24 Sep September 24, 2012 – Zig Zag to Profit with Rich Christiansen
Guest: Rich Christiansen, Serial Entrepreneur and Author of The ZigZag Principal
I recommend The ZigZag Principal, so was excited Rich agreed to be our guest today. The book argues that new companies should not go straight toward their goal, but find a profitable zig, first step that helps you get to that goal. Rich has founded or co-founded 33 business, each with less than $10K. Of those, 11 were complete failures, but 12 have become multimillion-dollar companies. He describes himself as “a perfectly good technology executive turned entrepreneur” from his time at Mitsubishi Electric, About.com, and Novell. The book was a USA Today bestseller.
What you will learn:
- The simplicity of a straight line can be seductive. But it’s not a realistic way to go about achieving your goals because you will always come upon unexpected obstacles in the road.
- Zigzagging is a law of nature. Imagine hiking straight up a mountain face or skiing straight down a mountain. Either will put you in danger, but if you zigzag, you can get to your destination safely.
- Zigzagging requires you to be nimble and flexible, to “bootstrap,” and to be able to take advantage of multiple opportunities.
- Rich has spent his time in the trenches with more than 30 of his own businesses refining this model for success.
- The three major components of zigzagging are:
- Drive to profitability
- Add processes and resources
- Add a scale element
- By zigzagging with your business, you will increase your odds of success and be able to find balance in your business life and personal life.
Great stuff, enjoy.
