As an entrepreneur, December is probably among the most stressful times of the year. There are end-of-the-year reports, goal-setting meetings for the next year, and, of course, the holidays … it’s exhausting!
Luckily, these entrepreneurs understand where you’re coming from. Check out some of the advice they live by and try to apply it to your business.
Don’t Make Success Your Only Goal
Nellie Akalp, CEO of CorpNet, knows a thing or two about running a successful business. She has dedicated her life to helping small-business owners see their dreams come to life, and she has helped form more than 100,000 companies and LLCs. Here’s what she has to say about success: It should be the alpha and omega of all your pursuits.
“If you want to have success, you can’t make success your goal. The key is not to worry about being successful, but to instead work toward being significant—and the success will naturally follow. If you do work that you love, and work that fulfills you, the rest will come. I truly believe that the reason I’ve been able to be so financially successful is because my focus has never, ever for one minute been money.”
Make Your Business Your Priority
Brian Sharples co-founded HomeAway and has created the leading online marketplace for vacation rental websites. He advises, above all, to build your business as a company that you would want to work for – even at the lowest level.
“1) Choose something that is in line with your own personal interest and passion, then it never seems like work. 2) Don’t be afraid to fail. 3) It’s critical to spend the time early on to hire the right people. If you are disciplined in finding the best and brightest people who are also team players then management is easy. 4) There is no substitute for talking directly to customers. Whether they are happy or upset about something, it feels great to connect with people who are using your products, because you immediately get a good sense for how to make it even better.”
Share Your Knowledge
Mike Byrnes, founder of Byrnes Consulting, LLC, says the secret to success is sharing what you know, but not just with your clients. Make it your goal to share your information on the largest outlets possible.
“Based on my own experience, it pays to be a thought leader in your own industry. In today’s world, it is easy to publish your own information (including videos), but the traditional media outlets still carry a lot of weight. Get positive exposure and help others by sharing your expertise. By building up a following and strategic partners, good things will happen. On a side note, it pays to love what you do. Hard work and dedication can separate success stories from those that do not have their heart in it. As the old Confucius quote goes, ‘Find something you love to do and you will never have to work for the rest of your life.’”
