Notes of a BottleMonkey

Reflections: Leaping is Good, Looking and Leaping is Even Better

It took me three hours to decide to start the original BottleMonkey.com . Starting a business is a serious decisions and should never be taken lightly. Three hours is probably too short of a time, but I had several things going for me. I had a surplus of cash and was relatively debt free. I had a surplus of time since I was taking a break from dating and was bored with dating scene. I was excited about doing something new and something new that involved wine.

I knew that it take cold hard cash to initially get the project off the ground. I was prepared to take that risk since I knew that nothing can be gained without taking some risk. I also knew the start up costs were not significant enough to make me miss a mortgage payment or unable to feed myself.

I knew that I had the time to work on the project. This is probably the biggest thing to consider when starting a business. Time is precious and should not be wasted. If you have a significant other then they need to be on board with your project. If they are not supportive of your (ad)venture then it will destroy your relationship. Let me repeat this just in case you missed it. Starting a business can ruin your relationship with your loved ones. I was lucky because when I started my project since I was single.

You must be excited about your business plan. You must believe in your business plan. No one else will be excited and believe in your business if you are not excited and believe in your business. Have you ever wondered why a liar makes a good salesperson? It isn't because they just lie to the customer because many people can spot a lie that is delivered with insincerity. It is because they can also lie to themselves to the point they believe themselves. They will actually believe they are selling the best product in the world. I don't recommend lying. The worst business idea in the world can not be fixed with lying. Find something you are passionate about. Work on a business idea that exploits those passions.

I know what some of you are thinking right now. Who does this guy think he is? He is giving business advice and he didn't even succeed at starting his own business! Why would I want to listen to him?

The truth is you can learn many things from failing if you reflect upon what happen. Imagine a child touching a hot stove and burning its fingers. The child will learn from that mistake and it will not happen again. The only advice I can truly give is: “Don't be the child that didn't listen to their dad when he said the stove was hot and they would get burnt if they touched it”. It is a good bet that the dad burnt his fingers on it he was a child and didn't want his child to suffer the same fate.