Diamonds in the Rough- Not What You Think!

The other day I met with an amazing young business owner. She is in her early twenties, charismatic, passionate about people, and has a vision for success.
Throughout our two hour conversation, she reminded me of several other young entrepreneurs that I have had the pleasure to meet with over my past seven years of business ownership.

People of my generation, I'm 61, often refer to Gen-y'rs" aka the "Millennials" as those lazy young people who expect to succeed without working hard. I know this, because I am guilty of it. Shame on us.
While I am sure there is some truth to our prejudice, that statement is a common thread in every generation, including mine.

Here are Seven Tips to help you identify "Millennials" that are Diamonds in the Rough- Today's Successful Young Entrepreneurs:

1. You schedule your first meeting with them and they show up and arrive on time!
2. During that first meeting, you recognize that they understand the importance of building relationships and are not trying to "sell" to you.
3. They have a vision and can articulate it.
4. People that have helped them,  are identified as their heroes throughout the conversation, and they credit them for their success.
5. You leave the meeting having learned something that you did not know yesterday.
6. You are intrigued by the fact that this young person inspired you, and rekindled your passion for your own success.
7. Finally, you realize that you were wrong about "Those Millennials" and are compelled to blog about it!
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Wait...What?!

A collection of  "Really?!" one-liners,  business owners or potential business owners have shared with me in my complimentary consultation sessions. Many became clients and I have helped them. The rest? Oh well,  I hope they found help somewhere.

Here we go...

"Do I really need a logo and branding, I thought only big businesses had that."

"Well, I want to make more money but I don't trust people."

"Do I have a vision and mission statement for my business? Not at all, do I need one?"

"I really don't plan too much or even have a strategic plan...I kinda just see how things happen."

"I want to open a restaurant because I love to cook, I'm a hard worker, and I have the support of my family...isn't that enough?"

"No, I have never worked in retail, but this new franchise opportunity this guy was talking about sounds great!"

" ...not sure if my business is up or down from last year, but I do know my bills are getting paid."

"What's a target market?"

"My point of difference? I offer great service."

"There is enough free help out there...I don't need to pay for it."

"What measurements do I have in place?...they are all right here (as he pointed to his head)."

" What is horizontal growth?"

"I have more clients then I can handle...I don't need any help."

I have so many more I can share, but you get the point. Now I admit, when I started my own business seven years ago I said some of the same things, that is why I hired a coach...enough said.

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