Welcome to perhaps my shortest post yet. 5 working rules for startups and entrepreneurs to live by:
1) Do something that scares you every day…
If you have been putting something off or just feared doing something, then get through them one by one.
You will be surprised just how much you learn and develop by giving them a go.
Cold calling via door to door scares me, but we took some cookies and went round our business park yesterday. We made some great contacts, found some interesting businesses, some prospective customers and some cool freebies too. What once scared me, no longer does…
2) Work hard on what is most important first.
Do not just work, work on what is most important. So simple but so necessary if you want to progress quickly.
Cut out all distractions and truly work hard.
I found I always checked my emails as soon as I heard the alert, but closing my email app made me anxious to check it. So I simply set the email check timer to 30 minutes and turned off sound, so I still get emails but am distracted much less often.
If you can turn off a distraction do it. If not, make it delay updates as best you can.
3) Set yourself deadlines and Stop being a perfectionist.
You can work on something all day long and still not be happy with it. You have to learn to accept:
It only ever need to be good enough.
Set yourself deadlines to finish things and stick to it. It’s amazing how much more you get done when you have a set end time.
4) Get some exercise
No point being wealthy if you end up fat and unhealthy (note: not all Fat people are unhealthy, but most are).
Exercise also gives you time away to relax whilst also releasing hormones that make you more alert. Great for times when you are being unproductive.
5) Make time to be social
Always make time to meet your friends. Your life should never be only about work, because business will come and go whilst friends will be lost forever.
A happy life outside fo work will often make you happier within work. Especially for entrepreneurs who can often feel lonely.
If you have enough time (or have no friends!) then get along to network meetings or find out which companies are working near to you. Go introduce yourself and find out what they do. I made many good connections this way and just yesterday introduced myself to the well-known Majestic SEO company, that is based in the same building as I.
Being successful does not have to be lonely. Do not listen to people who tell you otherwise.
Hey Dee,
Just to add my 2 cents in to No. 3, I used to be a perfectionist and never finished a project until I thought it was the greatest masterpiece on earth. I would keep going back and looking at it, changing little bits here and there until one day I was given this bit of advice from my mentor “it doesn’t have to be Perfect – just get in Going!”
Since then I’ve taken that advice and although I try and work to a high standard I don’t kill myself whilst searching for perfection – if it’s good enough it’s good enough, I can always go back and improve it later.
And just to comment on Exercise – I was in a fairly good office job doing well for myself (or so I thought) After about 6 months I noticed I wasn’t as fit as I used to be. A combination of sitting at a desk all day and not eating as well as I should. Soon enough I joined a gym, try and look after my diet and I feel way better.
Not only physically, but my focus and drive is has dramatically improved. As they say “your Health is your Wealth” so it’s important to look after yourself;)
Thanks – Noel.
Noel tell me about it! Being a perfectionist or believing your stuff is ‘not good enough’ is what causes many of us to waste so much time or often to even give up completely.
I live by my ‘just be good enough’ rule and it is what I teach my clients on a regular basis.
Hey Dee
As soon as I read No1 it resonated with me. Yesterday I took the bull by the horns and asked a Local business that I have done some SEO work for a referral. He gave me not one but three referrals.
WIIFM I covered with if any of these contacts pan out I would complete for them a new video.
It just goes to show, just step up to the plate and ask.
Cheers
Paul
Not sure what the middle sentence means but well done Paul !
It’s crazy but often what scares us, is really the key to success. Nothing is really that hard when you realise that all they will say is ‘no’.
Dee
Hey Dee
What it means is “whats in it for me” this is what most people have in their mind if you ask them a favour. So I always make sure that barrier is not there, by offering them something from the get go.
I hope that makes sense.
Cheers
Paul
Paul you call yourself a baby boomer but you are more ‘hip’ or ‘with it’ then me!
Thanks for the WIIFM explanation.
I can’t remember where I heard it but the analogy of filling a jar with stones is good for illustrating no.2 working on the important things first and no 3. don’t be a perfectionist. How do you fill a jar with rocks – put the big rocks in first. Is it full ? It looks full but you can still put pebbles in between the gaps that the big rocks make. Is it full now that all the pebbles are in ? Well no, you can still put sand in the gaps made by the pebbles.
If the jar is your life, an important project or a particular goal that you are trying to achieve, the big rocks or tasks are the most important because they take up most of the volume so concentrate on them first. Sure the project isn’t perfect but you can add your metaphoric pebbles and sand later on.
On a side note, you can also tick off no. 5 about being sociable if you put a couple of cans of beer in the jar at the start….illustrating that there’s always room for a couple beers* in life, an important project or a certain goal you are trying to achieve. Btw, that’s a joke !
*Substitute ginger tea, chai latte or some other beverage of your choice if you don’t partake of alcohol. Just make sure that the beverage is packaged in a fairly robust container or the rocks may break it. A Tetrapak will probably work…you’d be surprised how sturdy those little boxes are.
Love the jar analogy – an old favourite.
Perhaps I can ride on tieback of it and suggest that we all concentrate on the rocks, the same things that 90% of others do, but its the smaller pebbles or even sand (the 10%) that can make you successful – doing the 10% that others do not.
Slightly different story but ah well!