(Originally posted 04/11/2018)
The very nature of entrepreneurship demands that your lessons come from hands-on experience, not from a classroom. Unfortunately, you can’t open the doors one day and automatically be a great entrepreneur.
To excel as an entrepreneur, you need to do disciplined work every day. Although It won’t be easy—you didn’t become an entrepreneur because it’s easy—soon these daily activities well become habits.
Your goal is to be an excellent leader, smart decision maker, and an adaptable businessman . . . the definition of a successful entrepreneur.
Here are some suggestions to make habits of for your daily routine:
Accept challenges. Let yourself take risks and accept challenges in all areas of your life.
Adapt. Be ready and willing to alter course when the need arises.
Analyze. In your business, scrutinize everything for strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities.
Create new rules for yourself. Set new limitations, such as allowing shorter periods for distraction, or making yourself do and try new things.
Delegate. Don’t waste time on small decisions. Delegate those to a trusted employee so you can focus on the larger issues.
Eat smart. Complex carbohydrates, proteins and healthy fats are brain foods that keep you going.
Eliminate chronic distractions. If something is preventing you from working or achieving something, get rid of it.
Engage in personal hobbies. Passion is at the core of every influential entrepreneur’s life. Find enjoyable, stimulating hobbies to help bring yours out.
Exercise. A healthy body makes a healthy mind.
Exercise mentally. Improve your critical thinking, focus and memory, with games and puzzles.
Experiment with new routines. Try doing your work in new and different ways to maximize your efficiency
Explore. Try new things. You never know where you’ll get your next flash of inspiration.
Find new passions. Again, passion is key to achieving success as an entrepreneur. Find yours in as many places as possible.
Focus on customer perspectives. Your customers are what keep your business going. Prioritize their needs.
Forget the idea of perfection. You’ll never be perfect, so forget about even trying. Instead, focus on continually striving to be better.
Form new partnerships. There’s always an opportunity for mutual benefit among professionals.
Give feedback. Let people know how they’re doing—honestly.
Have hard conversations. Don’t let fears or anxieties hold you back from saying what needs to be said.
Improve. Don’t look to criticize; look to see the potential for improvement.
Invest inwardly. Spend time improving yourself.
Investigate new tools. Technology can improve almost any process, so stay attuned to any new products to help your industry prosper
Lead, don’t boss. Be available to your team. Talk with each person on staff, regardless of their job. Set a great example and address questions and concerns on the spot.
Learn. Make it a point to learn something new every day
Listen to feedback. Accept that you aren’t perfect and listen to how you can do better.
Live your brand. Incorporate your brand values into your daily life.
Maintain an ideal atmosphere. Inject your surroundings with personality and life, from your office to your car to your bedroom.
Make personal time. Keep yourself sane by prioritizing your personal time from the start.
Meditate. Take a brain break. It will give you clarity of mind, reduce your stress and keep you more focused.
Network smart. Attend industry conferences and events with the goal of staying up to date with what’s happening in your industry.
Overachieve. Go the extra mile with even the least significant tasks you undertake.
Practice patience. Remember the importance of patience throughout your day.
Read. Read everything: news, industry publications, fiction books, nonfiction books: As long as you’re reading, you’re getting new perspectives and expanding your mind.
Refrain from personal judgment. When people make mistakes, don’t hold it against them. Help them learn.
Relieve group stress. Stress is contagious, so do what you can to lower it in the office.
Remain humble. Don’t let your ego take over your personality
Reward hard work. Take time to express gratitude to those who deserve it.
Run the numbers. Learn to see everything in terms of its objective value.
Sleep. A good night’s rest will help keep you healthy . . . physically and emotionally.
Start small. Whenever you try something new, start out small and slow — you can always scale up. Instant gratification often has negative long-term outcomes.
Stay calm. No matter how bad or hectic things get, you need to be the calmest, most confident one in the group.
Stay frugal. Don’t spend time or money on something unless it’s truly valuable to you or your business.
Talk to strangers. You don’t need a topic, ask them about themselves. You never know who you might meet.
Track your competition. You can bet your customers and prospects know what your competitor is offering. Make sure you know, too.
Trust your instincts. Data is useful, but it can take you only so far. Don’t ignore your instincts.
Volunteer. It makes you feel good to give back to your community and you’ll meet other leaders and entrepreneurs.
Weed out negativity. Nip poor attitudes and negativity in the bud whenever you see them.
Work with mentors. Talk to people more experienced than you are, and listen to what they say.
