ORLANDO, Fla. _ Donald Trump is going to find that running global businesses isn't the same as being president of the United States.
He faces at least four daunting differences:
��Getting things done quickly is harder.
��Businesses seek customers with some interest in their products. Government officials can't always pick and choose their target audiences.
��Trump will have to deal with a demanding Congress, Democrats and skeptics in his own party.
��He's at the mercy of an economy and international events that he often can't control.
"There's no book on being governor. There's no book on being president," said Gov. Rick Scott of Florida, a former health care executive.
Never has the head of a multinational corporation moved directly into the White House with no political experience.
Governors who worked in the corporate world, and people in the corporate world familiar with politics, said Trumo does start with some advantages. Corporate executives are decisive and know the value of delegating.
The president's Cabinet is "similar to corporate division officers," said Bruce Josten, executive vice president for government affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
"He knows he has to delegate," said John Engler, former governor of Michigan who is now president of the Business Roundtable, a group of executives of the nation's top corporations.
That means making sure that people under consideration for jobs in the new administration be carefully vetted. The Trump transition team understands "the idea of focusing on the right people for the right agencies," said Gov. Doug Ducey of Arizona. Before entering politics, Ducey was CEO of Cold Stone Creamery.
But business and government are two different worlds, with many differences:
��The pace. Trump will find a much slower pace of decision-making and implementation. Congress has to approve funding, which can take months. Federal regulations often dictate how policy is implemented, another lengthy process.
"It's as different as taking a jet is to walking," said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif. He built and ran California-based Directed Electronics, which became the nation's largest maker of vehicle anti-theft devices, before being elected to Congress.
��The customers. Trump will also find that selling his and policies will take more than a few speeches or clever marketing campaigns.
While a businessman can ignore those who don't want his product, said former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, a politician "has to figure out how to not only please the customer, but please the other part of the electorate."
The key to a successful business, and political career, is that "You develop a reputation," said Gov.-elect Phil Scott of Vermont, who owns a construction company..
And you show humility. "As a business person, you have to make sure the business is running well," said Crist, who was elected to the House of Representatives on Nov. 8. "As a government official, you have to be a servant."
��Congress.
Congress will be able to haul his managers in for questioning and second-guessing in a very public way.
In business, a bad hire can be fired without much attention. A bad choice to lead a government agency will become the subject of widespread, often ugly, public scrutiny.
"Half the people who come to work are trying to make you fail," Engler said.
Even if they are efficient managers, agency heads will have to defend what they do in a very public fashion. Government's executive branch has to go before legislatures and explain themselves constantly. It's not an easy transition for executives used to being accountable to corporate boards or stockholders, which don't get the attention that government officials so.
"It took me a while to adjust to this whole different form of governance," said Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, formerly president of Pilot Flying J, a chain of truck stops.
Then there's the matter of getting the Senate to go along with his agenda. Republicans are expected to control 52 of the 100 seats next year, but it takes 60 to end debate on most matters. That means Trump often will have to persuade at least eight Democrats to vote his way.
"With the U.S. Congress, half will cause you trouble, and then there's your own party to deal with," said James Pfiffner, who has written a dozen books on the U.S. presidency and American government.
"You think if you're the president or you're the governor and you say it, it happens. But that's just not true," Haslam said.
��The unknown. Presidents are at the mercy of large forces they can't control.
President Ronald Reagan's approval ratings soared in 1981 and he got a huge tax cut through Congress. Then, his poll numbers plunged as the nation sank into a recession.
A business executive can cut costs, or production, and, if savvy enough, can survive. And the public isn't watching every move.
A president's actions get far more scrutiny. "While the president does not control the economy, he is expected to help it run smoothly," Josten said.
��International affairs. Dealing with world leaders on treaty negotiations or during violent conflicts is much different from arranging for hotels and golf courses. That could Trump's greatest challenge. Already, he's upset a close ally by lobbying to replace the British ambassador to the United States with a Trump ally.
"You get it with a lot of unexpected stuff," Pfiffner said. "Any president has to make sure not to get trapped into saying something unfortunate."
