10 (possibly) Deadly mistakes Entrepreneurs shud “avoid” to be a Successful Founder + 7 To Do’s
“You can’t operate a company by fear. The way to eliminate fear is to avoid criticism. The way to avoid criticism is to do nothing” Peter/CEO, Wiz4.biz
Startup Advice Topics: Negative, Time, Emotions, Blaming, Han Solo, Indecision, Perfectionism, Distractions, Fear, Burnout
Successful Entrepreneurs don’t always know all the right moves when they get started with a new startup. In fact, often knowing what to “avoid” can be just as, if not more important than knowing what to do. Here’s how Entrepreneurs – who became successful startup Founders – do it.
A. 10 Voids to be Successful
1. Don’t be Negative
If you are going to be a strongly positive, you have to block out the negativity. You can’t afford it in your life, in your work, in your mind. It will de-rail your best work. This starts with keeping certain types of negativity out of your life all together. That may be some forms of Media (ie, the negativity of News), hiring & firing when needed + choosing your co-Founders & Investors carefully.
Man your Defenses. Have a Receptionist and/or Virtual Assistant to help handle your Email, Callers, Visitors, etc. Don’t let yourself get into potential negativity until you’ve accomplished all of your most important tasks for the day. It’s not just outward forces to be on guard for either. If you are heading for to the top, you have to keep yourself in check too. Strive to eliminate negative words in your own vocabulary. Have an Accountability Partner to keep you on track. It can be a coach, spouse, co-founder, or even one of your kids. Make it really costly – if they catch you slipping.
2. Don’t let others Control your Time & Agenda
Everyone has their own agenda. Almost no one will value your time as much as you should. Whether they mean to or not, hey’ll take advantage of your time. Use your time to accomplish “your” Goals. It’s great to help others. The time for that is after you’ve done your most important tasks for the day. Don’t check your Email constantly. Screen your calls. Only go to meetings where you get or give value. You’ll get more done and have more extra time.
3. Don’t let others Influence your Emotions
This is critical as a Startup Entrepreneur. Your emotions can wreck you. You’ve got to stay objective and passionately strong. If you’re going anywhere as a Startup Founder, you are going to have to put yourself in positions where you’ll hear “No’s” and tough feedback all the time. Investors will tell you “no” many times before you get those big checks. You’ll get some customers who are never happy, no matter how good you are to them. Find better customers. There are going to be days, weeks, months that fail to live up to your hopes & goals. You just can’t let it get you down or let your emotions rule you. Change your perspective on these things. Commit to following thru & achieving.
4. a Void Blaming Others
Accept responsibility, for everything you or your Team does. Including the mistakes, including the failures, including what you didn’t see coming.
5. Don’t Fly Solo
You cannot truly be a master of everything. It doesn’t matter how smart or talented you are. If you are going to launch & grow the most successful business possible, you’ll need great talent in many areas – where you’re not an expert. It takes someone who know their limitations, to recognize this, and delegate. Trying to do it all alone will be seen as a weakness.
6. b Void Indecision
The number one trait successful entrepreneurs share is probably good Decision Making. Without being able to make good decisions quickly, you’ll never keep on the right path. Collect sufficient data to make a knowledge-able decision.
7. c Void Perfectionism
It’s natural to want to be perfect. Even when one thing is perfect, it is often at the sacrifice of other things. Focus on getting it as good as it can be with reasonable effort. “Close enough is Good enough”. Perfect is not worth the effort and usually not needed. Recognize what you can improve – as you go, vs what will cost you too much. Even Google’s cofounders launched before they thought their own product was perfect. They just kept improving on it.
8. d Void Distractions
Time is your most precious asset. Allow distractions and you’ll be suffering all day. If you aren’t focused, take a break instead of trying to fool yourself that you are being busy. Avoid letting Social Media, Email distract you. Find your sweet spot for productivity and lock yourself in, until you’ve got the important stuff done.
9. Don’t allow Fear to Rule
Fear is a natural instinct. There are real Risks out there: get your product out there on time, finding new customers, paying off that big loan, etc. A successful Entrepreneur is the one that recognizes it, and acts anyway. Find ways to reduce or eliminate Risk as you go. Then there is little to fear.
10. e Void Burnout
You can’t keep going if you Burnout. In business the winners are typically those who outlast the competition and keep going when others quit. Burnout can be expensive. It can hit you harder and longer than you anticipate. It’s easy to talk about bouncing back and being positive. In reality, it isn’t always that easy. No matter how strong or optimistic you normally are. It’s far easier in reality to avoid burnout in the first place. Successful Entrepreneurs achieve this by avoiding over-working and over-booking themselves. If you over-book yourself every day and every week, then you will always feel you aren’t getting enough done, are never hitting your goals, and always behind + overworked.
Comments: Can you think of any other “Avoids” to have a successful Startup?
For more Info, click on Startup Advice.
B. 7 “To Do”s to become a Successful Entrepreneur !!!
“What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Have the end in mind and every day make sure your working towards it. Business has only two functions – innovation & targeting users.”
from Success Harbor 2/19 enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4.biz
Success Topics: Know, Future. Marketing, Goals, Help, Competitive, $$$ Maters.
1. Successful Founders know their Business.
They know what every employee does and understand all the day-to-day operations. A successful company needs management that can look for ways to make processes more efficient. Successful Founders look for improvements and them. They are clear about consequences – when employees deviate from policies & procedures. If a business owner is not strong, s/he will lose control of the company.
2. Plan for the Future.
Successful Founders don’t have a crystal ball, but they can make educated predictions & plans for action. Anticipate problems and plan for the unexpected.
3. Plan your Marketing.
Once you’ve built a great product or service, get to know how to market yourself & your product. A Startup should invest in a strong marketing budget to ensure your Target Market is aware of your product or service.
4. Define Goals & create a Plan to achieve
Successful Leaders have a Vision of what they want in the future, then develop a strategy to achieve. Be a good Role Model, because your Team will tend to follow the type of work habits, philosophy, & direction their leader practices.
5. Get Help when needed
If you’re not an expert in sales, marketing accounting, tax law, finance, or management, it’s wise to get help. You don’t want to make crucial mistakes in these areas.
6. Be Competitive.
A Startup must adopt the strategy that its success is contingent on winning battles. You have to fight to the top if you want to succeed. If you don’t, your competition will beat you to the prize.
7. $$$ Matters.
Successful Founders avoid business failure by protecting the company’s financial assets. Founders must be aware of their investments and strive to optimize their profits.
Conclusion: By following the above advice, any Startup can learn how to avoid business failure. Most advisors don’t believe Founders will succeed, if they don’t understand these key concepts and apply them in their business practices. Founders can learn from those who have gone before them and make wise decisions.
Comments: Can you think of any other ToDo’s to have a successful Startup?
from Forbes Zine 2/19 enhanced by Peter/CXO
For more Info, click on Successful.