An entrepreneur’s journey can be one of the scariest roller coaster rides ever. A road full of euphoria, anxiety, success, fear, failure and so much more.
Building a successful startup is a lot like planting the seeds of a tree. It takes years of persistent care, time and money to water it, fertilize it and eventually make it grow into the gigantic tree that will always give you shade from the sun. When you invest your soul into your venture without expecting any short-term gains, only then can you last long enough to turn it into a reputed and profitable business.
Longevity and sustainability is always the need of the hour. Your products and methods must be dynamic enough to stand the test of time and market.
A lot of startups fail within 1-3 years of inception. Being hardworking isn’t enough if your efforts are being put in the wrong place. New entrepreneurs often lack the long-term vision and handy tricks in the business that seasoned entrepreneurs know like the back of their hand. Having a mentor for getting words of wisdom and guidance is a crucial factor that helps all the budding entrepreneurs to stay on the right track.
Business mentors help you set achievable and realistic goals, they support your journey with their skillset, knowledge and connections, and they can identify and correct your deviations. Furthermore, their confidence in you is a big psychological boost to give you that extra motivation and zeal to work hard and work smart every morning when you get out of bed.
Keeping that in mind, here is some advice from seasoned entrepreneurs who talk out of their vast experience, worldly wisdom and remarkable success :
Behold the turtle, he makes progress only when he sticks his neck out.
– Bruce Levin
What do you need to start a business? Three simple things: know your product better than anyone, know your customer, and have a burning desire to succeed.
– Dave Thomas, Founder, Wendy’s
Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own life that the more I exercise it the more natural it becomes to not let my fears run me.
– Arianna Huffington, The Huffington Post Media Group president and EIC
Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.
– Stephen R. Covey, Author
Do you know great minds enjoy excellence, average minds love mediocrity and small minds adore comfort zones?
– Onyi Anyado
Failure is simply an opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.
– Henry Ford
Before dreaming about the future or making plans, you need to articulate what you already have going for you – as entrepreneurs do.
– Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn co-founder
I don’t look to jump over 7-foot bars — I look for 1-foot bars that I can step over.
– Warren Buffet, Berkshire Hathaway chairman and CEO
In the end, a vision without the ability to execute it is probably a hallucination.
– Steve Case, AOL co-founder
Every time you state what you want or believe, you’re the first to hear it. It’s a message to both you and others about what you think is possible. Don’t put a ceiling on yourself.
– Oprah Winfrey, Harpo Productions, OWN founder
Written by Gagan Dhawan
