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www.HartfordBusiness.com May 4, 2015 • Hartford Business Journal 25 BIZ BOOKS Tips for non-MBAs who want to start a business from scratch "M iss Jessie's: Creating a Suc- cessful Business from Scratch — Naturally" by Miko Branch with Titi Branch (Amistad, $24.99). Starting by creating and making hair- care products at their kitchen table, the Branch sisters built Miss Jessie's (missjes- sies.com) into a multi-million dollar busi- ness. They didn't go to business school; they didn't come from money; they didn't have connec- tions. What did they have? The sister act had ingenuity, street smarts, a dedication to making it happen — and family encouragement. Here's some of their "Kitchen Table Wisdom": Your business isn't just about your business. If you want to ensure its growth, think outside its box. Keep your eyes open for trends and ideas that may affect your business. Opportunities and obstacles require tweaking your plans. Commitment and passion will only take you so far. Maintaining the status quo won't grow your business. Take calculated risks. Learn from mistakes (i.e. finding out what not to do). Develop a diverse network. Use it to obtain feedback, fill in your blanks, con- nect your dots and hone your skills. "Moving too fast can cost too much." Building on success requires research and planning. The resources required to expand the pipeline may not deliver the ROI expected. Talk with, not to, your customers and stakeholders. Discover what they value with the under- standing that one size does not fit all. Use their feedback to explore possibilities for you and them. When they know you're listening, trust and loyalty develop. "Be the best represen- tative of your brand. The manner in which you present yourself speaks volumes…, and can have a direct impact on your business relationships." Don't burn yourself out. Invest in a team and leverage their skills. "Send out press releases and fliers to every media outlet." If your story gets picked up, it's free PR. If it's not, alter the message and keep sending. Social media needs to be tapped, too. Shortcuts inevitably lead to problems, which often lead to quality and service-deliv- ery issues. Corollary: Make sure you have the resources to deliver on your promises. Key takeaway for family businesses: "Keep work and personal feelings separate." Mixing the needs of the business with the emotions of family creates friction on both fronts. • • • "Been There, Run That" edited and introduced by Kay Koplovitz (Rosetta Press, $30). Koplovitz, founder of the USA cable network and now the head of a venture capital firm focused on women entrepre- neurship, curated advice from alumnae of her springboard program. Here are some insights: Denise Brosseau (CEO of Thought Leadership) — "Three ways to expand your future." 1. Share knowledge with staff tackling other parts of the same chal- lenge. 2. Use a peer network to discuss how to approach hurdles and identify alter- natives. 3. Become active in industry/trade associa- tions. The wider your scope of inquiry, the more doors you'll open. AlexAnndra Ontra (co-founder of Shufflr) — "Get more time to think." Create a daily to-do list by considering your goals for the day. Quality work time involves managing interruptions with wait, and mak- ing sure colleagues know you've blocked out times for email and voicemail. Take a break to "refresh, recalibrate and focus." Sarah Endline (CEO of sweetriot) — "How to move your product to market." You need a team that embraces and exe- cutes your vision, a cut-above product — and a comprehensive distribution strategy. Hire the best; invest in their development. Emphasize quality. Your target customers should provide the answer to the "Why these channels?" question. Distribution also involves post-sale support and product promotion, both of which help keep the reorder pipeline filled. Key takeaway: Muriel Siebert (1928-2013; former CEO of Siebert Financial) — "Take Stands. Take Risks. Take Responsibility." n Jim Pawlak is a nationally syndicated book reviewer. Jim Pawlak TALKING POINTS Common misconceptions that can destroy businesses By John Graham "D igital disruption makes a nice head- line," said an insurance executive, responding to a news report that insurance agents are being "squeezed" by the Internet. "The realities of the insurance business are a bit more complex than that," he said, assur- ing insurance agents that digital is no threat to their business. We like to think that what we do is impervious to disrup- tive forces. But the tipping points come and the longstanding pillars begin to crum- ble. Some try to hold on for dear life. Somehow or other, we believe we can beat the odds, that the storm will miss us, it's others who will be affected, but we'll be safe. Here are seven dirty tricks our minds play on us, and what we can do about them: 1. Customers for life. This is one of the most seductive ideas in business — and for good reason: We want to believe it. But no matter what we do, how hard we try, or how much we focus on meeting customer expecta- tions, customers aren't forever, they have a life expectancy. For one reason or another, they leave and there's no way to avoid it, no matter what we do. With changing needs and situations, it's unrealistic to think that we can keep custom- ers indefinitely. But what's even worse, the idea of "customers for life" dulls to the task of prospecting, or more properly, an active replacement program. 2. Some things just aren't that impor- tant. At least that's what we think. It's easy to remember all the good things we do for cus- tomers, helping them out when they're in a jam, extending credit, taking more time with them than necessary. And we expect them to appreciate our efforts. Not necessarily. Customers never forget small things. When a sign for a drycleaner was going up on a store, a woman rushed up to the compa- ny president. "I'll never go there," she yelled. "Ten years ago, you people lost my favorite blouse." It's a story she has undoubtedly repeated many times. Negative experiences are indelibly imprinted on customers' minds, unless we're sensitive enough to stop and address the complaint quickly to their satisfaction. 3. Falling in love with what we do. Aren't we supposed to love what we do? At least that's what the gurus tell us. "Be pas- sionate," they say. Perhaps, but former IBM and Apple head, Louis V. Gerstner, offers cau- tion. "Organizations tend to fall in love with their existing products and processes," he says. "People get caught up in the status quo. When someone says, we may have to change, there is real resistance." We want to keep on doing things our way. Because it seems safer, we reject anything and anyone who challenges it. We never seem to learn that it's the curious who thrive. 4. Understanding customers. "We know what our customers want. Many of them have been around for years." Such responses are often rather smug and off-putting. It's an attitude in businesses that have been around for years and view themselves as well-oiled machines. Joseph Jaffe of OnlineSpin notes that these companies and brands have stopped asking questions, including questioning themselves. He suggests that startups have the advantage because they're more curious and test new ideas, which keeps the focus on the customer. When we think we know our customers, this may be a sign that our minds are playing a dirty trick on us. 5. Thinking positively. Optimism is the quality that gets universal applause in busi- ness. A "we can do anything" attitude is revered and rewarded. It rouses us to action and drives away doubts. Some researchers say that a posi- tive attitude helps reduce stress, enhances cop- ing skills, and lengthens lifespan. So, what's not to like about positive think- ing. Just this. "Positive thinking fools our minds into perceiving that we've already attained our goal, slackening our readiness to pursue it," says Gabriele Oettingen, a New York University psychology professor. When it comes to reaching a goal, a better approach combines a positive attitude with recognizing the obstacles that stand in the way of getting there. Too often, those in marketing and sales fail because they see only the upside. 6. Doing enough for customers. Our minds seem well-trained to put the brakes on us. "That's far enough," they tell us, which is often evident when it comes to customer care. "How much more can we do? They're pushing us now," say owners and managers. While the mind may say, "Slow down," the customers want faster. Overnight deliv- ery doesn't cut it; free shipping is nearly the norm. The commercial says the quirky ducks pay claims in four days. That wasn't good enough for the AFLAC CEO, who announced one-day payment for qualifying claims. "Cof- fee runs" are over, at least at Starbucks. There's a better way for the business mind to work. "Recognition of the status quo in the past and the success we've had in the past, is not an entitlement," says Starbucks' CEO Howard Schultz. n John Graham of GrahamComm is a mar- keting and sales strategist-consultant and business writer. Contact him at jgraham@ grahamcomm.com, 617-774-9759 or johnr- graham.com. John Graham ▶ ▶ Commitment and passion will only take you so far. Maintaining the status quo won't grow your business. Take calculated risks.