Entrepreneurial Success: It’s All In Your Mindset

Guest post by Dr. Debra Brooks

So much of what we do in life is influenced by our emotions, how we think, and what we say to ourselves. This includes our desire to be a successful entrepreneur.

While the first step to become an entrepreneur is locating a profitable business idea, the foundation of entrepreneurial success rests within your mindset. A good idea can take you only so far. But determination to stop at nothing to achieve your goals can carry you to the finish line.

You may have hundreds – if not thousands – of competitors in your field. Many of them sell the same product as you. One business may be raking in huge monthly revenue, while the other can barely get off the ground.

What separates these businesses? It’s the difference in mindset of the entrepreneurs. The successful business person boasts a heightened business mindset that leads to higher revenue. The unsuccessful one may know a thing or two about business, but he’s okay with doing the bare minimum.

Below is a chart that displays the key differences in the mindsets of a successful and an unsuccessful entrepreneur. Adopt the mindset of the successful entrepreneur and you’ll happily discover that your profits increase as well!

The Mindset of the Successful Entrepreneur:

• Always reaches higher and focuses on the up-sell. He knows how to turn $5 into $20.
• Has an elevator speech prepared and will recite it to anyone who’s willing to listen.
• Values the power of marketing and employs proven marketing tactics. He markets whether business is booming or in a lull.
• Believes in his ability to achieve the best and constantly pushes himself beyond his comfort zone for the greater good of his business.
• Believes that customer service is just as important as promotion and provision of quality products.
• Is a problem-solver. He can allocate funds as if it were his natural talent. He knows how to run a tight ship in order to keep revenue up and overhead down.
• Values his intuition over others’ advice. He understands what’s best for his business.
• Keeps moving when things are slow. He’s always quickly moving on to the next task that must be done to improve his business.
• Thrives under pressure. He’s always attentive and alert. When his business begins to see red, he is an entrepreneurial hero.
• Implements sound ideas into his existing business plan in order to increase revenue, customer service, and promotion.
• Stands his ground. He confronts rotten eggs with a cool attitude and a firm intent. He notices everything and handles all confrontation with class.

The Mindset of the Unsuccessful Entrepreneur:

• Believes that good enough really is good enough. He believes that a dollar in revenue is better than no revenue at all.
• Feels embarrassed to toot his own horn and often downplays the complexity of his business.
• Employs marketing tactics only when business is slow. He’s all about cutting corners, and when business is booming, marketing expenses seem unnecessary.
• Allows his personal low self-esteem to translate into his business leadership. Because of this, his marketing, networking, public perception, and revenue take a hit.
• Customer service is an afterthought. He takes personal offense to most customer complaints.
• Is a problem solver only when it comes to menial issues, but he cracks under pressure when the hard times come knocking.
• Ignores his intuition and runs to all the wrong people for advice before taking action.
• He takes advantage of the slow times in his business to indulge in his personal life while he should be working.
• May thrive under pressure, but it’s fear that keeps him going rather than optimism. This same fear can cause panicky, unwise decisions.
• Lets his ideas lie dormant until his business is bringing in more money.
• Stands his ground and he does so with an overly aggressive and threatening attitude. His business mindset is out the window when he feels as if he’s being taken advantage of.

As you can see, a heightened mindset – a willingness to succeed and to take risks for your business – is the foundation for attaining higher profits. By following the mindset of the successful entrepreneur, you’ll experience the success you’ve been dreaming about in your business.

Dr. Debra Brooks, fondly known as DrDebra, is a Christian Counselor, Emotional Healing & Parenting Coach. She is the CEO of Family Healing & Empowerment Institute, Inc. where she helps families to tackle the emotional challenges of family relations and parenting, in order to prevent generation baggage. DrDebra is the author of a children’s books series that helps to build self-esteem in young children. She is the proud mother of two sons and an avid believer in the power that lies within. You can find out more about DrDebra at www.HealingEmpowermentInstitute.com.