“Starting a company is extremely difficult. Being successful is even more successful. ”
It can be believed if to say it is one of the most successful and powerful entrepreneurs of recent decades, Michael Bloomberg: between publishing and media, also finding time for philanthropy and to become mayor of New York, Bloomberg has amassed over $ 51 billion in personal treasure.
So if it’s so difficult to be successful, how do those who succeed? Why do some adventurers get paid off while others fail?
The answers come not from Bloomberg but from another entrepreneur, philanthropist and political activist, Michael Sonnenfeldt to whom, among other things, we owe the founding of Tiger 21, a sort of think tank of high-level CEOs, top executives and intellectuals (the acronym stands for The Investment Group for Enhanced Results in the 21st Century).
In the essay “Think Bigger: And 39 Other Winning Strategies for Successful Entrepreneurs” Sonnefeldt lists forty strategies that, according to him, can make the difference between success and failure.
We have selected the most interesting for you.
1. Whoever finds a master finds a treasure
Looking back over the careers of leading successful companies today, it turns out that successful entrepreneurs have had one or more mentors. Finding good teachers is fortunate: it means having the opportunity to learn specific skills, explore networking opportunities, receive life and business advice . It also means being able to be listened to, comforted, contradicted if necessary. So do not be closed and leave professional pride aside: identifying a trusted figure to ask for advice could prove to be a winning move.
2. Entrepreneurs are not born
Having worked as an employee or collaborator of a solid company, perhaps a large one represents an excellent preparation for those who intend to start their own business, to realize an idea or to start a startup. It takes on average 3 years of professional experience in a company to gain experience, familiarizes yourself with the sector and learn the fundamentals of the business in a more effective and disciplined way than you could do independently. Unleash your curriculum vitae, then, even aiming high.
3. Money is not everything
An initial capital you can count on, the full trust of wealthy investors or, perhaps, a little inherited wealth: who would despise them in view of the launch of a new company? Yet, more than money, for the purpose of business success, characteristics such as a passion for an idea and personal ambition count. And who starts from scratch – surprise! – often has much more desire and determination than someone born with a shirt. “People raised in modesty are much more capable of improvising and dodging obstacles” , explains Sonnenfeldt.
Mistakes are not taboo
You are prepared, you have studied the market, evaluated each option, considered the safest choice. What to expect? Not necessarily success.
Having courage – and sometimes a pinch of recklessness – in business is a much more important skill than pure intellect. For the avoidance of doubt: the successful entrepreneur must not improvise, but according to Sonnefeldt, he must demonstrate that he has “guts”. Which means audacity, predisposition to the risk and, above all, the ability to learn from one’s mistakes, to get up again and again.
Have we debunked any stereotypes? Maybe yes.
In contrast to commonplaces, a true businessman does not necessarily have to be individualistic, pathologically ambitious and self-confident to the point of never asking for help.
A bright future, on the other hand, lies ahead for those who know to trust others and prove capable of accepting (and overcoming) failures, also starting from the bottom of employment to steal the secrets of the trade and sharpen knives.
Arm yourself with courage, humility and resilience: it is with these bricks that a company is built.