the hundred dollar business

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… I still think it’s awesome. Perhaps you’ve already heard this story, but I just heard it today.

Cliff Young, Marathon Runner

Cliff Young decided he was going to compete in a 5+ day marathon, never having done so before. A 61 year old farmer, he showed up at the race wearing rubber galoshes and work overalls.

He starts off by trailing behind everyone. The trend is to run 18 hours, sleep 6, and then continue running. A backwoods farmer, he didn’t know that– so he just ran straight through. Naturally, he ends up passing everyone else and wins the whole dang race.

But it doesn’t stop there. He gives the $10,000 prize money to 5 of the other runners. Runs in another race, wins a car, gives it to someone else. Yada yada. You can read more about it here.

I think that’s a simply amazing demonstration of character. What I really like about it is the way that he constantly did things in an offbeat manner, which ended up being extremely effective for him to meet his goals.

A Paradigm Shift from Tina Seelig, Stanford Technology Ventures

I also listened to a podcast this morning, “What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20” by Tina Seelig, Executive Director for the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, part of the Entrepreneur Thought Leaders series. I took notes and posted them on my blog.

One thing she said that shifted my paradigm a bit today, and although it’s not a unique thought, was a good reminder:

“The bigger the problem, the bigger the opportunity to create a solution.”

And This Relates… How?

I guess this post is kind of random, but the connection I see is this:

Entrepreneurship is a marathon. There is always something needing maintenance, crisis management, creative solutions, bootstrapping, resourcefulness, etc.

So, the bigger the entrepreneurial marathon, the bigger the opportunity to come up with a creative solution, right?

Can’t We Come Up With Something Interesting More Often?

Have you ever rehashed a problem over and over again, without even trying something different? I have. Why is this? Can’t we put our entrepreneurial abilities to work for us more often?

Lately I’ve been thinking about the challenges of working full time, running The Hundred Dollar Business, doing a million other things, and trying to maintain a work-life balance. Mainly I haven’t tried to be innovative, but just kept using the same old process.

Well, that hasn’t been effective, and it’s time to challenge my own paradigms and come up with something that will really work for me. Since it’s been a big problem, that means it’s automatically ear-marked as a big opportunity.

I’d like to come up with something really interesting, a way to provide a solution that is perhaps atypical. I’ll post ideas I have as I go, and see if anything comes of it, hopefully Cliff Young-style.