Contents

1. 1 High Value First
2. 2 Let's be picky:
   1. 2.1 Essential Skills
3. 3 For a World Class Game,
4. 4 Entrepreneur course outline
   1. 4.1 So which chunk first?
5. 5 So?

Why agile?

The agile pattern generates success. It really blends into the entrepreneur pattern, they are one together when in full flower. I suggest that the pattern is related to our trickster way, for finding a way where there is no way. Not necessarily new technology or high technology. It's often just getting more of the right stuff done faster.

Failing faster, adjusting, succeeding. Learning-by-doing with an edge. Sometimes a very sharp cutting edge, and sometimes over the edge into new territory.

I'm experienced in all entrepreneurial phases. Evaluation, Start-up, Operation, Failing, Redo, Fail. Do do. Grub for usable remains. Redo again. In terms of competition I prefer sur/petition, above the competition, wielding an entrepreneurial edge. There are definite advantages to Shan zhai in the right circumstances (see The China Factor).

I've worked with one and two person outfits up through the spectrum to much bigger ones, in cultural mixes. One can say that the key is seizing the opportunity, and that means going through key doorways. The mix of treasures we need to get through each success-doorway varies – money, skills, products, teamwork, relationships, persistence – and generally it's some unique blend of things and ideas and people.

High Value First

The agile pattern is to select the most important high value stuff first and do it. Review and demonstrate the results, maybe put it into service/sales. Select the next most important high value stuff and do that. Review and demonstrate the results, in service if possible. Keep repeating. For an entrepreneurial business we normally want to get the basic product with the key usable features out the door ASAP. We want more sales, and more eyeballs and hands giving us feedback as we continue to add features. Internally, for an in-house client, we continue developing until the client says good enough, or we're outta money, or misteak. By putting the key stuff first and getting feedback we offer the opportunity to discover problems or mistakes fast, to fail fast, then cut and run.

Agile offers the opportunity to develop interactively with knowledge of the product area, to learn and discover success by doing. This is an Asian marketing technique, introduce a barrage of relatively similar new products, dump the failures, and reward the successes.

Let's be picky:

With agile, we start with some agreed upon most important/most interesting base material, then you the client(s) select the most important stuff to do next. We do that, review the learnings, then pick the next. Thus sharpening an entrepreneur approach to learning as we go. To meet that need I've included a course/workshop outline that can be done in chunks below. It can also be a set of clues for when we don't know your specific needs.

So pick through it, then ask questions, so we might arrange something.

Essential Skills

Starting and running a small business isn't necessarily entrepreneurial, not that it matters if that is what you want to do. If you have doubts about essential skills you might google on “essential skills Manitoba”, optionally include “entrepreneur” for that specific package, then download it and go through their materials. The Manitoba people list nine essential skills, and their materials make a point to use clear easy to understand language. I recommend their stuff. Of course, you can hire a coach (me?) to help you go through the materials. And yes, we could do something different if you like.

I can help you with small business stuff, and the course materials below can be used for such. The basic difference is that many small businesses are quite like other small businesses. They aren't striving to be different, or to develop a distinctive niche, or to grow very big. The entrepreneurial pattern is like a trickster pattern in seeking ways ahead, often where there is no way now. I don't know about you, or where you fit, and your situation, you need to tell me about you.

Once you embrace unpleasant news, not as a negative but as evidence of a need for change, you aren't defeated by it. You're learning from it. -- Bill Gates

Here's a delightful example, something that might be worked on:

For a World Class Game,

from “The Mind of a Fox – Scenario Planning In Action” by Ilbury and Sunter, p. 132 (It's a strategy book).

Given globalization, no matter how small you are, you will probably be facing world-class competition.

Here's their set of features for becoming world-class:

1. Passion. If you're passionate you do better at doing it and you keep doing it.

2. Focus on your business.

3. Being different, or unique.

4. A team of like-minded talented people.

5. Studying global practice.

6. Never give up on innovation.

7. Scanning for opportunities and threats.

8. Ethical in all senses of the word.

“Failure is the key to success. Period.” -- Tom Peters

Entrepreneur course outline

It was originally done over some months in four hour weekly sessions. I've added chunks, such as Import - Export, which can be a considerable course in itself. I also added Conflict next to Negotiations.

A good program combines parts when feasible. A meeting format that included presentation skills might include leadership and teamwork, and live negotiations and conflict handling. The materials covered in the presentations could also be other parts of the program, such as a Business Plans. As much as possible, people need to be learning-by-doing most needed chunks, with supportive feedback that grows relationship skills.

We pick the most needed/most interesting chunks from this and do them, adjusting as we learn - learning about them and your external reality. Later we review the learnings, then do another most important chunk.

Short learning-doing cycles are good, and they are better if they grow on a previous set. When done well, we get a spiral growth pattern, perhaps a growing tree pattern.

So which chunk first?

Presentation Skills

Personal Effectiveness

Negotiations – Conflict

Communications and Public Relations (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, smoke signals)

Cultures - East - West, Business – Technical, Lean-TPS,

Ethics – Three Kingdoms

Startup Strategy – classic, dynamic

New Product Development – agile, classic edges, chasm

Leadership Skills, the new Host leadership

Teamwork, Teambuilding

Human Resources – attracting & keeping people

Business Plan

Marketing

Sales

Competitive Intelligence

Import - Export

Intellectual Property - West, China

Accounting & Finance

Financing my Startup - Venture, family-friends, Chinese

Franchising.

There are classic publications freely available on the web: The “New New Product Development Game” was a precursor to the Scrum development pattern. There is a classic write-up on Business Plans. “Goals gone bad” is enlightening for goal-driven drivers. They are excellent discussion and dialogue material in coaching and group sessions.

This material can be covered via coaching, consulting, workshops, and combinations.

So?

• Are you ready to “make a way where there is no way?”

• Are you ready to trickster your way?

• Feel the pull of the Hero's way?

• Wanna find your Bliss?

• Are you going where no man has gone before?

“If your organization chart “makes sense,” then you probably don’t have an innovative enterprise.” -- Tom Peters 

The agile pattern is that development teams avoid specialists, people work to extend their looking and doing capability towards jack-of-some-trades. The result is that silos diffuse. Yes, we need specialists and we need to appreciate and use the full set of skills and aptitudes in the whole team as it grows through its life cycle.

Next:  Email me and arrange a chat. Or lift the phone to catch me on the fly.