I am continuing to hear more and more feedback from people who have read ONO.  Often, people tell me their stories of why they have chosen the entrepreneurial lifestyle.  Most report that they chose to be in business for themselves because it allowed them to be in control of their time.  Time is the most precious commodity of any family first person because that is how kids spell love—T-I-M-E.

I have spent years in the small business world. I have walked into literally thousands of businesses and I have surveyed them on a myriad of different topics.  One thing I have seen over and over again is people who wanted to own a business so they could be in control, and the opposite happened.  Their business owned them and they were working longer and harder than ever.  This happens as a result of a bad planning and decision making in the early stages. 

In ONO, I go through what I call the “Scrabble Theory in Business.”  It is a decision making process witch details how master entrepreneurs make good decisions.  The key to being a great Family First Entrepreneur is to be a great decision maker.  Great decision makers knowing the ‘whys’ of those decisions as well as what the result needs to look like.  Many people look to start a business and then try to make it give them what they want.  This is the “cart before the horse.”  You need to decide what you want first, and then start a business that can give it to you. 

Their are two things I recommend you do if you want to be a Family First Entrepreneur.  The first is to read ONO.  The second is to seek out a mentor who has what you want, in terms of lifestyle.  Don’t look for the flashy cars and big house on their resume.  Look for the guy or gal eating lunch with their kids at school.  Look for the people taking long extended trips with their family.  Look for people who have the time and money to give of themselves to the people they love.  That is what ONO and Family First Entrepreneurism is all about.  Befriend these people.  Take them out for lunch and just ask them good questions. 

You only have 936 weeks with your kids at home.  When we are in a society where we often blink and it’s Friday.  Don’t let another precious week slip past without having a plan to be the master of your own time.