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Leonardo da Vinci, the world's greatest entrepreneur!

We all know curiosity killed the cat, but when it comes to running a (successful) business, it pays big time to model yourself after a genius like Leonardo da Vinci (one of the most curious people…like, ever).

And okay — Leonardo is dead.  So he won’t be sharing his pearls of wisdom with you personally. But he’s been ranked the #1 genius of all time.  

And in my opinion, Leo was the ultimate entrepreneur: innovative, intelligent and passionate about the world around him.

So here’s my question: What if we all committed to running our businesses the way he lived? I’d bet good money that the planet would be thriving in ways we can’t even (yet) imagine!

Inspired by my own question, I offer up this first in a 10-part series on using Leonardo’s life as a guide to running a business.

Where to start?  How about with our products and/or services?  You know that stuff that business uses to make money?

We all have products (even our services are actually products).  And new stuff is a direct result of innovation.

But HOW do we innovate?  How did Leo innovate? By being insatiably curious.

How curious are you?  How many ways of looking at something do you have patience for? When someone makes an assertion, do you accept it as the final word? Or do you dig for additional opinions and facts?

In order to nurture your curious side, keep a small journal handy to record insights and questions throughout your day.

Leonardo carried a notebook with him at all times so he could jot down ideas, impressions, and observations as they happened.  And then he used those notes and scribbles (mostly questions) to create new inventions and explore even wilder and weirder things.

If you don’t know where to start, give yourself this assignment: Write down 100 questions that are important to you. It could be something like, “How can I create more revenue for my business?” or even “How can I have more fun with my customers?”  But do the entire list in one sitting.  Michael Gelb (author of “How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci”) says if you do it this way you’ll get some really meaty questions toward the end.

When you’re done, highlight the themes and significant questions that come up for you.  And then rank them in order of importance.

And then, (if you want to really give your brain something to work on) post the questions up in your office where you’ll see them over and over.  Your subconscious mind can’t help but try to find you an answer (or two or three!).

Next, continue the process by getting to better questions. And by that I mean off-the-wall, pie-in-the-sky, big-hairy and itty-bitty questions.

I know it’s been awhile since your day was filled with nothing but questions.  If you’ve ever been a parent, you know that little children (especially those who have just learned how to talk), are consumed with questions.  About how things work, why they are the way they are, where things come from (babies anyone?) and so on.

You need to get yourself back into this mode by practicing the Art of 20 Questions.  Remember that game?  Only this time, Play against yourself.

Go ahead think of something that’s been challenging you and your business right now.  I’ll wait.

Got it?  Now start asking questions about that thing.  Ask What? Who? When? Where? How? and Why?  What are the underlying issues?  Preconceptions? Prejudices? Paradigms?  What will happen if you ignore this thing? Love it? When did it start? When doesn’t it happen?

Get the picture?  And yes, this is going to take some time.  So figure out what part of your day you can set aside to practice this stuff.  At least for 3 weeks (until it becomes a habit).  Pretty soon, you’ll be doing it all day long.

Are you curious about the next installment of this blog series?  (Hint: It’s about answers).

For now, I’d really love to hear your questions…post one or two to share with the rest of us, would ‘ya?

Locally-based businesses (as opposed to multi-national corporations) are the life blood of any community.  And people are beginning to understand the importance of nurturing local economies. But there are still a few hold outs.

While it is clearly to our collective benefit to support local businesses, many people still patronize national chains.  And the reasons don’t all have to do with pricing.

If you are a small, locally-owned business trying to compete with the big guys, you might want to consider the following parable.

The Golden Triangle of Coffee Joints

Once upon a time in a small coastal downtown village, there were three very cool coffee joints.  One was a neighborhood favorite and had been there forever.  The second was fairly new, but belonged to a multi-national corporation.  And the third was a brand new, locally-owned establishment that tried and failed to compete with the first two.

What happened?  Let’s take a look:

The original, long-standing local coffee joint (let’s call this one “P”) was situated just at the edge of the main drag and featured an outdoor area with tables and chairs, plus comfy couches inside.  It’s location wasn’t the best, and parking was hard to get, but it still had many, many loyal customers.

The newer, locally-owned guy (let’s call this one “J”) was situated in the middle of downtown and had plenty of convenient parking plus easy access to the freeway.  It also had great indoor and outdoor seating, and offered healthy and organic, fair trade alternatives that the other two did not.

The newer, national chain (we’ll call them “S”) was just across the street from “J” and offered minimal indoor and outdoor seating, but had great parking and easy freeway access.

But all things were not equal between these three, and eventually “J” couldn’t compete with “S” or “P” and had to close its doors.  Why?

Theories abound, but many folks who wanted to support this new alternative to “S” just plain didn’t.  And owners of nearby businesses complained that the community didn’t care about supporting the local economy.  But those who were paying attention saw a few possible reasons for “J’s” closure:

1. Long wait times and slow service. In comparison to getting coffee at “S” or “P” – it usually took “J” twice as long to fill an order.  If there was a line, well…you’d have to pull up a chair.

2. Spotty inventory. “J” offered its customers a menu of specialty juice drinks.  But many times, inventory on ingredients was so low that orders couldn’t be filled.  Even persistent customers would tire of going in, only to be told, “Sorry, we’re out of that.”  “S” and “P” never had that problem.

3. Nearly Non-existent Marketing Efforts. Even though “J” did attempt to occasionally market itself, it didn’t take advantage of several opportunities to partner, network or otherwise participate in a larger way with the greater community.  The owner was “too busy” and people weren’t encouraged to go out of their way to try something new.  “S” on the other hand was part of a huge marketing machine that included things like gift cards, a website, and sponsorship of local events.  “P” didn’t do much marketing, but relied instead on its long-standing reputation for great products and service, unique ambiance, and free wireless internet.

There might certainly be other reasons why “J” closed its doors, but these were the ones visible to those paying attention.  And the good intentions of “J”  (to offer organic, fair trade and healthy alternatives to “S” and “P”) failed simply because people weren’t feeling the love.

Moral of the Story: The over-riding reason people continue to buy from anyone is because they feel loved and taken care of.  They may come to you initially because of your unique offerings or expertise, but in the end, it’s all about the love.

If you have other tips for the small, locally-based business owner, please share them with us!

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