startup

65 of the best time-management tips that will work for you

Most important keys to personal and professional success lies in how you spend your time. Here are the best ways you can manage your time effectively.

Every day, each of us has 24 hours to spend. Some of us make better use of that resource than others. Learning to manage time and spend it wisely is among the most significant things you can do to build personal and professional success.

Here are 65 of the best ways to manage your time:

1. Know yourself.

First and foremost, you have to know who you are. You can’t structure your time effectively if you don’t understand your own dreams, strengths, challenges, and priorities.

2. Create an action.

When you plan to do something, create an action plan and give it all your focus.

3. Construct a system.

Whether it’s electronic or paper-based, centered on tasks or goals or events, something you purchase or develop on your own, find a system that works for you.

4. Focus on your goals.

If you have goals but you tend to get distracted, start by focusing on what you need to achieve and what it will take to make it happen.

5. Understand your patterns.

Maybe you get a burst of energy in the mornings, hit your stride after working out at lunchtime, or think best in the late-night quiet.

6. Structure your time.

Focus your energy on doing your most important activities when you’re most productive. Save routine chores for low-energy times.

7. Do the hard things first.

Difficult tasks require more discipline. If you commit to doing the hardest things first, you will end up doing them with greater consistency. There are tools like eisenhower matrix app that can help you priortize your tasks.

8. Lace it with passion.

Passion will move you beyond your limits and your shortcomings.

9. Create optimal deadlines.

It’s crucial to create deadlines for yourself to help you achieve your goals. Think through what you want to accomplish and make your deadlines challenging but realistic.

10. Overcome procrastination.

Procrastination is the top enemy of achievement, standing in the way of countless worthwhile goals. Get serious about becoming a person who gets things done.

Also read: 7 Sleep Habits of Successful Entrepreneurs

11. Overcome fear.

Fear, is False Evidence Appearing Real. Don’t let what is false keep you from getting things done. Convert it instead to Face Everything And Recover.

12. If it’s important, put it on a schedule.

It’s the best way to keep yourself on track.

13. Prioritize your to-do list.

You can’t do everything, so learn to prioritize the important and let go of the rest.

14. Don’t obsess over unimportant details.

Trying to make sure that every detail is exactly as you want it to be will bog you down.

15. Choose your battles.

You win some, you lose some. Pick what is most important to hold on to and be willing to let go of the rest.

16. Stay motivated.

Learn what keeps you motivated and inspire yourself daily.

17. Maintain momentum.

Learn what it means to stay in motion no matter what comes your way. Momentum is key.

18. Stop worrying.

Don’t waste time worrying about things that may not even happen. Focus instead on what you know and how you are going to be successful.

19. Manage your stress.

Stress management is life management. Whether it’s exercise, meditation, prayer, family time, or social life, find what destresses you and schedule it regularly.

20. Stop multitasking.

If you think you are being efficient by multitasking think again. Focus what you are doing, get it done and move on to the next thing.

21. Initiate a routine.

Routines increase productivity by making it easier to identify shortcuts and efficiencies.

22. Take notes.

Save time by taking good notes, electronically or on paper. Develop a system to flag things you need to remember or act on.

23. Have an accountability partner.

Communicate your schedule and goals with each other and meet regularly to keep each other accountable.

24. Think positively.

Where your attention goes, so goes your emotional energy. Don’t think about what might go wrong, think about what could go right.

25. Delegate tasks.

You may be able to do anything, but no one can do everything.

26. Pay people to do things which would cost you time.

For everything you don’t like to do, there is someone you can hire who will enjoy doing it well.

27. Take breaks.

Being busy doesn’t make you productive. Take a break to reset your energy.

28. Act now.

If you read an e-mail, respond immediately. If you open a letter, act on it or throw it away. If you need to speak to someone pick up the phone. There is great power in now.

29. Time yourself.

If you tend to get distracted or procrastinate, time yourself. Set a timer for 25-minute intervals and commit to work without stopping or distraction in each block.

30. Turn off notifications.

Every notification you get on your computer or phone is an interruption that diverts your attention from your work. They’re almost impossible to ignore, so turn them off.

31. Manage distraction.

Silence everything that distracts you so you can fully focus and be as productive as you can be.

32. Eliminate time wasters.

If there are things that you do that completely waste your time and are not productive, eliminate them.

33. Create an email system.

Use a system when you check your email. Once in the morning, once at lunch time and again in the evening. Being attached to your email and responding to messages all day interferes with your productivity.

34. Limit social media.

Unless you are using social media to grow your business, limit the amount of time you spend on such sites as Facebook and Twitter.

35. Value your time.

When someone asks for a block of your time, be clear on boundaries. Show others that you value your time and they will be more respectful of it.

36. Don’t start projects you don’t plan on finishing.

Don’t start a side project before you’ve learned what’s involved and identified the amount of time that it will take to be successful.

37. Take small steps.

All big things start with taking small steps. Breaking a big project down into smaller steps makes it achievable and easy to accomplish.

38. Plan for the unexpected.

Build some flexible time into your schedule so when the unexpected happens–which it will–you won’t be thrown off.

39. Leverage technology.

Make use of apps that can help you be productive. My recent article on 75 apps for the busy professional is a good place to start your research.

40. Be concise in your communication.

When you make a request, be clear and concise in your communication to make sure you get what.

Also read: 8 Things Entrepreneurial People Do Differently

41. Build proficiency.

Learn how to be more proficient in your daily tasks, because the better you get at them, the less time they’ll take.

42. Back it up.

Make sure all your files are backed up onto external hard drive. Anyone who has learned this lesson the hard way wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

43. Manage your meetings.

Poorly run meetings are time wasters. Show your respect for all parties by managing your meetings in a productive way.

44. Don’t stop everything.

If someone says it’s important, make sure it’s important before you drop what you’re doing.

45. Learn to do less.

Make a point of learning how to work efficiently. Can you learn a new skill? Can you ask someone to help?

46. Find a mentor.

Find someone you can learn from who has done it before so you can waste less time trying to figure it all out.

47. Solve a problem.

Be proactive and address problems while they are small and manageable rather than putting them off to deal with later.

48. Get into a flow.

When you get into a flow state, things get done in less time and the work goes easier.

49. Study best practices.

Learn from what others have done before and learn to do them yourself.

50. Know your limits.

When something is out of your expertise or skill set. find some help to get it done.

51. Stop obsessing over perfection.

Learn to work at your highest level of performance without obsessing and backtracking .

52. Refine the way you make decisions.

Establish a decision making process that allows you to accurately and authentically make good decisions.

53. Avoid putting off decisions.

When you have a decision to make, make it. Otherwise it will take up too much bandwidth in your mind.

54. Don’t keep revisiting the past.

If something didn’t work in the past, don’t keep revisiting it. Learn to move on and forward.

55. Have a nightly ritual.

Get everything ready for the next day by having a nightly ritual.

56. Do things that make you feel good.

Do the things that make you feel good, and you’ll also become more productive.

57. Reward yourself.

When you complete a set of tasks, give yourself a reward.

58. Take time to recharge.

A constant state of stress and overwork slows you down. Make sure you schedule time to refresh and recharge your batteries.

59. Learn to say no.

Saying yes to everyone is saying no to yourself. Know your priorities and your limitations and don’t commit to anything that doesn’t align with them.

60. Take pride in what you do.

Take pride in how far you have come, and have faith in how far you can still go.

61. Manage your energy.

Manage your energy, not your time. No car goes anywhere without fuel.

62. Get enough sleep.

Sleep is the foundational element that ties our health together. When you sleep enough, you have more energy and happiness.

63. Never renegotiate the time you spend with your loved ones.

Family time is off limits.

64. Enjoy your time.

Leave room for fun and play.

65. Become the best manager.

Don’t just learn how to manage your time, learn how to manage your actions, projects, distractions, attention and habits. Because either you manage your time or time will manage you.

Also read: Why Following Your Own Dreams Is Not Selfishness

This article was originally published in Inc.com

Image credit: www.youtube.com

7 Sleep habits of successful entrepreneurs

Follow these seven sleep habits and dream your way to business success.

We all know lack of sleep is harmful to our health — sleep affects mood, increases risk of psychiatric disorders and depression, cardiovascular disease and lowers immune system health. Yet the stress of running a company and long working hours means entrepreneurs often find themselves functioning on little sleep.

Evanston, Ill.-based sleep expert Dr. Lisa Shives says getting seven to eight hours of sleep a night is a critical component of entrepreneurs’ business success. “Sleep affects our executive function; the area of the brain responsible for decision making, creative thinking, memory and reaction time,” says Shives.

Follow these seven sleep habits and dream your way to business success:

1. Avoid alcohol before bedtime.

While alcohol may help you fall asleep, it will affect the quality of your slumber. “Sleep is lighter, you have less REM (the deepest stage of sleep),” says Shives. Alcohol can also wake you up in the middle of the night. “Many people wake up after about four hours, because that’s how long it takes to metabolize alcohol, then they have trouble getting back to sleep,” says Shives. Although studies have shown a glass of wine at dinner can have positive effects on cardiovascular health, Shives says to avoid drinking any alcohol within three hours before bedtime.

2. Turn off electronics before bedtime.

Shives recommends shutting off gadgets an hour before bedtime. “The light that’s emitted [from the screens] slips your neurotransmitters into an awake position,” says Shives. Our gadgets also force our brains to stay active when they really need relaxation time to distress before bedtime. Shives recommends using the hour before bed to do something relaxing and enjoyable like reading a book or having a chat with your partner.

3. Write your worries away.

If you find yourself lying in bed stressing about the events of the day, Shives recommends keeping a worry journal to write down the issues that are bothering you. For those who find their heads swimming with to-do-lists, Shives says putting the list on paper rather than thinking about it can help to clear your head and shut off your mind before bedtime.

4. Create the perfect sleep ambiance.

The optimal sleep environment is one that’s cool, dark and quiet. “Part of becoming drowsy in the evening is that your core body temperature starts to drop,” says Shives. Eliminate noise and light distractions by charging smartphones outside the bedroom door to avoid the glow, the ding and the temptation to get up and check on something.

Also read: 12 Ways To Avoid Startup Mistakes

5. Exercise.

Exercise promotes healthy sleep patterns by releasing serotonin and dopamine. These are the same neurotransmitters that are important for regulating our 24-hour sleep-wake cycle, known as the circadian rhythm.

6. Avoid sugary snacks before bedtime.

If you have a hankering for a snack, Shives recommends grabbing a bite containing protein and fat such as yogurt rather than one containing starch or sugar. “[Protein and fat] have very low glycemic levels which means they will give a steady release of energy throughout the night,” says Shives. Simple carbs or sugary snacks give you a quick burst of energy, followed by a crash which can disturb the quality of your sleep.

7. Wake up to the light.

The morning is just as important to your sleep habits as the evening. Getting sunlight when you wake up re-sets your body’s circadian rhythm, helping to ensure you’re more tired at night. Enjoy your morning coffee sitting next to a large window is a great way to start your day right.

Also read: 8 Things Entrepreneurial People Do Differently

This article was originally published in Entrepreneur.com

12 Ways to avoid startup mistakes

Mistakes and entrepreneurship go together. But thankfully, some mistakes can be prevented. Here are some smart ways to avoid stupid mistakes.

If you want to spark a lively discussion among a group of entrepreneurs, all you need to do is make a simple request:

“Tell me about your mistakes.”

Every single entrepreneur has made mistakes, is making mistakes, and will make mistakes.

Mistakes and entrepreneurship go together. But thankfully, some mistakes can be prevented. Here are some smart ways to avoid stupid mistakes.

Get a mentor who’s done it before.

Your most valuable asset isn’t your killer idea or innovative software. Your most valuable asset is a mentor or group of mentors who can tell you what to do or what not to do.

Mentors have a been-there-done-that perspective on startup life that will keep you from making hundreds of mistakes.

Also read: 20 Must watch movies for all Aspiring Entrepreneurs

When possible, use systems, not people, to get tasks done.

Systems are easier to manage than people. It’s easy to make quick-and-foolish hiring decisions. Instead of hiring a person to do a simple task, use SaaS or a tool that can accomplish the same thing.

Raise money with caution.

Many entrepreneurs think that the only way to get a business off the ground is to raise money through traditional startup funding.

Raising money is a full-time job. It takes thick skin and hardheaded persistence. Don’t let this discourage you, but take time to consider whether or not you need funding. If you do need funding, then determine the ideal time to seek funding.

It’s a mistake to rush into funding without counting the cost.

Create a rock-solid business plan.

Your startup will quickly descend into mass chaos unless you have a strong business plan. Your business plan will be like a map, keeping you on course, and protecting your startup from disaster. Give your business plan the time and attention it deserves.

Also read: Five critical questions your Business Plan should answer

Get legal help.

One of the most damaging things that can happen to your startup is to get embroiled in legal battles. I learned the hard way that lawsuits — even if you’re completely innocent — are time-consuming, expensive, and draining.

As early as possible, find expert legal counsel, and pay whatever fees are necessary to keep your business, assets, ideas, and organization in full legal compliance.

Stay away from negativity.

Entrepreneurs must stay away from negative influences. What kind of negative influences? You’ll discover haters who want you to fail and will criticize you. You may even have family members who discourage your ambition and try to slow you down.

You can’t cut everyone out of your life, but you can choose to ignore these negative forces. Sometimes, all it takes is a polite request: “I am pursuing something that is important to me, and I ask you not to make disparaging comments about it. Thank you.”

Test the market, but don’t overtest.

Testing the market is always a good idea. Don’t spend too much time and money on testing your business idea, though. As long as things look safe, take the plunge, launch the business, create the product. Basically, take action.

I’ve watched would-be startups spend tens of thousands of dollars on market research and product viability. Then, in the middle of yet another round of market research, some other startup rushes out a similar product. The slow-and-steady company failed to create fast enough and was beat out of the market by the startup that hustled.

Don’t skimp on the right tools.

You’ll be surprised at the number of things you need to buy when starting a business. I’m not just talking about staplers and sticky notes. I’m talking about systems, servers, email automation, marketing SaaS, subscriptions, software, and other tools.

These can get very expensive. Is this money wasted? Not at all. Purchasing the right analytics or SEO tools, for example, can not only save you thousands of dollars, but can make you thousands of dollars, too.

Don’t buy an office until you’re ready.

Offices are overrated. You probably don’t even need one. With a computer and WiFi, most startups and their teams are in business.

An office space usually requires a lease, a contract, furniture, decorations, etc. You run the risk of spending more time and effort on your office space than is necessary.

Rethink your “need” for an office, and you can save yourself some serious headaches.

Don’t hire expensive people.

If someone is really expensive to hire, it doesn’t mean that they are good. It means that they are expensive. That’s it.

Why would someone be so expensive to hire? One common reason is that they are hedging their bets against the failure of the startup. If they think that the startup might fail, then they will negotiate.

Pivot.

To “pivot” is to make a massive business change in a short amount of time.

How massive? Shifting your market. Changing your product. Reinventing your approach.

Nearly every startup has to pivot if they wish to succeed. Be on the lookout for those critical pivot moments.

Fail fast.

Let’s just face it. Your startup might fail.

And that’s okay. It’s better to fail quickly than for your dream to die a slow and painful death. Fail fast, fail forward, and just get past it.

The best thing that you can do for your entrepreneurial success is to get the failure over with and move on to the next big thing.

Also read: How to Stay Motivated After a Startup Failure

Conclusion

No matter what, you’re going to make mistakes. You can get all the mentoring in the world, read all the articles on Forbes, and study as many startups as you want, but you’re never going to avoid mistakes.

Mistakes are often the best teachers. Instead of trying to avoid mistakes all the time, be eager for risk and ready to learn.

One mistake made is one hundred mistakes prevented, so go ahead and make a few.

What mistakes have you made in your startup?

Also read: 10 Reasons why Entrepreneurship is awesome

Bootstrap Mentality: Key ingredient for startup success

Bootstrap mentality keeps the organization focused on being frugal, innovative and agile. Here are some suggestions on how to maintain a bootstrap mentality while running your organization.

Bootstrap was term coined from the computer lingo ‘booting’ which means starting a computer or starting a chain of processes which eventually starts up the operating system. In the startup world, bootstrapping essentially means funding your own venture and not being too dependent on external sources.

Let’s face it, to have a bootstrapped startup you need grit and total faith and conviction in your product, something a lot of new startup’s find it difficult to conjure. While most startups believe that only funding guarantees success, we beg to differ. Bootstrap mentality is critical for a startup to succeed, irrespective of whether it has raised funds or not. Bootstrap mentality keeps the organization focused on being frugal, innovative and agile. Here are some suggestions on how to maintain a bootstrap mentality while running your organization:

Hiring: Hiring is the key element in any startup and every success story is as good as its team. They say that to make an effective presentation, ask the question ‘Why?’ / ‘So What’ to each slide and if you get a convincing answer, then you are doing good. Ask the same question while hiring someone and if the answer is in lieu with your vision and larger good of the company in a prudent manner, then that’s a good hire. Going on a hiring spree on receiving funding will ensure that you burn before you earn. Last but not the least, if you come across a ‘proven team’, then that’s just a rabbit out of a hat and you can believe us blindly. Proven teams are highly overrated and irrespective of who says what, they may not be right fit for a bootstrapped company. A young team which proves itself is where you should bet your money.

Spend Wisely: Put need first, want later – Most startups on receiving funding go berserk with huge spends on office infrastructure, hiring, system upgrades, software’s and all kinds of fancy things. Some even spend on creating apps and elaborate marketing campaigns. This is the sure shot way of burn out before you start making any money. So, question all expenses and never incur it unless you have found out a way to balance it with the money you make. Remember that it is better to be a successful business than to be a popular sink-ship.

Another pro-tip – Keep everything short – small up-front capital requirement, short sales cycles, short payment terms and recurring revenue cycles.

Barters and Associations: Barters from age-old days have been pivotal to successful business deals and if you could compensate a cost with barter, then nothing beat sit. It is a win-win situation where there is no physical money spent and a mutually benefiting association is formed. These could actually extend your customer base if you use it wisely. Use it abundantly and wherever possible.

Experiment: To be a bootstrapped company, put on your lab clothes, lab goggles, burn gloves and experiment. Don’t be afraid to think out of the box, try different things, get out of the herd mentality. You would burn your fingers, but a few tests and trials and you would shine. Similarly, to the way, we at Vista Rooms went ahead and created our mobile app on Instagram, no need to worry about downloads, or upgrades or coding. We could do it because we experimented, so keep experimenting to see what works for you.

Stretch Your Team: The optimal number of hands between a bootstrapped company and the customer is Zero. They say that God invented e-commerce to sell directly and reap greater margins, use it well. Stretch your team to don different hats be it marketing, operations or sales. The marketing guy can always look at operations when required, or the sales team could help in marketing initiatives. The lesser the number of people between you and the customer the better. This would ensure your team size is optimal.

Product first, sales later: Most startups do the reverse of this. The focus on sales and upscaling is so high that the product never gets a chance for betterment, till the time it becomes an absolute necessity. By then a competitor would have gained ground and whatever product enhancements you do may not save you. Focus on bettering the product and delighting the customer and rest assured your marketing budgets could reduce down. Genuine customers would always go for better products, no matter the cost. More marketing will not always bring you customers, there has to be a constant focus on understanding customer needs and action on feedback.

Funding is never guaranteed: Successful startup ventures follow this as a quote from the Bible. They would focus on being able to sustain without any funding and manage their overheads in a manner that they are able to manage with little or no funding. They have made up their minds that they will not need funding and work towards that goal. Most bootstrapped companies would worry on expanding business or bettering their product, instead of running behind wooing investors.

Red Pill or Blue Pill: Taking a leaflet from Apple’s ex-chief evangelist Guy Kawasaki’s blog, the Red pill or the Blue Pill dilemma sources from Neo’s quandary in the movie The Matrix, where he is given a choice to either accept reality or be in deep dream space. Bootstrappers take the red pill everyday with pride and go deep into the rabbit hole to see how deep it goes.

We encourage you to have a bootstrap mentality, irrespective of whether you have raised a large amount of funding or not. Make your team focused on being frugal and innovative and take the red pill daily.

5 Brilliant ways to stand out in a competitive crowd

What’s different about increasing our competitiveness compared to other skill building activities is that it isn’t another “to do” list item. Instead, sharpening your edge requires a more fundamental change in how you work.

By nature, we all compete. Some more than others, for sure. Yet, what we all share is the challenge of working among dozens (if not hundreds) of other talented, ambitious people with similar skills.

We compete internally with our peers angling for limited leadership positions, externally with similar companies fighting to win the same clients, and within ourselves as we aim to do our best work. Standing out in the crowd is essential to our success. It’s can also help increase your willpower.

Shift to a “can do” mindset.

Empowering yourself requires a deliberate change in how we’ve been trained to think. You can’t ask for permission to make a difference in your work and life. Know that you have all the latitude you need right now. Today.

Ask better questions.

“When do you want this by?” might be important, but the only impression you’re leaving is that you’re a diligent project manager. Critical, of course–but not all you’re going to need to lead. Instead, get used to asking tougher questions. How will this impact our current clients? How does this change our marketing strategy for new clients? Do we have the right resources or training? Do we have enough staff with the right skills? Have we evaluated other options? What are our competitors doing? It helps to research the answers to some of these in advance and be prepared to offer your own thoughts.

Get creative in measuring results.

Many of our business and program impacts are really tough to measure. Sure, sales are up or down is an important indicator, but there are a lot of others. Those with the inquisitiveness to dive into available data or to gather information to help measure something in different, insightful ways are hugely valuable.

Make connections.

Connecting people makes everyone feel good, and it’s perceived to be generous – even though it typically costs more than a few minutes of drafting an e-mail introduction and setting two people you know on their merry way. To do this effectively, you have to actually understand what people you know do and potentially have to offer. I see this insight as the critical advantage highly networked people have over those with smaller or less diverse circles.

Be more of yourself.

It’s often said and I’ll say it again here. Bringing more of yourself to each task is probably the most important differentiator. This means knowing yourself, your viewpoints, strengths, and passions well-enough to let them shape and add color to your work.

Whether you’re aiming for a promotion or trying to win the next big client, increasing your competitiveness requires a change in your mindset. That mindset shift empowers you to start working at the next level immediately as opposed to waiting for someone else to put the pieces in place for you. Making this shift triggers the behaviors, contributions, and ultimately the results that get noticed and make you stand out in the crowd.

This article was originally published in inc.com

Image Credit: www.factorysites.net

How to stay motivated after a startup failure

Here are four things to keep in mind to keep your spirit and motivation up after flop of your startup.

Achieving your goals and dreams is not always easy. This is especially true when it comes to building a business. Building a business is one of the hardest things anyone can do. It takes years of absolute dedication and effort to truly make a business thrive. The whole process of starting a business is physically, emotionally, and financially draining. And oftentimes we invest all that energy just to see the business we built fail. And that happens quite a bit. According to the Wall St. Journal, 3 out of 4 ventured-backed startups fail. And that’s just venture-backed startups. Bootstrapped startups, with no starting capital, have a higher failure rate. It’s a difficult thing to face for startup founders; seeing something you’ve put your blood, sweat, and tears into crumble. So the question for founders of failed startups is—how do you stay motivated keep going after the failure of your startup? Well here are four things to keep in mind to keep your spirit and motivation up after flop of your startup.

Take Comfort in the Fact that Most Startups Fail

Those who start businesses are extremely smart and talented (for the most part). But even with the talent and intelligence, you cannot get away from the nature of startup heartache. As a founder, you should take comfort in the fact that most startups do not succeed. The reasons for a business failing is plenty and many of today’s top entrepreneurs have emerged from previous startup flops. Andrew Mason, the founder of Groupon, actually founded The Point prior to his successful multi-billion dollar coupon site. Never heard of The Point? That’s because it never took off. Bill Gates, prior to founding Microsoft, was also the founder of the now-defunct Traf-O-Data. Sir Philip Green, the billionaire British businessman, went through at least three startup failures before making his first million in his thirties. So as you can see, startup failure is not an exception, it is almost a rule. Failure with your initial startup is almost a rite of passage for startup success. So take comfort in that fact. Take comfort knowing that even the brightest and richest have failed. Knowing that will give you the motivation to move on and try again. Because, as the famous Albert Einstein would say, “you never fail until you stop trying.”

Also read: 10 Reasons why Entrepreneurship is awesome

Have your End Goal in Mind

I’m sure one of your biggest goals was to make your startup a smashing success. But I want you to think bigger. Reach down deep to think about your ultimate goal. What is the purpose of starting your business? Why did you want to build a successful startup? Was it to provide a valuable product to society? Was it to support your dream lifestyle? Was it to give your family and loved ones the life they have always wanted? The startup isn’t the goal itself; it is a means to getting to the goal. So if one startup doesn’t work out, there are plenty of other opportunities for you to succeed and achieve your goals. Looking at the big picture and having the end goal in mind is an important element to keeping your motivation after startup failure. Without seeing the big picture and the end goal, you will be knocked down by every little mishap.

Also read: 8 Things Entrepreneurial People Do Differently

Giving Up is for the Weak

Being a business owner is a whirlwind adventure. You will feel the ultimate highs and the ultimate lows. It takes emotional resilience and grit to be able to be a successful business owner. And if you are planning on giving up after failing a few times, then you are not meant to be a business owner. So if you want to build a successful business, you have to be willing shrug off the lows. You have to be resilient and keep going. Otherwise, startup life is not for you. Essentially, giving up just means you don’t want it bad enough. And when you don’t want it bad enough, you will not survive in the competitive culture of business. You have to want to succeed enough to want to pick yourself up after momentous failure and embarrassment. Just like the hip hop preacher Eric Thomas said, “When you want to be successful as much as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful.” So do you want success as bad as you want to breathe?

Experience is the Best Teacher

Your startup’s demise is temporal and momentary. It does not define your whole life and it does not mean you are a failure. Rather you should take the experience learned from the failure of your startup to do better the next time around. You can read as many books as you want or go to a thousand seminars; nothing can teach you as much about business and life as experience itself. Learning from the school of hard knocks and low blows is the ultimate vehicle of learning. So let the failure of your startup be your teacher and learn from the mistakes made during your failed startup to do better the next time around. And remember, many entrepreneurs failed at multiple businesses before finding a successful and thriving business. So take that experience and make something useful out of it. Let that experience motivate you to do better the next time. And trust me, you will.

Putting Everything in Perspective

It hurts to see something you invested so much time, money, and energy into just crumble. It hurts a lot. Because you have so much invested, it can hurt much more than losing a job or even losing a house. But in the end, you need to put everything in perspective and take a look at the bigger picture. Looking at the bigger picture and putting everything in perspective means that the chance of you succeeding with your first couple of startups is small. And just because your first startup flopped does not mean that you have failed. If you are smart enough, tenacious enough, and gritty enough, you will eventually build a successful business. You just need to keep motivated and keep going. You only fail if you stop trying.

Conclusion

Instead of being disappointed that your startup has failed, and start writing a new resume so you can get a job, think twice and learn from failure. Starting a business is not always easy, and it requires patience and a lot of experience.

Also read: The 15 Characteristics of Effective Entrepreneurs

This article was originally published in under30ceo.com

Image Credit: www.entrepreneur.com

5 Lessons entrepreneurs can learn from football coaches

If you want to make yourself a better entrepreneur, look how some of football’s greatest coaches have led their teams to victory, and apply those lessons to your own startup.

One of the most important roles of an entrepreneur tends to get buried among all the others – the role of coach. Yes, entrepreneurs are leaders, decision makers and idea generators. All those roles are important, but without a well-assembled, motivated team to carry out your orders, all those awesome ideas falter.

Just like a football coach’s own direction and motivation can win or lose a game, an entrepreneur can make a startup succeed or fail. If you want to make yourself a better entrepreneur, look how some of football’s greatest coaches have led their teams to victory, and apply those lessons to your own startup:

1. You have to understand the competition.

Football and entrepreneurship are both competitive ventures. Successful coaches know that beating the competition is about more than just being as good as you can. You have to understand the psychology and makeup of the competition. If they have a weak defense, you need to take advantage of it. If they rely on one key player to win, you have to stop that player.

Key opportunities like these are critical in deciding the outcome of games, and the burden of effort lies with coaches to hunt them down. In the entrepreneurship world, competition is equally intimidating. It’s not enough to lead your company by “being really good.” You have to understand what drives your competitors, why people continue to buy from them and learn key weaknesses that your brand can use as differentiating factors. Without that understanding, you might end up with a good product but the “other team” will always have an edge.

2. Good players don’t automatically make a team.

The power of teamwork can’t be understated. Good coaches know that building a good team takes more than just finding good players. It’s better to have 11 decent players that work well together than 11 outstanding players who have no synergy.

Successful coaches like Joe Paterno worked to build this team bond by making the team do everything together, from practicing to cleaning the stadium. As an entrepreneur, you’ll need to keep this in mind as well. Don’t hire talented team members only because they’re talented, or you’ll wind up with a group of indifferent and selfish, yet skilled, workers who can never quite get on the same page. Create a culture before making hires. Always work to integrate new members into the welcoming whole of the team. Better teamwork means better communication, more positive environments and more efficient work.

3. Emotion and motivation go hand in hand.

In football and in a business, if you want a team to work hard and strive for success, you need to inspire them. You need to build confidence, invest in a team mentality, and help them find passion in their work. Emotion is at the root of motivation, and as an entrepreneur, you’ll be faced with a similar role. Get your team members to truly believe in your brand, enjoy their work, and take pride in your group accomplishments, and nothing will be able to slow them down.

4. Incremental and long-term goals are necessary for success.

A coach can make a long-term goal to improve offensive performance in the second half, and build up to that with short-term goals like doing extra drills every day to build up endurance. Every coach, even those completely new to the game, succeeds or fails because of their short-term and long-term goals.

As an entrepreneur, you’ll have to make long-term and short-term goals for your business. Where do you want to be in five years? How are you going to get there? What goals can you accomplish right now to get you moving in that direction? If you can establish these goals, and get your entire team is on board with them, you’ll have no issue making steady progress to your eventual destination.

5. Setbacks are inevitable but usually temporary.

When a football team loses a game, they don’t immediately give up, never to play football again. Good coaches will use the loss as motivation to try even harder next time. They know setbacks are unavoidable, but almost every setback is temporary. There will always be another game, and another opportunity to succeed.

Successful entrepreneurs are equally patient. When a competitor outbids them, they don’t sweat it. They just move on to the next opportunity. When they miss a deadline, they focus on what they can do now instead of dwelling on the past. Patience is key to overcoming those hurdles.

A coach’s responsibility don’t end with creating the plays, setting the goals or making all the decisions. He’s also responsible for bringing the team together and giving them all the resources they need to get the job done. Sometimes that comes as direction, sometimes it’s motivation. Sometimes, it’s just as a collaborator.

To succeed as an entrepreneur, adopt the coaching mindset. Your team can help you take your idea to the next level or drive yourself to financial ruin. It’s up to you which direction you take them.

This article was originally published in Entrepreneur.com

Image Credit: uk.sports.yahoo.com