For the majority of the past 10 years, I have been self-employed as an entrepreneur. From my time studying and working in China, earning degrees from Yale and the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and pursuing my career, I have observed the habits of many highly successful peers and business associates and have tried to emulate them. I have broken down my observations and distilled them into a list of 11 tips for success.
Learn constantly. To be successful, you have to stay informed. Be aware of the ever-changing market, identify your new and old competitors, and get to know your target customers. Set aside time for research. Knowledge equals success.
Be active. Don’t forget to implement a regular exercise routine. Getting a workout in before your workday begins is a great way to make sure it happens.
Practice mindfulness. Reconnecting with your inner self can be an effective way to block out the mayhem that surrounds you and to refocus on your goals. An astounding number of successful people practice mindfulness on a regular basis.
Learn from your mistakes. Mistakes can be stepping stones to future success if you learn from them instead of letting them halt your progress. Successful people pick themselves up and push forward, learning from setbacks without focusing on them.
Don’t lose sight of the important relationships. No matter how many clients you have or how successful you are, your relationships with your friends and family don’t need to suffer. Spend some of your valuable time with those you value most.
Set your sights on a single goal. It’s pretty easy to feel overwhelmed if you start adding up all the things competing for your attention. Keeping a single goal as a focal point to direct your efforts is something successful people do.
Eat dinner with your family. There are so many distractions and things you can spend your time doing, but those who are successful do their best to spend quality time with their families, even though dinner together may not happen every night.
Keep it real. Reaching out to contacts and networking are valuable components to success, but your efforts shouldn’t be fake. Develop your own way of keeping in touch with your network of associates that lets them know you really care.
Respond immediately. Once you put down that letter and it gets lost in the pile on your desk, you may never get around to responding. Get in the habit of responding to your mail, virtual or otherwise, right away.
Balance life’s demands. There’s a delicate balance between work and the rest of life. While your initial efforts to get your business up and running may require substantial time, it shouldn’t always be that way. Successful entrepreneurs are able to find the balance they need in all areas of life.
Learn how to delegate well. No, really, you don’t have to do it all yourself. Finding associates you can trust to handle some tasks for you gives you time to branch out and enjoy life. Success means knowing when to delegate.
Implement effective time-management skills. Self-employment can make managing time effectively a challenge. Successful people work as if they are employed by someone else even if they are not. That means keeping track of your hours—what you did, when you did it, and how long it took you. Keeping a schedule of appointments and tasks can help you keep track of what you need to be doing.
