Worth the Read

One thing I love to do is read/hear stories of people who started their own business, especially businesses where a person is making their own products. I ran across a story that combined both of these. Not sure what lead me to click on a headline that involved the phrase “Jewelry Empire” , but I’m glad I did. The article told the story of jewelry retailer Kendra Scott. She started in her apartment and will have 38 locations by the end of the year. Her hard work, grit, and failure-is-not-an-option attitude are inspirational. If you’re contemplating starting a business I think it’d be worth your time to read. you can find the article here.

If Only I Had a Great Idea

Raise your hand if you’ve heard someone say,”If only I had a great idea, then I would start a business,” I’m sure if we were all sitting together we would look around and see everyone raising a hand. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this. It seems that in the age of Facebook, Google, and Apple everyone thinks that for a business to be successful they have to have some revolutionary new idea or product. Having a great idea may help, but it is not necessary to starting your own business. The only great idea you need to start a business is the idea that you want to be your own boss.

New Business Incubator for Cobb County

Here’s some exciting news for Cobb County. Kennesaw State University and the Cobb Chamber of Commerce have partnered to create a business incubator. According to the University and the Marietta Daily Journal, the incubator will be named the Georgia Business Success Center and will be directed by Nancy Wright Whatley, who most recently has been the Metro Atlanta Chamber Vice President of Entrepreneurial Development. This incubator will be a place for startups to work out their business plans, seek advice, network, and get support. Not many details have been released yet, but my initial feeling is that it will be great for the county and great for the university.

Enter the Arena

One of my favorite quotes is from President Teddy Roosevelt’s Citizen in a Republic speech that he delivered to the Sorbonne in Paris, France. The speech focuses on his view that a republic depended on the quality of its people for its future and success. In this speech he says:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

To me there are so many points to take away from this, but I want to focus in on one aspect: failing is part of succeeding.