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Winning at Entrepreneurship: Author Interview with Raj Gavurla
By Glenn Burr on July 17, 2013
When it comes to Winning at Entrepreneurship sometimes it’s best to waste no time or words on overwrought and overinflated responses. Buckle in, strap-up and hang-on as ISGC Executive Director Raul Candeloro guides you through this fast-paced dialogue with Raj Gavurla, author of Winning at Entrepreneurship.
ISGC: Let’s begin by talking about yourself, so our readers can get to know you better. Could you briefly describe your life journey until you wrote Winning at Entrepreneurship?
Gavurla: While traveling as an automation and controls engineer on a business trip, I stopped at the airport bookstore and bought the Book of Business Wisdom edited by Peter Krass because it was important for me to learn more about business. Because of a health challenge and a calling to do something productive, I went into professional speaking to help families, businesses, communities, and schools. The Book of Business Wisdom inspired me to write Winning At Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurial vigor, family, friends, community, and faith continue to enrich me.
ISGC: Now about the book. With already so many leadership books out there about, what new information does Winning at Entrepreneurship offer?
Gavurla: It focuses on the mindset, mood, and motivation an entrepreneurial leader needs to succeed.
ISGC: Could you give us an example out of Winning at Entrepreneurship that reflects your main ideas or concepts?
Gavurla: Entrepreneurs raise the bar to produce better results for clients and the marketplace to make lives better. That’s it!
ISGC: In a short sentence, what kind of person should be attracted to your book?
Gavurla: The person who is intrigued by entrepreneurialism and wants to use it as a vehicle to raise the bar by producing better results for clients and the marketplace to make lives better.
What kind of advice should they be looking for ?
The mindset, mood, motivation, and strategies they can apply to their situation.
Or what kind of problem should they be looking to solve?
ISGC: What’s the first thing you would like a reader to do after finishing Winning at Entrepreneurship?
Gavurla: Implement how it stimulated you to think for you to grow.
ISGC: What other books would you recommend for someone that wants more information about this?
Gavurla: Book of Business Wisdom, Business As A Calling, Grow Your Business, How To Be Like Mike
About your work as a consultant / business expert:
ISGC: What is the biggest mistake you see small business owners making in the areas covered by Winning at Entrepreneurship?
Gavurla: Not realizing the importance of taking their creative innovative idea and clarity of vision forward with effective communication, team, and execution.
ISGC: What suggestions would you give them to improve?
Gavurla: Identify better outcomes and then focus on daily results oriented action to get there. Don’t let anyone tell you “you can’t” when it would do a lot of good.
Where should they start?
Creative Innovative Idea (start here) + Clarity of Vision + Team (mentors, coaches, advisors, suppliers, clients) + Communication + Execution = Entrepreneurial Success
ISGC: What about managers and team leaders? In general, what do you think they should STOP doing if they wanted to improve their results?
Gavurla: Implement a system to empower their subordinates to collect ideas outside of regular work responsibilities, process the ideas, and use the above entrepreneurial success formula to help you create a path to grow them and you by managing/advising. Stop managing personalities instead make a path for them to execute with you providing relationship capital and support. You’re there to grow them to produce better results for clients and the marketplace to make lives better.
ISGC: Anything they should start doing more?
Gavurla: As a team, come up with executable creative innovative idea(s) to stimulate work endorphins. They’ll still have their core responsibilities. This requires proper management of their workload so they have time for each and then bring people up through the system. You’ll discover new leaders.
ISGC: After all the research you did for Winning at Entrepreneurship and based on all your experience in this area, what kind advice you see out there that you disagree with or think that is misleading?
Gavurla:
Entrepreneurialism isn’t for corporate. It’s only new companies. That’s not true. It’s for both!
You have to fail first to be successful. That’s not true.
ISGC: What are the VALUES that your company lives and dies by?
Gavurla: Integrity, involvement, imagination
ISGC: Why is this so important to you?
Gavurla: They guide me in doing good business.
ISGC: Any additional comments or thoughts for our readers?
Gavurla: Entrepreneurialism in business, government, and community got us out of the Great Depression and I trust entrepreneurial vigor will get us out of the Great Recession for greater prosperity. It will benefit all segments of the population.
Thank you!
Are you planning a meeting for this year or a kickoff meeting for early next year? Book Raj to speak to energize and inspire your team, organizaton or corporation to consistently perform at the top of our game! Call him at 864.569.2315 or contact him at raj@rajgavurla.com with your date, time and location to book your date today!
Raj helps and works with individuals, teams, and athletes that want to experience human performance, life, organizational development and breakthroughs interconnected with your life, business, and sports.