Let me introduce you to the Entrepreneur Type Scale:
I believe all business owners can be placed somewhere along a scale:
- At one extreme of the scale are the Sales Entrepreneurs.
- And at the other end are the Delivery Entrepreneurs.
Few business owners are at either of the extremes of the scale, and that’s a good thing, because at either of the extremes it is very difficult to build a Beautiful Business that Stands the Test of Time.
Being one or the other type is neither better or worse, but it is useful to ask yourself where you sit on the scale, because Sales Entrepreneurs have different challenges and build different businesses than Delivery Entrepreneurs do.
This is what life looks like at the extremes:
Sales Entrepreneurs:
Sales Entrepreneurs generally build businesses that grow fast or fail fast. They chase the clients and the contracts. When they can’t meet demand for their product, they consider it “A Good Problem to Have”.
Sales entrepreneurs are passionate about closing deals, about pulling rabbits out of hats, about juggling 10 balls at once. They think quicker than anyone else around them; they have charisma; they operate on instinct; they over-promise, and trust they’ll be able to solve the problems created by their over-promising later.
When things go well for Sales-Entrepreneurs, they go very very well, and when they don’t, they DON’T. Books with exciting titles (Screw it let’s Do it”) are written about sales entrepreneurs, and the ones who make it become famous and are models of inspiration for millions (Richard Branson), while the ones who don’t are vilified (Alan Bond).
Sales Entrepreneurs are the rock stars of the business world.
Delivery Entrepreneurs
At the other end of the scale are Delivery Entrepreneurs. We tend not to hear about them as much as we hear about Sales Entrepreneurs, because they just don’t have the same “Sex-Appeal” that Sales Entrepreneurs have.
Delivery Entrepreneurs are the type who roll up their sleeves and are fond of saying: “If you want a thing done properly, you’ve got to do it yourself.”
Businesses built by Delivery Entrepreneurs grow more slowly. Their businesses might become just as successful in the end, but they take much longer to get there. And when they fail, they do so by getting stuck, rather than collapsing in a big heap. They develop lead feet and frustrate the hell out of everyone, rather than leave burning wrecks in their wake.
Delivery Entrepreneurs are passionate about the product (or service) of their business; They themselves are often experts in relation to that product or service (Think architects, designers, software developers, tradespeople, lawyers, etc). Their businesses grow, because customers get to love their product and in turn they tell their friends who tell their friends etc.
Business-Life Coaching
As a Business-Life Coach, I specialise in working with business owners who sit on the Delivery half of the scale.
I’ve always been a Delivery-Entrepreneur myself. When I owned a building company, I was a builder first and an entrepreneur second. I was passionate about building great buildings for my clients; on time, on budget and looking gorgeous. These days, I still often drive past houses, I and my building company built, and think back to handing them over to our clients with great pride. Still now, as a coach and mentor, I obsess about how to best deliver my coaching and mentoring programs, before I worry about how to sell them.
And so, not surprisingly, most of the clients I attract are of the same bent. Extreme Sales Entrepreneurs come to my website and wonder why the words “Business Growth” aren’t more prominently featured on the home page, as that’s the only thing that keeps them awake nights.
Why your business gets stuck
And that suits me fine to be honest, because if you are a Delivery Entrepreneur, I get you. I know precisely what goes on for you. I know about the reasons your business gets stuck sometimes. I know about your sense of overwhelm, and frustrations and I know how to get past them.
If you’re a Delivery Entrepreneur, I’ve written a series of posts specially for you, called “The Ten Priorities: The Foundations of Building a Great Business and Life”. I will publish the Ten Priorities in serialised form over the next 11 weeks on the blog. You can find the whole collection of these posts by searching for Ten Priorities in the category box in the right hand column of the main blog page here
I look forward to discussing it with you. Gaining deeper insight on yourself, on who you are is the key to building a Great Business that Stands the Test of Time… I promise you.