5 Tips for Maximizing Your Performance as an Entrepreneur If you want to be a top performer and focus on what's important for your business, you need to develop strong habits. Here's how.
By James Blake Edited by Kara McIntyre
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Whether you're working for yourself or running a company with a large team like myself, the secret to success as an entrepreneur is to maximize your performance and productivity. Running your own business means accepting the fact that every day will bring both opportunities and obstacles.
If you want to be a top performer and focus on what's most important for your business, you'll need to develop strong habits and use the resources at your disposal. To shed further light on this, I have gathered a few tips to help you perform at your best as an entrepreneur.
Related: How to Boost Your Personal Performance and Improve Your Business
1. Show up early
The only way to ensure failure is to not show up. No matter how much you prepare, think about and organize, you will have to show up sooner or later. You can only learn to swim by getting in the water.
You're already taking steps in the right direction just by showing up — why not take that even further by showing up early? If you want to be successful, you must take action by showing up in your life.
Everything else is irrelevant if you don't show up. It doesn't matter how smart you are, how enthusiastic you are or how talented you are — nothing else matters if you don't initially show up in the first place. You can't expect a successful business to run itself or money to fall from the sky.
2. Make money work for you
Why don't some of the most intelligent, talented people gain financial freedom? It's all due to a low level of "money panic" continually buzzing in their subconscious. If you want to change your financial outcomes, you must begin in your mind by identifying and replacing beliefs that are holding you back with a mindset of abundance.
It's never been easier, so don't make it harder. There is so much money in the world now, and many methods exist to get your name out there. Making investments is a great way to make your money work for you, but you can't do so if your salary doesn't enable you to set aside money for investing. The only reason to make and save money is so that you can invest it and make it work for you.
Related: 4 Ways to Decrease Stress and Maximize Performance
3. Don't accept average performance
Our society is mainly composed of people who take normal courses of action. They spend their lives doing just enough to be average and have regular lives and jobs, but never enough to achieve great success.
By definition, average implies "less than extraordinary."
However, you will never achieve your maximum performance as an entrepreneur if you are anything less than outstanding. Put forth your big ideas and strive hard to make them a reality, even if they are dangerous.
For example, the 10X Rule, which I apply to all of my businesses, is all about multiplying your efforts and creating targets to motivate you. Do you want to be a millionaire? Times it by 10. Do you wish to make a difference in your community? You are capable of 10 times more.
4. Never settle
Most entrepreneurs shrink during recessions and downturns. This indicates that they are fearful and wish to be careful, conserve money and limit spending. Don't do this.
Successful entrepreneurs regard adversity as a chance to grow.
When all of your competitors withdraw, you have a clear path to your next level of success. For example, many entrepreneurs lost money during the 2008-09 financial crisis and were scared. However, others turned that adversity into triumph and came out the other end more successful than before.
Related: 6 Ways to Make Your Business More Efficient
5. Put the hours in
Nothing worth having comes easy. Make it a habit to work hard and go above and beyond if you want to be successful.
If you need to market your product or concept to someone prominent, don't skimp on time or money. Remember that average is less than amazing; therefore, strive for more than just getting by. The world is full of normal people who don't aspire for anything more than the ordinary. You have to be better than average in today's world. Average is no longer acceptable.
If you want to achieve true success, you must understand how to use your obsession to propel yourself to the top.
Pushing ahead may maximize performance, but it can also increase dread. Instead of running from it, embrace it — fear and success go hand in hand. Use your fear to propel you higher and beyond.
Continue to rise and achieve. Never, ever coast. It is your responsibility to succeed. That involves hard effort, discipline and dedication. Are you ready to apply these tips and maximize your performance as an entrepreneur?
