Learning from successful entrepreneurs is one good way for us to emulate. Having a mentor is an extraordinary blessing for an entrepreneur, but not everyone can find a personal mentor for themselves.
If you haven’t found your personal business mentor yet, here are 12 tips for young or aspiring entrepreneurs to help you start your business.
Also read: 10 Successful Indonesian Entrepreneurs and Their Inspirational Stories
1. Challenge Yourself
Richard Branson said his biggest motivation is to constantly challenge himself. He treats life as a long university education where he can learn more every day. You can too!
2. Do What You Care About
There’s no doubt that running a business takes a lot of time. Steve Jobs noted that the only way to be satisfied in life is to do work that you truly believe in.
3. Take Risks
“We never know the outcome of our efforts unless we actually do it,” Jeff Bezos said to help understand that he wouldn’t regret failure, but he would regret not trying.
4. Believe in Yourself
As Henry Ford famously said, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.” Believe that you can succeed, and you’ll find a way through various obstacles. If not, you’ll find excuses.
5. Have a Vision
Tumblr’s founder and CEO, David Karp, noted that an entrepreneur is someone who has a vision for something and a desire to create it. Keep your vision clear at all times.
6. Surround Yourself with Good People
Reid Hoffman, one of the founders of LinkedIn, noted that the fastest way to change yourself is to associate with people who are already like what you want to be.
7. Face Your Fears
Overcoming fear is not easy, but it must be done. Arianna Huffington once said that she became so strong it’s like a muscle – the more she exercised it, the stronger it became.
8. Take Action
The world is full of great ideas, but success only comes through action. Walt Disney once said that the easiest way to get started is to stop talking and start doing. That applies to your success too.
9. Time
No one succeeds overnight, and everyone has been a beginner. As Steve Jobs wisely said, “if you look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.” Don’t be afraid to invest time in your business.
10. Manage Energy, Not Time
Your energy limits what you can do with your time, so manage it wisely.
11. Build a Great Team
No one succeeds in business alone, and those who try will lose to a great team every time. Build your own great team to enhance your success.
12. Exceed Expectations
Larry Page (CEO of Google) encourages entrepreneurs to give more than expected to customers. This is a great way to stand out in your industry and build loyal supporters.
Becoming a successful entrepreneur takes a lot of work, a lot of vision, and a lot of perseverance. These 12 tips come from entrepreneurs who have found success; what they say can be emulated in your business.
