ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS AN ADMIRABLE AND DIFFICULT CAREER PATH. IT TAKES COURAGE, PASSION AND DETERMINATION, BUT IF YOU PERSEVERE THE REWARD IS IMMENSE.

Three tips for achieving your goals as an entrepreneur from business attorney Mark Briggs:

As a small business owner myself, I’ve found that if you want to be a successful entrepreneur, it’s important to accept any good advice you can get. Here are three tips every entrepreneurs should know in order to maximize their potential for success:

1) Prioritize, then execute – Doing what is important to you and your company seems like a pretty basic, straight-forward idea, but it can actually be a lot more difficult in practice than in planning. First, clearly state your short-, medium- and long-term goals, and prioritize them. Second, print them out and put them in plain view for you and your team to see. I recommend posting several copies in various locations throughout the workspace. Third, say them out loud to yourself at the start of every day. Then, anytime you are in doubt about what to do next, take a good long look at those goals, and make sure your actions are in line with them.

2) Stay positive! – Buckle up, buttercup, because this is going to be a bumpy ride. Some days it will be thrilling, and others it will be terrifying, but you have to keep an optimistic outlook. A positive attitude will not prevent you from making mistakes, or even from failure, but you have to believe in a brighter future where today’s mistakes are the foundation for ultimate success. You will miss opportunities if you waste time worrying and wallowing in negative thoughts, so instead, learn from them. 

3) Know your end game – There is a reason why you started your business. It may be to fill an unsatisfied market demand, it may be to make the world a better place, it may be to make a comfortable living, or it may be something else entirely. Whatever your reason (or reasons), you should be sure to know what it is at the outset of your business venture, as it will be your business’s true north when it comes to critical junctures. You’d be amazed by how many entrepreneurs lose sight of their reason for being in business, and when that happens, it usually ends badly. Don’t let this happen to you.

Check back in next week for part two, with more tips for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Photo Credit: FutUndBeidl