7 Secrets of an Entrepreneur

When I started my blog, I had no idea what a path I had started down. I had a ton of ambition to work hard and make something great and I was willing to put in the sweat equity, but I never dreamed my little blog would become a full-time business when I first started. I’ve run my blog for over 6 years now and have learned through the hard times and the good times that anyone can be successful, but not everyone will be because it takes a dedication most people aren’t willing to invest. Here’s what I’ve learned on my path to becoming an entrepreneur.

I received compensation and samples for this post. All opinions are my own. 

7 Secrets of an Entrepreneur

1. Hard Work – The #1 secret of working for yourself is to be prepared to work, work, work. It takes a lot of time, sweat, and tears to get your dream off the ground. If you work hard enough and put in the time it takes to be your own boss it will pay off in dividends when your dream takes off. I put in well over 40 hours a week kick starting my business over the first several years, and still put in more hours than I can count each week.

2. Don’t Give Up – A lot of people come up with a great idea that could be something great, but without persistence the idea never makes it to what it could have become. I know a lot of people who will get started with something and work at it hard for a month or two, or sometimes even as long as a year, but when they don’t see a quick return they’ll eventually lose interest and give up on all they’ve already invested in their dream.

3. Be Consistent – Keeping a consistent front is an important part of launching a business. That could be keeping a product line that all goes together cohesively or in my case keeping an editorial calendar and sticking to it. Whatever it is you’re doing, you can’t go full speed ahead one month and then do nothing the next – it just won’t work.

4. Follow Your Passion – If you want your business to take off, you need to find something that you are passionate about, something you love and is uniquely you. If you start down a path with something you don’t really enjoy doing, you’ll quickly burn out and lose interest.

5. Find Support – Reach out to others in your desired field or turn to friends and family members to help you get your early start. If your selling a product, that could mean offering samples to friends and family and asking them to use it and share it with those they influence. Or it could mean connecting with others in the same spot of growth in a similar field and brainstorming and bouncing ideas off each other. Supporting others an finding those you can trust that want to see you succeed will give you a safe place to grow and expand your business.

6. Delegate What You Can – Being an entrepreneur means a whole bunch of grunt work. Hitting the streets hard and selling your product or promoting your brand and idea or working social media as hard as you can. When you have a little growth, invest in your business by delegating the tasks that don’t need your unique voice and influence. This will free up your personal time and energy towards growing your business.

7. Invest in Training – There are a million things to learn in any chosen field while creating your own business. There will be money to manage, time and resources and sometimes inventory, you’ll need to learn management and efficiency and the unique skills of your trade. Investing in yourself will always pay off ten-fold.

I recently started a training course, that I could have used years ago to help me launch my business right from day one. CUBE just launched today on Kickstarter with the goal of helping youth and adults recognize their potential and learn the skills they will need to become a leader and a business owner.

The program is designed to be so much more than a training program alone. You’ll be able to connect with others to start building that support system and bounce ideas and get new inspiration from others that are like-minded and investing in themselves.

CUBE includes an 11-week course designed to take you through each of the steps along the way to discover a business you can be passionate about and develop your business plan. Here’s the lesson plan:

1. The Brand
2. The Power of Connections (Body Language and Learning to Empathize)
3. The Map of My Life (Goal Setting)
4. Life is Beautiful (Self-Leadership)
5. Effective Presentations (Advertising)
6. Metamorphosis (Adaptability)
7. 13 Steps (Public Speaking)
8. Business Plan
9. Cartoon Experience (How to Start a Business)
10. The A Team (Working as a Team)
11. Elevator Pitch (:30 second Introduction)

These lessons will do so much more than just develop business savvy and kickstart, they will help you become a better all-around person, too. These are lessons we can apply and use in every aspect of our lives.

I’ve paid for blogging courses that were much more expensive, and not nearly as valuable material included. The CUBE kit is perfect for everyone – for youth to develop leadership skills, for moms wanting to improve their interpersonal skills to help meet and connect with others, or for entrepreneurs to launch their business dreams.

Check out the YPD CUBE Kickstarter campaign to start investing in yourself and your personal growth today. For every 10 CUBES sold during the Kickstarter campaign, YPD will sponsor a high-risk community in the US to be trained and certified in the YPD method to help grow leaders in the towns that need it the most.