Three Life Lessons for Business Success
When you first decide to start a business, you might be overwhelmed with excitement. You also know that the road to success will be filled with potholes and detours, and unless you keep your wits about you, there will be times when you'll consider giving up. Starting a business isn’t that different from any other venture in life. It takes hard work, discipline and a core mission that you’re passionate about. Some of life’s most important lessons can be applied to the business world as well. 1. There’s No Better Time than Now: If you have a business idea, the best time to get started with it is right now. If you allow yourself to make excuses, the day might never arrive. No matter when you start, there will always be challenges along the way. Don’t let the fact that you’re in a less-than-ideal situation stop you. At the very least, you can begin the research and planning stages now. Another big reason to start today is competition. Whether you’ve come up with a genius new idea or simply want to offer a service that’s needed in your community, someone else is likely to come up with a similar plan if you wait long enough. Competition is part of business, but that doesn’t mean you have to give the competition a head start.
2. Failure Is Part of the Deal: When it comes to owning a business, you can’t fail unless you give up, but it’s a safe bet that there will be a number of small failures and setbacks along the way. When some of your strategies fail, you can’t let yourself get down in the dumps. If something doesn’t work, move forward and try something else. You need a lot of determination and an unbreakable spirit to succeed in the world of business. 3. Success is Outside Your Comfort Zone: Nothing amazing has ever happened in life without someone pushing the limits. Much like there will be failures along the way, there will also be moments when you realize things are not going the way you planned. Maybe the strategy you felt most passionate about didn’t work, but a riskier strategy seems to be paying off. Keeping an open mind and having the flexibility to head in unexpected directions will help you guide your business down the best road possible. The best thing you can do when planning to start a business is accept it will be an adventure. When you choose to embrace the experience rather than seeing it as a means to an end, you’ll begin to grow as a person, staying open to every new challenge and sharing your positive attitude with the people you choose to work with along the way. Attitude is everything in life. When others feel that you mean business, they’ll want to do their best to help your company succeed.
Phil Shawe is the CEO of TransPerfect.