Future Entrepreneurs: Freedom & Foundation
Date Published: 6/30/2017
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing themselves. ~Leo Tolstoy
Future Entrepreneurs: Freedom & Foundation
We hope your week is going well as we head into the 4th of July holiday!
This week we’ll break down four tips to inspire entrepreneurs before and after the holiday break.
Often successful people work with a routine to help them stay on track. Sure, we would all like to have an impact and change the world. Take a quick look at what you can do to fine tune your routine along the way. Doing these things does not guarantee success. These are practical behaviors you can adopt to become more efficient, which may help your wellbeing. This, in turn, can only be good for your business. Think of these as ways to build a healthy foundation of habits, instead of infringement on your freedom.
1. Plan ahead
We hear that Elon Musk schedules his day into five minute blocks. This level of organization and detail might not appeal to you…still, scheduling and planning are recurring habits of successful people. Getting out of bed a bit earlier and using that part of the day effectively is your first new habit to develop. Every minute is valuable, so reduce or schedule in your social media and email time. Cut down meeting times by writing an agenda. (A nod to two of my Twitter tweeps who have discussed these habits with me. I’ve seen them make progress with their films, so we know these work when put in action.)
Keep your level of focus and interest high by breaking down big tasks into achievable steps.
Decide what you want to achieve in the long-run, then take a small step towards it. Pause to think about what you’ve learned, then using that learning, take another small step.
Pause, then repeat to the end of the big task.
Successful business people have a great passion for what they’re doing. Identify the market need: instead of guessing what the customer wants, find out what they want and give it to them, then you’ll start earning. Experts suggest you should probably aim to have at least six months’ worth of capital to start with. Make sure that you keep on top of your finances. Test out your idea before you invest all your resources. If the test is successful you can plan the next phase of your business growth.
2. Build a solid foundation and good team
The best entrepreneurs build strong connections, whether that’s in a partnership, or in the team they work with. This will allow you to concentrate on what you do best, as Apple’s Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak attest, there needs to be an idea person and people who will help make those ideas a reality. Last week we talked about the importance of diversity as you build your team. Here’s where you will benefit from diverse backgrounds, a range of skills and welcoming viewpoints and creativity.
Once your team is in place, don’t be afraid to celebrate success. Successful entrepreneurs all tend to talk about their successes and crucially, are generous in giving and reacting to positive (and negative) feedback.
3. Stay fit
A key habit of successful people is that they still take time to read. In addition to reading about business in books, blogs, news articles and magazines, they also read for pleasure. Research from the Reading Agency suggests a host of positives from reading: readers tend to be more empathetic, reading has a positive relationship to well-being and sparks creativity.
Once you’ve worked your brain, you also need to work your body. If you’re not the sort of person to enjoy the gym, schedule in regular exercise and revitalization breaks. Take a walk during lunch, (add a podcast if you like), or get up and do some stretches, or yoga poses several times a day. You could also schedule a walk with a mentor or fellow entrepreneur.
4. Persevere
One last tip is don’t be afraid to ‘try, try and try again’. Entrepreneurs see failure as part of the path to success and many of our top business names have gone bust, then started again. Wherever you are on your journey, believe it’s worth the trip!
As you are building your foundation of smart habits, remember that you have the freedom to try them and adapt. The most successful entrepreneurs are good at coloring both in and outside the lines.
We wish you the best for the holiday!
We’ll be back next week to continue the journey as Future Entrepreneurs.
Thank you for reading and we welcome your comments below.
Cheers & fair winds,
Akasha Garnier
Author, Branding Expert, Producer
http://www.akashagarnier.com for The Wishwall Foundation
Four tips inspired by conversations with indie filmmakers and backed up by Virgin Entrepreneurs.
The image is the Aqua Building and Radisson Blue Hotel in Chicago, from coloring pages in my book, Secrets to Shine Through the Noise.
Future Entrepreneurs: Freedom & Foundation
We hope your week is going well as we head into the 4th of July holiday!
This week we’ll break down four tips to inspire entrepreneurs before and after the holiday break.
Often successful people work with a routine to help them stay on track. Sure, we would all like to have an impact and change the world. Take a quick look at what you can do to fine tune your routine along the way. Doing these things does not guarantee success. These are practical behaviors you can adopt to become more efficient, which may help your wellbeing. This, in turn, can only be good for your business. Think of these as ways to build a healthy foundation of habits, instead of infringement on your freedom.
1. Plan ahead
We hear that Elon Musk schedules his day into five minute blocks. This level of organization and detail might not appeal to you…still, scheduling and planning are recurring habits of successful people. Getting out of bed a bit earlier and using that part of the day effectively is your first new habit to develop. Every minute is valuable, so reduce or schedule in your social media and email time. Cut down meeting times by writing an agenda. (A nod to two of my Twitter tweeps who have discussed these habits with me. I’ve seen them make progress with their films, so we know these work when put in action.)
Keep your level of focus and interest high by breaking down big tasks into achievable steps.
Decide what you want to achieve in the long-run, then take a small step towards it. Pause to think about what you’ve learned, then using that learning, take another small step.
Pause, then repeat to the end of the big task.
Successful business people have a great passion for what they’re doing. Identify the market need: instead of guessing what the customer wants, find out what they want and give it to them, then you’ll start earning. Experts suggest you should probably aim to have at least six months’ worth of capital to start with. Make sure that you keep on top of your finances. Test out your idea before you invest all your resources. If the test is successful you can plan the next phase of your business growth.
2. Build a solid foundation and good team
The best entrepreneurs build strong connections, whether that’s in a partnership, or in the team they work with. This will allow you to concentrate on what you do best, as Apple’s Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak attest, there needs to be an idea person and people who will help make those ideas a reality. Last week we talked about the importance of diversity as you build your team. Here’s where you will benefit from diverse backgrounds, a range of skills and welcoming viewpoints and creativity.
Once your team is in place, don’t be afraid to celebrate success. Successful entrepreneurs all tend to talk about their successes and crucially, are generous in giving and reacting to positive (and negative) feedback.
3. Stay fit
A key habit of successful people is that they still take time to read. In addition to reading about business in books, blogs, news articles and magazines, they also read for pleasure. Research from the Reading Agency suggests a host of positives from reading: readers tend to be more empathetic, reading has a positive relationship to well-being and sparks creativity.
Once you’ve worked your brain, you also need to work your body. If you’re not the sort of person to enjoy the gym, schedule in regular exercise and revitalization breaks. Take a walk during lunch, (add a podcast if you like), or get up and do some stretches, or yoga poses several times a day. You could also schedule a walk with a mentor or fellow entrepreneur.
4. Persevere
One last tip is don’t be afraid to ‘try, try and try again’. Entrepreneurs see failure as part of the path to success and many of our top business names have gone bust, then started again. Wherever you are on your journey, believe it’s worth the trip!
As you are building your foundation of smart habits, remember that you have the freedom to try them and adapt. The most successful entrepreneurs are good at coloring both in and outside the lines.
We wish you the best for the holiday!
We’ll be back next week to continue the journey as Future Entrepreneurs.
Thank you for reading and we welcome your comments below.
Cheers & fair winds,
Akasha Garnier
Author, Branding Expert, Producer
http://www.akashagarnier.com for The Wishwall Foundation
Four tips inspired by conversations with indie filmmakers and backed up by Virgin Entrepreneurs.
The image is the Aqua Building and Radisson Blue Hotel in Chicago, from coloring pages in my book, Secrets to Shine Through the Noise.
