We all hear it. We all say it. Everyone wants to be
rich but, short of picking the lucky numbers or winning the Publisher’s
Clearinghouse Sweepstakes, most people go don’t know how to amass the
wealth they dream about.
Here are the top tactics of successful entrepreneurs:
1. “Dig the well before you’re thirsty” – Confucius
We
discussed this last week. Marketing, whether your business or yourself,
is the one task that wise people do daily – YES…DAILY. You should do
at least one thing each day to keep your marketing funnel full.
2.
“The moment you begin to think of time as precious and that it has a
price, the richer you will become.” – Robert Kiyosaki, Rich Dad’s Guide
to Investing
Do you spend your time wisely or do you squander
it by spending hours in front of the TV? Successful entrepreneurs
understand that how they spend their time determines their future. It’s
critical to do the things that will move you/your business forward each
day.
3. Have a wealth mindset
Successful
entrepreneurs are focused, first and foremost, on being secure. Then on
being comfortable and finally, on being rich. It is this focus on
security that forces them to build systems and look at the big picture
as opposed to doing what is best only for the short-term.
Successful
entrepreneurs also understand that they need to invest in themselves
and their business in order to reach their long-term goals. Doing
things “quick and dirty” or for the fast buck doesn’t create the
long-lasting success that you are looking for.
4. Have a sense of urgency
Successful
entrepreneurs are not procrastinators – they get things done and done
today! Their sense of urgency is borne not only of their appreciation
for the value of time, but also as a way of insuring their clients are
always satisfied. Why make them wait? Happy clients purchase from you
and they do so repeatedly.
5. “Don’t feel overwhelmed…just
do one thing at a time.” — Rose Lindsey character in “Don’t Tell Mom
the Babysitter’s Dead” movie
The above quote may sound
familiar and is a trademark of all successful entrepreneurs. Have 100
things to do? Don’t know where to start?
Just pick one and do it.
It doesn’t matter which one, just do something. Sitting and staring at
the pile or fretting about how much you need to do won’t get you
anywhere. But doing one thing, and then another, and then another will.
6. Be a “big picture optimist and detail pessimist”.
Direct
marketing guru Dan Kennedy tells the story of how he travels a lot and
never worries about the plane going to the wrong city or exploding in
midair or experiencing some other trouble that would result in his
never reaching to his destination (big picture optimist). At the same
time, he plans for the plane to leave late and arrive late, for his
luggage to be lost and for the food (when you get it) to be inedible
(detail pessimist).
Using this approach in project (and travel)
planning insures that you’ve anticipated the potential problems which
Murphy’s Law usually provides and have solutions already in hand. The
worst that can happen is that you never need your “Plan B”.
7. You can’t (and shouldn’t) do it all
Successful entrepreneurs know and understand that trying to do everything themselves is a prescription for overwhelm and burnout.
The
truly successful create teams and delegate effectively. Having one (or
several) good virtual assistants, a bookkeeper, a pre-paid legal plan,
etc. takes the day-to-day minutiae off you so that you can focus on the
big picture.
No matter where you are today, I encourage you to do
one thing today that will move you forward in your goals. Remember
Confucius (knew a lot, didn’t he?): “A journey of a thousand miles
begins with a single step.” Take that step today and feel the momentum
carry you forward.
Sandra P. Martini, the Automatic Business Coach ™, is
creator of the “9 Simple Steps to Creating an Automatic Business” system. To learn more about this step-by-step program
for small business success, and to receive her FREE “5 Simple Steps to Putting
Your Marketing on Autopilot” e-course/audio mini-series and how-to articles and
teleseminars, please visit www.SandraMartini.com.