Page 88 - The Bootstrapper Bible

ChangeThis A few hours a week ought to net you a group of 100 or more peers who will benefit from your efforts as much as youʼll benefit from theirs. Another alternative is a more organized peer group. You can start one yourself or join an existing one. The Young Presidentʼs Organization (YPO) does this for entrepreneurs under 40 with pretty significant companies. Other groups include your local chamber of commerce or local CEO clubs. A warning about the organized groups: Be sure to join one thatʼs as upbeat and enabling as you are. It does you no good to sit around complaining about employees and banks and cus- tomers. You need to surround yourself with people who have succeeded and are still enjoying the ride. I was lucky enough to be invited to address a monthly dinner club with people like that—six people who meet in Manhattan to trade war stories, play a little poker, and hear from guest speakers who can teach them something. All the group members took time to tell me how much the club had helped them build their businesses. RULE 6: BEWARE OF SHARED OWNERSHIP (OR, WHY RINGO WAS THE LUCKIEST BEATLE) This section might save you a fortune. It can certainly save your business. The medicine in it may seem hard to swallow, but Iʼve been there, and so have a lot of other entrepreneurs. In Bargaining Games, J. Keith Murnighan takes us through a very neat thought experiment: Imagine receiving a phone call from a respected attorney. She tells you, “Iʼm sending you a ticket to France on the Concorde. Next week, on Thursday, at 5 pm, youʼre to meet someone somewhere in Paris. You donʼt know who that person is. You donʼt know where to meet them. | iss. 6.01 | i | U | X | + | Receive fresh manifestos twice a month. GET our free newsletter. h 88/103 f