You can gain from the wisdom of Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton, considered by many to be the greatest scientist who ever lived, said something quite profound. It is something which was true in his day, and it is a principle which will be true forever. If we remember this saying, we can also accomplish great things ourselves. Isaac Newton said this:

"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants."

That is, he didn't say "I did it all by myself". He stood on the shoulders of giants. That was by learning from their earlier work. From studying what they did. And then, by building on it.

To be effective in business, it's the same principle. Most successful business people had others who they learned from. Those people could have been their parents (if they were in business themselves), or some other family member, or perhaps a friend of the family, or simply someone they ran into in the course of starting up a business.

One thing which is true is that, if you want to meet other entrepreneurs, the best way is to start a business yourself! One entrepreneur will respect you more if you are already in business for yourself. That's proof that you are actually doing it - you are beyond the talking about it stage. Some people can stay stuck in the talking about it stage their whole lives. They wish to go into business, but it was more of a fantasy. Their desire was not strong enough to push them to make it a reality.

If you want to go into business - and if you haven't already - I suggest just do it. Do it in a small scale way. That's what I did....

My first business web site was something called Entrepreneur-Web, it was a list of resources for entrepreneurs. I figured I could make some money through selling various ebooks as an affiliate - and I did make some money that way. Making a sale is exciting - I find it as exciting now as I did then. The key is, I created Entrepreneur-Web part time, while I was working my job.

Not only did it help me get my "feet wet" by dipping my toe in the water, it also gave me credibility. When it came to talking to other entrepreneurs, I had something I could point to, as proof that I was serious. If you want other entrepreneurs to have time for you, then you have to be willing to prove that you are serious. There are too many people out there who are unfortunately not serious enough, and you have to prove that you are not one of these. That you are willing to act on the advice that you get - that you are beyond the just talking about it stage.

The reason you will want to talk to other entrepreneurs is so you can do what Isaac Newton did - so you can stand on the shoulders of giants. Don't reinvent the wheel. Learn from what others have already achieved. It's a lot easier that way.

There are many ways you can do this. One way is simply by talking to people, such as on a forum like this one. Many people make friends "behind the scenes" through email contact, not only by discussing on the forum. What you see in public here is really only the tip of the iceberg. The rest goes on "behind the scenes" in private email.

Another way is through the power of joint venture. That is, working together with someone on a project. You both must contribute - you can't expect to get a "free ride" - it doesn't work that way. If you're not willing to do part of the work, a joint venture will not work. And if you are the "junior" partner, you should expect to do a substantial part of the work. The amount you learn from your more experienced mentor will more than make up for the extra effort you may be putting in.

I have learned both these ways, and I recommend them. I would like to see all who visit this forum to get beyond the talking about it stage and go further. You need the attitude of Richard Branson - who's attitude is, "Screw it, let's do it!". Though of course, take care of your down side first.

The key, though, is to do something first. Get your toe in the water. Sell something - anything. Even just sell some stuff you have lying around on eBay. Then take it from there!

- Dien Rice


...and this is a good source for business ideas that really work