Entrepreneur’s Road Map to Success

Meta Description: For a young entrepreneur, building your own business might seem like a
daunting task. Here are some tips that will help you make your dream business into reality.
“Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal.”- Earl Nightingale
A lot of research has gone into the concept of success and failure. All that we need to do is
learn our lessons from the past. Success always leaves clues and if we identify and adopt the
qualities of such successful people, we shall also be successful. Success is not a mystery, but it is
the result of consistently applying some of the basic principles. There are no shortcuts to
success. The entrepreneurial journey is difficult and challenging but if pursued with the right
plan, it enhances your chances of success. 

Understanding the concept of Winning Edge

One of the most important concepts ever discovered in the field of performance is the winning
edge concept. This concept states that small differences in ability can translate into enormous
results. In order to attain the winning edge, we need to strive for excellence, and not
perfection. I would like to share an example that I came across in one of Shiv Khera’s books. The
winning horse in the race wins 5-to-1 or maybe 10-to-1. Do you think the horse is five or ten
times faster than the other horses? Of course not. He may only be faster by a fraction of
seconds, but the rewards are five or ten times greater. Is it fair? Who cares? It doesn't matter.
Those are the rules of the game and that is the way the game is played. The same is true in our
lives. Successful people are not ten times smarter than the people who end up failing. They may
be better by a fraction, but the rewards are ten times bigger. We don't need to improve 100%
in any one particular area. All we have to do is to improve 1% in 100 different areas, which is a
lot easier. That is the winning edge!
Discover and Evaluate your Entrepreneurial Spirit
The motivation to succeed comes from one’s burning desire to achieve a purpose. Napoleon Hill
wrote, "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve."
Having a burning desire is the starting point of all accomplishment. Similar to the small fire that
cannot yield much heat, a weak desire cannot produce great results. Before making your final
decision, you will have to evaluate yourself and determine if you have what it takes to succeed.
Ask yourself the reason why do you want to start a business? Having a realistic view of yourself
taking into consideration your strengths and weaknesses will give you a better perspective of
your situation. The pathway to success for your business will require brutally honest answers.
Set your Goals and Stay Committed
“There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in doing
something, you do it only when it's convenient. When you're committed to something, you
accept no excuses, only results.” – Kenneth Blanchard
There is a big difference between playing to win the game and playing not to lose the game.
When we play the game to win, we play with enthusiasm and commitment; whereas when we
play not to lose, we are playing from a position of weakness. So ask yourself what you are
playing for? Have you decided what you want to do? How do you hope to achieve it? Do you
already have a business idea? If you do not have a business plan yet, you could apply several
strategies to brainstorm for an idea that aligns with your goals. Once your business idea is well
in form, it is time to set goals that fit your idea. Whatever the case, it is always wise to set short
and long-term goals that are clear, realistic and feasible.

Be Willing to Be a Student
If God and the teacher are standing together, who does the student salute first? According to
the Indian culture, the answer is the teacher, because, without the teacher’s direction or help,
the student could not have met God. A teacher is a person whose hindsight can become your
foresight. Look for someone who can accept you as a student. Choose your mentor carefully. A
good mentor will guide and give direction; a bad one will misguide. The best teachers will not
give you something to drink, instead, they will make you thirsty. They will put you on a pathway
to seek answers.
Hard work is the Key to Success
“A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard
work.”- Colin Powell.
Success is not something that happens accidentally. It takes a lot of preparation and character.
Everyone likes to win the game but how many are willing to put in the effort and time to
prepare to win? There is no other substitute for hard work in this world. According to a study,
an average person puts just 25% of his ability into his work. The world takes off its hat to those
who put more than 50% of their capacity, and stands on its head for those few and far between
souls who devote 100%. It’s rightly said, “The harder a person works, the better he feels; and
the better he feels, the harder he works.”
Test the Waters
After you have your concept ready, it is time to take a chance. Accepting responsibilities
involves taking risks and being accountable which is sometimes uncomfortable but it’s always
rewarding. Start with a simple business model before you scale up. Introduce your products or
services to the people on a small scale and gauge their level of acceptance. For instance, if you
have decided to set up a beverage company, you can start by preparing some of your products
at a smaller level possible. This will aid your short & long-term planning process and this is the
phase where you can observe and modify things before scaling up.
Get Feedback
While your product is in the market on a small scale, take advantage of this stage to get
feedback from users and incorporate their responses in your strategy. A fresh set of eyes may
help you pinpoint areas you could improve. These people will eventually become the advocates
for your brand, especially if you recognize their input on your product. But how do you handle
the feedback that you get?
Since your reputation is crucial for the success of your business, it would be ideal to create a
"wall of love," where potential customers only see positive comments about your service. This
will not only inspire you to continue to improve, but it makes a huge difference in appealing to
your target prospects.
Overcoming the Barriers
People who have overcome the obstacles are more successful than those who have never faced
them. We all have problems and we feel discouraged at some time. Most people get
disappointed but winners never get disheartened. The answer is perseverance. An English
proverb says, "A smooth sea never made a skillful mariner." Everything is very difficult before it
becomes easy. We can never run away from our problems. All we have to do is to face it and
fight it.
Scale up your Business
Success is like baking a cake. Unless you have the right recipe in hand, it is not going to work.
The ingredients must be of the finest quality and in the right proportions. You can't overcook it
or undercook it. Once you have the right recipe and with regular practice and the occasional
disaster, it becomes a lot easier.
You could target a new market, expand your service or even acquire another business.
Whatever the case, you can hardly achieve success without the right recipe of growth and
development plan. Creating a developmental plan will help you build fruitful relationships with
your potential customers. This is crucial to the eventual success of your business.
Closing thoughts
Ups and downs will be haphazard that you will lose track of what is happening around you. But
for those who stay grounded in reality and keep moving things ahead in the right direction, the
journey from being an idea to being a successful brand won’t take long. Also, don’t forget
to always be flexible. There's no straight line from point A to point B. And success is never
linear. So go on and get it done!