The One Common Thread For Successful Entrepreneurs

I have over 25 years experience in recruiting and training of Entrepreneurs, and have looked for common threads in all of them. What makes them tick? How do they think?  Most importantly, how do they get started?  The one common thread to their success as entrepreneurs is not money, fame, name, education or network. That may be surprising. So what is it?

I would like to start out with a story. All of us have fears of some type. Our fears, as we verbalize them may seem unrealistic, but yet they are there. Fears such as the fear of snakes, spiders, swimming, or heights to name a few. 

When I was 13, I climbed a life guard tower at a beach. This particular towers ladder went straight up the side of the tower with no angle to it. The height to me as a 13 yr old seemed 50 feet, but I believe the tower to somewhere around 15 feet high, standing over a man made lake, on the beach. I looked at that tall ladder and sweat beaded on my face. I didn’t want to disappoint my friends, so I climbed up the ladder with the rest of them. Going up was one thing, but when we decided to make our way down that ladder, I looked at the ground and realized what I had to do.  Fear overcame me and I blacked out and down I went. I hit the ground, if you can imagine, feet first. The impact jammed every bone in my body, but especially my back. The Pain was excruciating, to say the least. Even today I have remnants of that fall, as I have 2 crushed discs in my back.

Why do I tell that story? I want to draw parallels to starting a new business or franchise. The one thing that, Successful entrepreneurs have in common, is not that they are not afraid, but that they control the fear and MAKE A DECISION. As simple as that sounds, that is it. Entrepreneurs are decisive. They make their decisions and they live with it. They make their decisions and then move forward. Successful business people, understand that some decisions are not the best. Sometimes the outcome is not a positive one. Nonetheless they make decisions and live with them. As they make decisions and they have a positive outcome, they grow in confidence and success. They do not let someone else or some failure to stop them. 

Last month, I went on a trip on a family Reunion. My cousins from Pennsylvania decided they wanted to zip line over a Canyon in Colorado. Imagine my chagrin, as I considered the possibilities. On the surface I was calm as can be, but underneath, I was saying, there is no way I am getting on that zip line. This particular zip line ended with a 1000 foot line over 300 feet of canyon. The zip line was the second longest in the country. It took some convincing, but I agreed to go. The thought of my 13 yr old experience came to mind, and I will be honest I was nervous. I climbed to the first zip line and volunteered to be first! I studied the harness, hooks, and the abilities of the guides. The guide showed me how to do it and off he went. I was next, and they harnessed me in, taking all the safety precautions necessary and they were thorough. We took the steps, to make sure my decision was the right one and off I went. Hundreds of feet off the rocky canyon bottom at speeds up to 45 miles per hour. It was extremely exciting and I must say FUN. I made it! Would I do it again? Absolutely!

Step1. Use a guide and someone who actually knows what to do and follow them

Step2. Follow the appropriate directions to the tee

Step 3. Control Your Fear AND DO NOT LET IT OVERCOME YOU (You may black out)

Step 4. MAKE A DECISION TO DO IT.

Entrepreneurs have the ability to overcome their fears and make the decision to go ahead. Make yours today and as they say at Nike, (another successful entrepreneur), Just Do It!