Want to Be a Successful Entrepreneur? Do What You Know. Going into an industry unfamiliar to you could be detrimental.

By Jay Glauser

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Hero Images | Getty Images

Everyone wishes they started Facebook, but not everyone would have found the same success as Mark Zuckerberg.

One of the reasons he was able to scale Facebook to having more than a billion active users is because he had a passion for programming and coding. He knew the ins and out of the technology behind the social platform and was able to grow Facebook. Not everyone could have done that.

Successful entrepreneurs build companies in industries they understand. For our Main Street Entrepreneur tour -- a road trip across the U.S. in which we interviewed founders from all walks of life -- about one-third of the entrepreneurs we interviewed worked in the industry in which they started their business. Another third worked in a related industry. The remaining third were serious and frequent consumers of the products, so they understood the industry from the customer's perspective.

This podcast delves into these three areas of experience and shows how the more you know about your industry, the greater your chances for success.

Jay Glauser

Co-founder of The Main Street Entrepreneur

Jay Glauser is the co-founder of The Main Street Entrepreneur, a platform focused on helping people build their dream company and doing what they love.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Leadership

Lead From the Top: 5 Core Responsibilities of a CEO

Knowing exactly what the chief executive's role entails is critical for steering a company to success.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

Google DeepMind AI Is Now Better at Minecraft Than You — Without Being Trained on the Game

DeepMind researchers claim that the AI is the first to collect diamonds in Minecraft without being trained.

Business Process

How I Automated 50% of My Business Tasks and Scaled Without Hiring More Employees

Discover how automation helped us streamline processes, improve efficiency by 50% and scale without hiring extra employees.

Growing a Business

Stop Selling and Start Solving — These are the Secrets to Closing More Deals

Throughout my journey, I've discovered that effective selling isn't about slick pitches — it's about understanding problems first and solving them with trust.

Business News

'It's Just Math': How CEOs and Business Leaders Are Reacting to President Donald Trump's 'Liberation Day' Tariff Plan

Reactions and predictions have been mixed when it comes to the long-term impact on the U.S. economy.