Secrets to Success for Every Entrepreneur

As an entrepreneur struggling to get ahead, it would be easier if you were handed down an “Entrepreneur Strategy White Paper” about what works and what doesn’t so you can adapt and apply them for yourself and save time. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.

Since leaving the nuclear power industry as a Chief Engineer, and starting my own IBM authorized PC Dealership in 1980 and building it into a $60 million dollar computer company by 1996, I’ve found that the principles of success for entrepreneurs are the same ones upon which successful businesses depend as well. Namely, that different people, companies, and industries define success differently but the means by which they go about succeeding─ and viewing their success through mental frameworks─ are always the same. It takes communication, decision making, teamwork, leadership and all the other “skills” that are anything but easy.

There are, however, common mindsets that shape success for entrepreneurs. But above all, one mindset stands out: 

“When an Entrepreneur truly [not desperately] wants something, the Universe Conspires to Make it Happen.”

Is this true?

The answer is Yes and No!

I am an optimist by nature, so I’ll start with positive thinking. However, that is not the only reason. My friend─ a virtual billionaire next door, is the living example of “when you strongly want something, the parallel universe conspires to make it happen.”Did you notice, I said, “when you truly want something…”

I did not say “when you desperately want something…” 

There is a reason for that, as you will see later.

To quote my billionaire friend: “From my personal experience over the last 50 years; from early childhood, I have noticed that some of my actions invoked reactions that seemed to align and influence the outcomes in my favour─ but only when I wanted something strong and above everything else.”

However, that was only part of it. Other things, skills, and work that mattered included:

• thinking outside the box and to go against the grain,
• break the rules and make my own rules as the new norm,
• have no fear of people, places or other peoples’ wealth and power,
• have respect for protocols… but don’t let them hold me back,
• be friendly, be out-going, keep a smile, and have an infectious sense of humor,
• speak well, write well with excellent vocabulary and command of  American English and Chinese [language of super powers],
• never take no for an answer,
• and give first before asking for something.

It is true that the universe will conspire to deliver to you as long as you contribute your part of the Work.

In addition to all the above, some common mindset that successful entrepreneurs have:

1.      Ability to Recognize Opportunity

If you really think about it, certainty is the enemy of opportunity because when you’re certain, you don’t ask questions, so there’s no learning. When you’re certain, it’s difficult to imagine what might be, so there’s no innovation. When you’re certain, you’re confined to a narrow mental space, so you don’t explore.

The ability to recognize the space between what’s known and unknown is where the opportunity lies─ for businesses and for people. Take, for example, five of the largest customer service providers on the planet, Uber, Facebook, Alibaba, Airbnb, and Bitcoin. None of them owns an inventory. Instead, they create something out of nothing by first asking themselves two questions: what’s possible and what’s needed that people would pay for?

Bottom line: It’s not the success that defines your success, and nor is its failure. Instead, it’s how you respond to failure that sets your path. It’s your ability to recognize the opportunity in chaos… the space between what’s known and unknown.

2.     Do Better by Being Better

It’s the ability to share success, but also not suffer in silence when failure hits you in the face.

I remember sitting in meetings with other members of the team, where many would complain about management decisions. After about 20 minutes of purely unproductive conversation, I remember getting up and asking the team leader, “what do you think about this (or that) idea and proposing it to the corporate management?” The team leader replied, “Uh uh. Complaints would go up. Not down.” 

Obviously, our team leader was suffering in silence because he knew that some things just need to come from the organizational leader. The same is true in everyday life. You hear people complain, criticize or find fault with things that don’t coincide with their beliefs, how they would do things, or what they know to be the facts. There are a time and place to share your opinion, just as there is a time to withhold it.

It’s easy to hop on the Complain Train Express when it’s such a natural part of life. Don’t do it, because that’s one train nobody needs to board. Set your character apart. Do better by being better.

3.      Adapt

What this really means is that you have two choices: to adapt now and stay competitive, or adapt later after becoming irrelevant and try to become competitive again.

My recommendation is for the former. Blockbuster, Pan Am airlines, Kodak, BlackBerry and myriad other companies chose the latter and we all know how well that worked out for them. The beauty of adaptability is that it’s something you can control. Like many things in life, there’s always something you can control, and that “something” is choice.

If you’re tired of getting the same results, try something new. Doing what has always worked is a great way to ensure that you won’t be doing it for very long.

4.      Truly want Success 

It is true that the universe will conspire to deliver to you as long as you want success truly and contribute your part of the Work.

Our Universe…

Each person, no matter what race or personality they are, is part of the universe. In essence, earthlings are one giant human race family. There are many different kinds of people that walk pass you every day. Sometimes, all it takes is one special encounter to make your dreams become a reality. But you need to do the Work first.

The Universe is within you. You are part of a galaxy of stars. Deep within you contains the same elements that create galaxies.

Sure, you have vital organs and fluids [and blood] that keep you alive but your body is the organic element that connects you to the stars with your EM energy envelope.

What matters is the stuff that happens within you.

In reality, the things that are happening to you are a reflection of what is happening inside you on an emotional level. Just look around and you’ll see that you yourself have created the situation you find yourself in.

Why the Conspiracy… 

What may feel like a conspiracy is─ in reality, your secret plan that evolves over days, weeks, months or years? When you want something strong and above everything else, your mind works 24/7 at a subconscious level to create a plan. Depending on how serious you are about what you want; your aspirations, desires, and goals become your secret plan that even you may not be aware of at the conscious level.

You are sort of 4 cylinder power engine that Works relentlessly; to execute the plan your mind has conspired at a subconscious level… till it achieves your wants and desires.

The Work requires your mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical energies [firing on all 4 cylinders] to be applied toward your mind’s secret plan to fulfilling your wants and desires.

When you apply all your energies [mental, emotional, spiritual and physical]; then the Universe will help you achieve what you want so strongly─ by you indirectly and directly experiencing synchronicity with the right kinds of people, unplanned favourable coincidences, and your intuition kicking into high gear to make you feel and believe in right kinds of things to make it happen.

Why it doesn’t work for you?

Well, the truth is that the Universe will not conspire to deliver to you if you are desperate to want something; because if your emotional awareness comes from desperation which means that your emotional energy feels hopeless, you most likely will fail.

You need to have strong faith within you and in what you do and have a higher sense of emotional awareness.

For example, think about relationships. Do you want to be friends or be in an intimate relationship with someone when that person is desperate?

Probably not!

Desperation is a negative force that depletes your mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical energies… and that makes the 4 cylinder power engine run out of gas long before it executes the secret plan and reaches the destination of your wants and desires.

Your MIND colludes with you when you desperately want something

However, when you want something truly enough and are focused and passionate enough about it, your mind will figure out a way to make it happen.

Watch for the Book: The Virtual Town Billionaire Next Door… true story.

Summary of life events, as I heard them over the years at dinner parties and meet-ups are presented in this book form to show how slowly but steadily my next-door friend became a wealthy billionaire. This book is presented as the summary of life events that happened over a 50 year period and set the stage for series of life events, one after another, that led to my friend achieving his dream of financial independence.