Be a Hustler

Once you decide what business can be interesting for you and be demanding for others, then the thinking phase is over. Action phase begins here. Whatever your action plan is, be persistent. Keep an eye on your goals and it will become easy for you to face challenges.  Starting a business and making a million is not a piece of cake. I am not going to make false promises and not showing dreams here. I can just guide you to the path that leads to becoming a millionaire ultimately. You have to struggle hard. You will face many hurdles and you may get disappointed at times but isn’t it worth it? Achieving a life you only dreamt of until now. But one thing is for sure. You won’t regret. And besides,, who can regret making a million dollars with hard work. So if you have the courage and potential to be consistent then the up-coming chapters are for you. But if you think that with a few clicks you will be able to change your life forever then this is your mistake. I am not saying that people have not been lucky in achieving all with ease. Obviously, you just read examples of such people in the past pages. But not everyone is lucky enough. Chances are that you will have to work day and night to become a success story. I’ll be happy for you if you could become a millionaire overnight. But at least this shouldn’t be your expectations. Don’t aim high in the beginning. Just be honest with your work. Persistence is the key to success. Ajay Prasad of GMR Transcription once said “Succeeding in business will be harder, cost more and take longer than you planned. My advice for success is persistence.” This is the advice of a person who himself is a millionaire. So you better take his advice seriously.

Stay focused on the ultimate goal

Heidi Burkhart, president of Dane Professional Consulting Group says “At 21, I got into commercial real estate brokerage in NYC … My first three years I was hustling, working 24/7, and surviving on peanuts … The fourth quarter of my third year, I finally started closing deals. Ever since, my income has consistently been in the six figures, with many 12-month periods producing more than $1 million. … I credit all this, though, to the initial hustle that is now forever embedded in my system.”

So you see it’s a two phase procedure. Struggle and get established first. You can enjoy the fruit of your hard work later on. Besides, how bad it can get to dedicate one full year of your life to your business that will give a life full of luxuries to you. It’s a good bargain. Suppose you are on a plane. The hardest part for the pilot is to build momentum to take off. Once you have taken off, flying becomes easier. Likewise, your first million is the hardest to make. Once you develop a system, makes it easier to increase your income from that. Your first year will be full of struggle. Make this struggle your biggest power. Learn from your mistakes. Invest in yourself. See the market trends and when you find a suitable opportunity, BANG! Strike it with full force. And the world of opportunities will explode. Gather as much as you can. You will make mistakes because nobody is perfect. You will repent on your decisions but this shouldn’t stop you from attaining your goal. Your mistakes are your best friend. Nobody can give you tips that work for you explicitly except for your mistakes. Take a minimum risk in the start. If you fail, remind yourself that your goal is bigger than your blunders. And your blunders come to you to help and to teach you what path to follow. You will see a better you every month. By the end of this one year, you will be another millionaire in the limelight, telling your stories, inspiring others and becoming a role model. Try to master in what you do. Take advice from others like you. Your competitors are best people who make you on the go and encourage doing better than them. Obviously, they don’t literally encourage you but in an atmosphere of competition, you will want to make your product outshine.

Trend examination helps you recognize how your trade has performed and expect where futuristic enrollment operations and practices will amount to be asked you. Done readily, it will address your ideas roughly, how you might twist things to oblige your business in the discipline direction. And this is what motivates you. Strive for the best.

“Business has only two functions – marketing and innovation” – Milan Kundera

Let me remind you again. There will be a time when everything will seem going against you. Don’t give up for this is like a dark tunnel and at the end of this tunnel is the light you desire. You may suffer a rescued sense of confidence and you will want to switch to another task that’s easier from the previous one. Don’t even think about it. Because this is what majority of the people do. And that’s why not everyone is a success story. It’s easier said than done. This is human nature, to do things that are easy and fun. Nobody likes hardships and challenges. If I have to choose one advice over other from this book and from all the knowledge I gained from reading books and researching on the internet, I would suggest you stay persistent. I guarantee you that after passing through a period of hitches, you would become a better businessman than ever. Steve Jobs is a very good example. Despite his illness, he continued to make Apple a great company. It was so easy to quit during his illness but he chose to stay at work. This is the level of determination I am talking about. So next time, if things don’t go your way, be happy that they are going to make you an emotionally strong person. Failures will teach you things no one else can. Neither a friend nor this book. That’s why you should not aim for an overnight success. If you are much enthusiastic to change your life in a day or two, and if things don’t turn in your favor, you will quickly become discouraged. Read books and take inspiration from others. You will see hundreds who had a much-complicated life than yours yet they managed to take themselves out of crises and made history. Knowing about other people will make you want to become like them. This will give you strength and the willpower you need at every stage. Also, think about what would be your life after the accomplishment of your goal. Think about it every night. This will make you ready for the challenges every day.

Let’s see what Entrepreneur, investor and popular national columnist Alan E. Hall has to say about his career: “During my forty years in business, I have experienced several situations that elevated my blood pressure and caused sleepless nights. They were emergencies that had to be resolved or the business would fail. I can recall with clarity, in the early days of MarketStar, a small technology client in Canada that would not send payment for the services we had rendered. Cash from the client was critical to our continuance as a startup company. We had to have the money the client owed us to survive. I repeatedly called the client’s president. I sent multiple messages via fax. He would not respond to my pleas. I was desperate. I wondered what I should do. I decided to fly to Vancouver to meet him at his office, unannounced. He was startled to see me. “I’m here to collect payment,” I said. “I won’t leave until I have a cashable check for $50,000 in my hand. I will sit in your office as long as it takes.” A few minutes later, I had what I had come to obtain and returned home satisfied with my actions and the results. Gratefully, MarketStar would not be added to a long list of obsolete businesses. A treasured personal motto learned in my youth served me well: when the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

Think how disturbing it had been to work hard day and night for someone and not getting paid. His company wasn’t established at that time. It was an initial start-up. If he had let go at that time he wouldn’t be in this position where he is now. A famous businessman who is followed by many others.

Have you watched the movie “The pursuit of the happiness”? If not watch it one time at least. You will get all the inspiration you need from there. I assume that you are living in a much better condition as compared to Chris Gardener, the hero of that true story. Watch it and decide if my assumption is true. I also presume that we are not talking about you being homeless here or a wife that leaves you in the middle of the most critical period of your life leaving behind a son whose only guardian are you and you don’t have even a house to keep your child there. Sounds frightening right? This is the true story of millionaire stockbroker Chris Gardener. He faced every hardship in his life, you can only think of. He had to sleep on the floor of a bathroom in the subway station once with his son because he had no place to live. He waited for hours in line just to get an overnight stay at temporarily provided rooms. He didn’t give up. Why would you? Of course, there is fiction in the story but at least what I have mentioned in the previous lines is all true. And I guess after reading this I don’t need to provide any other reason and after watching this movie you won’t be left behind with any excuse. Chris was 34 years old when he made his first million in a year. How old are you?

Be a hustler. A hustler is who gives his 100% to the work. Don’t be like the one who gives less in the fear that he would fail and his talent will be questioned. Leave no “Ifs” to regret afterward. If I had worked harder I would have succeeded. If I had done this I would be better off than now. No, this shouldn’t be the attitude a hustler has. A hustler struggles hard, leaves no room for improvement (or at least he goes up to that extent) and then never regrets. Even if he fails he wouldn’t repent. Because that’s the best he could deliver to his work and if things don’t come up the way he wanted them to be he tries another way. He simply doesn’t give up. Take some time out to watch this movie and you will understand a lot of things yourself.

Once you took the first step towards your goal there is no going back. At least think this way. Consider all the doors behind you closed. The only doors open are in front of you. You have to choose one of those. Whatever decision you make you can’t choose an entrance behind you. And if you can’t choose where to go you will be lost. All the resources you spent until now, GONE! All the contacts you had made till now, GONE! You don’t want to lead a life of a failure so be determined in your decisions. Think thousand times before taking a step because business is no child’s play. Once you decide considering all the odds then act and once you act never look behind except to learn from your mistakes. Be a confident businessman. If you are not sure about your work and remain self-doubting who would believe you? Your employees will not like to see a confused boss. Your customers will not want to see a company whose decisions are ever changing.

In an article of mine, I reviewed what a young entrepreneur shouldn’t do to keep his path steady towards success.

1. Share the responsibilities

Business is not a one man show. There are things that you can do on your own in the beginning but once you enter the market share your responsibilities with others. Let the experts handle things in areas where your skills are little. If you try to be a jack of all trades possibility is that you will end up having nothing in your hands.  Realize the potential in people and chose trustworthy people to help you in your business. Accept help from others. Don’t consider this as sharing profit because this will ultimately benefit you.

2. The phrase “nothing is impossible”

You all must have heard this, however, it is better not to trust it especially when your money is at stake. Don’t make unrealistic goals. You should know your strengths and weaknesses. Set short term goals and work hard to achieve them. There are chances that luck may accompany you in your plans but it is better to stay on a safer side. Have an ultimate goal but to achieve it use short-term daily or weekly basis goals. Most of us set unrealistic goals and when we couldn’t achieve those we get disappointed easily. Set measurable goals. Achieve one by one and ultimately you will reach your destination.

3. The power of marketing

Business without marketing is nothing. Today the marketing ways have changed from direct marketing to online. You are not limited to a particular region or area for your client. In fact, you can reach anywhere in the world through internet marketing. SEO optimization, social media, and social networking sites are the tools you can use to enhance your sales. There is a traditional form of marketing as well like television and print media. According to estimation by the International Telecommunication Union about 3.2 billion people use the internet. This makes almost half of the world’s population. Think how many opportunities you have.

4. Listen to the market

You may have a product that is a game changer but is it something that people need and use? It doesn’t matter how revolutionary your product is, if people don’t want it you need to think it now. Because the market will fail it. There are thousands of eateries in every country and still, more are opening every day. Why? Because people need it. There is never saturation in this field. Take a survey and know the market. Use this to your advantage. Your idea can only be successful if the market needs it. A smart businessman knows how to introduce his product and works in compliance with it.

5. Be flexible

Since the very first day, you will need to adjust your marketing   according to people’s need. Don’t be rigid in changing your product and service. Adapt to changes. The market will not stay same. It will change and so will you. If you stick to your old version you will soon lose your name. All big companies update their products from time to time. This keeps the interest of your customers and the new marketing will keep you in limelight.

6. Stay focused

Always concentrate on your product. Keep in mind why your customers prefer your product over others and how can you keep your clientele happy and satisfied. Upgrade it according to their needs and don’t try to make it like other products. There must be something unique about it that people like. Focus on that quality and try to improve it from time to time.

7. Reliability matters the most

You are judged by your actions, not words. Commitments are the most important ethical part of the business. Being unreliable will destroy you in days. Nobody wants to do business with someone who cannot keep promises. A great first impression will last forever on your clients. They will want to buy from you again if you deliver a quality product on time. One time dealing is an opportunity to leave a lasting impression on your client. Never take it for granted. Every customer is equally important. Be it a wholesale or a single item buyer.

Don’t find lame excuses that you did not have enough funds to invest or could not find a suitable opportunity. People have started from zero and became a millionaire. As for opportunities, you always have to create one. They don’t always knock your door while you rest. At least after reading this book or other text on the same topic, you can’t complain again that nobody told you ways to become a millionaire. Don’t think millionaires are people from the other planets. They are same as us and we can become like them just following their traits. As I have discussed before what a simple idea can do for you. Especially in this technological era, there are no boundaries to what you can achieve. A little brainstorming is needed here. The choice is yours if you want to become a person who has to gather funds all his life to avoid serious income issues after retirement or you want to enjoy a luxurious life with your family way before you retire. By the way, businessmen do not have any retirement age. This is because it’s not easy to leave a plant for which you cared a lot so that it could become a tree one day. And your love can never end for that tree. Same is the case with business. It is your baby and you have to bring it up with care, love and full devotion. If you love your work you will love your clients and if you love your clients then there is nothing stopping you. You will do everything to please your customer and this is how your customers will appreciate your dedication.