1647: 10 Business Lessons From a Snarky Entrepreneur by Steve Pavlina on Entrepreneurial Ventures

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Work Daily, 10 Business Lessons from a Snarky Entrepreneur by Steve Pavlina of StevePavlina.com. As a companion to 10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job and 10 Stupid Mistakes Made by the Newly Self-Employed, here are 10 positive lessons I learned from more than 12 years as an entrepreneur. A few of these are rehashed from the 10 Mistakes article, but most are new. This list is the result of a liberal application of the advice from item number 5, Fail Your Way Forward.

[00:00:29] Without further ado… 1. Network Selectively Nothing says business newbie like shotgun networking. You never know when someone might say yes is marketing for dummies. Take the time to build a profile of your ideal customers and target your networking activities to reach them. Speak to those who are already predisposed to want what you offer. Almost any profile is better than anyone with a pulse. 2. Buy the best chair you can find

[00:00:58] You'll probably use your chair more than any other piece of business equipment, including your computer, so don't settle for a c***** one. Consider a chair with padded arms and a high back to the top of your head for maximum comfort. The most expensive chairs aren't necessarily ideal for you, so you must test your way to comfort nirvana. 3. Understand that relationships are more important than contracts

[00:01:20] Business deals are relationships between people. The signed piece of paper is important, but it's merely the result of the relationship, not the cause. If the relationship crumbles, the contract won't save you, although it could be very lucrative for your lawyer. 4. Think for yourself Unplug yourself from follow-the-follower groupthink and virtually ignore what everyone else in your industry is saying, except the ones everyone agrees are crazy. Do your own research, draw your own conclusions, set your own course, and stick to your guns.

[00:01:51] When you're just starting out, people will tell you you're wrong. After you've blown past them, they'll tell you you're crazy. A few years after that, they'll privately ask you to mentor them. 5. Fail your way forward Recognize that ready-fire-aim is superior to ready-aim-aim-aim. Straightforward trial and error produces better results than endless vacillating. If you're afraid to make decisions and act on them in the face of ambiguity and uncertainty, get a job.

[00:02:19] Failure's lessons are essential to success. 6. Become so organized it disgusts people You'll never achieve perfection, but you'll be far better off than your peers who spend two weeks every year looking for things they misplaced. If you aren't chronically well-organized, punctual, and dependable, rest assured you're competing with someone who is. 7. Embrace opportunities with limited downside, unlimited upside

[00:02:44] The best deals are those where your risk of loss is predictable and fixed if things go wrong, while your potential gains are enormous if things go right. Take such deals whenever you can get them if the odds of success are halfway decent. 8. Develop strong character traits The height of your success is determined by your character more than your conditions. Face your fears to develop courage. Push yourself to build self-discipline. Identify other character attributes you'll need to succeed.

[00:03:13] Entrepreneurship is as much about character building as it is about business building. 9. Optimize your personal energy flow Conduct 30-day trials to test various diet, exercise, sleep, and caffeine consumption patterns. Adopt the routines that give you the best concentration and focus. Dump your excess fat at the gym instead of slogging it to the office every day. 10. Do what you love, but be d*** sure it's profitable

[00:03:40] If you do work you love, but it doesn't generate income, your business will fail. If you do work you hate, but it generates income, your health will fail, and your business along with it. If you can't do what you love and make it profitable, you've either got a hobby or a headache, not a sustainable business. Don't settle for anything less than passion and profit. You may disagree with some of these items, or you may find some of them worthless, but no matter how hard you try, you'll never convince me number two is wrong.

[00:04:13] You just listened to the post titled, 10 Business Lessons from a Snarky Entrepreneur by Steve Pavlina of StevePavlina.com Now if you didn't know, Steve Pavlina was actually one of the very first authors we started narrating here across all of our shows. Steve is widely recognized as one of the most successful personal development bloggers in the world, with his work attracting more than 100 million visits to StevePavlina.com. He has written more than 1500 articles and recorded many audio programs as well.

[00:04:42] Conscious growth has been the central focus of his life. He studies what it means to grow, and how we can deliberately invite, process, and integrate new growth experiences. So come by StevePavlina.com for a lot more, and to show your support. And that's going to do it for me today. I thank you so much for listening to this show and being a subscriber. So have a great rest of your day, and I'll see you back here tomorrow, where your optimal life awaits. Thanks. Thank you.