You have to walk to walk.
Imagine learning calligraphy over the phone without ever seeing the letters of the alphabet or writing them, only through descriptions. Our phone-teacher would describe the letter “a” in great detail, and then all the other letters of the alphabet. At the end of this semester, and with a hefty phone bill, imagine being invited to take a written test, writing all the letters of the alphabet. It would be impossible.
No amount of theory is enough when it comes to starting a business. Two aspiring entrepreneurs are equally admissible, one who has only read a single book before starting their business and the other who has taken an entire Business Management course. The truth is, both need practice. Both will make the same gross mistakes, regardless of one having studied in detail all possible mistakes before inevitably making them.
This is because we respond better to wounds and the scars they leave, and not to the notion of a potential wound, potential pain, or potential scar. The difference between a child who was only threatened with a beating throughout their childhood and a child who was actually beaten is that the one who was beaten is less likely to make a mistake worthy of a big beating.
There is a significant difference between knowing the importance of marketing for our store and sitting every day without receiving a single customer, feeling compelled to do marketing at any cost. The wound of lack of customers and the risk of death for our business is the best marketing teacher there is. Every other teacher will only reinforce the lessons of this great teacher that is practice, the real world.
Study through practice and perfect your knowledge with theory. To enroll in the school of practice, to start your entrepreneurial career, open your business. It’s as simple as that. It’s not a motivational issue per se. The need for motivation to do things is a drug. It didn’t exist for the last 99.9999% of humanity’s existence. The need for motivation began in the 1950s with the advent of this modern and consumerist era. It’s not that we need motivation, it’s that we have too much dopamine lodged in our brain. We have too much pleasure and distraction at our disposal. Doing anything that doesn’t cause easy pleasure or give easy returns is a great effort. An effort that the brain sees as unnecessary because we are already satisfied. Maybe that’s why all those motivational gurus tell us to stay hungry.
Despise pleasure. Despise the things that make you feel good. If you want to start a business, start it. That’s how you start a business. If you want to succeed with your business, don’t stop studying theories and case studies while managing your business. Use results that others have tested. And use our software, Gerente Digital, to know your profit and grow your business.
Stélio Inácio
The Entrepreneurial Experience
Day 2