Last Update – December 8, 2014
“In the 1940s, [a] young inventor named Chester Carlson took his idea to 20 corporations, including some of the biggest in the country. They all turned him down. In 1947 – after seven long years of rejections! – he finally got a tiny company in Rochester, New York, the Haloid company, to purchase the rights to his invention – an electrostatic paper-copying process. Haloid became Xerox Corporation we know today.”
One of the toughest areas of entrepreneurship is mastering self-discipline and perseverance. When you leave the constraints of a 9-5 structured environment it is a complete 180. Not only do you initially have no direct reports, but you also have no one breathing down your back to get the job done, ensure profitability or keep you on track.
Therefore, the first thing I recommend is coming to the realization of your inner mental capacity, fortitude and strength to undo much of the brainwashing that has occurred since you entered this world. If you want to change your life you must change your thinking.
Find, Learn and Focus
Before I became an entrepreneur I decided to learn from the best which meant I had to find, learn and focus.
- find a mentor (someone more successful than you)
- learn as much as you can about the venture (gaining knowledge and wisdom)
- focus on growing to fill some big shoes (the person you are meant to become)
For me, this meant reading tons of books, associating with like-minded people and challenging preconceived notions about how life should, and could, be.
The first misconception about business owners is they are all high on the IQ factor. While many are, just as many aren’t. We are just smart enough to know how to surround ourselves with people smarter than we are and take the necessary calculated risks to get things done.
The authors of Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, makes an excellent point:
“Here is the fundamental problem: people think of execution as the tactical side of business, something leaders delegate while they focus on the ‘perceived’ bigger issues. This idea is completely wrong. Execution is not just tactics; it is a discipline and a system.”
The big idea is that leaders are building houses without foundations. When it comes to entrepreneurship the foundation is you. Your business is only as good as the idea, brand (you) and execution.
The application is simple – find ways to grow. Start reading more – gain applicable knowledge that would yield the highest results. My personal action plan included prayer and meditation, effective routines, reading and talking to other business owners. Once I decided the “why” and the “how” I put it on paper. If you can’t speak it and see it, it will never become a reality.
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