Don’t know where to start? Try these 101 steps to prosperity
1 . Realize your Potential
In order to succeed at anything, you need to see that you have the potential to reach your goals. For example, if you want to be a recording artist but have no singing ability, having success in this field is not likely. However, if you love working on cars and have a real talent for fixing engines and transmissions, and to you, success would mean working for NASCAR, you have potential to learn and achieve that success.
2 . Don’t Look Back
Everyone has failures or mistakes from the past. To have success, you need to learn from your past and value those difficult lessons but do not every dwell on the past. Simply move forward and make better, more educated decisions from the lessons learned.
3 . Dare to Dream
To succeed, you need to have dreams and aspirations. Be honest with yourself as to what you want out of life and what you want to give of your life. Allow your mind to dream and think big.
4 . Business Plan
Create a Business Plan as your very first step if you are planning to build a business. Whether you will be searching for investors or not, this plan will be the blueprint to your success. The Business Plan will consist of market trends, financial planning, competitive analysis, exit strategies, marketing and promotional options, everything about your goal. When going before an investor, you will be required to have a Business Plan. This is by far the most important document of all. If your success were something personal, you would not need to create a Business Plan although a project plan would be a good option to allow you to keep track of everything involving your goal.
5 . Don’t Give Up
To reach success, you have to persevere. Even Thomas Edison had to learn this. When he was creating the ncandescent light bulb, it took him more than 10,000 times to get it right. Keep striving even when it becomes challenging.
6 . Have an Unstoppable Attitude
You need to have determination. With good intentions, there may be a close friend or family member that feels it would be better if you focused your attention in another direction. Uphold your unstoppable attitude, determined to succeed.
7 . Stop the Complaining
You might think there is no correlation between complaining and success when in fact there is a connection. When you are spending time complaining about the obstacles you are facing, you are wasting so much time being negative that you are actually loosing chances to move forward. Instead of thinking of challenges as problems, think of them as opportunities.
8 . Focus on Something you Like
To increase your chance of succeeding, you should concentrate your efforts on something you enjoy. When you start out, make a list of everything you find interesting. Then in a second column, write down the skills you have in relation to each of those items. This will help you narrow choices down based on interest and skill, which gets you started in the right direction for success.
9 . Change your Circumstances
You have a choice in life to accept your position or change it. If you choose to plug along in life hoping that something will change for the better, you will not get very far. Always remember that when it comes to hanging your circumstances, you can – you have that power. As an example, women who are in abusive situations often feel controlled and powerless to get out of the situation. They have the same choice of changing their circumstances as you do. If your circumstances lower the chances of success, you need to change them.
10. Have a Plan
Even if it is flimsy to begin with, you should construct a plan to include goal, milestones, deliverables such as contracts, business plans, etc., and accomplishments. This will provide you with a visual as to what you are working for, what milestones you have successfully met, and where you need to do better.
11. Accept Responsibility
You need to accept responsibility if you make a bad decision or fall behind in your plan. Let us say that you have set some firm milestones that need to be accomplished in order for you to move to the next step. However, you got tired of working hard and took some time to play, which is fine as long as it does not affect your goals. Now months have passed and you are way behind schedule. This delay has closed several doors of opportunities. Who is to blame?
12. Be Happy
A positive mind and happy, upbeat attitude will help you succeed. It has been proven in many studies that a person living in a happy state generally gets much further in just about everything they do. This relates to attitude. Just as bad attitude can pull you down, good attitude and a happy, healthy mind will help you meet your objectives.
13. No Shortcuts
An old cliché states, “Anything worth doing is worth doing well.” This should be your motto. When you want to succeed, you cannot afford to take shortcuts. Taking shortcuts leads to imperfection and inadequacies. Always strive for the best, even if it requires a little more time and effort.
14. Have Courage
Depending on what your specific success is, it may take courage to arrive at your desired destination. For example, if you have a dream of being a writer and to you, that is success, but according to your long line of family members who have all gone on to be doctors, the only success in their minds is if you follow down the medical path. This means you will have to have courage to stand up for what you believe and desire to do, even if it means disappointing family.
15. Be Excited to Learn
Referring back to the analogy of Edison, when asked about his failures by a young boy, Edison commented, “Young man, I didn’t fail 9,999 times, I discovered 9,999 ways not to invent the light bulb.” As you work toward your specific success, always enjoy opportunities to learn, even if it takes longer than you think it should.
16. Share your Success
Although this may be more at the end of the process, it is important. When you finally do reach your success, use your experience to teach, guide, and mentor others so that they too might succeed.
17. Seek Input
Whatever your idea of success, conduct a “sanity check” throughout the process of reaching your goal. This should be done with someone you trust and who is themselves successful. Ask them to provide honest feedback about your success and as you move through different milestones, bounce concerns or new ideas off them to help keep you on the right track.
18. Toxic Poisoning
No, we are not talking about actual poison but toxic people that can poison. Unfortunately, it would be great if close friends or co-workers could share in your success but all too often, there will be someone who is either dealing with the “green monster” of jealousy or has a case of the “I knew that” syndrome. If you are serious about reaching your goal and being successful, you will need to rid your life of these people. While you may not be able to get them out of your life completely, you should avoid them as best as possible. If this is a person, you see every day, keep your goals to yourself, and avoid that specific subject.
19. Be a Good Listener
To succeed, you need to learn how to listen first. Pay attention to other people who have enjoyed successes in their life, attend seminars given by people that can motivate and encourage, or be open to hearing that a particular idea is not a good one. Good listening takes time to learn but in the end, it will be your greatest tool.
20. Birds of a Feather
If you have a goal of being a best-selling author, find friends and mentors who either have achieved that same goal or are also pursuing a successful writing career. It is important to surround yourself with people that can associate with your goal and passion, people who understand the burning desire to succeed and can encourage when you meet with disappointments.
21. Little Red Engine
Do you remember the story of the caboose that was desperately trying to make it over a very large hill? He kept telling himself repeatedly, “I think I can, I think I can.” When you start feeling overwhelmed or defeated, tell yourself aloud these same words. While it may seem a little awkward at first, stand in front of a mirror and tell yourself, “I think I can, I think I can.” You might even change the words to, “I know I can!”
22. Be Proactive
While it may take time to learn how to identify ways to avoid obstacles or failures, get into the habit of tackling problems before they arise. This will help you avoid wasting precious time on your road to success.
23. Stay Motivated
When striving for the big goal of success, it is critical to stay motivated. Find inspiring and motivational tapes, seminars, books, movies; whatever you are able to get your hands on. When you start to feel a little down and out and doubt starts to creep in, turn to these motivational tools to help you keep on track. A few excellent motivators include Tony Robbins, Norman Vincent Peale, Jim Rohn, Zig Ziglar, and Les Brown.
24. Give Yourself a Break
While being determined is important, do not be so hard on yourself that you become critical of every move you make. Give yourself some room to make mistakes and be flexible with you. That does not mean you can miss goals but it does mean that if you do, you find out how to avoid that from happening again and then get back to business.
25. Be Passionate
Fall in love with what your success. Okay, although that sounds funny, you need to have an intimate passion with your interest. You can do this regardless of what your success is. By having passion for what you are doing and driving toward, you will automatically put more effort into it. Passion is a good thing as long as it does not become an obsession.
26. Don’t Settle
If you have a goal of becoming a world-famous chef and you know you have both desire and skill, do not just settle to become a short order cook at your local family-style restaurant. While that may be good training ground, do not allow yourself to lose sight of your ultimate goal.
27. No Excuses
Many famous actors, music artists, inventors, etc., had special challenges ranging from learning disabilities to physical disabilities. Take Beethoven for example. He was born deaf yet he went on to be one of the world’s greatest composers or Joni Erickson who was paralyzed from the neck down yet she learned to paint with her mouth. Today, her paintings are famous around the world and worth millions. If you are faced with a special challenge of your own, while you may have to adjust things from time to time, do not use excuses. If you want something bad enough, there is a way!
28. Getting Past Fear of Failure
Being afraid of failure is a normal emotion for every person on the planet. How you get past that fear is the determining factor between failing and succeeding. You can do that by setting realistic goals and then examining those goals on occasion to do any necessary realignment. Above all, believe in yourself and the desire burning within.
29. Patience and Dues
Succeeding takes time. A goal worth setting will take time to achieve. Be patient with yourself, the people around you, and the process it takes to become successful, also referred to as “paying your dues.” Just like the chef scenario, it takes time to be a master chef. Pay your dues by learning and working your way up the ladder to success.
30. Good Time / Resource Management
Being successful also means keeping to a schedule. In addition, you
need to learn how much is too much. Good time and resource
management will help you ensure that you use your time wisely and
that you are not adding third portions onto a plate still overflowing with
seconds.
31. Make Opportunities
Rather than wait for opportunity to find you, you need to find
opportunities. This might be watching for business opportunities in the
paper regarding small businesses being sold, great real estate
opportunities, and investments with stocks, bonds, or mutual funds,
taking a talent and turning it into an entrepreneurial adventure. People
that have reached financial status will tell you that they look for ways to
seize opportunities, not wait for opportunities to come knocking on their
door because it will not happen that way.
32. Attitude
Putting yourself in the right attitude for success should be at the top of
your list. Staying positive and surrounding yourself with friends, that
share a positive attitude will help you succeed. Do not allow negative
thoughts to slip into your mind. Attend motivational seminars and find
ways to enjoy life. A good attitude will allow you to turn any bad
situation into a learning experience. You have heard the saying, “The
glass is either half-full or half-empty.” You need to adopt the attitude
that life is half-full. The result is that you will feel better, have more
energy, and have a much higher opportunity for success.
33. Be Thankful
You need to be thankful for not only your accomplishments but also your
failures. Having a grateful attitude is important. It will help you stay
humble, which in turn, will help you continue striving for the ultimate in
success.
34. Keep a Journal
As you work hard to reach success, regardless of what you consider that
success to be, you need to be able to see your accomplishments. Start
a journal and track every thing you have conquered. When you feel
discouraged or frustrated, reflect on what you have achieved, and
rejuvenate yourself.
35. Rewards
When children do something great, parents will reward them with
something nice, whether a kind word of encouragement or a new toy.
When people do well in their job, they get raises. As you surpass your
milestones, reward yourself. Treat yourself to something nice – a new
dress, a new fishing pole, whatever you like, be sure to award yourself
for a job well done.
36. Watch for Scams
Whether you are just starting out or expanding an existing business,
unfortunately, there are thousands of people waiting to defraud you out
of money. If something appears too good to be true – IT IS! Always
conduct thorough research and never jump into opportunities that look
perfect. If someone becomes pushy, wanting you to make a quick
decision on any type of investment, do not walk away – RUN away!
37. Focus on the Big Picture
As you make your way toward success, you will be challenged with big
obstacles as well as small obstacles. Pick your battles wisely. While you
need to resolve the small issues, do not dwell on them and lose precious
time and energy when you should be focusing on the bigger picture. In
other words, do not allow the menial things to clutter your mind and
monopolize your time.
38. Make the Best of Each Day
Try to live every day as though it were your last. Make the most of
every day and accomplish something. Even if it is something small,
every baby step adds up to a huge success in the end.
39. Make the Process and Adventure
You should look at every angle of your journey as an exciting adventure.
When you think of your childhood years, you loved investigating the
unknown. Carry this with you as you strive toward success. Anticipate
the excitement of each accomplishment – make it a real adventure.
40. Don’t Neglect Things
Especially when things are small and do not appear to have a major
impact on the big picture, you need to ensure you follow through and
complete your tasks. Those little things can quickly add up to a big
mess if not taken care of in a timely and efficient manner.
41. Offer Praise
If you have people helping you out, whether on a volunteer basis or a
full-time employee, always offer praise. These people are an important
part of your success and by providing praise and support; in return,
they will show dedication and work hard to help you reach your goal.
42. Set Daily Goals
In order to visualize your accomplishments and stay encouraged, you
need to set daily goals. These goals can be as simply as a follow up
phone call or a written letter to an investor. Whatever the task is, get it
done. In addition to keeping the process for your success on track, it
will help you to feel like you are making accomplishments, pushing you
closer and closer to the success.
43. Collaborate with Others
More than likely, you will reach various times when you do not have the
appropriate expertise to accomplish something. This is the time
collaboration and/or networking is valuable. These relationships can
help you answer questions, provide guidance, and provide the ongoing
support and encouragement you will need.
44. Customer Relations
Keep your line of communication open with your customers. If they
have a problem, show them the deserved respect and resolve the issue
quickly. Make occasional phone calls to see if they have any needs.
This will let your customers know that you are there for them and care
about their business. This relationship is what is going to keep you on
the road to success. After all, the customer is your link between failure
and success.
45. Repositioning and Reflection
On occasion, reflect on what you have accomplished as well as your
open milestones and ensure you are still heading in the right direction.
Repositioning along the way to success is perfectly normal and to be
expected. You may have been struggling with something specific.
Rather than continue battling this issue, reflect on what has not been
working, and reposition yourself so you do not have to keep battling the
same things repeatedly.
46. Accept Responsibility
You and you alone are responsible for your success. While you will have
help in many instances, the bottom line is that you are responsible. You
need to be surrounded by the right people, working with the right
investors, going about meeting your success in the right way. It is you
that will make the choices and therefore, your responsibility to make the
right choices. In other words, your desire for success must always be
greater that any obstacle that stands in your way.
47. Community
Regardless of what your goal for success is, get involved with your
community. First, get involved with town meetings, the local Chamber
of Commerce, and attend community functions. You will be amazed at
the opportunities for support, business ideas, and financing available
right there in your own neighborhood.
48. Record Keeping
Always keep your records up to date. This would include contact
information, investor information, Business Plans, attorney information,
accounting, everything you touch regarding your goal. In addition, keep
your files on your computer backed up and current. First, you never
know when you are going to be asked for a specific document and need
to provide quick turn-around. Second, computers do crash and it would
be a disaster if all of your information were suddenly gone.
49. Get out of Debt
Take time to get any debts paid off, especially credit card debts that will
cost you a fortune in interest. This is especially important if you will be
seeking funding as a part of your particular success. You want to
ensure that your records and credit are clean if you need to make a
presentation before an investor, asking for money.
50. Read
Stay current on the industry news that your goal falls in. Learn about
current trends, company failures or successes, new ideas; whatever
information you can find. For example, if you have decided to open a
retail store and have a great idea and a real passion for your goal, read
about that specific type of store, location, potential revenue, downfalls,
everything. This information will be a part of your business plan and is
crucial.
51. Location, Location, Location
If you are planning to open a business, you have probably already heard
how important the right location is in order to be successful. Do not
settle for any location as a means of getting the doors of your business
open. Instead, take the appropriate amount of time and find the “right”
location. This will be one of the best decisions you can make. It would
be far better to delay your opening a month in order to secure the right
location than to open early in the wrong location!
52. Good Habits
Being successful, whether personal or business requires good habits. It
is just like trying to do well in school. You have to have good study
habits in order to do well on tests. It is the same for the business
world. You need to do your “homework.” Read the newspaper, scout
out opportunities, and take time each day to dedicate specifically to your
endeavor.
53. Be Open to Improvement
Sometimes, people get into the habit of thinking they have the answers
needed. You need to accept that you do not have all the answers and
more importantly, be open to recommendations from other people.
That does not mean you have to agree or even follow those
suggestions, but it does mean to listen. You never know when someone
will have an idea that will make things easier and more functional,
ultimately helping you arrive at your goal more efficiently.
54. Take Notes
How many times have you had an idea either through a dream, while
doing the dishes, or sitting at your desk, and have thought that as soon
as you have time, you will make a note of it. When that free time rolls
around, you have forgotten some or all of that great idea. Keep a
journal or notepad handy at all times. When you have an idea, write it
down immediately.
55. Take care of Yourself
Being successful means taking care of you, both physically and
emotionally. You will need to have energy, focus, and rest. In turn, this
will help you concentrate and put in the hours required to be successful.
Without taking proper care of yourself, you will end up struggling and
your business could feel the effects.
56. Take Good Notes
Whether you are at a seminar, a casual meeting, or notice something
special in the news, take good, comprehensive notes. This is not always
a natural skill but something that has to be acquired. You want to pay
attention to the emphasis being made capture it. Even if there are
materials being handed out, if there is something that you feel you
should capture separately, do it. Good notes will help you learn better
and provide additional reference points.
57. Participate
If attending seminars or lectures that will help you get ahead, if there is
the opportunity, participate by asking questions or making valid points.
Participation is a great way to remember what is being taught.
58. Be Serious
Take your efforts to success seriously. Success is a serious thing and it
takes serious dedication. You have to have the mindset that this is not
going to be all play, at least not in the beginning.
59. Study Time
No matter what your goal for success, you should set aside some time
to study. If you want to be a successful hair stylist, study different
styles, colors, and trends. If you want to be a veterinarian, study
animals. Whatever your success, take time to read, research, and ask
many questions. You should also consider volunteering at the local
beauty school or hair salon or your veterinarian’s office. Ask if you can
follow them around for a day or two and without getting in the way,
observe, and ask questions.
60. Apply What You Learn
Since you will be setting milestones as you reach for your success, apply
what you have learned through each phase of the process. Doing is a
much more powerful tool than simply reading or watching.
61. Provide Yourself Time
You need to be sure to allow yourself some time just for pleasure.
Being successful is hard work so to avoid burnout; you need to treat
yourself to a night out or just time to sit back, watch TV, and do
absolutely nothing once in awhile.
62. Set Realistic Goals
People wanting to be successful often want overnight results.
Unfortunately, that is not going to happen. You need to do an analysis
to determine a realistic amount of time it will take to reach your specific
success. As you go through your Business Plan you may find times that
dates have to adjusted but even if there are changes, keep it realistic.
Otherwise, you will become frustrated and quit!
63. Talk About It
Talking about your goals for success not only keeps it in the front of
your mind but also keeps up your excitement level. In addition, it adds
in an element of accountability. Think about it, you go around telling
everyone that you are going to be a masseuse, those people are going
to be expecting, and anxious to see you succeed. By talking about your
goals, you are creating a motivational system – a system of
accountability.
64. Don’t Make Quick Decisions
When things in your plan need to change, unless necessary, do not
make quick decisions. Just as it took time to plan in the beginning, it
will take time to change. You want to make sure you are making the
right decisions when changes come up. Do your research just as you
did in the beginning and then make educated choices.
65. Avoid Stress
When you strive to be successful, stress is a natural part of the process.
Do everything you can to avoid stress. Adding in unnecessary stress
into the equation will take focus away from accomplishing your goals.
You can listen to relaxing tapes, get a professional massage, take a
walk, or whatever helps you to relax. When you start feeling
overwhelmed, stop, change direction, and avoid stress. The only thing
stress accomplishes is draining your think power and creativity.
66. Learn How to Delegate
As you start getting closer to your goal of success, you will find that
there are many more things to do than hours in the day. If going into
business, consider hiring someone; even part-time or on a freelance
basis to help take some of your load. If your success is more on a
personal basis, have family or friends pitch in to help you get things
done. You will be amazed at how much this will help ease the situation
and allow you the proper amount of time to focus on the things that
need your full attention.
67. Be a Problem Solver
Rather than stew over things or let stress overtake you, find ways to
become a problem solver. Look at ways that you might find new
customers, increase productivity, or resolve issues.
68. Conduct Research
It is important to know what you are getting into. First, you will want to
conduct research as far as the business, industry, or interest associated
with your particular success. Second, the research will help you stay up
to date on trends, which may or may not require you to make
adjustments in your own goal. For example, if you were interested in
opening a particular business focusing on a specific technology and that
technology took a turn to another direction, new advancements, you
may need to change the direction you were going for your own
business. Unless you kept up on research, you would not know when a
change was needed and therefore, would end up building a business
already headed for failure.
69. Offer a Guarantee
If you have created a business that offers either products or services, in
order to get and keep customers coming back, they have to know that
you stand behind what you offer. Providing a guarantee will help your
business grow and reach the highest level of success.
70. Get Excited
Do you remember your first trip to see a professional baseball game and
how exciting it was to see the thousands of people cheering, enjoying
the mouthwatering smell of popcorn and hot dogs, and hoping that you
might get a chance to catch a foul ball? Perhaps you can remember
your first prom, being excited that the right boy asked you to the dance,
shopping for the perfect glamour dress, and buying your date a corsage.
You need to be excited about your venture for success. Remember
some of the things that brought true excitement to your heart when you
were growing up and add that same excitement to your grownup life.
71. Expand your Mind
Whatever your idea of success, take it one-step further. Stretch your
mind and reach just one-step higher than you thought you could reach.
If you were going to open an ice cream store, offering 30 flavors, go
one more step and make it 31. Okay, you get the idea.
72. Be a Strong Leader
Learn to be a good leader and a good mentor. Enjoy making a
difference and in guiding others to achieve their potential as well. Help
people reach to new horizons.
73. Be Logical
Okay, you may be thinking that logic itself is logical. However, being
logic in many cases means having some level of analytical ability.
Regardless of the way you think, find the logic in it. This will help you
think and plan clearly and honestly.
74. Give 100% Effort
If you are going to succeed, you have to be able to get through tough
times. You will have to rise to challenges and not quit. You have to
plan to go the extra mile and make personal sacrifices. Succeeding
means giving 100% effort. Stay focused while keeping your
performance on a consistent basis.
75. Take Classes
Take some classes at college where you can get a certification.
Enhancing yourself on a personal level will boost everything about you,
making you feel better, about the person you are. When you feel
better, you achieve more. This is a great time to obtain your
certification in CPR, First Aid, a computer class, or some other outside
interest you have.
76. Understand your Goal
A great challenge is to prove to yourself that you can do it. One of the
ways to prove this to you is to take on responsibility. If your goal for
success involves opening a restaurant, work in a restaurant as a server
to get a perspective of all the jobs involved to make the restaurant a
success. Understand the entire business from the ground up.
77. Raise your Standards
You may think you are working your tail off and you probably are. Try
raising the bar just a little bit. Always expect the best from yourself.
Do not beat yourself up if you do not always hit 100% but increase your
standards and strive for more.
78. Unconscious Power
The unconscious mind is a very powerful tool. Take advantage of this
and each night before heading off to bed, take some time to pose
questions to yourself and then allow your mind to hash them out while
you sleep. In addition, mediate in whatever way you find relaxing
before going to bed to clear your mind from clutter and allow the
subconscious mind to go to work.
79. Paint a Picture
A great way to keep working toward your goal is to see it. If you want
to open a computer store, find a picture or article about Bill Gates when
he first got started. If your success is to lose weight, go to Diets.com or
Slimfast.com and print off a before and after picture of someone that
has a similar body type to yourself. Perhaps your goal is to redecorate
your bedroom. Again, locate before and after pictures on the Internet
of decorated rooms. Seeing is believing!
80. Develop Uniformity
At first, this may be a little challenging but strive to keep things on an
even keel. This will keep your efforts and focus from going up and
down. The more you can stay the course the quicker you will reach
your goal to success.
81. Just Do It
Okay, so Nike coined that phrase but it is so accurate. Quit putting
things off and just do it. If you want it bad enough, go for it!
82. Identify Procrastinations
If you have a problem with procrastination, make a list of the things you
constantly put on hold. This will help you identify your poor patterns
and make the appropriate adjustments. Local colleges often have
improvement courses regarding making better decisions and
procrastination. Locate a class that would help you with this kind of
challenge.
83. Want Versus Need
When you strive for success, do it because you want it, not because you
need it. When you want something, it brings about intention, desire,
and action. However, when you need something, it will lead to pain,
stress, and frustration.
84. Be Independent
Do not be afraid to go for what you know is the right thing for you.
Being independent allows you to take control over your destiny and
emotional state. Stand firm in what you believe and do not allow other
people to determine how you feel or what you believe in.
85. Economic Value
Considering your talent, also look at things that can help create
economic value. These types of goals have better chance of being
successful and lasting. Is there something in your community that could
bring about more revenue? As an example, do you live in a smaller
town where there are no fast food restaurants, causing people to drive
miles outside of your town for a cheeseburger and shake? If so,
perhaps opening a small fast food restaurant would be a great option.
You could have the success of running your own business while bringing
something to your community.
86. Learn a New Skill
Learn new skills that will enhance your success. If you want to become
a hairstylist and someday open a line of salons, in addition to cutting
hair, learn how to braid, color, do weaves, etc.
87. Appreciate Life
Do not burn any bridges in life. Appreciate life, people, everything
around you. Learn as much as you can from every person you meet.
Do not turn people away just because you do not agree with them. You
never know, the very people you turn away may be the very people that
come to your rescue during a time of difficulty.
88. The Right Marketing
When you get ready to start marketing your business or idea, never rely
on one method of marketing. It is important to look at several options
since nothing will last forever.
89. Believe
Not only do you need to believe in the product or service you are
building to success, you also need to believe in you. Your confidence is
what will get you through the difficult challenges and build credibility
with your customers.
90. Know your Customers
You should know, really know, your customers, especially your top ten.
Find out what they like and dislike. What other products or services
would be of value to them? These very relationships are what will keep
your business going. It is crucial to consider your customer’s desires all
of the time.
91. Plan your Costs
Unbelievably, there are thousands of entrepreneurs that start a business
without the foggiest idea of what their costs are going to be. Either
there is an estimation that is way overstated or understated. From the
very beginning, you need to have a strong handle on knowing what you
will need to get your business started and keep it running. Additionally,
you need to have projections for your future success. Know your
numbers and make sure they are accurate.
92. Timing is Everything
You have probably heard it before – timing is everything. Especially
when it comes to opening a business, there is a right and a wrong time
to start a business. This would be extremely important if your business
has cycles or is seasonal. For example, if you are starting a business to
do landscaping, the winter months when snow is on the ground is not
the right time. You can be working toward your Business Plan,
marketing ideas, finding investors, if required, etc., during those cold
months, but you certainly would not want to open your doors for the
first time in the heart of winter.
93. Keep it Lean
Start-up businesses do not have room for “dead” weight. As an
example, when first starting out, if you need some assistance, rather
then hiring a permanent employee that will involve salary, insurance,
other benefits, etc., consider a temporary employee until the business
grows. Keep improving the bottom line before you start adding on more
expenses to your business.
94. Get the Word Out
If your success is focused on a business, when you get ready to open
your doors, make sure you get the message out. This will include
marketing promotions, advertising, sending out a press release, etc.
The more people know about your business, the better chance of you
have of reaching success.
95. Guard your Emotions
Keeping emotions in check is not always an easy task. You will have
times of disappointment that will require you to react with integrity.
You may feel like crying and feel as though your world has just ended.
Keep telling yourself that it has not ended and you will just have to
make some adjustments in your plan. Never allow anger to be a
response. You never know the trickle down effect of that anger and how
it could permanently damage your reputation.
96. Be Nice
Study after study has shown that people with pleasing personalities
have an easier time reaching success. Now only are they more
levelheaded in handling the business but they also draw people around
them that are eager and willing to help. In fact, in addition to being
pleasing, be polite, show true interest, and have a great sense of
humor.
97. Break Bad Habits
Habits, regardless of size or nature, can be exceptionally difficult to
break. This will take a lot of effort but you can do it. Unfortunately,
poor habits can be the one aspect of your behavior that could be the
obstacle to your success. If you have a habit of sniffling or chewing
your nails when you get nervous or saying demeaning or offensive
things as a way of trying to control, to be successful, whether on a
personal or business level, you have to stop.
98. Improve Efficiency
You will want to develop your potential to its fullest. The more efficient
you can become the better job you will do. Be efficient with your time
by not procrastinating and efficient with your effort by staying focused.
99. Have Balance in your Life
Imagine yourself on a canoe with another person. The day is beautiful,
sunny, and warm. The two of you are floating along without a care in
the world. Suddenly, ripples of water start rocking the canoe and
without proper balance, both of you, along with all your belongings, are
thrown into the cold water. It is the same when you strive for success.
You have to find balance not only for yourself but also for others around
you. Balance means providing time away from work for pleasure,
working extra hours when required, knowing when a new direction is
required, etc.
100. Have Fun
When people start into the process of being successful, whether for
personal growth or starting a business, they may start by incorporating
fun, but within a very short time, they realize it is hard work and the fun
simply falls by the wayside. If you look at some of the most successful
people in the world such as Sam Walton, Oprah Winphrey, or Ross
Perot, you will find common threads that run between all of them. First,
they started with nothing; second, they are all multi-millionaires many
times over, and third, they have fun. They enjoy life, the people around
them, and even find enjoyment in the challenges. This one element is
often forgotten. This is a crucial element for success and should be a
part of your plan.
101. Face your Weaknesses
The best way to get better at anything and to be successful is to face
the weaknesses we all possess. Everyone has weaknesses and in order
to be better, think clear, act appropriately, and succeed, you have to
identify the areas you need to improve on and then take action to turn
your weaknesses into strengths.
There is no better gratification than being successful. Accept that you are in
for some hard work but the results will be incredible. Use these tips as
guidelines and step outside the box. Take action and succeed!
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