(Please note that these are not universal statements; there are plenty of people among the 1 percent who follow these bad habits. However, their success is in spite of their bad behavior, not because of it.)

1. They don’t watch TV for more than 60 minutes a day.

I love Breaking Bad and Narcos just as much as the rest of you.

But spending more than an hour a day in front of the television isn’t just a waste of time; it’s complete madness.

The average American watches five hours of TV a day. That’s 77 days a year!

Imagine how much you could accomplish with an extra 77 days added back into your year?

It’s impossible to always be productive, and watching television to unwind and relax after a long day of work is more than acceptable.

But spending almost 25 percent of your waking hours plopped down on the couch watching other people become successful is one of the most wasteful activities you can engage in.

I’ve never met a successful person who watched five hours of TV a day.

If you are currently wasting your days in front of the boob tube while claiming you want to be successful, you need to take a serious look at how you are spending your time.

2. They don’t drink to excess on a regular basis.

Successful people know how to party.

In fact, when you are part of the 1 percent and you have the money to blow, epic parties become a natural byproduct (just think about Dan Bilzerian).

However, I don’t know any successful people who drink to excess on a daily or even weekly basis.

Just about every successful person I know will throw back shots of tequila and get wild on the dance floor from time to time.

But it’s the exception, not the rule.

3. They don’t spend most of their money on consumption instead of creation.

Successful people spend their money on things that make them better. They spend money on their business, on their personal growth, and on their passions.

Unsuccessful people feel the compulsion to buy products and things that they don’t need.

Their houses overflow with crap they purchased from Walmart and useless gadgets that they wasted their money on.

Successful people spend money intentionally and focus most of their income on things that assist in creation.

4. They don’t overeat and consume processed foods.

How you fuel your body will determine how well you can show up in business and in life.

If you are eating clean foods you will feel better, have more energy, and look younger.

If you are constantly stuffing your face with processed garbage, then you can’t expect your brain to function at optimal levels or your life to work out the way you want.

Unhealthy eating habits lead to all sorts of issues with confidence, depression, and long-term chronic health problems.

All the successful people I know take care of their bodies and pay special attention to how they fuel their proverbial engine.

5. They don’t blame others for their failures.

You will never meet successful people who blame other people for their failures.

And you will rarely meet unsuccessful people who take ownership for their lives and responsibility for their lack of success.

If you want to join the 1 percent, then quit complaining about how Donald Trump, Congress, your parents, your boss, and the world are all trying to screw you.

Instead, focus on how you can succeed regardless of external circumstances.

Other people have had it worse than you and built an incredible life.

Take responsibility for your life, and you have the power to achieve whatever you want.

6. They don’t gossip and waste time talking about other people.

I’ve yet to meet a successful person who was willing to waste his or her precious time and mental energy gossiping about other people.

Sure, he or she may mention a mistake that some peer has made to use as an example or to express frustration with the state of things.

But I’ve never heard a successful person sitting at the water cooler saying, “Oh, my god! Did you see what Sally was wearing yesterday? Did you hear that Jake is cheating on his fiance?”

It just doesn’t happen.

You have enough stuff going on in your own life. So stop focusing on other people and focus on yourself.

7. They don’t spend time worrying about other people’s opinions.

Whether they are a part of the 1 percent or not, the most successful people in the world (subjectively) don’t care about other people’s opinions.

Sure, they take advice from mentors.

But they don’t let their family, friends, or society determine what they will do with their life or what makes them happy.

They march to the beat of their own drummer and chart their own path through life.

And as a result, they get to experience something that’s an anomaly in the human existence.

They truly live.

Launching a startup is one of the boldest initiatives one can take in life. It requires dedication, consistency and a whole lot of innovation. You must spend hours to build your products off the ground and turn them into sellable ones.

According to a report, entrepreneurs spend over 80 hours per week building their startups. They are always busy and rarely have time to read about the latest happenings, tech trends, and advice of startup trainers that can reduce their workload. Fortunately, the webosphere is packed with entrepreneurs, investors, and business gurus who are always ready to share their knowledge. The only problem is that it is really difficult to find ones who are worth following.

That’s where this list of the best blogs for entrepreneurs comes to help. The list includes some of the top business blogs about startups, entrepreneurship, marketing, product, and investments.

1. Seth’s Blog

Who doesn’t know Seth Godin? Seth is one of the best marketers of the current age. He has served as the vice president of marketing at Yahoo and also served as a consultant for multiple Fortune 500 companies. He is also the author of multiple books on innovation and marketing.

His blog is a wisdom-mine. You will always learn something new when you visit his blog.

Whether you are planning to market your startup or working as a marketer, it will help you in both cases.

Topic: Digital marketing as a whole – Permission marketing, performance marketing, organic marketing.

Value: Great for small businessmen and startup founders.

2. Gary Vaynerchuk’s Blog

Next in our list is Gary Vaynerchuk. If you have been into digital marketing, you must have heard about Gary. He is a pioneer of internet marketing and has built a $60million business just by marketing over the internet. Pre-internet era, Gary’s father had a wine business that was doing just fine, but not witnessed any major growth. Gary brought it online and started influencer marketing to sell more bottles of wine. From then onwards, there was no looking back. Today, he is one of the most-watched marketers on Youtube. He has authored many books and also regularly blogs and produces visual content on his youtube channel.

Topic: Motivation for startups, business plan, startup mistakes.

Value: Helps young entrepreneurs learn about the things they should avoid in business.

3. Mixergy

Andrew Warner is the man behind Mixergy. People know Andrew for his epic success in the startup industry when he recorded over $30million in annual sales.

He founded his blog so other entrepreneurs can learn and implement the same techniques that he has used. Mixergy regularly carries the best content and publishes interviews with top entrepreneurs and businessmen.

Recently, they have started a courses section on the website that tells the beginner entrepreneurs about how to build a successful business from scratch making it one of the best entrepreneurship blogs in 2019

Topic: Product development, Startup marketing.

Value: Helps during startup development and growth stages.

4. Women on Business

Women on Business is a key resource for women entrepreneurs who want to learn A to Z about the science of startups. It has everything that a startup founder would want to learn from creating a feasible business plan to learning about startup insurance, accounting, and even hiring process – it educates on almost everything related.

The blog is active since 2007 and since then it has become a major resource for the female entrepreneurs around the world.

Topic: Startup, women empowerment, marketing, entrepreneurship.

Value: A dedicated resource for women entrepreneurs.

5. Small Business Trends

Small business trends started in 2003 as a business trend listing website. Many have benefited from it because of the business opportunities it offers. Today, it has become a major trendsetter in the startup industry itself. It has now a following of over six million readers and counting. This entrepreneurship blog covers almost all major topics from marketing, development, sales, and logistics etc.

Topic: Startup marketing, product development, sales and logistics.

Value: Learn the skill-sets you need to grow your business. Read the interviews with successful businessmen.

6. Cloudways Blog

Cloudways blog provides valuable resources on startup development, marketing, and ecommerce. Our entrepreneurship blog contains in-depth and detailed posts on a wide range of topics.

That is the edge that this blog enjoys. This blog is for budding startup founders who are just starting out and even to those that have already sustained in the market but are trying to expand their businesses. It has got something for everyone.

Topic: Startup launch, product development, Startup marketing, growth hacking, and more.

Value: Provides tips, tricks for entrepreneurs and marketers and also inspirational startup stories for motivation.

Top Startup Events, Conferences and Meetups You Must Attend

7. Brian Solis’ Blog

Brian Solis is an award-winning author, blogger, and keynote speaker. He has studied the patterns of success and the impact of new technologies on the business world. In fact, he has created his wealth by studying and applying the same patterns to his life and then writing about them. Brian is a keynote speaker at many major tech events. His blog is a great resource for advice on customer experience, leadership, and management.

Topic: Industry insights, latest trends in tech.

Value: Learn about the latest industry trends to align your startup’s focus.

8. Both Sides of the Table

Both Sides of the Table is one resource that guides new startup founders about fundraising. The startup magazine is active for the last 10 years and provides actionable advice on the startup development process. Whether you are a startup founder or an employee, it can help you in both cases.

It is the brainchild of Mark Suster who offers excellent advice for startup owners and established businessmen, needless to mention one of the best entrepreneur blogs out there.

Topic: Fundraising, Startup product development, investments, startup ideas.

Value: Helps you learn about how to properly pitch your startup to the investors.

9. All Business

All Business is your collection of business and entrepreneurship blogs having expertise in areas ranging from finance to marketing, to sales, and accounting. The diversity in business areas gives it an edge among entrepreneurs and startup founders. It is not purely a business blog but has become one thanks to the insightful publications it offers. Whether you are looking to find information about your business insurance or applying for a business loan, All Business has something for you.

Topic: Startup marketing, product development, business and investments.

Value: Not limited to startups. Great resource to learn about the business before indulging in one.

10. Copy Blogger

If you need just one resource for improving your copywriting skills, then Copy Blogger is the resource to follow. Its followers call it the Bible of content marketing. Brian Clark founded Copy Blogger in 2006 and since then it has grown by leaps and bounds. It now earns an 8 figure yearly revenue through courses, ebooks, subscriptions, and premium digital products.

Topic: Copywriting, content marketing, and blogging.

Value: Learn how to make your product sell through the power of words.

11. The Entrepreneurial Mind

Dr. Jeff Cornwall is the man behind The Entrepreneurial Mind, an interactive e-learning platform that focuses on providing in-depth business insights to small business owners. His debates encompass almost everything related to finance and microeconomics. For example, who is the consumer in online education, or why online education courses are all priced at the same price? Jeff also sheds light on personal finance and building a transformational business model.

All in all, it is one business resource to find answers and learn about topics such as growing a business, working with partners, and raising capital.

Topic: Business partnerships, investment opportunities, and finance.

Value: Learn how digital economies are flourishing and creating a name for themselves.

12. Startups.co

Startups.co blog focuses on small startup and business problems. It features articles on entrepreneurship, startup mistakes and failures, and interviews of successful entrepreneurs and startup founders. The reason we recommend you to read Startups.co is that it is a product of Clarity.fm, a mentorship platform. So, those who don’t have the budget to subscribe to Clarity.fm, can also read some of the topics those mentors discuss.

Topic: Small startup problems, startup mistakes, startup failures.

Value: Helps entrepreneurs learn the dos and don’ts of entrepreneurship.

13. Under 30 CEO

Under 30 CEO is not just an entrepreneurial blog focusing on startups and entrepreneurship, it has something for everyone trying to beat unproductivity. The purpose if this blog is to feature successful people who are still under 30. With that said, the blog focuses on highlighting their core strengths, so that others can follow and do the same. Sometimes it focuses on freelancers, sometimes, startup owners, and sometimes investors.  The reason why it is helpful for entrepreneurs is that they can learn a lot about the types of business people usually do and realign their own business strategy.

Topic: Productivity, Best business practices, Startup growth hacking.

Value: Learn from startup founders who are under 30 but offer some crucial advice for success.

14. StartUp Mindset

StartUp Mindset is a blog for all startup founders who are just starting their businesses. It features content on startup topics such as business growth, leadership, money, finance, and technology. The blog has been publishing startup content regularly for last eight years and is a prime resource for most entrepreneurs.

Topic: Growth, leadership, money patterns, and tech trends.

Value: Perfect for those who are just starting their business.

15. 500 Startups

500 Startups is a venture fund and startup accelerator based out of China. Dave McClure and Christine Tsai are the people behind this initiative. So far it has invested in more than 1600 companies around 60 countries. The company also runs a regular blog on startup management and funding. It has a separate team for the blog that provides thorough and in-depth articles on growth hacking, marketing, venture based funding, and product development.

Topic: Startup marketing, growth hacking, fundraising, and product development.

Value: For those who want to learn kickass startup marketing.

16. Smart Hustle

Smart Hustle is a print and online magazine focusing on startup owners’ interviews, blogs, and tips. They publish it on a quarterly basis as a print and digital magazine.

The reason it is called ‘smart hustle’ is that it features the journey of hustle for every entrepreneur. It also features a smart hustle conference every year featuring top business executives.

Topic: Startup interviews, startup marketing.

Value: Learn about part-time entrepreneurs and how they juggle their jobs with their side hustle.

17. Marketing and Entrepreneurship

Marketing and Entrepreneurship blog is founded by Larry Kim, the person behind WordStream and MobileMonkey. Basically, this blog is a compilation of blogs on entrepreneurship taken from other different blogs. The purpose of this curated blog is to bring all resources to a single place so entrepreneurs don’t have to search around the web to get the information that they want.

Topic: Startup marketing, product development, business growth.

Value: If you have time to read only one resource, go with this one.

18. The Startup

Medium is one channel that offers content on multiple resources. Most publications simply repurpose content and post it on Medium while others create content specifically for the website. The answer is simple, it is now one of the top 500 websites and people are really reading content on it. That’s why SWLH (The Startup) creates posts specifically on Medium. It posts regular content answering burning questions of startup founders. Whether you want to know about business trends, Blockchain, fundraising, marketing, or something else, the Startup (medium based blog) has it for you.

It has over 350,000 subscribers as of now and self-claims to be the ‘biggest’ startup publication on Medium.

Topic: Startup marketing, finance, Blockchain, fundraising.

Value: Startup focused blog with over 350,000 subscribers on medium.

19. Startup Digest

Startup Digest offers a curated list of articles on all things startup. Developed as part of the experiment to create curated startup digest for Indian entrepreneurs, the blog focuses on interviews, tips, questions related to finance, accounting, and marketing.

Topic: Startup problems, questions about entrepreneurship, finance and accounts.

Value: Focuses on Indian startup entrepreneurs.

20. Startup Grind

Startup Grind is a project of Google that focuses on UGC articles on startup and entrepreneurship. It aims to inspire, educate, and connect entrepreneurs from around the world on a single platform. The Startup Grind blog features success stories and interviews of top startup founders in over 150 countries where Google for Entrepreneurs is working.

Topic: Startup marketing, fundraising, investor pitching, startup ideas.

Value: Real-life stories of top business executives and entrepreneurs.

Final Word

We don’t want to be harsh here, but reading these top entrepreneur blogs alone is not going to do anything. What you should do is to read these blogs and get the information that can help you succeed in business? Implement knowledge. We understand that not all of these blogs will help you out. Some might not even have the topics that you want to read about. But they all have some value to offer. Try to read them and then implement the lessons you have learned in your business.

Have a blog to add to this list of best blogs for entrepreneurs? Share your it in the comments section below.

You can be a victim or you can be successful, but you can’t be both. Here are the reasons why…

Successful people play to win. Unsuccessful people play the game to not lose.

The goal of truly successful people is to have massive wealth, massive achievement and for many of them, it’s to help a lot of people.

One of the principles we teach in our programs is, “If you shoot for the stars, you’ll at least hit the moon.” Unsuccessful people don’t even shoot for the ceiling in their house, and then they wonder why they’re not successful.

Successful people are committed to being so. Poor people want to be rich and/or successful.

The number one reason most people don’t get what they want is that they don’t know what they want. Rich (read also successful) people are totally clear that they want wealth. They are unwavering in their desire. They are fully committed to creating wealth. As long as it’s legal, moral, and ethical, they will do whatever it takes to have wealth. Rich people do not send mixed messages to the universe. Poor people do.

The third level of wanting is “I commit to it.” The definition of the word “commit” is to “devote oneself unreservedly.” This means holding absolutely nothing back; giving 100 percent of everything you’ve got to achieving wealth or whatever your goal is.

It means being willing to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes. This is the warrior’s way. No excuses, no ifs, no buts, no maybes — and failure isn’t an option. The warrior’s way is simple: “I will be rich or I will die trying.”

In my experience, getting rich or achieving success takes focus, courage, knowledge, expertise, 100 percent of your effort, a never-give-up attitude and, of course, a successful mindset.

Are you willing to work 16 hours a day? Rich and successful people are. Are you willing to work seven days a week and sometimes most of your weekends? Rich people are. Are you willing to sacrifice for at least a period of time seeing your family, your friends, and give up your recreations and hobbies? Rich people are. Are you willing to risk all your time, energy and start-up capital with no guarantee of returns? Rich people are.

It’s simple — you will be paid in direct proportion to the value you create in the marketplace.

How do you want to live your life? How do you want to play the game? Do you want to play in the big leagues or in the little leagues, in the majors or the minors? Are you going to play big or play small? Are you going to live a level 10 life? It’s your choice.

Your life is not just about you. It’s also about contributing to others. It’s about living true to your mission and reason for being here on this earth at this time. It’s about adding your piece of the puzzle to the world.

Most people are so stuck in their egos that everything revolves around them. But if you want to be rich in the truest sense of the word, it can’t only be about you. It has to include adding value to other people’s lives.

Part of your mission in life then must be to share your gifts with as many people as possible. That means being willing to play big.

The byproduct is that the more people you help, the “richer” you become, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and definitely financially.

Successful people see opportunities and focus on rewards. Unsuccessful people see obstacles and focus on the risks.

Poor people see potential loss and are driven by their fear-based voice.

Rich people see potential growth, take responsibility for the results in their lives, and act upon the mindset that “It will work because I’ll make it work.” Rich people are committed enough to do whatever it takes. Full stop! 

It comes down to this: If not you, then who?

Rich people focus on what they want, while poor people focus on what they don’t want.

Did you know that there are no straight lines in the universe? Life doesn’t travel in perfectly straight lines. It moves more like a winding river. More often than not, you can only see to the next bend, and only when you reach that next turn can you see more.

Action always beats inaction.

I have found that the richest people I know are also the nicest.

Bless that which you want. If you see a person with a beautiful home, bless that person and bless that home. If you see a person with a beautiful car, bless that person and bless that car. If you see a person with a loving family, bless that person and bless that family. If you see a person with a beautiful body, bless that person and bless their body.

Everything happens for a reason and that reason is there to assist me.

From now on, I want you to practice reframing other people’s negativity as a reminder of how NOT to be. Nothing has meaning except for the meaning we give it.

Energy is contagious: Either you affect people or you infect people.

I believe negative thinking is like having measles of the mind. Instead of itching, you get bitching; instead of scratching, you get bashing; instead of irritation, you get frustration. Now, do you really want to be close to people like that? 

5. Rich people are almost always excellent promoters.

They are willing to promote their products, their services, and their ideas with passion and enthusiasm.

Resenting promotion is one of the greatest obstacles to success. People who have issues with selling and promotion are usually broke.

6. Poor people will do almost anything to avoid problems.

Poor people see a challenge and they run…

The secret to success, my friends, is not to try to avoid, or get rid of, or shrink from your problems; the secret is to grow yourself so that you are bigger than your problems.

If you have a big problem in your life, all that means is that you are being a small person!

If you want to make a permanent change, stop focusing on the size of your problems and start focusing on the size of you!

I go over this specific principle in my upcoming free web class, “Don’t Believe A Thought You Think.”

7. Rich and successful people are solution-oriented.

Rich people spend their time and energy strategizing and planning the answers to challenges that come up and creating systems to make certain that problem doesn’t occur again.

Think of yourself as a container for wealth. If your container is small and your money is big, what’s going to happen? You will lose it. Your container will overflow and the excess money will spill out all over the place. You simply cannot have more money than the container. Therefore you must grow to be a big container so you not only hold more wealth, but you also attract more wealth.

8. Rich people do not back away from problems, do not avoid problems, and do not complain about problems.

Rich people are financial warriors.

The bottom line is that if you become a master at handling problems and overcoming obstacles, what can stop you from success? The answer is nothing! And if nothing can stop you, you become unstoppable!

If a 100-foot oak tree had the mind of a human, it would only grow to be 10 feet tall!

Again this is something I cover a lot in my free web class, “Don’t Believe A Thought You Think.” 

9. Rich people work hard and believe it’s perfectly appropriate to be well rewarded for their efforts and the value they provide for others.

Poor people work hard, but due to their feelings of unworthiness, they believe that it is inappropriate for them to be well rewarded for their efforts and the value they provide.

Get really rich and then help the people who didn’t have the opportunity you did.

If you have the wherewithal to have a lot of money, have it. How you do anything is how you do everything.

There’s nothing wrong with getting a steady paycheck unless it interferes with your ability to earn what you’re worth. There’s the rub. It usually does.

Living based in security is living based in fear.

10. Rich people believe in themselves. They believe in their value and in their ability to deliver it.

Poor people don’t. That’s why they need “guarantees.”

The only way to earn what you’re really worth is to get paid based on your results.

Do you want a successful career or a close relationship with your family? Both! Do you want a focus on business or have fun and play? Both! Do you want money or meaning in your life? Both! Do you want to earn a fortune or do the work you love? Both! Poor people always choose one or the other, rich people choose both.

Let’s set the record straight. Money is important! To say that it’s not as important as any other things in life is ludicrous. What’s more important, your arm or your leg? Could it be that both are important?

Money brings freedom — freedom to buy what you want, and freedom to do what you want with your time. Money allows you to enjoy the finer things in life as well as giving you the opportunity to help others have the necessities in life.

Most of all, having money allows you not to have to spend your energy worrying about not having money.

Rich people are willing to act in spite of fear. Poor people let fear stop them.

It’s imperative to realize that it is not necessary to try to get rid of fear in order to succeed. Rich and successful people have fear, rich and successful people have doubts, rich and successful people have worries. They just don’t let these feelings stop them. Unsuccessful people have fears, doubts, and worries, then let those feelings stop them.

We need to practice acting in spite of fear, in spite of doubt, in spite of worry, in spite of uncertainty, in spite of inconvenience, in spite of discomfort, and even to practice acting when we’re not in the mood to act.

If you are willing to do only what’s easy, life will be hard. But if you’re willing to do what’s hard, life will be easy.

Either you’re a person who will be stopped, or you are a person who won’t be stopped. You choose.

We discuss entrepreneurship on a daily basis. We use the term entrepreneur to describe our partners on our Business Development Programme, but what is an entrepreneur? What makes a good one and what does it mean to be a good entrepreneur?

The road to entrepreneurship is often a treacherous one filled with unexpected detours, roadblocks and dead ends. There are lots of sleepless nights and plans that don’t work out. It can be so challenging to launch a business that it may make you wonder why anyone willingly sets out on such a path.

Yet despite all these hardships, every year, thousands of entrepreneurs embark on this journey determined to bring their vision to fruition and fill a need they see in their own lives and the lives of others. They open brick-and-mortar businesses, launch tech startups, or bring a new product or service into the marketplace.

So what motivates entrepreneurs to venture forth when so many others would run in the other direction? Though each person’s motivation is nuanced and unique, most entrepreneurs are spurred on by one or more of the following motivators:

Autonomy – Entrepreneurs want to be their own bosses, set their own goals, control their own progress and run their businesses how they see fit. They recognize that their business’s success or failure rests with them, yet they don’t view this responsibility as a burden but, instead, as a marker of their freedom.

Purpose – Many entrepreneurs have a clear vision of what they want to accomplish and feel compelled to work tirelessly to make that happen. They genuinely believe they have a product or service that fills a void and are compelled by a single-minded commitment to that goal to keep pushing ahead. They abhor stagnation and would rather fail while moving forward than languish in inactivity.

Flexibility – Not everyone fits into the rigidity of a traditional corporate culture. Entrepreneurs are often looking to free themselves from these constraints, find a better work-life balance, or work at times and in ways that may be unconventional. This doesn’t mean they are working fewer hours – oftentimes, especially in the early stages of growing a business, they are working longer and harder – but, rather, that they’re working in a way that is natural and instinctual to them.

Financial success – Most entrepreneurs realize they aren’t going to be overnight billionaires, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t at least a little bit seduced by the potential of making a ton of money. Some may want to establish a financial safety net for themselves and their families, while others are looking to make a huge profit by creating the next big thing.

Legacy – Entrepreneurs are often guided by a desire to create something that outlasts them. A segment of this group is led by ego and a craving for notoriety. Others want to create a brand that has longevity and becomes an institution. Another group wants to pass on a source of income and security to their heirs. There are also those entrepreneurs who hope to make a lasting impression on the world and leave behind an innovation that improves people’s lives in some tangible way.

One of those motivating factors will be the ultimate answer to what being an entrepreneur means to you, but it is true to say that every entrepreneur has a need to blaze their own trail, seek out the road less travelled and strive for whatever may be just over the horizon.

Glorious weather, a beautiful venue and the recognition of outstanding service and excellence in business.

Haythrop Park in Oxfordshire played host to arguably the biggest event in our industry. A huge awards rally where achievement and success is celebrated along with some healthy and light-hearted competition between businesses and even between our own office and those we’ve helped set up in business for themselves.

On a personal note, our office scooped a whole host of awards for business excellence, customer service, event booking and more but it was seeing the guys and girls from Epiphany Promotions receive awards for their sales excellence just six months after completing our business development programme and setting up on their own which brought the best reward.

Our ethos is about helping others achieve their goals so to see how Epiphany Promotions and LoCo-Motive International are growing so fast and achieving so much success so quickly was testament to that.

What about the future? Ronnie has been leading the charge in our office of late and delivering great results for our clients on multiple campaigns this year. To see him win a Platinum Award for excellence in sales as well as progress to Entrepreneur Stage 3 (he now commands a team of eight), AND they were not the only awards he came away with, was brilliant. We can expect great things from Ronnie as he works through ES3 towards becoming Business Partner.

All in all it was a great weekend, great to receive so many awards and see our BDP graduates doing great things in business. There are way too many highlights and stars to recognise here so please do visit our social channels to find out more and see more photos of what made this year’s awards so great.

As an entrepreneur I’ve learned the importance of heeding the best business advice I’ve received from many other top entrepreneurs. The bottom line: It takes a lot to build a business and grow it to profitability. Funny enough, the most impactful lessons have come from my biggest failures though.

Here were some of the biggest and best pieces of advice for entrepreneurs today.

• Becoming successful in business is more about your mentality, psychology and determination than it is about finding little tips, tricks, hacks and exploitations in the marketplace.
• Start today. The only true way to learn is by doing and you can’t afford to sit around waiting for funding, hoping someone else will come along to help you execute on your idea or complain that you don’t have the time. Making excuses won’t help you start a business and it sure as hell won’t help you create the lifestyle you want for yourself.
• Never stop building meaningful relationships with customers and other people in your industry. Choosing to instead view competitors as potential partners and collaborators can positively impact your business in a big way.
• Focus on setting & achieving small incremental goals rather than trying to start a business and instantly build your vision of what the company should be in the years to come. Setting realistic goals and milestones is a major component of my course, The Launch Formula.

Books are revealing.

They display your unfolding story. Have you ever gone to someone’s home and stood in front of their library or bookshelf? It is an insight into decades of education and time spent.

This crop of books read fit into that tale.

Working on my entrepreneurship, uncovering technology trends, chasing digital marketing insights, the art of book writing and growing my communication skills are all on the agenda.

In essence it is all about “winning at business and life in the modern world”.

But a word of warning.

Ideas can be provoking and inspiration is exciting but if you don’t act on them nothing happens. Here are 5 books that will change your view on both your business and your life. But….only if you start implementing on the ideas revealed.

#1. Deep Work

Full title: “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World”

This book by Cal Newport was an inspiring look at productivity.  But if you get past the top level message it is not just about productivity but designing your life.

In it he discusses two types of work. Shallow work (or busyness) and deep work….where the magic happens. The habit of making the time for doing work that matters is something I discovered over seven years ago. I discovered on reading the book that it was something I had been doing but by a different name. The reality is that it was a habit I formed. I wrote about this in this post, “This One Habit Transformed My Life”

This book discusses and distils the practice of building a legacy and making a difference.

Worth a read if you are into creating something of consequence or succeeding in a world that is sometimes seen through the lens and distractions of a shallow and social web.

Image source: Amazon

#2. Beyond The E-Myth

Full title: “Beyond The E-Myth:  The Evolution of an Enterprise: From a Company of One to a Company of 1,000“

Michael Gerber is a household name to many baby boomer business owners. His original book “The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What To Do About It” that was published in 1986 was a best seller that tapped into the vital and often overlooked distinction between working on your business and working in your business.

This book is maybe his last (and shortest) as he is now in his eighties. But this one goes beyond his initial message of building a business that can scale and be sold.

That is…..”your business is your story”.

So read it for two revelations. One is the soul of the business and the other is the science needed for growing your business from the garage to a world beating organisation.

Image source: Amazon

#3. Platform Revolution

Full title: “Platform Revolution: How Networked Markets Are Transforming the Economy–and How to Make Them Work for You“

Business models built on the industrial revolution still work but they are crumbling at the edges.

Sangeet Choudary, Marshall Van Alstyne and Geoffrey Parker collaborated on this book that is the best distillation of the modern digital business world I have read. They reveal why businesses can scale so fast on the global web. They look into the secrets behind the Uber’s, AirBnB’s and the other Unicorns that have burst through the billion dollar valuation ceiling. 

The framework is is built upon this one premise “the goal of the new business platforms is to enable interactions between consumers and producers”.

This is achieved at a conceptual level with three stacks.

• Network, marketplace and community layer
• Technology infrastructure
• Data and how that can be applied to the evolution of the business model.

It is a great read that will help you get more clarity on the future of business.

Image source: Amazon

#4. Published

Full title: “Published:  The Proven Path from Blank Page to Published Author”

Chandler Bolt of Self-publishingschool.com is a bundle of driven energy. Some may call him a force of nature. His story is one of discovery and a personal tragedy that lit a fire.

This book reveals his path to finding out how to make money from writing, his process and some marketing tactics that you may not have heard of.

A quote from Robert Kiyosaki that Chandler shares inside its covers. “Successful books are all about marketing” is the kernel of the message. And that is something I can vouch for.

So the key lesson from the author is that book success is a lot more about promotion than being a great writer. That is maybe the truth that most wordsmiths don’t want to hear. But the book does reveal what that marketing looks like. A must read for all writers that want to be noticed, create influence and make money.

Image source: Amazon

#5. Growth Hacker Marketing: A Primer on the Future of PR, Marketing, and Advertising

Full title: “Growth Hacker Marketing: A Primer on the Future of PR, Marketing, and Advertising“

The rise of Twitter and Facebook was a revelation to me that inspired this blog and revealed some truths. “Marketing has been democratised and you can build a global brand for free“. The other truth. “You don’t have to wait to be chosen to be published and create influence”

Marketing is now an intersection of art and science enabled by a mobile and social web that put the power in the hands of businesses big and small.

It is no longer essential to hire an advertising agency, run a TV commercial or beg a publisher for permission for brand and business building. You can growth hack awareness, leads and sales without paying big bucks. How do I know? It cost me $10 (a domain name) to reach 20 million people with this little publishing and marketing machine.

Ryan Holiday who was the genius behind the rise of American Apparel dives into these truths in this book that is a must read for all marketers and entrepreneurs.

Image source: Amazon

As of this date, we have coached over 2000 sales people. I have personally coached over 100, with some of those now running their own sales and marketing companies based upon the principles and methods we teach.

To mark the advancement of another 2 into ownership of their own company yesterday, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you the 3 most important qualities of the highest paid, the top 10% of sales people in our industry.

1. Top sales people, and top human beings for that matter, are AMBITIOUS. They have an intense desire to be successful. What does this mean in sales? It means you want to be the best. They want to be in the top 20% of earners, who in turn make 80% of the money, and if and when they get to that top 20% they want to be in the top 10%. In short they want to win and be recognised and rewarded financially for that achievement. Another thing about truly ambitious people is they genuinely admire successful people. They don’t criticise or complain like low performers do, they look up to, admire and aspire to be like those who are successful and who they perceive to be more successful than them. When I say “the top 20% of the sales people make 80% of the sales” my discovery was that everybody who is in the top 20% started in the bottom 20%. So if you are struggling at this stage you know you can up grade your skill set by constantly learning and applying new things but set yourself a goal. The goal of becoming one of the top sales people in your office and don’t stop until you do.
2. They learn how to OVERCOME FEAR. Fear is the greatest single obstacle to success in sales and marketing. When I say “fear” I’m referring to the fear of rejection. So here’s a little bit of a rule to work by in sales; Go For No. See out the word no as often as you can. Instead of avoiding it, or settling for it or accepting it as a punishment in selling, be aggressive about getting people to say ‘no’ because here’s what I’ve found; the more ‘no’s’ you can trigger by talking to people and introducing them to your brand or service the more ‘yes’s’ you’re going to get. There’s a direct correlation between the two because sales is a numbers game. Here’s a great exercise for managers and owners to use to help their people overcome the fear of rejection; set a small fun prize for the end of the day for whoever has gotten the most ‘no’s’ from their prospects that day. In order to win the prize the sales people will speak to as many people as they can to get 70,80,90 ‘no’s’ to win that prize, but what happens over the course of that month is that your team is speaking to over 100 people a day each. As we know, the more people, the more ‘yes’s’ they will get, and sure enough, their sales and confidence goes up and up and up and they sell without fear of rejection. A fun experiment to run as owners and managers during this month is the bet on whether the person with the most ‘no’s’ over the month will also be the same person with the most sales. Spoiler alert…it will be.
3. The third quality of the most successful sales people is that they make A TOTAL COMMITMENT to success. These are the people who dedicate themselves totally to being successful. Unfortunately the bottom 80-odd% say ‘well, I’ll try it for a while and if it works out I’ll stay and if I make some money I’ll give it a bit longer’. They always have one foot out the door. Successful people, though, make a 100% commitment to becoming successful and they work at it until they are, and you know what else? It’s inevitable. If you commit and work at it long enough you will be successful.

Have a great week everyone!

To execute your business success plan more effectively, here are (5) five essentials to ensure a long term healthy and prosperous business and answer the question:  “How Can You Improve Business in the Next 12 Months?”

FIVE Essentials for Business Success 
and Growth include:

The Unbelievable

The goal is to have customers say; ‘WOW, how do they do that?” – with Service?  Speed?  How do they Out-Care everyone?  – with Price?  Convenience?  Free?  Support?  Knowledge?  Make them scratch their head in wonder about something every day, week, month…. year.

The Invitation

Each invitation must be Unique & Personal. The more unique and personal your invitation, the better chance of receiving a response.  Don’t blast, don’t treat everyone the same.  Automation is helpful to getting more done but can also send the message of “you are not important”. 

The Leader

A leader must have exemplary high skill & will.  Without a leader in place who can, and will, drag the business behind them vs. the other way around, any business will flounder.  If a business is being managed by someone who struggles to keep up with the current volume/employees/issues…  how will that same person have the ability to double business over the next two to three years?

The High Tech

Include the latest and greatest high tech to leave the competition behind.  Technology keeps a small business ahead of large business.  In larger businesses, barriers from logistics or a  lack of capital may exist.  Changing systems and processes can be slow.  Keeping the latest technology integrated in the business ensures better data, improves decisions, overcomes service barriers to WOW the customer and improve efficiencies.  Technology can make a business look like a winner and people love to be a part of winning, successful teams.

The Mind Set

“Good” today is not good enough tomorrow!  Even as you execute today, someone is becoming unimpressed, bored or another business is preparing to improve on what you offer and leap frog your offer. As their attention and dollars are pulled away to something “better”, getting them back might become an insurmountable goal. 

Seth Godin offers insight with:  

‘Good’ is not good enough.  ‘Good’ is boring.  Where is your purple cow?

Which of these essentials does your business include?  Review your business to know which essentials are missing. As you do so, the next step would be to understand the barriers and “why”.