This is the column that probably gets me kicked out of the entrepreneurial chapter of the Priory of Scion. I look silly in those long robes anyway, so here goes. A thousand apologies to my entrepreneurial brothers and sisters, but. I think the more important question is: do businesses fail or does the entrepreneur in charge of them fail? I have to be honest and tell you that I think most business failures must be laid at the feet of the person in charge.

I had the honor of speaking this week at a women’s business association luncheon on the topic of entrepreneurship. When I mentioned to my wife the day before that I was speaking to group of women entrepreneurs she asked, “Why on earth would they ask you to speak?”

Im often asked: what is the best way to fund a new business? This question is usually followed by So, do you ever invest in new businesses? The answers, respectively, are 1. there is no best way to fund a new business; and 2. I do invest in new businesses, but darn it I cant today because I left my checkbook in my other suit.

I’ve noticed an interesting trend lately. Usually the e-mail I receive in response to this column comes from rookie entrepreneurs or established business owners seeking my input on startup matters, financing, employee relations, general management and leadership issues, policy matters, etc. Lately, however, many of the messages are coming from employees of medium-size and large companies who are growing frustrated at working in an environment that they deem (to quote one e-mail) “Intellectually stifling and (that) offers few challenges of one’s creativity and innovation.'’

There is no such thing as a real get rich quick opportunity.
If someone tells you that you can start with no money and no
experience and make hundreds of thousands of dollars overnight
they are lying to you and you are a fool for believing them. Yes,
you can make lots of money in a short period of time as an
Internet marketer, but you’re not going to get rich this week
unless you hit the lottery or your rich uncle dies. And you have
a better chance of getting hit by lightning than either of those
things happening. Be realistic, be smart, be logical. If it sounds
too good to be true, it is.

I was part of an eBay Roundtable discussion recently with six
other experts and we all agreed that the number one question most
new (and even old) eBay sellers ask is: “Where do I find things to sell on eBay??” To help answer that question I have compiled 10 ways that anyone can use to find products to sell on eBay.

Its time to beat the old bad customer service drum again. I know, Im sick of beating the drum, too, but as long as bad customer service runs rampant through so many businesses I feel it is my entrepreneurial duty to bring it to your attention. So grab a pew and prepare to listen to the sermon Ive preached before: bad customer service is the bane of business. If the Almighty smote down every business that dispenses bad customer service the world would be a much friendlier, albeit much sparser place. Consider a world without malls and fast food joints would it really be so bad?

If you’re waiting for Ed McMahon to show up on your doorstep
and proclaim, “This is your lucky day!” you are going to have a
long, miserable wait. Ed can’t make you a success. I can’t make you a success. It is all up to YOU.

You’ve probably never considered the fact that Santa is the CEO of a large organization that not only distributes a vast assortment of products throughout the world, but does so in a single night with just a sleigh and eight tiny reindeer. Sam Walton would have killed to have Santa’s logistics manual.

I was asked the other day what personality traits I thought were important to entrepreneurial success. I immediately gave my preprogrammed reply about passion and dedication and hard work. After taking some time later to ponder the question a little deeper (I normally operate in shallow waters), I came up with a more detailed checklist for entrepreneurial success.