I recently was asked in an interview if I had any advice for new entrepreneurs…

“Yes. I’m an advisor for the Small Business Advisory Board that meets through the Greenville Chamber the second Monday of every month at 4:00 pm. I’d start there for some great advice.

Secondly, I always offer some very simple advice to entrepreneurs. I’ve talked with numerous individuals who are really excited to launch a business, but after asking some pretty basic questions, they find out their emotion is the main driver behind the business versus the viability of the business idea itself.

You really need both emotion and a viable business model to make a business work. So I simply offer this advise: Get a napkin out and do the basic numbers. Does it work? If not, what do you need to change in your assumptions to make it work?

I’m really surprised to find that most entrepreneurs have never crunched some basic numbers. Crunch the numbers before you get too far down the road. If they work, then keep going!”