Successful entrepreneurs share their 12 secrets for free
The typical entrepreneur will take an average of three college business courses and will attend at least one seminar on his areas of interest. He will buy seven books in his specific area of interest. And still, well over 80 percent of these people fail on their first entrepreneurial business venture.
Inventors fare the worst. Over 90 percent will not even pursue making their invention a reality. What are they doing wrong? Where can they really turn to make their ideas happen?It's challenging to decipher infomercials and ads promising to help get your business started. Michael Bogart and Howard Bronson understand this frustration. They are authors of "The Best Darned Book on Marketing" (Bogart Group) and Bronson is producing "Inventor's Roadshow," a national television show (check your local listings). They know that while everyone has a creative instinct, too many of those notions get discouraged and too many people sour on the entire process. Useful information is there for the motivated inventor or small business entrepreneur. The challenge is learning to rise above the often-discouraging realities, and to learn how to turn those failures into successes. They have created a simple system to help their readers find a workable idea that they will stick with. Here are their Twelve B's for Success:
1. Be prepared. Know your talents and work on them. Think about how to improve them all the time. You never know where or when you will meet an opportunity.
2. Be self-aware. So many people spend so much time worrying about making money that they have forgotten their true gifts. Look at what you were meant to do and learn everything you can about it.
3. Be yourself. Live your life as you normally do, but focus on who you were always meant to be. Sometimes the harder you look for success, the harder success has in finding you!4. Be friendly. Get out and meet people. Build friendships and build affinity with those friends. If people like you, they will want to work with you.
5. Be attentive. As you meet people, explore how you might work together to further one another's ventures. Never be afraid of exploring possibilities or fear looking foolish. The only foolish thing you can do is deprive yourself of wonder.
6. Be open. The best opportunities don't generally happen by a structured approach. Rather, they happen by an ability to recognize how an unexpected twist along the way can lead to greater opportunities. When you fall, stop and look around where you have fallen. You might find a missing piece critical for your success.
7. Be imaginative. Think about how you can adapt your ideas so that they will continuously thrive. Anyone can train their brain for greater possibility thinking.
8. Be cooperative. Learning how to get along can lead you to true success. People will avoid even talented individuals if they project an aura of abrasiveness. Many deals have been lost by unnecessarily antagonistic relationships. Many investors gravitate to people they like even more than their ideas.
9. Be focused. Once the ideas start flowing, it can be tempting to want to dabble in many projects. Remember your priorities. If it does not contribute to the achievement of your core goal, set it aside for the future.
10. Be thorough. Don't ever say "That's good enough." Dedicate time to make a good plan better. Investors and entrepreneurs get anxious and want to charge ahead, and sometimes they have to, but the stronger the foundation, the greater opportunities for a sustained success.
11. Be proactive. Make sure that your main energies are spent taking real action to achieve your goals.
12. Be a relentless visionary. Always envision your goal as complete and functioning, then work backwards from there. If your idea is worthy, you will always be able to find a way to make it happen. Have faith and courage in your vision.
The next time you're wondering about your life, career, the bills and the economy, create something for yourself that's truly sustainable. To learn more, visit www.thebogartgroup.com or check your local listings for "Inventor's Roadshow."
