A great way to start this series Monica! I love the idea of discovering your personality type BEFORE you get started. This is commonly overlooked as most of the time you think you are supposed to completely focus on getting the BUSINESS started and not starting with looking at yourself and if you can create, build, and manage the business you have in mind!
I also like the point of identifying the weaknesses of the personality type so you can create plan of action for how to solve them. I'd say treat it like a business problem. These “weaknesses” are threats to the success of your business, so why would you not one to fix/solve them as soon as possible before they create what I call “damage points” that end up hurting your business.
Weaknesses are a bit like a business problem, and you have to compensate for them in a small business because they amplify themselves. If you are starting a business with founders, you have to get founders whose strengths compensate for your weaknesses.
1) mPower Consulting – boutique strategic marketing consultancy for SMB's 2) B2B Guidebook – (partnered) direct-mail catalog/web portal to promote and advertise B2B businesses
I also agree with needing something to compensate for your weaknesses. In the case of B2B Guidebook where I am a part-owner, my partners fill in my gaps. In the case of my firm mPower Consulting, I have aligned myself with other businesses in the area who not only can fill my service gaps to clients, but we are starting to regularly meet together to who educate and grow one another to hopefully smooth out those weaknesses in one another.
Hey Monica! Long time, no chat. I'm way excited to see what the next sixty days bring.
I do want to chime in with a quick comment… I can't say that I agree with you that the first step should be learning about your weaknesses. If you want to get a businesses profitable as quickly as possible, you should focus on A) what you're good at, B) what people will pay you for, and find the few things that satisfy both of those categories.
That will help you decide how to make money. That is something a lot of people struggle with if they want to break into the entreprenurial world.
I totally agree that being aware of your weaknesses is extremely important. But weaknesses aren't something that you can just 'solve.' They're probably going to stick with you for a very long time.
You've personally probably spent a lot of time figuring out what you're interested in and how to make money from it … Now that you know that and know how to generate revenue, you can focus on putting systems in place to deal with your weaknesses. But none of that matters if you don't know how to turn a profit.
I like your methods. In some ways, discovering your weaknesses also helps you discover your strengths, which is similar to A). I think people will approach the task differently, and while working on your weaknesses isn't always the very first step, it should be one of the first. (I'm probably not going to go in order for the series, since I haven't planned it all out yet.)
I do like your criteria though. I always think of the big three 1) What you're good at, 2) What you're interested in, and 3) What people will pay you for. #2 is important because most people are already doing 1 & 3 – it's often their day job.
I love the idea of finding out about your personality first. (Why try to force a square peg in a round hole?)
My results say: ENTJ “The Executive” / Field Marshal (Only 2% of the population is this type).
The type relationships are interesting too, as they give you a way to see who can help you, and with what. For example, your type is listed as the “Complement” to my type. It says that means “compatible strengths with opposite emphases.” Pretty cool, huh? Now I know why I enjoyed your interview with Jun Loayza (awhile back) so much when I first discovered his site.
Great series you're working on. I'm new to the entrepreneurship/blogging world, so now I know who to look to as my “market leader.” Thanks!
Wow, Ryan, that's a kind compliment! ENTJ is such an interesting personality type. You will likely go far in the business world – most CEOs have ENTJ personalities.
And I'm glad you enjoyed the interview with Jun! He's a good friend of mine.
Monica O'Brien is the Director of Digital at Fizz and author of the book Social Pollination, which helps businesses leverage social media for crazy growth!
Monica O'Brien is the Director of Digital at Fizz and author of the book Social Pollination, which helps businesses leverage social media for crazy growth!
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
A great way to start this series Monica! I love the idea of discovering your personality type BEFORE you get started. This is commonly overlooked as most of the time you think you are supposed to completely focus on getting the BUSINESS started and not starting with looking at yourself and if you can create, build, and manage the business you have in mind!
I also like the point of identifying the weaknesses of the personality type so you can create plan of action for how to solve them. I'd say treat it like a business problem. These “weaknesses” are threats to the success of your business, so why would you not one to fix/solve them as soon as possible before they create what I call “damage points” that end up hurting your business.
I'm looking forward to this series!
Great post Monica. I'm looking forward to this series and will be following it closely. I know I can expect some great things to come.
Weaknesses are a bit like a business problem, and you have to compensate for them in a small business because they amplify themselves. If you are starting a business with founders, you have to get founders whose strengths compensate for your weaknesses.
Thanks for the comment. Do you own a business?
Thanks Scott! I appreciate the support.
I do, I have two.
1) mPower Consulting – boutique strategic marketing consultancy for SMB's
2) B2B Guidebook – (partnered) direct-mail catalog/web portal to promote and advertise B2B businesses
I also agree with needing something to compensate for your weaknesses. In the case of B2B Guidebook where I am a part-owner, my partners fill in my gaps. In the case of my firm mPower Consulting, I have aligned myself with other businesses in the area who not only can fill my service gaps to clients, but we are starting to regularly meet together to who educate and grow one another to hopefully smooth out those weaknesses in one another.
Hey Monica! Long time, no chat.
I'm way excited to see what the next sixty days bring.
I do want to chime in with a quick comment… I can't say that I agree with you that the first step should be learning about your weaknesses. If you want to get a businesses profitable as quickly as possible, you should focus on A) what you're good at, B) what people will pay you for, and find the few things that satisfy both of those categories.
That will help you decide how to make money. That is something a lot of people struggle with if they want to break into the entreprenurial world.
I totally agree that being aware of your weaknesses is extremely important. But weaknesses aren't something that you can just 'solve.' They're probably going to stick with you for a very long time.
You've personally probably spent a lot of time figuring out what you're interested in and how to make money from it … Now that you know that and know how to generate revenue, you can focus on putting systems in place to deal with your weaknesses. But none of that matters if you don't know how to turn a profit.
Thoughts?
Andy,
I like your methods. In some ways, discovering your weaknesses also helps you discover your strengths, which is similar to A). I think people will approach the task differently, and while working on your weaknesses isn't always the very first step, it should be one of the first. (I'm probably not going to go in order for the series, since I haven't planned it all out yet.)
I do like your criteria though. I always think of the big three 1) What you're good at, 2) What you're interested in, and 3) What people will pay you for. #2 is important because most people are already doing 1 & 3 – it's often their day job.
I love the idea of finding out about your personality first. (Why try to force a square peg in a round hole?)
My results say: ENTJ “The Executive” / Field Marshal (Only 2% of the population is this type).
The type relationships are interesting too, as they give you a way to see who can help you, and with what. For example, your type is listed as the “Complement” to my type. It says that means “compatible strengths with opposite emphases.” Pretty cool, huh? Now I know why I enjoyed your interview with Jun Loayza (awhile back) so much when I first discovered his site.
Great series you're working on. I'm new to the entrepreneurship/blogging world, so now I know who to look to as my “market leader.” Thanks!
Wow, Ryan, that's a kind compliment! ENTJ is such an interesting personality type. You will likely go far in the business world – most CEOs have ENTJ personalities.
And I'm glad you enjoyed the interview with Jun! He's a good friend of mine.