MBA ASAP Guide to Startups and Entrepreneurship

"In retrospect, I wish I had known more about the hazards and difficulties of [running] a business." -- George McGovern

After more than thirty years as an entrepreneur, I have learned from my successes and failures and those of many others that the boring stuff matters the most. Startup success is not a consequence of luck, good genes, or being in the right place at the right time. Instead, startup success can be engineered by following the proper process, which means it can be learned and taught.

Of course, luck and timing play essential roles, but the harder you work on your process, the more luck and timing you will experience.

Learn more about business, entrepreneurship, and building a successful company.

I have found that learning is the most critical aspect of owning and running a business. Outworking the competition comes down to learning as much as possible, taking ideas from various sources, and taking note of crucial failures and successes.

Most people won’t put in the time to get a knowledge advantage, leaving the door open for the willing.

"This course is unique compared to the entrepreneurial courses l have done before. It is a step by step course, which is clearly explained, very easy to understand, very brief and very factual. Take this course and improve your entrepreneurial skills."

- Fred

"Another winner from John Cousins! Doing business in this day and age can be daunting, especially for those of us who are from "a different era". This author knows his stuff and shares it in such a way that informs, encourages and inspires." Liz K.

“Business is always evolving especially with advances in technology. Business and technology topics can be new and novel or difficult to understand. John has the ability to frame and present business topics in a way where the audience feels like they can quickly grasp concepts, define strategy, and begin to execute.”

"Simplicity is the end result of long, hard work; not the starting point." — Fredrick Maitland

Every successful business

(1) creates or provides something of value that

(2) other people want or need

(3) at a price they’re willing to pay, in a way that

(4) satisfies the purchaser’s needs and expectations and

(5) provides the business sufficient revenue to make it worthwhile for the owners to continue operation.

Why take this Course?

Learn to use strategic and idea generation tools that can help you get a handle on entrepreneurship and startup strategy and tactics.

Since you are here reading this, chances are you want to make something meaningful happen like start a business, be more successful and fulfilled, or make your mark on the universe.

It is also likely that a few things are holding you back from achieving your dreams:

Business Fear. The feeling that you don’t know much about business and could never start your own company or take more responsibility for your current situation. Better to maintain the status quo and stay within your comfort zone than to face the fear of the unknown.

Certificate Intimidation. The idea that business is super complicated is an area best left to highly trained elite experts. If you don't have an Ivy League MBA or similar expensive and time-consuming credentials, who are you to think you know what to do.

Imposter Syndrome. The gnawing fears that you're inadequate and already in over your head. It's only a matter of time before you're exposed to be a total "fraud" and "phony."

We don't rise to our expectations; we fall to the level of our knowledge.

Here is the good news, everyone has these unfounded fears, and you can quickly put an end to them. All you need to do is learn a few simple concepts that will change how you think about the way business works.

Once you have conquered your fears, you can do anything!

No matter who you are or what you are trying to accomplish, you're about to discover a practical new way of looking at business startups and entrepreneurship that will help you spend less time worrying about your fears and more time doing things that make a difference.

The tax law is a series of incentives for entrepreneurs and investors.

The tax laws favor entrepreneurs and investors. That’s because entrepreneurs and investors generally put money into the economy to produce rather than consume.

But, paying taxes is less expensive than failing at business. Be sure to get educated before you begin.

Start acting like an entrepreneur or an investor. That means the first thing you need to do is to increase your financial intelligence by investing in financial education.

Let's get started!

I encourage you to take this course. But if you decide not to, please take another class, or read a book.

To know what you don’t know is power. To ask and learn what you don’t know is a superpower.

Investing in learning makes you better at earning.