•You will hear a radio interview with Ross Rayburn, who is a successful small bu

F: Mr. Rayburn, do you have a ’most important piece of advice’ for a person considering working for themselves?
M: No. What is most important will vary with each person. Some will need to discover themselves first, others just need to get started. If someone is not confident of their abilities, I would encourage them to get a sales job in a retail company. Promotions come quickly in retail. They will get experience in all sorts of business disciplines: sales, buying, inventory control, income statements, and lots of other important knowledge. They will also get the chance to enter management and discover if they enjoy that relationship. If they decide to go out on their own, they will have the basics for success along with knowledge of their own strengths and weaknesses.
F: So what makes the difference in starting styles, and how would a person find where they fit?
M: Personalities. Some learn best getting face to face with clients, others need to get face to face with themselves first. Everyone needs to keep learning and challenging themselves if they expect to be successful. There are many good inspirational books or biographies of successful people that a person can read. I am usually reading three or four books at a time; I do make sure the book I read before bed is inspirational. I also listen to motivational tapes or books on tape. A lot of your ability to apply yourself comes from your own determination, you develop that by immersing yourself in positive information.
F: How well were you prepared when you went out on your own?
M: I started my business at the same time as 9 other sales people, of the 10 of us I was the least qualified. Within a short time I was the only one left. There is a huge amount of work required when starting a business. I am extremely lucky that my wife knows how important it is for me to stay glued to my desk, or sometimes the kitchen table, without interruptions. It took 4 months before I was making enough to cover all my bills, and a bit more for good stuff. Those were 4 months of 6 or 7 days a week, working from early morning to late night. I kept that schedule for quite a while as my business just took off, and I still wake early to get a few uninterrupted hours of work in before the world starts humming.
F: Once you have started sales, how can you be most effective?
M: The key is getting face to face with your clients. Drop by, even if all you do is hand them a business card. If you phone a client you will be interrupting something, in person they apologize for interrupting you. I’ve never had a client act upset that I’ve shown up, although sometimes if they are busy all I do is say Hi. Frequently they will say, ’ Hold on a minute Ross, there is something I want to talk to you about. ’ That doesn’t happen when you call for an appointment.
F： Ross, talk a bit about the pleasure of working for yourself.
M: I’m happy to. When I worked for a boss, my wife had to push me out of bed in the mornings. I  hated the alarm clock, I hated the sunrise. After I quit and started working for myself everything changed. It didn’t take long, the first morning I jumped out of bed, set myself up, and started going. Now the great part, I was doing exactly the same job. The difference was I was doing it for myself, everything I made belonged to me.
F: OK, any final thoughts, Ross?
M: Yes. If you want to be successful and stay successful remember one thing: All business is long term.
F: Thank you, Mr. Rayburn.