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New Year's Resolutions: Au Revoir 2006, Hello 2007

Many people question if they have what it takes to be successful in business. This way of making a living has fit well into my life for the last 15 years. It may be the right path for you, but you will not know until you close your eyes and take the leap to start your own journey.

But before you take that jump, please ask yourself if you can be happy doing something else besides starting your own business. If you can be energized by excelling at a job working for a company, please go enjoy doing it. If not, stop pretending and go follow your passion.

Can you handle traveling the business roller coaster up and down with your family and friends in tow? If the answer is no, then don't even get on the ride.

Finally, no matter how hard you work, can you accept business outcomes even though they may be well beyond your control? If you don't want to keep company with luck and fate, then don't start on this adventure.

If you have never run a business before, don't expect honest answers from yourself. Without actually doing it, the answers are academic. But if you do take the leap, you can recognize valuable experiences and know the right questions to ask your advisors and mentors along the way.

If you think that starting and growing a business is hard, you are right. It is suppose to be hard! My father always told me that anything that is worth doing takes a lot of effort. Except for maybe a few years in the late 1990's, this has always been the case in building businesses.

If you think that it will take a long time, you are right. Forget the 1990's. Most "overnight successes" take 20 years. Businesses are built customer by customer and year by year. Be willing to sign up for 7 to 10 years when you get started. Be patient. Building business value takes years to grow.

If you think that you can fail, you are right. It is not a matter of if you will fail as you grow your business, only when. How you handle those bumps in the road will be critical to your success. Don't be afraid. Learn humility. Realize that you will meet the same people on your climb up the growth curve as you do on the way down.

If you think that you can fulfill your passion by starting and growing a company, you are right. What drives me in my business life is to see my ideas succeed or fail. As I have always said, unless there is a passion driving you in your business, go get a job.

If you think that you can build something you can be proud of, you are right. Unfortunately, I am not a soup kitchen volunteer. I wish I were. The way I contribute to this society is to start businesses that offer good and services that help others and create jobs.

Above all, remember that you are not alone on this journey. Being an entrepreneur, sitting in your small office alone, making cold calls can be very isolating. Although the market economy does not care about you, plenty of people will be there to help. Ask your family, friends, mentors, team, customers and vendors to help. You will be surprised at how they will come to your aid.

Through perseverance and resilience, you will pave your own way and achieve your own definition of success.

Happy and Healthy New Year!