There Are No Silver Bullets

May 28, 2020 // Fran Tarkenton

I have a pet phrase that I use often, “There are no silver bullets.”

In other words, there are no shortcuts to success. To this day, I’m still amazed at how often my phone rings, or an email comes in that says, “Come join me, I have the greatest product in the world! If you’ll just do what I say, go sell my product that is just so great I am going to double your income in about two minutes. I’ll make you a millionaire overnight!”

Sound familiar? As an entrepreneur, I’m sure you’ve heard that. Let me tell you something, though, there are no silver bullets.

I cannot make you successful and neither can anyone else. You have to do that. You have to believe in what you are doing. You have to go out each day looking to help someone. That is where it starts and that is the only sustainable business model – the only way you can hope to build something that is truly of value.

So when someone comes your way selling silver bullets, run in the opposite direction. You’ll be glad that you did – because there are no shortcuts on the way to success.

Fran Tarkenton

Fran Tarkenton is an entrepreneur and NFL Hall of Famer, and the founder of GoSmallBiz.com and Tarkenton Companies. With a passion for small business, he’s started more than 20 businesses during and after his NFL career. Fran is a small business coach for entrepreneurs and business owners, providing advice and guidance through sites such as GoSmallBiz.com, SmallBizClub.com, and more. He has written about business issues in the Wall Street Journal, U.S. New and World Report, and USA Today, along with regular appearances on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. You can follow Fran on Twitter @Fran_Tarkenton.