We can not put successful entrepreneurs in a box. There is no way for me to tell you that everyone goes through the same path in order for them to succeed.
But there are known secrets common to them. Those you can learn. Those you can start with.
Get your pen and write these ideas. Writing will make these ideas stick. Doing them will make them part of your life. Make a mess of these ideas.
1. Seize Opportunities.
When opportunities come, entrepreneurs see them. Others see challenges, problems, or nothing.
How do you do that?
Learn more about your industry. You will not notice anything if you are not observing it.
When you are expecting someone to come, you won’t miss him or her on the road. The same is true with opportunity.
Successful entrepreneurs look for opportunities. They create new opportunities.
2. Run Your Own Show.
Yes, you have a show and it’s titled “My So-Called Life”. You are its main actor. You are also the director. You are the playwright. You are the producer.
Others will tell you that to get the freedom, you have to own a “business.”
Whatever you do today, that’s your business. You do not work for someone, you are providing someone the services of your business.
That’s entrepreneurial thinking.
When you have that thinking, you know that you have the freedom to run your business the way you want.
Many successful entrepreneurs started as employees. They are called intrapreneurs. They have the same mindset. Both want to solve problems.
You can be a successful entrepreneur while being employed. Don’t believe those who say that nobody becomes rich by becoming an employee. It is likely that they worked as laborers.
They exchange their hours for a fixed amount. They have not seen the power of 1000xing their talents and skills. Successful entrepreneurs multiply their impact.
3. Nurture Your Nature.
Before you look for new talents and skills to develop, take account of what you already have.
Whatever comes naturally to you is easier to develop. Your natural talents and ability are your signposts to your calling, to your passion.
A book can teach you 100 competencies of entrepreneurs. You can read all 100 of these competencies when you have that much time to waste. Or you can consider the competencies here.
Spend most of your time developing what you already have. You can scale your genius through deliberate training.
4. There Is No Absolute Answer to Entrepreneurship.
Notice that many entrepreneurs are high school graduates and college dropouts. They do not know the answer. They do not know what are impossible.
They only know one thing: if I cannot thrive, I must survive.
A college education is a great invention of man. But woe to those who conditioned themselves to believe that their universities gave them the greatest education on earth. Your best education is yet to come.
Sometimes, you have to stumble on it. But that can only happen when you make the world your classroom.
5. Bounce Back Stronger and Better.
Be resilient. Be tenacious.
If you are a Filipino, you have been trained to bounce back since birth. I am not exaggerating. If you have been in this country for the last ten years, you must have experienced more than 100 typhoons and you must have heard of the miseries of others if you have not experienced them yourself.
Filipinos smile at you even before they stand. Before you know it, they have already erected their shanties, houses, and buildings again and go on living.
They cry, then move on quickly.
Bounce back stronger. Learn your lessons. Do better in the future.
Entrepreneurs know that a setback is a set-up for success.
6. You Gotta Believe.
There is no magic. But there are miracles of life. And miracles happen to those who believe.
Belief is your third eye, your sixth sense.
As I write these words today, I know that many people are in a great financial mess. But they must know that they have the highest potential and all mess will be washed away anytime soon. They must believe.
You have many talents. That’s a miracle.
You have clients who believe in the value of my services. That’s a miracle.
Your life is nothing short of a miracle.
You gotta believe.
7. Keep Your Feet On the Ground While You Fish for the Stars.
If you are Superman, then this advice does not fit you.
But for anyone who is as human as I am, be realistic. I do not mean it the way others use “realistic”.
When others tell you to be realistic, they usually mean you cannot achieve your dreams because no one has achieved them, or that they do not believe you are capable.
They are “realistic” about themselves. But they are not realistic for you.
Accept that you have these people around you. Accept that there are people who will not support you. Accept that there are people who will not see the awesomeness and the value of the products you are selling.
That’s what I mean by being realistic. Accepting that other people have different versions of reality is part of being realistic.
Make them adapt to your reality. That your is opportunity.
That’s how entrepreneurs think.
Why Entrepreneurs Are Important
8. Have Unlimited Generosity.
I should have said this one first, but if you are here and reading this, then happy are you who keep me company.
You are getting this advice from me for FREE. And I am going to give you thousands more until I am able to exhaust all of my talents and skills. (Have you subscribed to my updates?)
I have no intention to store my knowledge and make it my “trade secret”. My knowledge is only useful when others use them. I will not allow my winning secrets to be buried with me and neither should you.
To get millions, you must find ways to give millions.
Give, give, give, give, give….until the end of your days.
WHERE TO START
Starting up is up to you. I am confident to say that you start with #8 because that’s easy and simple. However, 99.99 percent of people keep it as a good idea and never do anything about it.
