Here is
my own personal list to help you achieve business success.
1)
Have fun
There's no
point losing sleep (except due to excitement) over any business.
Keep you life balanced right. Don't spend more time developing your
business at the cost of social or family life. You only get one
shot in life, don't waste it and remember your reason for starting
your own business in the first place.
2)
Change your mindset
Unfortunately
at school, we are taught by people who do not run their own businesses
and cannot therefore give us any real life, practical advice except
train us for employment. Thus, we are given a bias from a very early
age and general we are trained both mentally and emotionally to
become employees rather than business owners. That is the training
we receive and it can be very difficult breaking out of this mental
training we receive at such an early age and for so many years.
3)
Keep It Simple
Don't make
any business over complicated. The simpler you keep it in your own
mind, the easier it will be to achieve your goals.
4)
Define your "reason"
If you don't
have a reason for starting your own business you will almost certainly
fail. Clearly define (even write it down on paper and pin it to
your PC if it helps) your long term goal. For example, you may want
to pay your mortgage, you may want to buy a new car, you may want
to quit a job you hate or you may even want to be totally financially
secure. Whatever your reason, make sure you define it and them aim
for it. If you don't know where you are going you'll never be able
to tell if you're heading in the right direction!
A great video
to help you understand why you need to define your "reason"...
5)
Set goals
It doesn't
matter what you current skills and experiences are - we can all
take one step forward. Set yourself easy to achieve targets e.g.
"Find 1 customer this week". It's far easier to walk 1,000
miles by walking 1 mile at a time. Hitting an easy to achieve target
will also give you motivation that encourages you and keeps you
going for the long term. Gradually increase your goals and targets
as you gain experience and confidence.
6)
Don't quit!
Seems like
a common sense tip yet it still needs saying. I've been running
my own business full time online since 2001 and by far the biggest
mistake I see is people giving up within 6 months (or worse still,
within 10 minutes!). You cannot seriously expect to make a fortune
overnight - if it was genuinely possible, we'd all be retired by
now and there'd be no one in work. It doesn't happen - the evidence
all around us proves that.
It will take
many many months and possibly years to grow a business. Be realistic
from the start. Keep track of your progress so you know if you are
on course or not. I've seen many people give up when they were right
on course, but just didn't realise it.
7)
Don't compare yourself with others
A hear a lot
of people say "Hey Paul, I don't have the skills you've got".
That's the whole point. No one has all the skills necessary to make
any business work. Don't try to learn the skills others have either
- simply learn how to harness their skills! Try to avoid the trap
of thinking you have to do everything yourself. You don't. All the
opportunities I hightlight allow you to build a virtual workforce
- a key ingredient in any long term successful strategy.
8)
Work consistently
Keep your
working hours consistent and manageable. If you are in a full time
job, don't expect to be able to spend more than 5- 10 hours per
week starting your business. However, be consistent and stick at
it.
9)
Be professional
Make sure
the time you do spend on your business is professionally managed.
I find the best way to do this is to pretend I am employed by someone
else who is paying me £100 an hour to work for them. If I
sit there aimlessly surfing the internet and not being focused on
my work would I be sacked? Yes! Be professional in your approach
and you will reach a professional level of income. If you treat
it like a hobby, you will get a hobby income.
10)
Be realistic
Don't expect
to be able to quit your day job within a week of starting your own
business. Work out how many customers you will need to achieve the
level of income you desire and then work out how many you will need
per week to achieve your goal within your timeframe you feel is
realistic.
11)
Be careful who you listen to.
In short,
if you want to make a lot of money, who are you best to listen too?
A millionaire or your best friend? I hope the answer is obvious!
There is no one better to listen too (and take action on the basis
of that advice) than someone who has walked the walk. Don't listen
to people who haven't got any qualifications to give you advice
on making lifetime incomes or building a successful business.
12)
Take ACTION!
This is THE
most important advice I can give you. Don't get "information
paralysis". Don't want for everything to be "perfect".
You will wait for ever. Just take ACTION and get started TODAY and
you will see results from those actions. There are millions of people
around the world who would love to have financial freedom - but
you know what? - they will NEVER achieve it because they simply
refuse to DO SOMETHING about their current situation. Don't be one
of those people. Even though you may feel completely out of your
depth, just get started.
Two
billionaires give you their words of wisdom....
