Entrepreneurs need a key group of people that get things done in a difficult or tumultuous environment. I personally have been blessed for over 10 years now to be working with the same group of key people that just have a way of getting things done no matter how many potholes or hazards are in front of them. Recently someone pointed out how lucky I am to have this group that all works together, works quickly, and just plain gets things done — and because we have worked for so many years together now, we’re able to accomplish them in a fast and fearless manner.
Because so many of the things we do together involve start-up endeavors with no clear path forward, I’ve coined a name for the members of this group and similarly capable individuals I’ve met: “dirt-road doers.” To understand what I mean by that, I offer you the following from Wikipedia’s entry on ‘dirt roads.”
Driving on dirt roads requires great attention to variations in the surface and it is easier to lose control than on a gravel road. In addition to the hazards already mentioned, and potholes, ruts and ridges, problems associated with driving on gravel roads include:
- sharper and larger stones cutting and puncturing tires, or being thrown up by the wheels and damaging the underside, especially puncturing the fuel tank if not shielded;
- stones skipping up hitting the car body, lights or windshields when two vehicles pass each other;
- dust thrown up from a passing vehicle reducing visibility;
- ‘washboard’ corrugations cause loss of control or damage to vehicle systems such as suspension and steering;
- Skidding (loss of traction) on mud after rain.
Sound like that could be a description of a typical start-up? Indeed, if the road to success in most such operations was a paved or gravel one, you’d see a lot more people succeeding with new business ventures.
As for the “doer” part, I consulted the defined Free Dictionary, whose definitions include: “a person who acts and gets things done”; (e.g., “when you want something done, get a doer”); “someone extremely diligent or skillful”; “an alert and energetic person”; “someone who imparts energy and vitality and spirit to other people”, and “a highly energetic and indefatigable person.” Or, to cite some of the synyms offered by my thesaurus, achiever, organizer, powerhouse, dynamo, live wire, go-getter.
Now, who wouldn’t want to work with a dirt-road doer? Now, my question to you is, if you think you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur, can you live up to this definition and do you have a team that can live up to it as well? Then put “DRDs” after the name of your operation, and wait until someone asks you what it means.
