Top Five Tips Small Business Owners Can Learn From J. K. Rowling

J. K. Rowling is the English writer who has authored allTip # 3: Persevere, Persevere, and Persevere.
seven beloved and widely read Harry Potter novels."It is our choices . . . that show what we truly are,
At age 41, her rise to fame and fortune is inspiring.far more than our abilities."
She has sold over 325 million books. The final book in- Rowling
the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, wasRowling moved to Portugal to teach English as a
the fastest-selling book of all time.Second Language in 1991 and married her first
Her fortune is estimated at $1 billion. She is ranked ashusband in 1992. They divorced in 1993. The next
the 136th richest person in the world. In 2006, Forbesyear, she moved to Scotland. At this point, she was
named Rowling the second richest female entertaineran unemployed single mother living on welfare. In
in the world and ranked her as 48th on the 100 most1995, she completed her manuscript for Harry Potter
powerful celebrities list of 2007.and the Philosopher's Stone, typing it out on an old
When this all began in 1990, however, things weremanual typewriter. She handed in the book to twelve
very different for J. K. Rowling. She was not apublishing houses. They all rejected it.
published author. She did not have a lot of money.Rowling never gave up. She did not stop just
She was living in London, working as a researcherbecause life was hard. Despite all the changes and
and bi-lingual secretary for Amnesty International, andsetbacks she was experiencing, she carried on. She
her mother had just died. How she got from there topersevered. As small business owners, we would do
where she is today is a story filled with invaluable tipswell to keep her example in mind.
for small business owners.Tip # 4: Don't Let Anyone, Including Yourself,
Tip # 1: Don't Rush to Roll Out Your Product.Sidetrack You from Your Goal.
"Destiny is a name often given in retrospect to"If you're holding out for universal popularity, I'm
choices that had dramatic consequences."afraid you will be in this cabin for a very long time."
- Rowling- Rowling
Although J. K. Rowling had been a writer all her life,Finally, Bloomsbury, a small publisher, agreed to publish
she was slow to publish. "I had written two novelsthe first book. Her editor, though, says that he
before I had the idea for Harry, though I'd never"advised Rowling to get a day job, since she had little
tried to get them published (and a good job too, Ichance of making money in children's books."
don't think they were very good)."It's a good thing she didn't listen. All seven volumes
All too often, as small business owners, we rush toof the Harry Potter series have broken sales records
get a product out before its time, before it's beenand have been translated into 65 languages. What a
fully considered or tested. Rowling sets a greatshining role model Rowling is for small business
example of getting a product just right beforeowners. She didn't let anyone stand in the way of
presenting it to the world.her goal-not even herself.
Tip # 2: When a Great Idea Grabs You -- Grab Back.Tip # 5: Each of Us Has a Unique Contribution to
"You sort of start thinking anything's possible ifMake to the World.
you've got enough nerve.""I just write what I wanted to write. I write what
- Rowlingamuses me. It's totally for myself."
Great ideas are unmistakably powerful in their- Rowling
announcement and come when least expected.J. K. Rowling never went searching for the kind of
Rowling says:success she's received. "I just wrote the sort of
"Where the idea for Harry Potter actually came from,thing I liked reading when I was younger (and still
I really couldn't tell you. I was traveling on a trainenjoy now!). I didn't expect lots of people to like
between Manchester and London and it just poppedthem, in fact, I never really thought much past
into my head. I spent four hours thinking about whatgetting them published."
Hogwarts would be like. By the time I got off atIt wasn't fame or wealth that J. K. Rowling sought.
King's Cross, many of the characters in the booksNo. She simply wanted to contribute to the world in
had already been invented."general, and to children specifically. As small business
As small business owners, we know when a greatowners, this is so important to learn. Focus on the
idea is upon us. The problem is, we often question it,unique something we have to offer to the world.
second-guess it, and rationalize it away. Not Rowling.The rest will surely come, in ways we may not even
She recognized the mark of a powerful idea, seizedbe able to imagine.
upon it and went with it.