by Debbie Ruston, Columnist & Featured Contributor
[su_dropcap style=”flat”]S[/su_dropcap]UCCESS IN BUSINESS does not come about simply by doing things the same way as everyone else. In the world of an entrepreneur there will be challenges, risks to take, and important decisions to make.
Many businesses do not have the success they envision, because the business owner is running their business with the mindset of an employee. They run out of funds, they don’t have enough customers, they are afraid to take a risk, etc… These “circumstances” become the excuse that many buy into on why they can’t create success. These business owners are thinking like an employee, not a successful entrepreneur and have not taken the personal responsibility to be solution oriented and do what it takes in business.
It is vital to be solution oriented as an entrepreneur. Challenges are part of life and business. Those that create success in any area, have learned to be solution oriented. This requires thinking outside of the obvious, and not buying into what is considered “normal”. It requires asking yourself better or different questions. Learn to ask “how” questions of yourself. For example, “how can I generate more customers”….. “how can I find a new supplier”……”how can I expand my business”….”how can I increase sales”….. Then allow yourself to brainstorm and write down every possible idea that you come up with. Not all ideas will be valid, however, an idea that may not seem like the best idea could possibly be tweaked and you may find a solution through that process that you had never thought of.
As I have written about before, it is important to develop the thinking/mindset of an entrepreneur. We live in a global economy today and are not restricted to doing business just within our own geographical area. If a person can not generate income in their immediate geographical area, it takes getting creative and asking better questions of oneself. I had a conversation recently with a contractor that didn’t have enough business in his local area, so he went to other locations to drum up business. He advertised outside of his local area, went to home shows, etc., and drummed up a ton of business. This is the difference in those that create success and those that use circumstances as an excuse for their lack of success.
You must be fully committed to your business and your goals. There is no room for “trying”. Successful entrepreneurs do not “try”. Successful entrepreneurs DO. Successful entrepreneurs do not let themselves off the hook, but are committed to finding a way where there doesn’t appear to be a way. There is no giving up, and sugar coating that you “tried”. There is always a solution and success is created by never giving up and being willing to do what it takes for as long as it takes.
