Last night, I drove back from visiting my family and friends in Tucson to Phoenix, and I had an epiphany about the value of communities and the safety they provide entrepreneurs. Trust me, when driving in the Sonoran desert, you tend to think a lot about small subjects. Chalk it up to a late night with out much rest; maybe you might see the connection to the entrepreneurial spirit as I do. Put on your creative hats for a moment please.
As you know, I write about stuff relevant to small business, entrepreneurs and even you. 
This pseudo-personal entry should help motivate you to build a community in your product and service with your customers and prospects and to take chances when traveling in untested territory.
Like most Arizona motorists who travel between Phoenix and Tucson, they find themselves driving on Interstate 10 and it can often be monotonous and occupies about two hours to make it to either destination. I was one of those going to Tucson, but on the way back, I took a different route in the interest of achieving efficiency. This is certainly a new route that I never took before, I was curious, so like most people I figured, “why not?”
Google Map of Tucson to Phoenix, 102 miles and the route I took.
I felt I knew of a better way back which appeared like a shortcut and probably would lend hope to fewer ‘regulations’ (fewer speed traps); but I was wrong. I took the AZ-77 out of Tucson, which is Miracle Mile/Oracle, which ran nearly parallel to I-10. I discovered that the shortcut had become a dark, winding road with traffic laws highly enforced by Arizona DPS. Slowly but surely, my internal compass became off-kilter and I checked my iPhone’s GPS and questioned my own path that I took.
Murphy’s Law had me drive an additional 70 miles out of my way and missed the AZ-79 fork, so I corrected my course and stuck to my ‘entrepreneurial’ plan and drove through Florence (driving by a big prison) and eventually made it to the US-60 and arrived home three hours later from when I originally departed. How’s that for efficiency? Twice the time, double the effort!
What did I learn?
Ask anyone around me in marketing, I make even the most trivial of situations into life-long lessons.
- Speed and agility comes in groups – When I was driving in the pitch-black darkness, I had to use my high-beams and often questioned if I was overrunning my headlights. This led me to slow down frequently and lose the agility that I once had – especially when oncoming traffic would pass.
- Entrepreneurs can change course quickly – I had little concern for changing course and persevering onward to my destination and stick to my goal. I also continually assessed my risk and adjusted course. Big business, to change course, often requires committees and larger considerations. This is why entrepreneurs rock.
- Communities are valuable, safety in numbers – Had I taken the interstate instead of choosing the lonely state route, I would have been home much quicker, and would held more confidence in arriving. This is mostly in part due to the security that numbers provide. Traffic enforcement is divided by the number of people on the road instead of myself alone, and the speed is higher because of the consistency of the road (straight, not winding) and everyone has one common goal.
How can this help you?
I believe, as entrepreneurs, we venture through new ideas and challenges daily. We make educated decisions without having all the facts, proof or history; instead we rely in instinct, gut, and faith. Even if you’re not doing a product launch or developing a new service, you can still be an entrepreneur, take sound risks and see results. Further, there’s value in building a community which reassures users, customers and prospects so they can grow quickly and confidently with your product or service.
The plight of an entrepreneur is not the destination; it’s the journey. Have you learned any lessons through mistakes or had a great success by taking a chance? Let me know in the comments!
[Photo credit: US Army on Flickr]
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