Entrepreneurs – Anyone Can Do It!

Today I have something a bit different for you – A Book Review for Entrepreneurs – Anyone Can Do It – Building Coffee Republic from our kitchen table by Sahar & Bobby Hashemi

Now you all know I love my caffeine and I also love being in business so what better combination than a book that is about both!

Let me introduce you to Dawn Campbell.  I was fortunate enough to be mentored by Dawn Campbell when undergoing my training with Noble Manhattan.  She taught me a LOT!  She is extremely knowledgeable in her field, very challenging and encouraging as a mentor (which I like – she calls a spade a spade) and she helped me see the potential that you can have as a coach if you just keep going, keep practicing and keep learning.  I think one of the biggest takeaways I got from Dawn was that coaching isn’t just about knowing about coaching.  It’s about learning all sorts of different things so that you can become a well-rounded coach, knowing enough to be able to understand more about your clients and what their challenges might be, without giving advice.

Anyway, I will pass you over to Dawn now to share her book review and will be interviewing her in a future post as part of my ‘Be My Guest’ Series soon, so you can learn more about her then.

57 real-life laws on entrepreneurship

A really enjoyable read and probably a must read for anyone setting up within the service industry.   The authors take us on a journey; a journey that is written in the form of a diary. It details every action and meticulous thought process of exactly how they achieved their dream of delivering a quality product that coffee lovers appreciate.

They share exactly what was involved from moving from point A – giving up well-paid jobs and taking massive risks to point B – creating and selling the best coffee chain in Britain.

Whilst not everyone reading this will have the same lofty ambitions, it’s a fascinating read nonetheless. Consequently, some of the finer details such as ‘raising funds’ may not need to be absorbed. If you strip that out and some of the many diary pages, it’s a fairly quick and entertaining read.

The book starts with what it takes to become an entrepreneur; turning ideas into reality; writing that all important business plan; raising funds; the nail-biting implementation stage and then making your mark by building the brand. Finally, growing, selling and moving on.

It all starts with what’s the big ‘idea’, without which, it’s difficult to become a successful entrepreneur. They explore in some detail the characteristics of an entrepreneur and come to the conclusion, anyone can be one; if they have a dream they feel passionately enough about to pursue. It’s passion that makes entrepreneurs behave the way they do.

The rest is a process anyone can learn. The tools of the trade include commitment, willingness, dedication, determination, persistence, creativity and being able to stay the course when the going gets tough which it will. Not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur, it’s a lifestyle choice and I’d agree with that. Not least because ‘the failure rate is 99%’ and wanting to get rich isn’t a good enough reason to start a business, again, it comes back to the passion.

Once the idea (light bulb moment) appears, and it doesn’t have be a new idea, just something that can be delivered differently / better, it will gain momentum and drive you forward. You need to be certain from a customer’s perspective that it’s an idea that is filling a gap in the market and solving their issue rather than simply being something you want / believe in.

Their advice at this stage is to jump right in and ‘get started’ with market research to back up your gut feeling for your idea to the point you’ve become a ‘Zulu expert’. Also to learn from your competitors everything you can which can only better prepare you for the challenges ahead.

Throughout the book, there are plenty of exercises to do which will take you every step of the way, like how to do really thorough market research; how to find the right name your company; how to brand your idea; how to do gorilla marketing; how to write a winning business plan and how the quality of your implementation determines your success.

Additionally, the importance of keeping control of the situation including remembering to care of yourself during this busy time is key to your branding. Especially if seeking outside financial support. Sourcing and looking after your staff, selecting the right suppliers and being aware of and noticing market changes to avoid being unnecessarily vulnerable. Finally, what to do with the business when you realise you’ve outgrown the market and or need the business to evolve.  As you probably know, they sold theirs on and are now millionaires and motivational public speakers.  Dawn

For more of my health and or business book reviews contact

Dawn Campbell
Business & Personal Coach CECI, MNMC, AMC
Master Coach, Mentor, Holistic Practitioner, Author, Editor

Trail Experiences – http://www.walkasyoutalk.com

Personal & Business books – http://dialaguru.eu

http://holisticwholeness.com/radio-shows

Thanks Dawn for the great book review.  I know that I actually have this one on my book shelf so will dust it off and give it another read through!

In continuing the theme of books Dawn recently asked me to co-author a Dial-a-Guru book as part of a series of books so if you’re a budding author or just want to get writing but don’t know where to start then have a chat with Dawn.  I’m going to be writing all about being fabulous in business and life – no surprise there then!