YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES!

“Being an entrepreneur is being willing to do a job that nobody else wants to do, (in order) to be able to live the rest of your life doing whatever you want to do”.

This quote is attributed to Kevin Costner, and in my opinion, it describes what a small business owner must do to succeed. What are the things you don’t want to do? Perhaps they entail taking a risk or making a series of cold calls, or it could be the implementation of a marketing idea that seems like a lot of work.

It may entail working 12 hours a day instead of quitting at 5 to join your friends for a social gathering, or listening to someone that offers help but, without listening, you say it won’t work.

It’s about having a dream that is beyond the scope of what has been done before, or never tried before. It’s about putting your dreams down on paper and looking at the vision every day; it’s about not paying attention or even associating with non-believers in your dream.

It requires doing things that are too difficult, that take too much time; it requires lifting someone up as you journey towards your vision.

It’s about being passionate and excited even when others don’t care, and always going in the “up” direction in spite of the pitfalls that you may encounter along the way.

It’s all about leading change and finding like-minded people to walk the walk with you. It’s about trusting a mentor or partner who is always pushing you forward and who accepts the challenges that are encountered along the way.

It’s about not associating with those that don’t have a dream of their own as well as those that are satisfied with survival instead of ongoing growth.

It’s about getting up again when you fall, getting up with a smile on your face because you took another step to get you closer to your vision.

It’s all about believing in yourself and working hard to prove that you are right.

Having these traits is how I recognize a business owner I want to be associated with and who I know will succeed.