Scott Duffy - Breakthrough: How to Harness the Aha! Moments That Spark Success

Contents

T here are so many people I would like to thank for their contributions to this book. First, to David Meltzer and Bill Shaw, who got this whole process started. This book would have never happened without the unwavering support of Ryan Shea, Vanessa Campos, Jennifer Dorsey, and Rich Mintzer. Special thanks to Deepa Shah, Stephanie Belsky, Jason Feifer, and the rest of the amazing team at Entrepreneur Media. And of course, big thanks to Nena Madonia and the team at Dupree Miller.

On a personal note, I would like to thank David Meltzer, Greg Reid, Alan Taylor, Jason Reid, Steve Fielding, and Randy Garn. You have been there for me through it allthe good times and bad. You are the true definition of what a friend should be. I love you and thank you!

Alan Taylor, you taught me what it meant to have fun again and how to find a great burger! Thank you for all of your mentorship and support. I love ya, man!

I would like to thank my mother for being so incredibly supportive and for going on this ride with me for the past 30 years. You taught me the value of persistence, hard work, and always looking at the bright side of a situation, no matter how hard it may have seemed in the moment.

To Big D, thanks for being the rock in our family and having the patience to sit with me, on so many long nights, to talk about business. You were the greatest influence on my career when I was getting started.

To my sister Ashley and brother Shane, you have always been there for me. You have helped me in so many ways on more than one occasion. Thank you!

To my dad, Ill never forget all the football, baseball, and basketball memories growing up. What a great dad.

To Mike, Erin, Spencer, Charlie, and Christopher Sinclair. I miss you and love you!

Additional thanks to those who gave me a shot and were super supportive somewhere along the way: Gabriel Baldinucci, Richard Branson, Jerry Chen, Steve Chien, Jarvis Cho, Chris Cottle, Steve Fielding, Ron Garret, Dave Hutchison, Mike Hutchison, Russell Hyzen, Chris Kitze, Ross Levinsohn, Mike Levy, Gene Lim, Laurent Massa, Tom McCarthy, Mark Moses, Bill Peck, Jason Port, Dan Porter, Tony Robbins, Jed Savage, Nirmal Saverimuttu, Eric Schoenfeld, Jeff Tang, and Sita Thompson.

T he Business Breakthrough Checklist is designed to help individuals interested in launching new businesses, products, or services. Ive used this tool as a guide with my clients for years. Its purpose is to help you begin thinking about the process of launching and to gain insight into some of the critical decisions you will need to make along the way.

Start with Get Your Personal House in Order and work your way down the list. Make sure to follow this ten-step process in order. Think of this sequence like building a house. Without the proper foundation, everything could collapse. When you are finished, you will have a very good sense of the key decisions you will need to make as you launch and grow your business. You will be in a much better position to eliminate blind spots, reduce your risk, and be poised to succeed and have a breakthrough! If you get stuck or have trouble with anything below, dont worry. This is all a process, and youre on your way to building the business of your dreams.

How much capital are you willing to risk?

How much time can you dedicate to this project?

Do you have a good attorney in place to set up your business correctly?

Do you have a bookkeeper in place to set up your books from day one?

Have you discussed your plans with your spouse or significant other? Are you on the same page? Have you both agreed to how much money you can risk and how much time you can dedicate?

Do you have the right people around you? Are they people who have already achieved what you are setting out to accomplish?

Do you have people who will pull you up and help guide you?

Does your environment breed success? Do you spend your time with people and organizations that push you and demand you get more out of yourself?

Is your personal brand a reflection of who you need to be to achieve the results you want? What do your daily habits tell others about you? Do they send the message you need to succeed?

Have you built a financial model for your business? How much time and money will it take for your business to generate profits? Are you being overly optimistic in your assumptions?

What are all of your potential sources of income? Have you factored in your costs of sales? Have you accounted for all of your expenses?

Have you used your financial model to create the framework for the rest of your business plan?

Have you summarized your business plan in a single page that highlights every key aspect of the business?

Have you shared this business plan with your investors, team members, consultants, partners, etc., to ensure that everyone is on the same page and running in the same direction?

What are your core strengths? What is the one thing you do really well? What is the one thing that you really excel at or have been working to become great at?