Recently, I was watching the silly Joan Rivers show “How Did You Get So Rich”. Being a business owner and investor my self I am constantly studying what makes people successful. This show is great because Joan walks around Hollywood Blvd. literally asking people how they became rich. There are some great stories, but there is one thing to be aware of. Every….and I mean every single one of them are business owners. Not a one is an employee that worked their way up the corporate ladder. Many of them also started out with nothing. Do you every wonder what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. Here are the entrepreneurial skills that I have gained after over 10 years of studying successful people, businesses and the wealthy. There is really no certain order, but all skills will eventually be required for your success.
Set Goals
Being an entrepreneur…an extremely successful one requires goal setting. I recently flew from Long Beach, CA to Phoenix. I set next to a man who was a successful business owner….well at least financially successful. He made really good money, however he was working to the bone and lost in what to do with the changing economy. I could tell right away that he lacked a few skills at being an uber successful entrepreneur. First off, he did very well for himself, but then he told me that he never planned what was next for his business…I immediately cringed….he then went on to say he just played everything by ear and never made a business plan. My heart went out for him…just because I knew if he could make a lot of money without planning he could have made 10 times more if he did plan. He also did everything on his own….the romantic idea of a man that creates success all on his own is crap. It leads to over worked stress out people. He had no leader to lead him during the hard times. This leads me to the next skill necessary to be an uber successful entrepreneur…..Mentorship.
Get a Mentor
Many entrepreneurial egos have yet to surrender to this idea….to be super successful is a required skill also. Someone who leads the path in front of you will save you time, money and stress. You can and will create results 5 times faster if you have a mentor. “A rising tide raises all ships” with a mentor all you have to do is jump on the boat instead of raising the tide yourself.
The Main Thing
“Keep the main thing the main thing” I believe I read this quote from the book ‘The E-Myth’. When you join the world of an entrepreneur you always find these super busy people that have 18 businesses all at once and they are still broke and struggling for money. These are usually ‘know it all’ people and do your best to avoid them. Find people that can commit to one thing until it is successful. When you first start out you may have to change your business once or twice, but make a commitment and follow through.
Life Suckers
You will also find many people along your journey that tell you that you can’t do it. “You are crazy.” “Who do you think you are.” The sad thing about it is that many times these people will be your family and close friends….and that sucks. You will have to eventually grow immune to this advice or it will kill your dream. Do your best to avoid these people it is a required entrepreneurial skill. At the same time learn to listen to the right people. This is why a mentor is very important. They can cut through the fat of the life suckers and help you learn from the right people. When I started my first business my father said “Son your sticking a knife in your neck.” It hurt…badly, but I kept going. Life is not worth living if we are not pursing our dreams and I wasn’t going to let anyone stop me. This leads me to the next entrepreneurial skill….
Never Give Up
Spoken well by Winston Churchill. “Never, Ever, Ever Give Up” By developing this mentality over a ‘give up and quit’ mentality you will literally move mountains…and easily…once you get use to it. Dream….and dream big. Find what makes you happy and stop for nothing to achieve it. Do it with honor, grace, integrity and love and you will see your dreams as an entrepreneur manifest beyond what you ever imagined.