Six secrets I use for success

The most common questions I get, is “what are your secrets to success?'“. The first time I was asked this questions, I instantly thought, “well, there’s too many”. After giving it more thought, I realised there were only really a handful that I confidently know lead to success. I wanted to share these, as to this day, they work wonders for me personally, and in my business.

Identifying your why

At an early age, I started to understand why I wanted to run my own business. 

Even though, in the past, I had worked for others, I quickly realised that I wanted to work for myself. Making my rules and having the freedom to do what I wanted to do and not particularly answering to anyone else was important to me. Having a business would allow me to be creative and have the freedom I was seeking at the same time.

While I’m able to work in a team, I’m not naturally a ‘follower’, and I don’t enjoy being part of a herd. I’m extremely independent naturally, so I had to make this ‘work for myself thing’ actually work!

By knowing this about myself, it has helped me understand the importance of understanding my ‘why!’
Why did I want to have my own business? What was the ‘why’ that drove me to achieve this. 

On this note, I would love you to ask yourself these questions:

Why do I want to do this anyway? Why? Really why? What drives me. Why do I persist with this idea? What is it that I really want to achieve? 

Is it the money, fame, lifestyle, freedom, to be your own boss and you want to help others? It might even be all of the reasons listed. Either way, really focus on the reason. There is a truth behind what drives you. 

There is the achievement entrepreneurs and lifestyle entrepreneurs. 

Achievement entrepreneurs. Basically, have an inner motivation to achieve something difficult and bigger. It gives them the feeling of self-accomplishment and success. They get excited and have an inner motivation. They have a disposition to achieve something difficult and bigger.

Then there is the lifestyle entrepreneur. It’s an individual that creates a business with the purpose to altering their personal lifestyle and not for the sole purpose of making profit. They are more focus on life rewards, providing to people and enjoy  the passion of what they are doing. They like freedom of time.

Be clear with where your motivation stems. It’s certainly ok if you’re not driven by money alone.  ‘Freedom of time’ to some, is priceless. It will impact on how you approach life and business. Achieving a higher turnover is gold to others. 

Keep your focus

Have a clear vision with what you want to achieve! 

As much as we want to get our message across to our clients and audience, we can get side-tracked by watching others.  While we can learn from others, we can take our focus on our goal. There is ‘productive time’ on social media and there is ‘chillout time’ on social media. Get your stuff done before diverting onto other ideas.

Share your dreams with those who will encourage it. Be aware of people in your life that may mean well but may not be as driven as you are and will keep you ‘safe’ and away from achieve your goals.

Invest in a mentor

Invest in a mentor. Connect with a mentor that has achieved what you want. This will keep you motivated and accountable. It keeps things real and helps with forward planning.

Keep things simple

Keep things simple. I really cannot make this clearer. Complicating things, being unorganised, overthinking, procrastination are all killers. At the start of each day, ask yourself what do you want to achieve by the end of the day? How am I going to get it done?  Write it down.

Working in a clean environment, helps me focus on my task and gives me a sense of calm.

Do more by doing less

Work, rest and self-love time is imperative to stop burnout. Let’s face it, in the very beginning you will need to do so much on your own because of a lack of resources. Working harder does not mean working smarter. Rest and care are just as important so you can be more productive when you are at work. Try to adopt this early in your journey. Be aware of this, so you can give yourself permission to rest without the guilt. 

Be a good negotiator

It is not only about you, it is also about them. 

Let your client speak, listen to what they want. The more they speak the better it is to understand their needs. Step into the conversation with your own set of requirements.  Work it out from there. It is about the client and you working both your needs out together.  When a conversation is uninterrupted, there is more of a chance of clearer negotiation and understanding.