The first day of the tournament

"You can't win a golf tournament on the first day, but you can definitely lose it."

Anonymous

Tiger Woods reinforced this old saying last week.  The four shots he surrendered to par in a four hole stretch in the first round of the PGA Championship cost him a finishing round tie and a chance to win.

The same holds true for starting a business.  You can't guarantee success at the beginning; but you can certainly make failure very, very likely.

How, you ask?

By falling short on one or more of the Four Fundamental Factors: Market, Magic, Mentors, or Moxie.

In the Market area, you can select a target group with little or no built-in growth potential.  Or you can fail to address a truly compelling need or want.

If your product carries no Magic, is not unique or powerful in some way, no one will notice anyway.

Mentors provide a wealth of information that will enable you to lower risk at every turn.  Without them you are totally on your own - not a good idea.

And finally, there's the Moxie.  Ah, the Moxie.  Without a generous supply of it, you will most likely just give up.  You will surrender.  The challenge will cease to excite you and will instead wear you down and then defeat you.

If you are thinking about launching a business, it's the first day of your big tournament.  Put yourself in a position to win!  Review your chances right now.