For everyone who starting and building a business will be a truly amazing journey and life- changing adventure. Being an entrepreneur has a lot of benefit and also disadvantages, it all depends on how you handle your business. You will often blaze your own trail which means No career guides, counselors or maps will guide you from one step to the next.
As Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, has famously said, “your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.”
It takes time a build a sustainable, long-term and high impact business. During the initial start- up phase, you can expect to be spending a lot of time setting things up and getting the ball rolling. So find something that you are passionate in and be excited to spend time on! Do what you love and love what you do!
Your passion is contagious! If you love what you do, your passion will ignite the same intensity in others who join you as you build a team to succeed in this endeavor. And with passion, both your team and your customers are more likely to see your vision and be excited to be part of your journey too.
Successful entrepreneurs are optimist about possibilities and their future. They believe in themselves and have faith that it is through their journey that they will grow and succeed. They don’t need to see the whole staircase, they are willing to just take the first step and then keep taking the next step forward. Even if they have failed in the past, they understand that their past does NOT equal to their future.
It doesn’t mean that they don’t have fear; they just don’t let their fear control them. They are willing to face their fear and keep moving forward towards their dreams. Fear is NOT real. It is just part of you feeling uncomfortable. Fear is NOT the truth. Fear is NOT the reality. Make a decision to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. This is your own personal journey of growth. And your destiny lies on the opposite of your fear.
Successful entrepreneurs are always learning! Whether you are a first time business owner, or you are already having massive success, have the mindset of a student and continue to learn. Continuous learning and personal development is the key to succeed in life and in business.
In the last few years, I have made it a commitment to keep learning and keep expanding my mind. Reading personal development books, listening to audio and video training programs, attending seminars and training events and learning from successful partners and mentors. And these ’investments’ for my mind have paid me back many times and more.
Your business can only grow to the extent that you do. You can’t make 1,00,000/month with a 1,00,000/year mindset. To make more, first become more. The greatest investment you could ever make is in your own personal development. You can’t live a rich life with a poor mind. Change your mind, change your life.
Successful entrepreneurs have a burning desire to succeed. They know WHY they want to succeed and have the desire to keep driving forward despite obstacles and setbacks.
The bigger your WHY, the easier the HOW.
This is probably one of the hardest parts of your entrepreneurial journey. This may be surprising – but you need to understand that NOT everyone is going to support you. Sometimes, it could be those who are closest to you (your spouse, your parents, your boyfriend/girlfriend, your best friends) that are criticizing you, telling you that your dreams are impossible and asking you to quit.
And as you work hard and start to attract success, you will find that some people are inspired by you. However, at the same time, your success could also be like a mirror – it is a reflection for some people to look into their own lives. Sadly, for some, because there are parts of themselves that they don’t like, they may feel jealous of you and may even want to see you fail.
As Zig Ziglar, world renowned motivational speaker has said, ’don’t be distracted by criticism. Remember the only taste of success some people get, is taking a bite out of you.’ Be careful with who you are listening to. Would you listen to investment advice from broke friends? You wouldn’t, right? So why would you listen to people who don’t have the success and lifestyle you want? Remember, if you listen to someone’s advice, you are buying their lifestyle.
Stay away from negative people and ’dream stealers’. Always surround yourself with positive people who are going to support your dreams. Remember, you only live once – and the only way to show the World who you really are, is to live your life fully and to fulfill all your dreams.
As you start to build your business, you may be overwhelmed by the new roles and new skill sets you need. My advice is to keep things simple, and learn how to build a Team and incorporate a System so that your business can eventually multiply.
Take the time to learn how to leverage on a System and learn to become a great Leader to your team. Ultimately, it is leverage that gives you freedom and wealth.
No matter how great your vision and your plan are, to build a successful business, it always comes down to execution! Are you taking real actions towards your business? Execute, execute, execute! Take massive actions – Success will only come from hard work!
Successful entrepreneurs understand that they need to aim for progression, not perfection. It is ok to be imperfect – just shoot first and then re-adjust course along the way! Failures are just lessons. The faster you fail, the quicker you will succeed. And the only way to truly fail is to quit! So keep moving forward and never, never, never quit!
"Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in."
The road to success is going to take time; it will be an adventure and an exciting journey. But, it will not always be sunshine and roses. You will have setbacks and obstacles, and at times, you may feel that the whole World is going against you and you feel like quitting
Remember, to always embrace your journey! Learn from your failures and experience, keep stretching yourself and get comfortable with being uncomfortable, continue to learn and grow in the process, and keep taking actions.
One day, your tests will become your testimonials and your story will become your glory to inspire hundreds and thousands of lives around the World.
Meanwhile, don’t forget to have A LOT OF FUN too. Enjoy your journey and always remember to rewards yourself and celebrate on every milestone along the way!
The biggest prize of your journey is to become the best version of you and become the person you are destined to be.
