What Successful Entrepreneurs DON'T Do
By Leah Doyle
This week is Global Entrepreneurship Week, and as a result I have had an influx of emails and posts on my social media streams with lists about the, 5,3,6, or even 10 things that ‘successful entrepreneurs do.’
As the former Global President of The Entrepreneurs Organization, leading some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world, I can assure you that group of individuals do not focus on a list of what successful entrepreneurs do…. they are too busy doing it!
However, from my 20+ privileged years of mixing with some of the smartest guys and girls on the planet, what I can share with you is the top 5 things they DON’T do...
They DON’T make lists about what makes them successful – they don’t have time. They are out there running at 100 miles an hour, trying everything they can to find a way forward, faster. There is no science to being a successful entrepreneur, you simply have to fail fast, so you can get back up on your feet and try again. That’s how you crack the code, you just keep trying something until it sticks. It’s not about making a list; it’s about making a start.
They DON’T whine about how hard it is’. Being an entrepreneur is hard, period! And your fellow entrepreneurs don’t want / need to hear how hard it is for you, they have their own battles to fight. Successful entrepreneurs wake up each day and face their fears first. They bite down and do the hard stuff quickly and efficiently, so they can focus on how they can make it easier.
They DON’T get caught in an economic shift – they knew it was coming, it always does, get over it. Every 7 to 10 years the same economic cycle comes around, boom, boom, bust, recovery. Successful entrepreneurs know this, as they have studied it. They know that while the sun is shining today, clouds are looming over the horizon tomorrow and they need to prepare for that. They learn from the past, apply that to the present, to protect their future.
They know what is important and they focus on that – there is no drama in their lives. It’s easy to get caught in conversation with the naysayers, and get dragged into a shift of focus from the important to the immediate. To a successful entrepreneur, drama is the enemy of direction.
They DON’T have ‘vision boards’ – they have clarity of vision. And that vision is what keeps driving them to be better tomorrow than they are today.
Being a successful entrepreneur requires a number of certain qualities that can’t necessarily be ‘listed’. It’s a state of mind, it’s a knowing, and it’s something that lies deep within that is so hard to articulate. I know this as I’ve lived it through 13 companies of my own.
As we celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week, take a moment to celebrate the great entrepreneurs that have taken the journey to shape our world.