Who and Where You Are
Understanding where to start.
1. Choose your generation.
2. Choose the statement underneath that best describes where you are in your business journey.
3. Discover possibilities and solutions – actions – for your business journey
4. Contact the Lionheart Team for an assessment of your business.
Born before
1964
Select below where you are today in your business journey:
“I want to own or run a new business now that I am out of corporate.”
The Possibilities:
You must learn the methods that use your unique strengths to build a successful business.
The Solutions:
Those methods will require you to research, plan, forecast, budget, manage and determine where you’ll need help.
“The business I started is not doing well and I believe I can run it better, but I think I need a little help. Profits are down.”
The Possibilities:
A simple assessment from our advisors is available to help define the steps you can take to correct your path.
The Solutions:
Our assessment will provide you with a list of corrective actions that you can take to solve your challenges, and a list of additional resources if needed.
“I work for a business that will not change even though they must. I have a ton of ideas on how to do it better.”
The Possibilities:
Perhaps you can leverage your knowledge and insights to create your own business, one that operates better!
The Solutions:
With proper guidance, converting strategic concepts into operational realities can be accomplished!
“My boss’s business could make a killing if he would just expand the product line. It is so simple that I could do it.”
The Possibilities:
Fact: For a business to sustain growth & profits long-term, it must continually seek ways to reinvent itself.
The Solutions:
Since you understand that moving into new markets and expanding services is necessary to thrive, go back to “New Ideas” above and follow those recommendations.
“I want to diversify and expand the products and services in my business.”
The Possibilities:
Research is required! Test your new ideas with a peer group and your potential customers – leverage their feedback.
The Solutions:
There are myriad of resources available. Find help among those who specialize in product marketing, diversification, expansion and budgeting.
Born between
1965 & 1980
Select below where you are today in your business journey:
“I have an idea on how to run a business better than my boss. I know there’s money to be made, so I want to start my own business.”
The Possibilities:
We know you want to do things your way, but getting the help, insight, information, support and tools from experienced entrepreneurs will ensure your success.
The Solutions:
Knowing what to do may be easy for you, but “how” to execute a business flawlessly always requires some additional help.
“My boss is screwing up and taking cash out. I may be out of a job very soon. Sales are flat-lining.”
The Possibilities:
You obviously understand the challenges, so should you consider starting your own business? A simple assessment is available to help you research, plan and execute a strong start-up!
The Solutions:
Mirroring a business can be accomplished if you avoid the mistakes of others, take the advice offered in your assessment, and don’t cut corners!
“The company I work for just started a new product and I know it is going to fail.”
The Possibilities:
You may have a better pulse on the market, so why not leverage all you know to start your own business?
The Solutions:
Research and planning are required! A simple assessment is available to help you consider all that must be done. Test your ideas in a peer group!
“I told management they could save a ton of money if they would just implement some of my ideas.”
The Possibilities:
If my manager would use my processes, we could save this place. I have the leadership skills to do this myself and on my own.
The Solutions:
Since you have the know-how and leadership skills, consider starting your own business. Read the “Solutions” section above for guidance.
“I foresee a set of related products and services that would out perform the company I work for.”
The Possibilities:
Seeing the next generation of products in the market, places you ahead of any potential competitor.
The Solutions:
Find help among those who specialize in market research, and the development of competitive advantages, then use an assessment to determine if you want to begin your own venture.
Born between
1981 & 1996
Select below where you are today in your business journey:
“I hate working for people and I want to run my own business. I have no interest in taking over my parent’s business.”
The Possibilities:
Succeeding in business is rare, so learn what you can from your parents, including how to avoid their challenges, then do some good research and planning to envision your own business.
The Solutions:
It’s easy to avoid “old” processes but only if you have a good set to replace them. Use our assessment and tools to discover what else you need to do to launch a sustainable busines.
“The owner of the business I work in does not know what she is doing so I just quit. I can do better myself!”
The Possibilities:
Succeeding in business is a great deal more difficult than it appears on the surface. Perhaps you are better suited to succeed than your former boss, but you must test your assumptions and discover where you’ll need help. No one can do it all alone!
The Solutions:
There is no better insight and guidance available than from those who have failed, then succeeded. You’ll find these valuable resources among Peer Groups and Advisors.
“My boss thinks she knows what my friends will buy, but man is she wrong! I could run a similar business more successfully if I had the capital.“
The Possibilities:
Capital is only available to those who have researched, planned and tested the market alongside their ideas. This can be accomplished with the help of a skilled advisor, but not likely successful without one.
The Solutions:
Utilize our simple assessment to determine where you’ll need help and/or new skills, and leverage a peer group for support, insight and direction.
“I could start that new business idea in my bedroom with only 1 hand on the computer!”
The Possibilities:
Contrary to popular belief, running even a simple business can be challenging. You must realize where your strengths are, then fill in the blind spots with occasional assistance from skilled people who you can working with.
The Solutions:
A brief assessment will provide you with personalized action items that you can take by yourself, to plan and launch a successful enterprise.
“I would create an online product set that would become all the rage!”
The Possibilities:
etting new standards for products, ease of use, and accessibility, often make consumers flock to these sites!
The Solutions:
You would be wise to leverage the
myriad of resources available, and find help among those who specialize in product positioning and market communications.
Born after
1996
Select below where you are today in your business journey:
“Is GoFundMe the best way to fund my new business idea?”
The Possibilities:
You must know what your obligations are to those who fund you – and realize that funding is just one step in getting started. Succeeding in business is complex, otherwise everyone would do it!
The Solutions:
Getting products or and services on-line and on social networks is great. Now you’ll need an advisor and/or peer group to help you determine how best to manage your enterprise.
“I believe I know what I am doing in my business. Do I need more friends help?”
The Possibilities:
No single individual has all the skills necessary to succeed in business – but be careful in working with friends! Their advice is only as strong as their bank account. Don’t copy mediocrity, you’re better off with independent voices.
The Solutions:
If Gates, Musk and
Zuckerberg rely on Advisors and Peer Groups, why wouldn’t you? Join Lionheart for access to amazing people and ideas!
“I know I can make some serious cash with this new app I just created.”
The Possibilities:
Revenue is terrific, as long as you can determine how to sustain and manage it properly. Do you know that successful businesses fail because of revenue mismanagement?
The Solutions:
Often the best learning, the best processes and the best advice comes from people just like you. They are easy to find in our Peer Review Boards!
“I have so many ideas that I should sell them! I could make millions just like those Tik-Tok personalities!”
The Possibilities:
Selling an idea is not like selling an old dining room table. There may be copyrights, intellectual property rights, or privacy agreements to investigate and secure, and specific legal language and documentation may be necessary.
The Solutions:
You must define and test a unique selling proposition which is legal and transparent. Unless you are an attorney, you’ll definitely need help with this!
“My apps could provide business ideas to tons of people my age who know how to leverage technology”
The Possibilities:
Now you’re thinking like an entrepreneur! Building collaboration and sharing ideas is great for the entire small business economy! Once you’ve secured the rights and representation that allows you to share your ideas, you can profit from them while helping other tech savvy entrepreneurs build your products or start their own businesses.
The Solutions:
Whether you sell your ideas outright, contract with others for co-development, or even consider a franchise model, there are a myriad of resources available to you as a member of Lionheart.
Thompson Stimpel is the Founder & Managing Director of Proactive Business Improvements, LLC – a global business advisory group founded in 2002. As a transformational leader with more than 40 years of multi-product, multi-market, multi-national experience, Thom is acknowledged for his unique ability to convert “strategic concepts” into “operational realities”.
