The Quick and the Dead.

David Dirks

When it comes to entreprenuers, in my eyes there are only two kinds:  The Quick and the Dead.  The Quick are those that survive and grow as entreprenuers even though they too can hit dangerous bumps in the road.  The Dead are…just dead.  They are the ones who try, fail and never come back again.

Let’s take a look at the The Quick to understand what The Dead didn’t do.

The Quick are

• Quick to act when action is needed.
• Quick to counter competitors when the competition gets tough.
• Quick to ask questions – and question everything.
• Quick to make incremental changes to reflect the real world.
• Quick to listen – and then listen more.
• Quick to adjust their business models.
• Quick to cut their losses on losing propositions and move on.
• Quick to completely change their business models if that’s what it takes.
• Quick to fix customers problems.
• Quick to get back up when they get knocked down.
• Quick to recognize & correct a bad hire.
• Quick to start over and begin again.
• Quick to recognize their own weaknesses.
• Quick to allow others to help identify solutions to key challenges.
• Quick to learn from competitors.
• Quick to know when they are too in love with their business.
• Quick to take things slowly when that makes the most sense.
• Quick to not think they know it all.
• Quick to know that being quick is better than being dead.

The Dead are

• Dead.

Being “The Quick” doesn’t mean they are always fast.  It really means that the best entreprenuers – the ones that stand the test of time – are those that take action when action is called for.