Do you have what it takes to become a Successful Entrepreneur? Even under the Worst of Conditions? How will YOU react?
So, you think you have "what it takes" to become a successful entrepreneur, do ya?
Now, I'm not just talking about being able to pay your bills and have zero debt. I'm talking about being super successful, so successful that you become a recognized industry leader in the industry of your choice, somebody who is looked to by the public and media as the foremost expert in your field.
This kind of success you might consider to be nothing more than a pipe dream right now, but guess what! It can be yours, if you have what it takes inside to push forward AND you can handle the pressure!
My idea of being an entrepreneur means that you realize that there is opportunity in everything you do and everything around you represents an opportunity unseen.
You are in tune with that "gut feeling" inside that tells you what you need to do to take advantage of opportunities before anybody else even notices it.
Where others see disaster, you as an entrepreneur see potential.
When others think it can't be done, entrepreneurs find at least half a dozen ways to get it done, if not more!
When others who do not have the entrepreneurial mindset think of challenge, they run for cover and hide. Sometimes they will come out of their hole to throw a few stones at those that are DOING, not DREAMING.
When entrepreneurs think of challenge, they also run, but they do not run and hide and throw stones, they run around like children in circles of excitement just thinking about the possible ventures ahead.
As a Public Speaker and Trainer, I have had the opportunity to meet tens of thousands of people around the world. I have seen the best that life has to offer and I have seen the worst that life can dish out. But one thing that I have learned is that there are many different types of people in this world, and I have learned the art of "understanding" each person's individual situation.
How can you or I judge them if I have not walked in their shoes?
How can we make judgments, unless we have all of the facts? And even then, is it our job to judge them or do we hold them in their magnificence for what they have accomplished and WHO IT IS THAT THEY TRULY ARE?
This is a key factor in becoming successful in life. Understanding where to draw the line of judgment.
Another lesson that I have learned more recently is that no matter how successful you become or no matter how many people you assist to obtain their dreams, visions and goals; there will ALWAYS be people out there just waiting for you to fail! How would you like to go through life knowing that there are people who want to see you fail? Wow! Now, can you understand the pressure factor?
There is one thing that makes everyone in the Universe the same, and that is that each and every one of us has the ability deep down inside to create the life that they deserve. The biggest difference is that so many people give up on their dreams... Why?
There are many who would argue this point and say "No, he does not deserve success" or "He is stupid, and he will never be successful" .... but if that happens to YOU, how will you deal with it? Will you run and hide or will you run in excitement for the challenges that life has given you.
I have seen and met many "sideline quarterbacks" who openly state that they are from "the old school" and that each and every person in the world is a clear victim and product of their past.
They clearly believe that people that do drugs will either go to jail, institutions or die.
They say that people who were abused as children had it coming anyway.
They say that people that have made mistakes in their past should be shoved to the side as outcasts, and that there is no such thing as repentance or forgiveness.
Wow! Intense huh? Well guess what my friends, there are people like this all over the world and if you decide that you want to be successful, then you are going to be in the public eye, there is no way to stop that. By being in the limelight, you will encounter people like this on a daily basis. That is IF, if you CHOOSE to take the leap in the entrepreneur venue.
Now, lets take a quick look at what we at Western Capital have chosen to do.
We have made the conscious decision to simply switch sides. We have gone from Collecting Against Consumers to Helping Consumers that are being RIPPED OFF . We even got a hostile call from A Commercial Collection Agency CEO named Stuart Spivak who said he was the President of Stuart Allen and Associates. Prior to this call from Mr. Spivak, we have to wonder.
By doing that, we have been paired up against some of the nations largest Consumer Debt Collection Companies, and we have won... Over and Over... FOR YOU!
We have taken them to the mat, and yes, because of that, they are rightfully pissed and angry. How would you like me to collect from you? Just listen to the tapes in the NEWS SECTION.
You see, we are now YOUR advocates.
Besides, how would you feel if you were a CEO who built a 100 Million Dollar Company and then someone like me came along and exposed the leaks and secrets in their organization that only they knew about. You would be furious!
So what is do you think that the natural instinct for someone to do when being attacked? Yep, to grab their guns and start firing back. Now, can you feel the pressure?
Well let me assure you that the guns may be firing, but we stand firm in what we believe in, and that is "The days of illegal and immoral Consumer Debt Collections Are over" Either we as an industry regulate ourselves, or members of congress will do it for us.
So now, given all of the facts, you have a choice to make, do you continue to fight the fight, knowing that you are helping thousands of people? Or do you run and hide? To A true entrepreneur this is an easy question, you keep fighting!
Donald Trump once said "No matter how successful you are or will become, there will ALWAYS be people aiming to shoot you down"
So, when the bullets fly, how will you step up to handle the situation.
Now, lets take this a little further; what if the opposition started going after people in your family, your friends and your business associates, in a plain attempt to harass you? Would you have enough self confidence in your internal power and abilities to continue forward NO MATTER WHAT THE COST?
If you said yes to that question, then YOU ARE AN ENTREPRENEUR. If you are unsure, maybe you should look in the mirror and define exactly what it is that you DESERVE in life.
One thing that I know is this, People in life make mistakes. People end up marrying the wrong "one". People end up will compulsive addictions that they can not overcome by themselves. People are victimized as children, and many of those people can not overcome the trauma associated with that abuse until "someone" reaches out to help them. People end up in prisons and jails for mistakes of their youth and are told by society that they are a nobody and that their opinion does not matter and that they should just "Run and Hide" Perhaps this is the reason that the Prison Recidivism Rate in the USA is 77% ! Oh well, it's not my fault they say. Hmmm...
But here is the real question..... Once that person traumatized person realized that he or she was not merely one of the millions of people in this world that I call "The Walking Dead" and decided that there was a better way to live, how did they handle the experience?
Did they allow others to trap them in their personal history, their family history, their past problems, their past addictions or their past actions?.... or did they see them as the true magnificent creators that they have been created to be... And look at the fruits and results of their labors TODAY!
Something to think about.
That brings me to another topic that I am very passionate about. I sincerely believe the fact that offenders CAN BE REHABILITATED and turned into wonderful American citizens. I truly believe that even the most hardened criminals in America can be softened.... if we just listen to what they have to say with our hearts.
One of the things that I do as a trainer, coach and lecturer is visit Prisons and Jails across the world talking to inmates and staff about the inner power that each and every individual that is or has been through the criminal justice system has within himself or herself to make the decision from deep inside which direction he will go when he reaches that magical day of personal freedom. Will he have enough inner strength to simply "do what is right and move forward" or will he have to become one of the 77% of offenders who are required to return to detention.
During these programs, We routinely discuss the stories of their individual childhood experiences, the abuse, the neglect, the feelings of loss and how they have been going through every king of "PROGRAM" imaginable, all to no avail.
During these session, especially with young offenders, We dig deep. And I am not talking surface "How are you feeling today stuff" DEEP! Stuff that you could not even imagine.
But at the end of the day, I can promise you that there is not a dry eye in the audience, correctional officers included.
After one of the events, I had an inmate come up to me and say "Rob, you saved my life" Words can not describe the feelings that I had at that very moment in my life.
Soon, I will be posting a video of a segment of one of these trainings, You be the judge. (Watch this Page for Updates)
Now, we also know that An entrepreneur is high on life, often hating the fact that they have to "waste" part of their life to sleep!
They are the people who always seem to be thinking about business. Their passion shows in all they do and they rarely lack energy when it comes to following up on a new idea.
They have moved beyond their past failures and know that success is imminent.
With that description, do you consider yourself to be an entrepreneur? I know I do, and if you'd call me at 11 o'clock at night, the chances are very good that I'd still be hammering away at my computer working out the plans to a new idea or project!
An entrepreneurial mind is not like anything you can define in a few sentences. It's active, alive, constantly calculating, and always on the lookout for the next big opportunity.
Recently, I met a man who I consider to be the premier role model of all entrepreneurs, Mr. Victor Kiam. You might know Victor Kiam from his many television commercials for the Remington Razor.
Remember, he liked it so much, he "bought the company!"
In fact, it was his wife that bought him his first Remington Razor as a gift. He tried it, loved it, and his entrepreneurial mind raced at light speed until he found a way to buy the company!
When asked what the turning point was for the Remington Razor, he simply bent slightly forward, grinned and said, "Shaves as close as a razor or your money back." By saying this to me. he recognized that by adding a little risk-reversal to the offer sales would soar.
He was right.... to the tune of millions and millions of dollars in revenue since he bought the company!
I want to share with you some of our insights on becoming a successful entrepreneur.
These are the most important questions you need to ask yourself to become a success, no matter what it is that you choose to do in life:
1: Do You Have Confidence In Yourself?
In other words, do you truly believe in yourself? Do you believe you are capable of accomplishing anything you really set your mind to doing, regardless of what other people say? Do you honestly believe that you can muster the passion to burst through all of the obstacles and negativity to reach your goals?
If you don't have confidence in yourself, you're doomed.
It is important to realize that confidence comes from believing in yourself. If you believe you can, then you have all the confidence in the world. and that is what is important.
Many of you might be saying, Rob, Where do I get confidence if I'm not already confident? Well, Try pushing yourself to do just a little bit more than you are comfortable with each day. I call that a STRETCH in my seminars. And before you know it, you'll be doing things that were once well beyond what you ever thought possible!
Remember, no matter how successful a person may be today, they probably started out with little or nothing. Do you get the point? Great!
2: Do You Have Confidence In Your Venture?
Ask yourself if you really, truly believe in what it is that you are creating. If you're not 100% totally committed to your plan, keep looking until you find one that you feel ready to fully commit to.
To become a success in any venture, you have to focus on it day and night. You have to constantly re-invent it, fine-tune it, and build it. You have to realize that no matter what anyone says, you can do it! If you're not totally committed, don't even start!
3: Are You Willing To Make Sacrifices?
As an entrepreneur, you have to realize that nothing in your life will resemble what the rest of the world considers "normal."
You won't be eating lunch with everybody else, if you eat lunch at all! You'll be working early in the morning well before the rest of the working world, and you'll still be there when it seems everybody else is plunked down in front of their television for the night.
But that's the essence of a successful entrepreneur.
You have to be willing to go beyond what is considered normal. You have to be willing to break the rules.
I've always personally believed that if you follow the crowd, you're never going to get any further ahead then the crowd,and sometimes that thought pattern has gotten me into problems, but if you create a solid plan and make your own way, you'll often find yourself in places the rest of the armchair quarterbacks will ever see in their lifetime!
Oh, and just be sure that your significant other understands that you will be making sacrifices, and you get to commit to make these sacrifices at YOUR expense, not theirs!
4: Are You A Decision Maker?
If you needed a piece of information, would you know how to get it? Would you know how to find it fast, without wasting your time or other people's time?
In other words, if you have t make an instant decision, would you get the facts fast and make the decision, or are you the type of person who who procrastinates forever until the mere fact that you've not made a decision actually becomes your decision?
Like it or not, there are going to be a lot of decisions to be made in your entrepreneurial career, so you had better get in the habit of getting the facts together fast and making an informed decision.
Realizing that every single decision you make, no matter how insignificant it may seem at the time will affect your future in some way either positive or negative.
When in doubt, go with your gut instinct and always do what's right! That is sometimes a hard lesson to learn.
5: Can You Recognize Opportunity?
If your dear business were to burn to the ground tomorrow, would you look at it as a loss, or as an opportunity to rebuild, improve, and grow?
If you bought a unique product that you liked, would you be alert enough to recognize any opportunities that it might represent?
One of the most interesting facts that I have found in working with entrepreneurs around the world, is that they do see opportunity in everything! They question everything. "How is it possible for a 65" Television to be 3 inches deep? "What can I learn from the failures of Enron, Arthur Anderson, and the like" "How is it possible to get paid to simply speak?"
No matter what it is, they ask questions about it.
They wonder if there's a better way, and if they think there is, they either find it themselves or seek out somebody who can help them find it.
Opportunity is everywhere and with new technology such as the Internet now available, there's never been so much opportunity and information knocking at our feet! Forget Privacy, it DOES NOT EXIST ANYMORE.
My prediction is that within 4 years every single American Citizen will be the subject or author of a Blog. I also predict that Google.com will have the worlds largest database in the world. Ten times bigger than that of any country in the world, including the USA.
So if this is true, how are YOU going to deal with life as an entrepreneur in the information age?
If you can see it too, then you are a true entrepreneur!
6: Do You Have High Levels Of Energy And Stamina?
To be a successful entrepreneur, you're going to need boundless energy and stamina. If you're not eating right, exercising, and keeping stress to a minimum, chances are you're not doing all you can to maximize your energy. An interesting fact I've found is that you have much more energy when you eat less!
Why waste precious energy on digesting heavy foods? Eat light, eat right, exercise regularly and you will have all the energy you'll need to take advantage of any and all opportunities as they present themselves to you. A successful entrepreneur can never have too much energy because you never know when opportunity will knock!
7: Are You Willing To Grab the Reigns and Lead By Example?
No matter who you are or where you have come from, you're not going to be able to do it all yourself. There will come a time when you will have to hire employees, apply for loans, speak to investors and be the true leader that you are. If you are not a leader, nobody will ever follow you.
As the president and CEO of your own company, your employees will look to you for guidance and support.
As an industry leader, the media will look to you for information, and believe me when I say this, dealing with the media is a learned art.
You will begin to notice that the public will look to you as the expert in your field who provides the best products or services. And they will also do all that they can to knock you down.
As a successful confident entrepreneur, your peers will look to you for guidance, hints, tips, and strategies. Being a leader means becoming a true success.
Whew! Now that you know what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur, the only thing stopping you is... hmmmm. I can't think of anything either.
So go for it!
Follow my advice and become the success that you were meant to be! But remember this... No matter how hard it gets, never. ever quit!
Finally, remember what Donald Trump said "It does not matter WHAT they say about you, AS LONG AS THEY ARE TALKING about YOU!
Keep Em Talking!
To Your Continued Success!
Robert R. Paisola
Chief Executive Officer and President
The Western Capital Family of Companies
www.mycollector.com
www.RobertPaisola.com
robert@mycollector.com
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