Tony Buhl- EnergX

EnergX was founded in 1997 by Tony Buhl a service –disabled veteran. The primary business function is environmental management for the DOD and DOE, including decontamination and decommissioning, integrated renewable energy, and commercial nuclear power. Tony focused his discussion on useful advice that can apply to entrepreneurs in any industry. I love making lists when I set goals that I want to accomplish and Tony gave us two great lists!

To be a happy and successful entrepreneur you must do the following:

· Communicate well

· Listen

· Embrace change

· Forgive and let go, have no regrets or resentments

· Acknowledge others and yourself

· Create exciting vision

· Set realistic goals

· Make others feel important

· Admit mistakes

· Hear new ideas

· Take reasonable risks

· Say thank you very often

Things that Tony wished he had learned sooner as an entrepreneur:

· Focus on yourself as much as your product or service

· Starting a business is like getting married

· Wish he had known how demanding starting a business would be on family

· You are in sales whether you know it or not

· More than selling, relationships matter

· Thinks are unpredictable all the time

· Find the best and most knowledgeable people you can afford

· Get customer validation early

· Networking is valuable

· Start ups are an emotional rollercoaster

· Change means opportunity, embrace it

I am so grateful to have a list of goals to achieve and a list of things to be prepared for an entrepreneur. This is a great set of tools and knowledge to enhance my professional development.