Now more than ever you have a lot of individuals who consider themselves entrepreneurs. With about 400 million entrepreneurs worldwide how does one succeed or stand out amongst the crowd? This article is for the true entrepreneurs not those who use the title lightly due to boredom or lack of employment. This is for the entrepreneurs that have identified a good way to make money and fill a gap.
My parents have been entrepreneurs since their teenage years. I mean true entrepreneurs. I don’t think there’s a legal business that they have not tried to tap into, from owning a 99cent store, to car dealerships, shoe stores, hair shops, rice farms and so much more. Don’t be deceived all of these did not succeed by any means. Actually most of them failed but the ones that succeeded were very successful. I mean millionaire status.
Being the daughter of two entrepreneurs its only fitting that I of course fell in line with my parents passion and have a heart of an entrepreneur. As I started my journey towards entrepreneurship I asked them the 4 keys that make a successful entrepreneur. Below are the four most important things that contributed to their success:
1. Have a goal
The thing about us entrepreneurs is we want to do a million different things. One day we want to get into real estate, the next day we want to work with a tech startup. This is not necessarily a bad thing because ideas are the heart of most entrepreneurs. My parents are an example of this. Having over 100 business ideas one thing they did was that they picked one at a time and worked at it. If it failed they moved on. If the business succeeded they waited until it was stable enough to stand on its own before they moved to the next idea.
The point is at some point you have to hone in one specific goal and start working towards it. Write all of your brilliant ideas down and check them off one at a time.
2. Dedication is Key
This is the most important thing that you need to have in order to succeed in any business that you own or are looking to create. This skill is what makes or breaks most entrepreneurs. And, it is a skill that can be found in any successful entrepreneur.
Dedication is the drive that keeps you working towards your goal. It keeps you motivated when things get hard because believe me they will. But when things get tough it’s crucial to stay dedicated. Some of your business ideas are bound to fail. You have to understand that failure is a part of growth; so don’t be defeated by it. Take it as a lesson and be dedicated enough to pick yourself up and move forward.
3. Determination is Crucial
Be aware that being an entrepreneur poses challenges such as uncertainty, financial burdens, and stress. Now that I’ve told you this, don’t just push it aside. Internalize itand make sure you understand that this is an unavoidable part of being an entrepreneur. Be confident in your own business and use your determination as the strength to keep you moving forward in spite of the roadblocks that lay before you.
I have yet to run across a successful entrepreneur that said getting to their goal was easy. Nothing worth having comes easy. Even when you are destined for greatness you still needs to be dedicated and determined in order to reach and sustain success.
4. Patience is Required
Good things take time. As long as you are doing all that you can do to reach your goal, understand that in due time success will come. My parents did not become millionaires over night. It took time, and patience to get to where they are right now. If you look at successful entrepreneurs you’ll see that it took them time for them to reach success. It took Vera Wang, Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama, and others time to overcome several trials before they reached the peak of their success. You can’t rush success, so you might aswell enjoy the journey.
For the ‘true’ entrepreneurs out their. I hope this article has been helpful. There is so much more that goes into becoming a successful entrepreneur, but these are 4 steps that will get you closer to success. Now that you know the 4 steps for entrepreneurial success check out our article 8 Things Successful People Do.
Author
JoeSandra Odunze
Corporate Minority Founder
