT: Know When You Are Operating Out of FEAR (Principles #2 and #8)
- Then find a quiet place, call your mentor, speak to your spouse/close friends – let them call you out on it, then, accept it and get back to work because trust me, it will happen again and again.

Dr. Doug