Five Habits of Highly Successful Entrepreneurs

Five Habits of Highly Successful Entrepreneurs

The climb to the top doesn’t happen when one is at a standstill. Go-getters are constantly on the move and have developed some fantastic habits that upstart entrepreneurs can take as their own. Here are five habits of highly successfully entrepreneurs.

1. Be an early riser: Benjamin Franklin, the US founder father, famously said: “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise”. This adage still proves true for many highly motivated individuals from various fields.

People like US President Barack Obama, genre-bending architect Frank Lloyd Wright, former US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and Pope Francis belong to the 4:30 am club, an extraordinary group of people who are up and about while the rest are still in bed. Successful people get a lot done in their daily routine.

2. Set a goal and visualise how to get there: Know what it is you are trying to achieve. This serves as your compass that keeps you in the right direction when things get busy. Visualise what success looks like and mentally go through what you have to do to get there.

Top atheletes such as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods have used such techniques to get to the top of their game – of course, visualisation goes hand in hand with hard work too.

3. Creating opportunities: Don’t wait around for one to fall on your lap. Look around and see what’s out there. If you can’t find them, create them. The founders of Snapchat created it for their product design class at Stanford University. While the idea was initially dismissed by classmates, the company is now valued at US$860 million! Develop an attitude where you will be able to scout business ideas from mundane things and every day events.

4. Think outside the box: People at the top of their game are known to go against the grain. They are brave and independent enough to venture outside their industry to look for ideas.

The late great Steve Jobs found the design inspiration for Apple II from Cuisinart food processors. To be this creative however means never to stop learning. Embrace new things and new experiences in and outside your field and learn the art of connecting things.

5. Don’t be afraid to sell: Many have grown up in the “build it and they will come” mentality. Sadly, real life does work that way. For products to fly off the shelves and for services to be in demand, people must know about them. How can you make a noise in a crowded room? It doesn’t have to be hard sell. If you believe in the quality of your product and how it can help people, your enthusiasm will sell for you.

Lastly, one key ingredient for success is a positive frame of mind. Challenges and difficulties are part of an entrepreneur’s journey, keeping your cool helps keep a clear mind for you to tackle what’s ahead.