You can take two people from the same background and give them the same resources, blueprints and business plans. One of those people will go on to enjoy massive success, while the other person washes out after a few months or maybe a few years.
So what’s the difference between these two people?
Just this: mindset.
If someone has the right mindset, they can begin with a poor business plan and still win in the end. On the other hand, someone with a poor mindset can begin with the best business plan in the world and yet still epically fail in the end. Mindset really does make all the difference.
So the question is, do YOU have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur?
Read on to find out if you possess these characteristics
You’re Willing To Take Risks
So you’re not exactly going to run to Vegas and drop your life savings on the roulette wheel. That would be a dumb move. But if you want to be a successful entrepreneur, then you need to be willing to take some risk. The good news is that with careful planning and research, you can take calculated risks that are good bets.
You see, there are no guarantees in business. Great ideas fail all the time. Even established businesses lose market share when something better comes along. (When was the last time you heard someone talk about MySpace or Alta Vista?) So you need to be able to absorb some amount of risk and then push forward even if things don’t turn out exactly the way you planned.
Which brings us to the next point
You See Failures Differently
When the average person fails, he beats himself up. If it’s a stinging failure, the average person quits. He decides his plans weren’t meant to be, and he scraps all his big plans and dreams.
Successful entrepreneurs are different because they don’t see failures as failures – instead, they see failures and disappointments as lessons.
Take Thomas Edison as an example. He tried to create a light bulb in thousands of different ways. He didn’t see these experiments as failures. Instead, he saw them as a lesson in how not to create a light bulb. So every time he ‘failed’ to create the light bulb, he figured he was one step closer to success.
If you can start seeing your failures as lessons and learn from them, then you too can put yourself one step closer to success.
You’re Tenacious
Another characteristic of successful entrepreneurs is that they don’t give up very easily. Go back to the Edison example – he ‘failed’ thousands of times, but he didn’t give up.
Pick up the biography of some of your favorite entrepreneurs, and you’ll find out that their road to success wasn’t always smooth. There were obstacles, setbacks and problems. Yet the true entrepreneur keeps going – and that’s what you’ll need to do too, no matter what life throws your way.
You Make Data-Driven Decisions
Sure, just about every successful entrepreneur on the planet has made a decision based on a gut feeling. But the key here is that successful entrepreneurs make decisions based on the data whenever possible, and try to leave emotion out of the decision-making process.
Point is, you don’t throw darts at a dartboard when it’s decision time. You’re also not so arrogant as to think you have all the answers. Instead, you do your research. You test. And then you analyze the data before making a decision. It may not be the exact right decision, but taking a calculated risk is better than blindly guessing.
In Sum
People are going to laugh at you. You’re going to feel fear at times. Your plans won’t always work out. Sometimes life is going to throw you a curve ball.
Question is, will you keep going?
Will you feel the fear and do it anyway?
Will you be able to block out negativity and keep your eye on your goal?
Many people try to start businesses. Most of them fail. Some of these entrepreneurs never try again, and go on to live a meager existence in some cubicle that they absolutely hate.
It doesn’t have to be that way for you. Because once you tweak your mindset, then you can write your own ticket in life.
The good news is you don’t need to be born with this mindset – you can learn how to think like an entrepreneur starting right now at www.successupgrade.com – check it out, because this could be the big turning point for you.