Are you not quite satisfied with business but can't figure out what's missing? Do you have a ton to do and have no idea where to start? Would you like to know with each step you take you're heading in the right direction? Would you like to narrow your "to do" list down to a few key items and let go of the rest? Would you like to work smarter, not harder?
The framework below will help you do just that. It will help you find your focus so you can do what you want to do and feel great about your life while you're doing it.
FOCUS Framework
Find Your Passion: Uncover the "one" thing that entrepeneurs care about most and the emotional reason you want to succeed as an entrepreneur.
Organize Your Team: An entrepreneur may have a revelation but their team most certainly hasn't. Learn to effectively communicate a new directive to the team and get members to "buy-in".
Commit To A Plan: Generate a plan that you and your team can follow with measurable milestones a complete list of action steps.
Utilize Mentors: Learn who are the five types of people every entrepreneur should keep around them if they sincerely want to succeed in business.
Suspend Your Desbelief: Uncover how to master the internal psychological tactics that are pivotal to pushing past barriers, blocks, and beliefs preventing entrepreneurial greatness.
Tip: only focus on 1 or 2 things at a time. Don't try to do everything at once. That will just lead to overwhelm. Give yourself a chance to worker smarter and you will get more done.
This framework will inspire you to TAKE ACTION. Nothing happens without it. In order to create the life you want you have to give your dreams, heart and spirit a voice and space in your life. However, this alone won't make things happen. You have to channel all these things into a clear course of action.
Instead of jumping into your "to do" list, take some time to reflect upon FOCUS. By doing so you'll put yourself on a life and/or business path that reflects more of what you really want. Determine your FOCUS first and you'll live a fuller, richer life.
2. What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Sponsored
By...
Research
By...
Primus Chuks Igboaka, PhD., MBA.
Tuesday, April 8, 14
3. Why
Did
We
Commission
A
Study?
Great
results
are
driven
by
data
65%
of
entrepreneurs
believe
they
will
perform
in
top
20%
Want
to
give
Hometown
Hoyas
a
leg
up.
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Tuesday, April 8, 14
4. Areas
Covered
CURRENT
LANDSCAPE
FOR
ENTREPRENEURS
IN
2014
THE
TOP
TRAITS
OF
SUCCESSFUL
ENTREPRENEURS
EXPOSING
THE
COMMON
MYTHS
&
MIND
BLOCKS
ABOUT
BECOMING
A
GREAT
ENTREPRENEUR
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Tuesday, April 8, 14
5. Rules
QuesZons
at
the
end
Take
a
break
from
social
networks
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Tuesday, April 8, 14
7. Reasons
Entrepreneurs
Want
To
Be
Great
Solve
an
important
problem
Capitalize
on
an
original
business
idea
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Be
own
boss
Can’t
find
a
job
in
this
economy
Build
Wealth
Tuesday, April 8, 14
8. The
Entrepreneur’s
Revenue
Reality
95%
never
produce
$1
million
in
revenue
Only
.8%
reach
$5
million
Only
1.8%
of
those
reach
$10MM
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
$0 $100k $500K $1MM $5MM$50k
0.08
Source: Glasner, Joanna. "Top Venture Capital Trends of 2013." Reuters Venture Capital Journal. Reuters,
21 Sept. 2013. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.
Tuesday, April 8, 14
9. Entrepreneurship
By
The
Numbers
512,000
new
companies
started
each
month
29%
started
by
entrepreneurs
under
30
Over
90%
are
self
funded
or
bootstrapped
99.78%
fail
within
3
years
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Source: Carlton, T. "Forum for Innovation." U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. US Chamber
of Commerce, Sept.-Oct. 202. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.
Tuesday, April 8, 14
10. What
about
venture
backed
CEOs?
70%
never
return
original
investment
60%
are
dead
by
age
3.
35%
dead
by
age
10
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Source: Gage, Deborah. "The Venture Capital Secret: 3 Out of 4 Start-Ups Fail." The Wall Street
Journal. Dow Jones & Company, 12 Sept. 2012. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.
Tuesday, April 8, 14
11. Some
PerspecZve...
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Tuesday, April 8, 14
12. Some
PerspecZve...
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Tuesday, April 8, 14
13. So
if
funding
isn’t
a
predictor
of
greatness,
what
is?
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Tuesday, April 8, 14
14. What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Tuesday, April 8, 14
15. Entrepreneur
“A
person
who
organizes
and
manages
any
enterprise,
especially
a
business,
usually
with
considerable
iniPaPve
and
risk.”
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Source: Pedia, Wiki. "Entrepreneurship." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 04 June 2014. Web. 06 Apr. 2014.
Tuesday, April 8, 14
16. Business
“A
series
of
systems
that
(1)
creates
or
provides
something
of
value
that
(2)
other
people
want
or
need
(3)
at
a
price
they’re
willing
to
pay,
in
a
way
that
(4)
saPsfies
the
purchaser’s
needs
and
expectaPons
and
(5)
provides
the
business
sufficient
revenue
to
make
it
worthwhile
for
the
owners
to
conPnue
operaPon.”
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Source: Kaufman, Josh. The Personal MBA: A World-class Business Education in a Single
Volume. New York: Portfolio Penguin, 2010. Print.
Tuesday, April 8, 14
17. What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Tuesday, April 8, 14
18. Traits
Of
Great
EntrepreneursACTION
ORIENTED
PASSIONATE VISIONARY
DISCIPLINED
PIG
HEADED
DISCIPLINE
FOCUSED
RISK
TAKER
LIFELONG
LEARNER
PEOPLE
SKILLS
CREATIVE
FLUID
INTELLIGENCE
CONFIDENT
Leader
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Tuesday, April 8, 14
19. Top
5
QualiZes
Of
Great
Entrepreneurs
Professional
Experience
CreaPve/PosiPve
Thinking
Fluid
Intelligence
Flexibility/Agreeableness
Resourcefulness
1
2
3
4
5
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Source: Graham, Paul. "What We Look for in Founders." What We Look for in Founders. Y
Combinator, 10 Oct. 2010. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.
Tuesday, April 8, 14
20. Professional
Experience
28+
years
old
6+
years
experience
in
industry
Project
complePon
experience
Management
experience
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Tuesday, April 8, 14
21. CreaZve/PosiZve
Thinking
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
OpPmisPc
IntuiPve
Outside
The
Box
1
2
3
Can
you
see
the
opportunity
hidden
in
every
challenge??
Tuesday, April 8, 14
22. Fluid
Intelligence
Paaern
recogniPon
Logic
Abstract
Thinking
1
2
3
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Can
you
quickly
learn
a
rule
set
and
apply
it
to
a
novel
problem?
Tuesday, April 8, 14
24. Fluid
Intelligence
Paaern
recogniPon
Logic
Abstract
Thinking
1
2
3
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Can
you
quickly
learn
a
rule
set
and
apply
it
to
a
novel
problem?
Tuesday, April 8, 14
25. Fluid
Intelligence
Paaern
recogniPon
Logic
Abstract
Thinking
1
2
3
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Can
you
quickly
learn
a
rule
set
and
apply
it
to
a
novel
problem?
Tuesday, April 8, 14
26. Fluid
Intelligence
Paaern
recogniPon
Logic
Abstract
Thinking
1
2
3
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Can
you
quickly
learn
a
rule
set
and
apply
it
to
a
novel
problem?
Tuesday, April 8, 14
27. Fluid
Intelligence
Paaern
recogniPon
Logic
Abstract
Thinking
1
2
3
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Can
you
quickly
learn
a
rule
set
and
apply
it
to
a
novel
problem?
Mama
Ushauri
Tuesday, April 8, 14
28. Resourcefulness
Access
to
important
resources
Can
ask
others
for
help
Pig
headed
discipline
1
2
3
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Can
you
complete
the
job
with
what
you
have
or
quickly
find
the
resources?
Tuesday, April 8, 14
29. Resourcefulness
Access
to
important
resources
Can
ask
others
for
help
Pig
headed
discipline
1
2
3
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Can
you
complete
the
job
with
what
you
have
or
quickly
find
the
resources?
Tuesday, April 8, 14
30. Resourcefulness
Access
to
important
resources
Can
ask
others
for
help
Pig
headed
discipline
1
2
3
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Can
you
complete
the
job
with
what
you
have
or
quickly
find
the
resources?
Tuesday, April 8, 14
31. Resourcefulness
Access
to
important
resources
Can
ask
others
for
help
Pig
headed
discipline
1
2
3
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Can
you
complete
the
job
with
what
you
have
or
quickly
find
the
resources?
Tuesday, April 8, 14
32. Resourcefulness
Access
to
important
resources
Can
ask
others
for
help
Pig
headed
discipline
1
2
3
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Can
you
complete
the
job
with
what
you
have
or
quickly
find
the
resources?
Tuesday, April 8, 14
33. Resourcefulness
Access
to
important
resources
Can
ask
others
for
help
Pig
headed
discipline
1
2
3
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Can
you
complete
the
job
with
what
you
have
or
quickly
find
the
resources?
Tuesday, April 8, 14
34. Resourcefulness
Access
to
important
resources
Can
ask
others
for
help
Pig
headed
discipline
1
2
3
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Can
you
complete
the
job
with
what
you
have
or
quickly
find
the
resources?
Tuesday, April 8, 14
35. Resourcefulness
Access
to
important
resources
Can
ask
others
for
help
Pig
headed
discipline
1
2
3
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Can
you
complete
the
job
with
what
you
have
or
quickly
find
the
resources?
Tuesday, April 8, 14
36. Resourcefulness
Access
to
important
resources
Can
ask
others
for
help
Pig
headed
discipline
1
2
3
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Can
you
complete
the
job
with
what
you
have
or
quickly
find
the
resources?
Tuesday, April 8, 14
37. Resourcefulness
Access
to
important
resources
Can
ask
others
for
help
Pig
headed
discipline
1
2
3
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Can
you
complete
the
job
with
what
you
have
or
quickly
find
the
resources?
Tuesday, April 8, 14
38. Resourcefulness
Access
to
important
resources
Can
ask
others
for
help
Pig
headed
discipline
1
2
3
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Can
you
complete
the
job
with
what
you
have
or
quickly
find
the
resources?
Tuesday, April 8, 14
39. Resourcefulness
Access
to
important
resources
Can
ask
others
for
help
Pig
headed
discipline
1
2
3
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Can
you
complete
the
job
with
what
you
have
or
quickly
find
the
resources?
Tuesday, April 8, 14
40. What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
rarely
occurs
without
a
compelling
enough
reason
to
get
where
you’re
going...
Tuesday, April 8, 14
42. QuesZons
To
Know
You’re
On
The
Right
Track
Outcome Reason
Massive
AcZon
Plan
What
is
my
outcome?
How
can
I
take
massive
acZon?
What
is
my
big
reason
why?
1
3
2
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Tuesday, April 8, 14
43. Finding
Your
FOCUS
1 2
36
5 4
Find
Your
Passion
Organize
Your
Team
Commit
To
A
Plan
FIND
PASSION
ORGANIZE
TEAM
BELIEVE MENTORS
REPEAT PLAN
UPlize
Mentors
Suspend
Your
Disbelief
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Tuesday, April 8, 14
44. Which
will
you
focus
on
first?
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Tuesday, April 8, 14
45. THANK
YOU
!
GET
IN
TOUCH
Social
Media
facebook.com/marcushowardhq
twider.com/marcushowardhq
Tuesday, April 8, 14
46. I
Would
Like
To
Publicly
Thank...
Professor
Mike
Ryan
Dean
McWade
Professor
Finnerty
Fundamentals
of
Finance Dean
of
Student
Financial
Services Entrepreneurship
Professor
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Tuesday, April 8, 14
47. Companies
(Co)Founded
By
Hoyas
What
The
Classroom
Doesn’t
Teach:
How
To
Become
A
Great
Entrepreneur
Tuesday, April 8, 14