Mindset Secrets of the Most Successful Entrepreneur’s
Being an entrepreneur can be challenging, lonely and risky. It can also be fun, friendly and financially fabulous! But…there is 90% chance you will fail at some stage as an entrepreneur! I can almost guarantee it? Unless… you wise-up fast. The REAL difference between success and failure is MINDSET.
I have been an entrepreneur for most of my life. From the age of 11, I sold kites, marbles, spinning tops, dingbats, yoyo’s, bicycle playing-card “engines” and cold drinks to my buddies and street neighbors.
I have had 1 JOB with a boss. I was a Cobol computer programmer, when I was around 21, for about a year or two. Since then I have been a self-sustaining Entrepreneur chasing after “freedom”. That is Time and Money freedom. I’m probably “unemployable” in the sense of a JOB? So I’ll be an entrepreneur for the rest of my life.
This is the first of my 1 Minute Wisdoms for entrepreneurs to help you ENSURE greater success in every area of your life. As a specialist and expert with extensive experience and research in mindset, resilience and personal transformation/mastery, I have discovered a few principles, wisdoms, rules and possibilities to make your life a little simpler and more certain.
“So What Is Mindset?
Your skillset is about what you can do. Your mindset is about what /how you habitually see, think, and believe. And how you filter, focus and process in a certain context or situation. This controls attitudes and actions.
Think of Mindset as the internal mental lens through which you see and navigate life. “Inside your brain, you automatically and unconsciously combine your personal experiences, natural traits, and education to form your unique life lens. That’s why your mindset, your inner lens, colors everything. It controls the way you see and navigate through the world.
Entrepreneurs live with challenges and risk every day. 90% don’t make their goals or dreams a reality. They often lose everything. We do this because we have an entrepreneurial mindset: beliefs, values, perspectives, thinking styles, expectations, talents, experiences, expertise, skills, hopes, passions and dreams.
The problem you have is all of this mindset stuff seems invisible… Until you can begin to become more aware, sensitive, conscious and begin to see and hear it. It will control you, rather then you controlling and mastering it.
It’s important from 3 perspectives. Yourself, your staff, and your customers. Each one is totally influenced, impacted, directed and co trolled by their prevailing unconscious mindset. My goal today is to assist you in becoming more conscious of your mindset. I’ll cover the other 2 areas in later articles.
1 Minute Wisdom for Entrepreneurs
1 Minute Wisdom …is a distillation of all of my studies, reading, workshops, experience and discoveries… That you can begin to use, without the extensive time, cost or risks that I went through to discover what works best… For me, and hopefully for you.
So why MINDSET? How much of your, and your staff’s, daily entrepreneurial success comes from, or is dependent upon, the right mental /mindset aspect? How much time do you invest in yourself or your staff, to develop, hone and apply the right mindset? Skillset matters, but not as much a having the right mindset. Research reveals that employers chose mindset over skillset 96% of the time?
Imagine if you could…
- Triple your and your staff ‘s potential and performance
- Achieve greater value for yourself and seven times the value of a “normal employee” for your staff?• Measurably enhance your action and earning potential
- Create genuine job security for staff by helping them to become the last person any employer would let go, even when the job cuts are severe
- Flourish at and beyond work, at any stage in the game.
- Discover who had the best mindsets for your business.
- How you can transform your mindset forever to ENSURE greater success in every area of your, or your staff’s lives.
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1 Minute Wisdom #1: SKILLS GUARANTEE NOTHING!
We know from experience skills become obsolete…more quickly now than ever before as technology becomes pervasive. The challenge is, we don’t know what skills will be in demand in 5-10 years time. Many people believe skills guarantee success… They don’t! So whilst skills are important, even more important is the sort of mindset you have, and how that translates your energy into approach, attitude and action.
1 Minute Wisdom #2 It takes more than guts and resilience to succeed.
We know IQ, and EQ, are important. AQ or resilience is even more important, but still not enough to ensure success. Because they all need to be married together with the right skillset and Mindset. Your skillset is made up of the tools, knowledge, you employ to live and navigate life and business. Many employers will assess or assume your skillset, because skills mastery must be proved, not promised. Whilst skills set must be constantly updated to be relevant, the right mindset endures.
1 Minute Wisdom #3: Mindset Matters Most
Even with good IQ, EQ, or AQ, those with a superior mindset navigate the world with higher levels of integrity, resilience, goodwill, tenacity, agility, openness, Psychological Capital and positive perspective.
As an entrepreneur, tenacity, guts, mental toughness, resilience, and being tuned into the world around you are vital aspects of mindset. However, trust, goodwill, compassion, and authenticity, as examples, also matter as much, or even more in todays’ times.
1 Minute Wisdom #4: Meaning Matters More Than Moola
If you are employing, and hoping to inspire and retain your staff/talent based on salary, as they work to make the boss rich… You have a problem!
Most staff will work for a living, in a JOB (just over broke). But they will die, for a cause. What’s your company’s CAUSE …beyond money and survival? To get the optimum discretionary effort from you staff, you need to reframe what they do, to support a greater CAUSE that appeals to, and aligns with, their values, hopes and passions. You have to help them craft the right mindset for your staff to achieve optimum success for themselves AND your organisation.
1Minute Wisdom # 5: Stop the Fight, Hire and Inspire Right.
Your staff are not like you. They don’t think like you, they won’t have your dedication, drive, determination or doggedness to work relentlessly 24/7… So stop expecting it! Stop creating unreasonable pressure and stress. Rather create a supportive and inspiring workspace and company culture where people love to excel.
From the outset hire for ATTITUDE and train for skill. Optimise your staff’s energy, attitudes and abilities. Be open to understand life and business through their eyes and values, hopes and dreams.
Create a culture, workplace and organisational mindset that is appealing, open, challenging, growth-oriented, inspiring, fun, and adds real value to the persons’ life, community and the world … Go beyond just making money for the boss, in exchange for a JOB- JUST OVER BROKE salary.
Because you are stressed out, under pressure, twitchy, or bitchy, and driven to destruction, doesn’t mean your staff should be too. Be aware of how you judge and expect your staff to show up. This is your “baby” and not theirs! Be conscious, reasonable and inspiring… Create a safe space for growth/learning mindsets, where its ok to make learning mistakes, as opposed to a fixed and defensive mindset where fear prevails.
Make sure you employ the right people, with the right mindset and culture fit. It will save you a lot of heart ache.
1 minute wisdom # 6: Business is About People & Profit.
If you think you are in business just for the money, you are mistaken. It’s like you living just to breath. Air is vital for life, and you need it every moment to continue. Just as business needs cash and cash flow to survive and thrive. But I’m sure your life is about more than oxygen. So too must your business be about more than just money.
The benefits of business must be about something more meaningful than money (Means Goals), What are your Business’s real “ends” goals? What are your staff’s “End” goals beyond a salary and a job? So what is your business really about? Yes I am serious!
1 Minute wisdom #7: Where is your Biggest Advantage?
If the mental/inner aspect of your life and business are so important, what are you doing to create mastery in that area for yourself and your team? People with the right mindset, will take better actions and deliver better results. Share the vision and then unleash the team… To achieve the dream. The winning mindset creates 7x more potential & value… In the right CONTEXT/ORG CULTURE.
Competition today is ever increasing. The best competitive advantage you can create is a strong team of staff, with the right Organisational Culture and the Right Mindset. From this foundation all else is stronger.
1 Minute Wisdom #8: You Are a Performance Constraint!
We know from research, that about 40%-60% of your staffs’ performance is based upon their skillset, toolset and mindset. The other 40%-60% of business performance is dependent upon your leadership /management style and organisational culture/Mindset.
So, if your staff are not performing as you expect…it could be because of YOU being the constraint. Or your expectations may be beyond reasonable for an employees present mindset.
Be open to honest feedback. Use Appreciative Inquiry Team Building and Leadership Development to involve your staff, activate passion, and transform your workplace culture, mindsets and attitudes. Remember leadership de-nial, is not a river in Egypt.
1 Minute Wisdom #9: Focus on the Right Focus
Many entrepreneurs major in minors. They focus on tactical, housekeeping. Working IN their business activities, rather than being smart and strategic, and working ON their business.
I regularly have to ReThink my focus and my moment to moment activities, to make sure that I am focusing on proactive, strategic business building activities, rather than reactive daily housekeeping. It means you must be decisive, delegate work, focused and clear on roles, goals and prioritised activities.
It’s very easy to be distracted from your primary focus, which is why you must regularly ReThink Your mindset and focus. You as leader and guide must constantly ENSURE you maintain your focus, energy and actions, where they matter most?
1 Minute Wisdom #10… What Are You Trying To Own?
As an entrepreneur, are you wanting to own a job, or own a business? Most entrepreneurs move from having a job, to owning their job? Mistake! That is a mindset that ensures you will struggle in business.
To ensure greatest success, a shift has to occur in your mindset… You need to rethink from job-owner to business system owner. That is… Owning self running and self-sustaining business systems.
What Drives Your Entrepreneurial Mindset – Necessity or Opportunity?
Being an entrepreneur might come easy to you, so you are an “opportunity” entrepreneur. Or you might be forced to be a “necessity“ Entrepreneur, and it’s scary. Either way you have to navigate the risks, make smart decisions, take action, and deliver results.
The No#1 resource you MUST grow it your MINDSET. Through creating an irrevocable shift away from a fixed mindset towards a more growth-oriented mindset you start to have the power to ENSURE your success. It is only through the correct mindset that you will activate your skillset and toolsets optimally.
So, what can you begin to apply from these 1 Minute Wisdom’s shared here? What kind of positive impact can you envisage from effectively applying any of the wisdom? Are you open and ready to apply it?
Unless your beliefs change, your attitudes and behaviors won’t change to support the required shift in mindset, and the required new behaviors. So which belief of yours is limiting you most? Isn’t it time, right now, to shift your MINDSET? Time to Rethink Your Success Mindset? Then do it!
I look forward to seeing the new more powerful results you create as you awaken to the power of a growth- oriented Mindset.
P.s We also have a powerful belief discovery process, but that’s shared in our free fast-track coaching workshops.
To get my free winning mindset secrets report email mindsetmindsetsecrets@coachfree.com. Or to be selected to attend a limited seating free workshop session email freeworkshop@coachfree.com
Namaste’
Tony Dovale
083-447-6300