Success Tips for the Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs are a rare breed. They embody the American Dream. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, the majority of people in this country owned and operated their own business. And while today, its easier to find employees than business owners, entrepreneurs are still the backbone of this country. According to the Small Business Administration (SBA) in the year 2000 over 600,000 new business were started.

Below are 5 Success Tips to help you succeed as an entrepreneur.

1. Take care of yourself. Entrepreneurs are notorious workaholics easily working 60 to 80 (or even 100) hours every week. Investing time in your self-care will help you think more clearly, have more energy, and head-off stress before it gets out of hand. Some items to add to your to do list are regular doctors appointments, daily exercise, scheduled vacations (at least 2 - 4 weeks every year), and periodic days off. A coach is an excellent resource to help you prioritize what needs to get done while also making time for yourself.

2. Concentrate your energy on 2 - 3 main ideas. Entrepreneurs are known for their many great ideas. Sometimes this asset can quickly turn into a negative if your attention and efforts are spread too thin. Create a system to capture your ideas such as a tracking spreadsheet or index card file. Next, identify the top 2 or 3 ideas that will yield the highest return. Focus on those and only those. The other ideas are safely tucked away for you to return to later.

3. Be humble. One pitfall that many entrepreneurs fall into is over-promising and under-delivering. Be humble and understate what you can accomplish; this will help alleviate some of the pressure you may be under. Getting into the habit of under-promising and over-delivering will definitely impress your customers with your level of service.

4. Respond, don't react. Always be forward thinking so that you are able to plan ahead and anticipate situations. This will give you the luxury of being able to respond and make intelligent decisions, versus being forced to react, putting out one fire after another.

5. Treat people like people. Your customers are not commodities; they are people. Your employees are not resources; they are people. Always treat people with respect and consideration regardless of the situation. Its the relationships that your form with people (customers, employees, vendors, business associates, etc), that can make or break your business. nnnn