How to succeed in business
We can all name famous business people who have reached the heights of success: Elon Musk. Steve Jobs. Sheryl Sandberg. We also likely know people who spend their lives figuring out how to succeed in business, but never quite achieve their dreams.
The differences between the two groups aren’t as vast as you might think.
So what does it take to succeed in business? A combination of traits and skills you can develop, plus a winning mindset and a lot of hard work.
1. Learn from the best
The number one key to success is to model the best. What’s modeling? It means you find people who have what you want, figure out what they are doing and then copy them. Learning from the best also means surrounding yourself with people who know how to succeed in business and have drive, vision and passion. Finding a mentor or a mastermind group are two ways to learn from the best. Attending an event like Tony Robbins’ Business Mastery is even better – you’ll learn directly from the world’s most successful business people.
2. Master your own psychology
If you’ve been wondering “What does it take to succeed in business?” look within: A business is only as strong as the psychology of its leader. The first step to creating a winning mindset is to face your fears. For those in business, the fear of failure is extremely common, but you can also have a fear of success. Instead of letting fear use you, use it to increase your drive and achieve even more. To unlock how to succeed in business, you’ll also need to take charge of your emotions. Anger, jealousy and fear will cause you to make bad decisions and ruin your business prospects. Don’t let them get in the way.
3. Improve your communication skills
Finding success in business is all about communication. You must be able to communicate your business plan to investors, inspire employees with your vision and present amazing pitches to win over new clients. You’ll need strong written and verbal communication skills in order to do all that. Start by working on your ability to build rapport, which is essential to being able to influence others. Learn how to deliver presentations and pitches that engage your audience. And don’t forget that deep listening is as much a part of communication as speaking.
4. Focus on solutions
You’ve probably never met a great leader who was indecisive, negative and full of complaints. The best leaders spend time gathering information, then use that information to solve the problem. As Tony puts it, “Identify your problems but give your power and energy to solutions.” Focusing on the negative brings more negative and wallowing in your problems will only allow more problems to pile up. Where focus goes, energy flows. When you shift your focus and put all your energy toward finding solutions, you may be surprised by what you learn about how to succeed in business.
5. Set goals
One way to start shifting your focus is to create goals. Having dreams for your life is great, but having concrete goals makes those dreams real. Goals will push you toward taking massive action – and you know that real rewards come in action, not in discussion. There’s even evidence that when we write down goals, our brain perceives them as already accomplished, creating a cycle of rewards that drives us to achieve even more. To stay inspired, connect your goals to your purpose in life. Those who are wondering how to succeed in business often forget that life is about more than career and money.
6. Learn from your mistakes
Achieving your goals isn’t always easy. Every successful business person experienced multiple failures before they mastered the business game. The difference is that they were able to learn from those failures. To learn how to succeed in business, you must adopt the same mindset: Every problem is really an opportunity. Every mistake happens for a reason – to teach you a lesson. Remember that life is happening for you, not to you. As long as you’re learning from your mistakes and not repeating them, you’re actually succeeding. As Tony says, “No matter how many mistakes you make or how slow you progress, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn’t trying.”
7. Embrace change
Being willing to fail, get back up and fail again is an essential part of how to succeed in business. Those who are successful are agile, adaptable and ready to pivot. They stay ahead of not only industry trends but also shifts in the market and in the world. Within their business, if something isn’t working, they change it – or leave it behind entirely. They know that by changing nothing, nothing changes. But changing even one small thing can change everything for your business.
8. Work hard – and smart
The ultimate answer to “What does it take to succeed in business?” is as old as time: hard work. The “come early, stay late” mentality. Don’t just work for the sake of work. Be smart. Manage your time wisely so you can be as efficient as possible. Delegate tasks so you can focus on what’s most meaningful for the future of the business. Use your N.E.T. time to accomplish even more. That’s your “No Extra Time” time – the time you spend commuting, watching TV or doing chores that you could also use to feed your mind, get inspired or accomplish small tasks. With a smart time management plan, you can stop wondering how to succeed in business and start taking action.
Ready to learn how to succeed in business?
These tips are only the beginning. Attend Business Mastery a five-day transformative event, to gain all the tools and skills you need to succeed in business.