To everyone reading this—whether you are a student, middle-aged, or a recent retiree; male or female; with or without a college degree; immigrant or born in the U.S.A.—if you have the desire to start your own business, I encourage you to seriously consider doing so. I welcome you to enter the world of entrepreneurship.

The American Dream is alive and well for anybody interested. We live in a country that encourages and rewards innovation, invention, and business. That fact is part of what makes our Republic strong and makes this country so appealing to others, particularly those who live in restrictive societies.

Arm your dream with a vision or goal.
Put that vision or goal down on paper, in writing. Write a mission statement. For my cupholder idea, my mission statement was, “Every sport’s fan or theater attendee will EXPECT to have a cupholder mounted on their seat.” A vision or goal is where it all starts; putting it in writing makes you accountable to that dream.

Arm yourself with perseverance.
Never giving up is the “secret” to your success. When the going gets tough, press on, never forgetting your visions and goals.

Arm yourself with focus.
Every day and every hour, focus on that next phone call, email, letter or sales call to move you forward. Details!

Arm yourself with a PMA.
A Positive Mental Attitude is critical to success. Do not focus on what can go wrong; focus on the things you can do to be successful.

Arm yourself with tireless devotion.
Treat your new business like a baby. Give, give, give until your baby is like a teenager– strong and healthy enough to give back.

Owning your own business gives you an independence that you can never experience working for someone else. The independence allows you to set your own goals, design your own strategies, and create the unlimited path entrepreneurship can offer, including how much you can earn.

During Covid, many Americans are not working, or have had their hours cut to part-time. It might seem counterintuitive but this a perfect time to consider starting your own business, pursuing that invention idea—following your passions instead of someone else’s. Godspeed!

Your fellow-dreamer and doer,
Bruce D. Clark
If I can do it, anyone can!