Do you want to become a better entrepreneur? Who doesn’t, right?
Over the past 8 years, I have started around 9 companies. Sadly, most of them failed, but the good news is I have learned a lot over the years. Some of these things may be obvious to you while others may not, but I am sure, there will be something that will be beneficial to you.
Here are 53 things to keep in mind if you want to be a better entrepreneur:
- Don’t let emotions cloud your decisions.
- Accept criticism no matter who gives it to you.
- Never stop networking.
- Learn from your own mistakes.
- Learn from other people’s mistakes.
- Around every corner lies an opportunity for you to sell something.
- Don’t get too greedy…pigs get fat, and hogs get slaughtered.
- Try not to mix your family life with your business life.
- No matter how successful you are, you shouldn’t stop learning.
- Spending money on good lawyers and accountants will save you more money in the long run.
- Don’t pick a stupid company name, and if you do, don’t change it later on.
- Hiring employees won’t solve most of your problems.
- Be agile because slow and steady won’t win the race.
- Being agile isn’t enough; you also have to be scrappy.
- Having a good business partner will be a key factor in your success.
- Don’t be afraid of the unknown.
- It is easier to save money than it is to make it.
- You don’t always have to innovate; there is nothing wrong with copying.
- Have a marketing plan.
- Don’t underestimate your competition; you can’t always know what they are doing.
- Watching movies like Boiler Room will teach you how to sell.
- If you don’t have a business mentor, you’d better get one.
- Your income will be the average income of your 5 closest friends, so pick them wisely.
- Diversifying is a good way to play it safe.
- It doesn’t matter what you want; it only matters what your customers want.
- When others are fearful, you should be greedy. And when they are greedy, you should be fearful.
- You don’t always have to pay for advice. You’ll be amazed what free advice you can pick up from the web.
- The best chances you have of becoming rich is through your willingness to work hard.
- Even the most idiotic business idea can make money.
- Sex sells, and it always will.
- An easy way to make more money is to upsell to your current customer base.
- Base your business decisions around metrics.
- There is no such thing as a safe bet.
- You don’t have to start a business to be successful.
- Raising venture capital is harder than trying to get struck by lightening.
- Staying under the radar isn’t always a bad thing. Being out in the open is a great way to attract more competitors.
- Learn to be a team player.
- If you ever get screwed over, think twice before you burn the bridge.
- Learn to manage both your personal and business money.
- Live in a location filled with entrepreneurs.
- If you don’t take any risks, there will not be any rewards.
- Don’t let anything stand in your way.
- Sometimes you have to wait for good deals to come to you.
- The smartest route isn’t always the easiest.
- Being too aggressive can backfire.
- With networking, it isn’t about whom you know, it is about whom your network knows.
- It’s never a bad thing to know too many rich people. Whether you like them or not, they can always come in handy. So, make sure you always play nice with them.
- Use your email signature to promote your business.
- Don’t be afraid of social media. It is a great channel for customer acquisition.
- You’ll learn more from starting your own business than going to business school.
- Having a personal blog helps build not only your personal brand but your business as well.
- Your competitors don’t have to be your enemies—you can learn a lot from them.
- You can grow your business by working for free.
I hope these suggestions will help you improve your entrepreneurial skills.