Multi-Task

Why This Question Matters

By Paul E. Casey

Just because you are a great artist doesn’t mean that you can sell your artwork. Just because you can cook a great steak does not mean that you can run a restaurant.

If you decide to open a restaurant, the quality of your food is only one aspect of successfully sustaining a restaurant. (It is a very important aspect, but just one of the many reasons that will determine whether you will succeed as a restaurant owner or not.)

You must possess core competencies in finance, marketing, hiring, managing, organization, sales, décor selection, leadership, execution, problem solving, option thinking, being accountable, pragmatic, ethics, and have a great eye for picking a suitable location.

I know an artist who is quite talented. A couple of very famous people have purchased his paintings. He participates in popular art shows in the United States and England. I have a feeling you will be hearing his name some day, and that’s not just because he is a talented artist. He is very disciplined and possesses many of the core competencies that I listed above.

I visited him once in his studio, in the basement of his home. I asked him how he did it? He said it’s like any other job. “I have to paint every night, even if I don’t feel like it.” He works between 10 PM and 3 AM, seven days a week. He said that the creative part of what he does is just part of the process. He said that his rigorous schedule is what separates him from the competition.

You can be the most creative person in the world or have the best idea this side of the Mississippi, but unless you can multi-task, your enterprise will go nowhere.

I often think that successful entrepreneurs would make great jugglers in a circus.

Bottom Line: The most successful entrepreneurs are good at many things rather than great at just a few things. They can multi-task on many different fronts.

Click here to find out more about available resources on successfully sustaining your small business.

You must possess core competencies in finance, marketing, hiring, managing, organization, sales, décor selection, leadership, execution, problem solving, option thinking, being accountable, pragmatic, ethics, and have a great eye for picking a suitable location.