A while back I had the pleasure of giving a presentation to 50 small businesses who are participating in a new initiative called the Entrepreneur Pioneer Initiative (EPI) launched at Rutgers University – Newark . As the designer and developer of EPI’s nine month training program my presentation was to share the philosophy that informed the training program design, structure and course content components of this initiative. Here is that presentation:
“Let me first start by saying, I really hate the word “training” although I have been a trainer for many years! The idea of training people - implies to me wanting to make people conform to a certain mold of thinking, or doing, or getting them to fall in line with a certain ideological standard!
I have worked for many years with small businesses to know that entrepreneurs are rebels with a cause, although some of you are rebels WITHOUT a cause who think you have a cause! The fact that all of you are pioneer entrepreneurs coming from families where you were the fist to start a business, you definitely are rebels!
So we are not here to ‘train’ you! I can say that while we are going to call it training - for lack of a better word – think of the program as putting out business information so that you can access the “Framework of Possibilities” that are out there to help you realize your growth plan.
It’s a great time to be a small business, especially in this era of economic globalization. This is the time for small businesses. They can do more with less – thanks to the technology and super information highways, business innovation is at the grasp of all small businesses - not just the big corporations. The implication is if you can do more with less you have just increased your profit margin. The other thing is we are operating in a global economy that means your customer demographic just expanded. You can now find the very same potential customer demographic in every county in the world! That’s a good thing.
“But are YOU prepared and ready to tap into these opportunities?”
Last night I was listening to Andy Stern, President of SEIU (Service Employees International Union) being interviewed on the Charlie Rose Show. Rose asked him if he believes capitalism dead or whether we moving towards ‘socialism’? He answered: “National capitalism as we know it is gone, it’s been replaced by Global capitalism!
Well people, global capitalism is a different kind of business animal we all need to get used to. Globalization is here to stay. You can hate it, ignore even pretend that it does not exist, but whether you like it or not you are being forced into it. Your competition is no longer the business next door, in your neighborhood or just your country. Your competitors are all over the world and they are coming right to your door step to take your customers~!
Lets see ~ “How many of you are doing business globally? (4 hands went up); How many of you are doing business in the United States? (All hands went up)
Well whether you know it or not, you are doing business globally, you just choose to focus on the United State? However, DON’T assume that your competitors are making the same choices! They will come and take your customers right on your doorway! That’s the take away lesson right there. And we have anticipated that by having an International trade component in this training program. Joel Reynoso from the US Export Assistance Center is going to talk on that. The US Department of Commerce has so many resources to help you do business abroad. Your competitive advantage as a small business in the United States is that you have immense resources. But if you are not taping into them you are going to be surpassed by those small businesses in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America. That’s inevitable.
“How many of you have a website”? (2/3rd of the hand went up) That means you are advertising globally and you don’t even know it!
“How many of you are selling products” (1/2 of the hands went up)?
“How many of you are selling services” (1/2 of the hands went up)?
“How many of you are selling both products and services” (6 hands went up!)
Well you all should be selling both products and services! Sometimes people just buy your product because they like your customer service so rethink what services compliment your products. On the other hand, if you are just thinking I am selling services, this is not a sustainable business model, you are going to have to come up with products or partner with someone with products that compliments your services! Look for those usual suspects that you can partner with to diversify your business model and client portfolio that why we have included a strategic alliance seminar in this program, as well as a Brand Building & Brand development in this program that LaTanya Junior, CEO of www.TCB360.com will be presenting. She will tell you brand building is not your logo! Also forget ‘marketing’ ~ it’s a meaningless label if you don’t know your brand personality or characteristics.
Now let talk about the philosophy that informed the design and development of this training program: We were thinking business growth, business innovation, what does this all mean – these labels – Think about.
“What is business growth?” Well, a business growth is not like a baby you see growing physically. No, growth is a mental state of mind. You start using the information to strategically inform your business decisions making – then you will find that growth is inevitable. When your business model is set up for growth you will grow! But you have to be conscious about how you want to grow. So our job in this initiative is to take you out of working in your business, into g-r-o-w-i-n-g your business! Networking, translating information and acting strategically are going to be major skills in your business growth process. What does this mean?
It means - We want you to become strategic thinkers who are able to take the information that you will get in this program and translate it into information that informs your business decision making through strategic behavior. If you get out of this program with an “Ahha” moment or having experienced an epiphany that jolts you into rethinking or reexamining how you have been doing business, then we have achieved something.
In order to do this, you have to have the mindset to tap into what being offered. Like I said we are not here to train you, but to expose you to a framework of possibilities that your business can tap into. As such we have great expectations of you, we are not here to teach you your craft, but we need you to come with some fundamental understanding of what your business model is about – i.e. What are you selling? What are your strengths? What are your Weaknesses? Or threats – and small businesses know their immediate threats, but there are always blind sports? And maybe what you think are your Opportunities? Giving you a framework of possibilities is an attempt above all else to flesh out those opportunities with you – but then again there are other skills that should be in place – Do you have the capacity? Do you have the capability? Do you have the intellectual capital?
The training program is in structured in 4 parts:
Enterprise Resource Management module– This is an old phrase in business. We specifically take an inventory of all the business asserts and resource capital internally that you need in order to have the capacity and capability to grow your business; People capital, intellectual capital, relationship capital, technology capital, fixed and fluid business capital, etc.
Business Growth module – What business growth state of mind? What is your brand, and what is your brand DNA? What’s your business’s worth? We take it since you have been managing your businesses for a while – you have an idea who your consumer customers are? Because if you don’t, you fell into the wrong program! So you have some major home work to do between now and June 19
Procurement/Contracting module– Are you fit to do business with the public and private sector, ~ GLOBALLY? How do you do business domestically and globally? As the public and private sector continues to outsource their business functions to that growing community called the “Third Sector” also commonly known as the “nonprofit sector”! Its huge and growing, its diverse and its buying goods and services just like everyone else.
.Global Business & Innovation Conference: Finally the program cumulates into a c1 day conference where we will have several panel themes: What is a GREEN Business? What are some of the small Business Innovations out there? What are the small business strategies? What does the future of small business look like globally? Etc, etc, etc…
So be ready, be prepared – and have a strategy of how you are going to maximize your participation in this unique program we have had the opportunity to bring to you.
Thank you.”
“Let me first start by saying, I really hate the word “training” although I have been a trainer for many years! The idea of training people - implies to me wanting to make people conform to a certain mold of thinking, or doing, or getting them to fall in line with a certain ideological standard!
I have worked for many years with small businesses to know that entrepreneurs are rebels with a cause, although some of you are rebels WITHOUT a cause who think you have a cause! The fact that all of you are pioneer entrepreneurs coming from families where you were the fist to start a business, you definitely are rebels!
So we are not here to ‘train’ you! I can say that while we are going to call it training - for lack of a better word – think of the program as putting out business information so that you can access the “Framework of Possibilities” that are out there to help you realize your growth plan.
It’s a great time to be a small business, especially in this era of economic globalization. This is the time for small businesses. They can do more with less – thanks to the technology and super information highways, business innovation is at the grasp of all small businesses - not just the big corporations. The implication is if you can do more with less you have just increased your profit margin. The other thing is we are operating in a global economy that means your customer demographic just expanded. You can now find the very same potential customer demographic in every county in the world! That’s a good thing.
“But are YOU prepared and ready to tap into these opportunities?”
Last night I was listening to Andy Stern, President of SEIU (Service Employees International Union) being interviewed on the Charlie Rose Show. Rose asked him if he believes capitalism dead or whether we moving towards ‘socialism’? He answered: “National capitalism as we know it is gone, it’s been replaced by Global capitalism!
Well people, global capitalism is a different kind of business animal we all need to get used to. Globalization is here to stay. You can hate it, ignore even pretend that it does not exist, but whether you like it or not you are being forced into it. Your competition is no longer the business next door, in your neighborhood or just your country. Your competitors are all over the world and they are coming right to your door step to take your customers~!
Lets see ~ “How many of you are doing business globally? (4 hands went up); How many of you are doing business in the United States? (All hands went up)
Well whether you know it or not, you are doing business globally, you just choose to focus on the United State? However, DON’T assume that your competitors are making the same choices! They will come and take your customers right on your doorway! That’s the take away lesson right there. And we have anticipated that by having an International trade component in this training program. Joel Reynoso from the US Export Assistance Center is going to talk on that. The US Department of Commerce has so many resources to help you do business abroad. Your competitive advantage as a small business in the United States is that you have immense resources. But if you are not taping into them you are going to be surpassed by those small businesses in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America. That’s inevitable.
“How many of you have a website”? (2/3rd of the hand went up) That means you are advertising globally and you don’t even know it!
“How many of you are selling products” (1/2 of the hands went up)?
“How many of you are selling services” (1/2 of the hands went up)?
“How many of you are selling both products and services” (6 hands went up!)
Well you all should be selling both products and services! Sometimes people just buy your product because they like your customer service so rethink what services compliment your products. On the other hand, if you are just thinking I am selling services, this is not a sustainable business model, you are going to have to come up with products or partner with someone with products that compliments your services! Look for those usual suspects that you can partner with to diversify your business model and client portfolio that why we have included a strategic alliance seminar in this program, as well as a Brand Building & Brand development in this program that LaTanya Junior, CEO of www.TCB360.com will be presenting. She will tell you brand building is not your logo! Also forget ‘marketing’ ~ it’s a meaningless label if you don’t know your brand personality or characteristics.
Now let talk about the philosophy that informed the design and development of this training program: We were thinking business growth, business innovation, what does this all mean – these labels – Think about.
“What is business growth?” Well, a business growth is not like a baby you see growing physically. No, growth is a mental state of mind. You start using the information to strategically inform your business decisions making – then you will find that growth is inevitable. When your business model is set up for growth you will grow! But you have to be conscious about how you want to grow. So our job in this initiative is to take you out of working in your business, into g-r-o-w-i-n-g your business! Networking, translating information and acting strategically are going to be major skills in your business growth process. What does this mean?
It means - We want you to become strategic thinkers who are able to take the information that you will get in this program and translate it into information that informs your business decision making through strategic behavior. If you get out of this program with an “Ahha” moment or having experienced an epiphany that jolts you into rethinking or reexamining how you have been doing business, then we have achieved something.
In order to do this, you have to have the mindset to tap into what being offered. Like I said we are not here to train you, but to expose you to a framework of possibilities that your business can tap into. As such we have great expectations of you, we are not here to teach you your craft, but we need you to come with some fundamental understanding of what your business model is about – i.e. What are you selling? What are your strengths? What are your Weaknesses? Or threats – and small businesses know their immediate threats, but there are always blind sports? And maybe what you think are your Opportunities? Giving you a framework of possibilities is an attempt above all else to flesh out those opportunities with you – but then again there are other skills that should be in place – Do you have the capacity? Do you have the capability? Do you have the intellectual capital?
The training program is in structured in 4 parts:
Enterprise Resource Management module– This is an old phrase in business. We specifically take an inventory of all the business asserts and resource capital internally that you need in order to have the capacity and capability to grow your business; People capital, intellectual capital, relationship capital, technology capital, fixed and fluid business capital, etc.
Business Growth module – What business growth state of mind? What is your brand, and what is your brand DNA? What’s your business’s worth? We take it since you have been managing your businesses for a while – you have an idea who your consumer customers are? Because if you don’t, you fell into the wrong program! So you have some major home work to do between now and June 19
Procurement/Contracting module– Are you fit to do business with the public and private sector, ~ GLOBALLY? How do you do business domestically and globally? As the public and private sector continues to outsource their business functions to that growing community called the “Third Sector” also commonly known as the “nonprofit sector”! Its huge and growing, its diverse and its buying goods and services just like everyone else.
.Global Business & Innovation Conference: Finally the program cumulates into a c1 day conference where we will have several panel themes: What is a GREEN Business? What are some of the small Business Innovations out there? What are the small business strategies? What does the future of small business look like globally? Etc, etc, etc…
So be ready, be prepared – and have a strategy of how you are going to maximize your participation in this unique program we have had the opportunity to bring to you.
Thank you.”
Written & Presented by Dr. T.D. Ndoro at the Rutgers EPI launch.
Copyright @2009 SLIPPA (Strategy Leadership Institute in Private & Public Affairs) ______________________
Copyright @ May 2009, Dr. TD Ndoro (DocNdoro) Co-Founder - SLIPPA (Strategy Leadership Institute in Private & Public Sector) and CEO - EDCTrainers, LLC
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