Ten Simple Steps to Become a Successful Entrepreneur
It was not all that long ago, I left a visible
and lucrative career as a television
news reporter. Last stop was ABC TV
in Philadelphia where my stories ran on
Nightline, Good Morning America and CNN
as well as the local news each evening. It
was a career, like many, that had taken a
long time to build. And probably like your
own careers, there were many scary times
that I doubted my ability to succeed.
Given I have a degree in journalism and
no initial background in business, starting
a coaching and training fi rm was challenging,
to put it mildly. While I’m fairly
savvy, balancing the checkbook is not my
strong point and my family has banned me
from helping our 6th grader with his math
homework. When I quit ABC, colleagues
and friends called me “nuts”. After all, why
would you leave a highly visible, coveted
job in a major market to sit in your home
offi ce and try to get people to hire you
to teach them how to talk? In fact, as I
just wrote that sentence, it does sound
like a fairly dumb idea. But entrepreneurs
are always looking for the next door. If
it’s cracked open just a tiny bit, we want
to see what’s on the other side, even if
stepping through that door means never
turning back. It reminds me of the imprints
on our automobile rear view mirrors that
say: “Caution: Objects are closer than
they appear.” Truth be told, what we strive
for is usually closer than it appears. All we
have to do is reach out and grasp to make
it happen.
This year I will celebrate my 13th year
in business. I’ve made a few mistakes
along the way, but I have also learned a
lot which I would like to share with you so
you can continue to grow, enjoy your own
successes and share them with others
who aspire to join the ranks of successful
entrepreneurs.
1. Be a sponge. Read everything you
can get your hands on. Attend as many
professional development sessions
that time and money afford. Watch the
news, listen to the talk shows and then
talk to everyone and anyone. Every
person from every walk of life, regardless
of what they do, has knowledge to
offer.
2. Believe in yourself. Fear is a powerful
motivator. Be motivated and challenged
by all of the people who tell you
it can’t be done.
3. Don’t try to be everything to everybody.
Focus on what you’re good at
and what you love to do. That’s what
you’ll excel at and that’s how you will
provide the most value to your clients
and customers.
4. Look forward. There is no such thing
as coasting. Worrying about keeping
current clients forces you to bring new
ones in the door. Your worst enemy is
not the competition...your worst enemy
is yourself.
5. Always strive to re-invent yourself
and your product. Look for new ways
to spread information, offer services
and change the way you do things so
you remain fresh, innovative and can
provide new services for your clients.
6. Integrity is king. Never compromise
your values and beliefs. There is no
such thing as an easy road to success
or making an easy buck. No one gets
discovered. But, they do earn success.
7. Leave your ego at home. I come
from an ego driven business and I have
an ego. That’s not bad as it has served
me well in television and in business.
However, the priority is the client. They
don’t care about how great you are.
They care about what you can do for
them to fi x their problems and make
them better.
8. Know when to say no. Not every
client is worth keeping. Some will drain
time, energy and money away from
you, your family and your business. So,
learn to say no because compromising
what’s important to you can make you
unhappy and cause you to compromise
your own values.
9. Do what you say. So many people
are so focused on getting new business
that when they do get it, they
lose sight of what they told the client
they would accomplish for them.
Remember what you said you would
do and make sure you do it!
10. Have fun. Love what you do and love
to get out of bed in the morning. If not,
you’re in the wrong business.
While sales, marketing, client development,
public relations and so many other
business considerations are necessary to
climb the ladder of success; real success
bubbles forth from your gut.
While sales, marketing, client development,
public relations and so many other
business considerations are necessary to
climb the ladder of success; real success
bubbles forth from your gut.
KAREN FRIEDMAN is an international communications
coach and former award
winning television reporter who helps
executives, spokespeople and celebrities shine in every interview, appearance and presentation.
President of Karen
Friedman Enterprises, Inc. and co-author
of Speaking of Success, she is frequently quoted by publications including the Wall Street Journal and New York Times.
Contact her through http://www.karenfriedman.com.
