Like most guys, I’m a huge fan of martial arts films. Recently, while watching a film, I read a Bruce Lee quote that made me pause and consider his life from a different perspective. When you hear the name Bruce Lee, entrepreneur is not the first word that comes to mind.
However, before he was a world famous actor and pop culture icon, he was in fact an entrepreneur. During the 60’s, he opened and operated several martial art schools in Seattle and Oakland and was focused on teaching martial arts until the glitz and glam of Hollywood came calling.
The quote that jarred my thinking was, “To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.” This is an extremely powerful statement from an entrepreneurial stand point, it conveys with passion the necessity to control your own success.
While meditating on the man and this quote five mindsets for successful entrepreneurs came to mind.
1) The mindset of a student
Education is critical to success in a number of things, this is especially true with regard to entrepreneurship. An entrepreneur must not only learn their desired industry (preferably in the pre-venture stage) but also, adopt an attitude of continuous learning.
Changes in life and work are inevitable. To be successful, an entrepreneur has to be committed to continuously learning new techniques, processes, or strategies to improve the operation of their business. How can you stay ahead of your competition if, you don’t stay informed.
2) The mindset of a rebel
The idea that an entrepreneur has to have a rebellious nature isn’t particularly new. However, many people fail to grasp the opportunity to become entrepreneurs simply because they are afraid to challenge the status quo.
To be a successful entrepreneur, a person has to be willing to give themselves permission to break away from the establishment and pursue new opportunities and approaches.
If you’ve never been told it’s ok to buck the system, I’ll say it to you now: Be a rebel, DO NOT waste that great idea, don’t let fear hold you back, ignore the nay-sayers and conformists, break away from the pack, and find your own path to happiness and career success.
3) The mindset of a visionary
A visionary is able to see what others can’t. To be a successful entrepreneur, a person must embrace the visionary mindset by seizing or creating opportunities before competitors even see them.
Developing this focused vision, allows successful entrepreneurs to aggressively take action on perceived opportunities and gather external support for their vision often producing game-changing impacts.
4) The mindset of a warrior
A warrior is someone who embraces conflict, challenges fear, and false beliefs. Entrepreneurship isn’t easy, there’s nothing glamorous about struggling to progress an idea from inception into an organization.
From day one, you can be absolutely certain that your patience, mental and physical health, financial commitment, and convictions will be sorely tested.
To be a successful entrepreneur, a person has to be willing to embrace the warrior mindset; by courageously fighting against fear (their own and others), and be steadfast in their commitment to realize their dream.
5) The mindset of a strategist
Today’s unpredictable business environment makes it extremely difficult to conceptualize and employ the right tactics to keep your organization competitive.
Successful entrepreneurs embrace the mindset of a strategist by focusing not on what is but, on what could be, and using new technologies and techniques to overcome the odds. This requires taking calculated risks based on incomplete information and the willingness to be flexible and quickly shift strategies.
If entrepreneurship is your calling, begin the process by learning your desired industry, give yourself permission to challenge the status quo, seizing new opportunities, challenge your fears and be steadfast in fighting for your convictions.
What other mindsets do you think will be helpful on your journey? If you are already an entrepreneur, what mindsets have you adopted to help you become successful and maintain that success?
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