Do you believe that:

1. You don’t need any of that formal education, since the best way to learn about business is to start one?

2. Most of the wealthiest people in the U.S. are college dropouts (Bill Gates, et al)

3. Business school is a waste of time for you since all they teach in business school is how to run someone else’s business and you need to know how to run your own.

4. You are totally prepared to start a new business. After all, you have read all the latest business books by all the leading thought leaders. Finance-Kiyosaki, Marketing-Godin, Logistics-Dell, Accounting-Well…You have a trial edition of Microsoft Money that came with your new Dell.

If you believe any (or all) of those statements, you need to subscribe to this blog immediately. It’s okay, I’ll wait.

I spent my early years as an entrepreneur believing those very things and they are all untrue. Unfortunately, most new entrepreneurs think this way and their ignorance results in bankruptcy, failed relationships, tarnished reputations, and damaged self-images, to name a few. I know because I experienced all of these and more.

Why do so many people have such a misinformed view of what it takes to start a new venture? Because each of those statements above contain a kernel of truth. For example, the best way to learn about business is to start a business. However, you should 1) have some experience running someone else’s business before you put your life-savings on the line OR 2) you should have a partner/stakeholder who has been successful in her/his own business. Will your business fail if you don’t follow this suggestion? Maybe. Maybe not. But your likelihood of success increases significantly if you do.

That’s what this blog is about. Not just revealing the pitfalls that new business owners so often encounter, but providing practical solutions I’ve learned during my 14 years as an entrepreneur. I hope to pass on to my readers a blend of practical wisdom and theory that I acquired in the school of hard knocks and through formal college learnin’.

Please pass along any questions you would like me to address.