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You see our company had set up franchises serving some 450 cities, in 23 states.
Therefore, each new franchisee was a different person and a slightly different case study in entrepreneurial success, or unfortunately in some cases failure.
Thus, I have some good insight when it comes to what it takes to make it in a small business.
There was an interesting article in Pointyer [dot] org recently titled; "7 reasons journalists make good entrepreneurs" by the very nice looking Matylda Czarnecka which was published on June 6, 2011.
"Journalists are pursuing entrepreneurial opportunities, and have found ways to build their ideas, while others have hesitated, questioning whether their media background makes them suitable.
Journalists become experts in the beats they cover.
Understanding a market and knowing key people in it is important to any business' success.
Journalists have an advantage of expertise on a topic or field by reporting on it.
The "write what you know" adage can just as easily apply business founders.
" Whereas, I very much understand what Matylda is getting at in her article and her thinking on this, I guess I disagree in many regards, and let me explain why, as I've met quite a few journalists in my day and found many to be less-than-entrepreneurial material, not because they didn't have the brains for it, but rather their mindset simply wasn't in the game.
Does this mean a journalist can't be a good entrepreneur? No, anyone can do anything they put their minds too, is my belief.
Still, I have found on average that a good many journalists are left-leaning thinkers, and perhaps less motivated by profit.
Journalists also tend to do stories on extreme cases of success, or extreme cases of failure.
And just because a journalist specializes in a given industry, does not mean that they will automatically make a good entrepreneur.
To suggest that is really pushing the boundaries of reality.
There is another point of contention I'd like to make and that is one of academia.
Indeed, I've often heard academic business professors say that they want to start a business, and that it will be successful because they know everything about a certain industry, and have studied all there is to know about how to run a business, they even teach it.
However, "those that can do, and those that can't teach," is a famous line, and there is a little bit of truth to that as well.
If you are an entrepreneurial type you are probably out running a business somewhere, and if you are a writer chances are that you are doing writing, likewise, journalist are out doing stories, not running a business.
Those two professions are not mutually conducive in all cases, and I'd say rather it depends on the individual, and I wouldn't necessarily bet on a former journalist in the marketplace.
Of course, with all due respect to the writer of that article I wouldn't necessarily bet against a journalist either.
And I do believe that journalists would make great marketers, and do excellent in media business relations.
But that's only one aspect to what an entrepreneur needs to know to succeed.
I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.
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