Successful entrepreneurs may have started businesses providing all kinds of products and services, but many of them share a surprising number of common habits. Here are seven habits that prove you were born to be an entrepreneur.
1. You have grit
Grit and determination are critical to entrepreneurial success. You have to be able to see a project through if you want to be successful. This may include long hours. It could also be reading all those items in your inbox. But don’t worry, this extra effort is what separates the great businesses from the mediocre ones. The more effort you put into something the better it becomes.
Even comedian Jerry Seinfeld believes this. He has an amazing exercise in which you cross out every day that you do work. The quality and quantity does not matter. What matters is that you put in work every day. This will give you a huge pool of past work and ideas that you can use for future projects. It will also keep you on track with your goals.
Many of the greatest inventions and discoveries came from hard work. It took Thomas Edison over 1,000 attempts to perfect the light bulb. Where would we be now if he gave up? You must adopt this same mentality if you want to become more successful.
2. You never say “That’s enough”
Ambition is one thing that all successful people have. They were not happy with where they were in life and felt they could do more. They felt they could be more.
This could mean making more money. It could also mean expanding your business or something as simple as setting your own hours. All of these require the drive to get your goals accomplished.
Successful entrepreneurs work exceptionally hard. You always have to push forward. This is the only way to get up that hill of entrepreneurship. Going backward is not an option.
3. You take the time to learn something everyday
You are already practicing this habit right now! In the quest for a good life you must always take the time to learn something new, even if it has nothing to do with your business. You never know when something that you learn will help you later in life. “Once you stop learning, you start dying,” Albert Einstein famously once said.
The act of gaining greater knowledge will always make you a more effective entrepreneur and a better person. This can help your business grow past its current limits. Education can even help you get leg up on your competition. Mark Cuban writes that most people won’t put in the effort to get that advantage. You can use this lack of effort that most people have to your advantage. If you know something the competition does not, it becomes much easier to land that big, life-changing deal.
4. You surround yourself with the right team
Everyone has heard the phrase: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with friends. This simply means you can accomplish more with a team than alone. They can help share the stress and work load that is sure to come up. A team of good members can cover for each other’s weaknesses and amplify their individual strengths. A good team will help you and your business succeed.
If you surround yourself with bad team members, your entire team will suffer. They will undermine and drain resources from all your hard work. That’s why most successful people only associate with other successful people.
5. You understand that consistency is the key
Success depends on structure and consistency. It’s not all about who has the best product or the cheapest, sometimes it’s the most stable businesses that succeed.
If you cannot offer a uniform product, how can consumers know if they are getting the same product or service that you are known for? Chain restaurants are the best example of this. If you order a hamburger from a McDonalds in America, it will be the same product as a hamburger from the Netherlands.
Consider a train. It may start off very slowly but, due to the constant push of the engines, it can achieve amazing speeds. It may even become unstoppable. Always aim to be a train.
6. You know a healthy body creates a healthy mind
Everyone knows physical health is important. Eating right and exercising regularly can be hugely beneficial as an entrepreneur. A well-defined sleep pattern with a good sleep environment can prevent you from being tired during the day. Get an air purifier to help clean the air in your bedroom. It will also increase your productivity while you are at work. Good eating habits can prevent you from getting sick and provide you with the necessary energy to complete your busy day. A moderate amount of exercise with efficient workout routines can help keep your body in better condition for longer.
All these things together can help you live a longer, more productive life. Not only will you be more effective in the workplace, but you will also feel better in your everyday life. You have to treat your body as a foundation stone for your business. Without a good foundation, you don’t have structural integrity.
7. You have critics, but that will not stop you
The fear of criticism can keep many from achieving their goals. It can even prevent some people from even attempting them. But this is a problem successful entrepreneurs don’t have. They have a habit of taking negative criticism and learning from it.
What did I do wrong? How can this be better? Is there a flaw I should know about? All these and more can be answered with hard criticism. It is one way to get a true idea of all problems. Just remember that no matter what you do, you will have critics.
Barbara Corcoran was once told by an ex-boyfriend that she could not succeed without him. This drove her to go further and prove that he was wrong. Sometimes the worst critics can push you to become your best.
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Janet Miller is a health practitioner, mom of four, personal coach and cofounder of Jen Reviews. She writes extensively and has been featured on MindBodyGreen, The Huffington Post and Fast Company.