5 Ways Passion Will Translate to a Successful Business

 

There are so many people who want to ditch the 9-to-5 job model in favor of being an entrepreneur. And why not? Entrepreneurship is sexy right now. You can earn money being your own boss and earn lots of it while doing so. It seems like the ideal situation for anyone who wants to control their own work while earning as much money as they possibly can. If only it were that simple.

Before you delve deep into your fantasy of believing that you will earn millions of dollars your first year in business, you will need to be realistic about what it means to be a business owner. Taking into account that 67% of small businesses fail within their first year, you will have to be very serious about being an entrepreneur if you hope to succeed. This is due to the fact that so many aspiring entrepreneurs only think about the rewards of a successful business, without acknowledging the process that is required to produce those results. It does not matter how bad you hope for success if you cannot perform the actions that help you develop a successful business.

This missing step is why so many small businesses fail within their first year of business. You should not create a business just because you see that someone else has had success from operating that same business. Their results will not guarantee you the same results. This is why you should only create a business that you are passionate about.

Passion is what drives you to succeed because you are completely dedicated to making your business work no matter how hard the process may be. A lot of aspiring entrepreneurs do not have a passion for their businesses. They do not even have the passion for making money. They just like the idea of success. Without having some sort of passion driving you, you will not survive as an entrepreneur because the grind of building a business will take a toll on you emotionally, mentally, and physically. This can be very tough to overcome without having a purpose or passion driving you forward.

Before thinking about starting a business, you will need to ask yourself if you possess the passion that is necessary for you to succeed. Owning a business is not like a being an employee and having your tasks mandated for you in advance. You will need to create your own goals that are supported by the strategy and initiatives you design. Then you must carry out this strategy in order to make it work. As you can see, you will not work only 8 hours per day. It will seem as if you are working almost 24 hours every day to make your business successful. Now ask yourself whether you can maintain this sort of work ethic 7 days a week until you finally create a successful business. Then the work does not stop there because you will need to sustain this effort in order to keep a successful business. There is no letting up as an entrepreneur if you hope to get to the top and remain at the top.

If your goal is to create a successful business, you will need to be passionate about the entrepreneurial process.

Here are 5 ways passion will translate to a successful business.

1) Investors Will Find You More Attractive

It does not matter how great your business idea is if you do not believe in it. Investors hear ideas every single day from people who believe that they have created the next Facebook or Snapchat. These investors always assess whether you are just hoping to be lucky by following an idea that was wildly successful for someone else, or you are sincerely pursuing an idea that you are truly passionate about. When you are chasing the success of others, you will give up easily when the results you want are not easily gained. This makes investors wary because they do not want to place their money in the hands of those who will give up when they face a little opposition. This is why investors look for passion as much as they look for a well thought-out product that is supported by a strong business model.

Why should investors look out for passion when they should really be looking out for the return on their investment? The fact of the matter is that it will be hard for you to build a successful business that earns money if you are not emotionally invested in its success. This emotional investment will keep you up at night in order to get your strategy right, This emotional investment will help you focus on developing the best product that provides value to your consumers. Investors want your passion to drive you to be the best so that they feel confident they are investing in a winner.

2) Your Passion Will Overcome Your Fear of Failure

Failure has to be given serious thought because it is a common reality that all entrepreneurs want to avoid. In fact, the fear of failure drives many entrepreneurs to succeed. Some fear is healthy. Fear is only a problem if you allow your fear to disrupt your ability to create a successful business. You are so worried about failing that you barely move forward because you do not want to make a mistake. But, operating with this paralyzing fear in your mind is one of the greatest mistakes you will ever make. This is because you hold your business back by possessing a fearful mindset.

Yes, failure is very real and should be acknowledged. What you must remember is that you will deal with stumbling blocks and challenges along the way no matter how careful you are. What matters is how well you move past these issues in order to succeed. If the little things will cause you to second guess your decision to become an entrepreneur, then you will never acquire the success that you seek. You will have to block out the fear of failure and only focus on producing successful results in order to keep your thoughts positive.

When you have passion, positive thoughts are second-nature to you. The fear of failure, while always a threat, will only drive you to work harder to realise your dreams. The root of passion is a belief, and belief has always trumped fear.

Related Article: 9 tips to boost your confidence

3) You Will Have the Motivation to Persevere

Creating a business is a daunting endeavor. There are no shortcuts to success, which means you must endure long days and nights until your efforts finally pay off. There are only very few people who can sustain such a committed level of focus, especially when there is no immediate gratification taking place. This means that you could go literally years without being paid because the money your business generates is being reinvested back into furthering its growth.

You must possess the patience for success. While your employed friends are enjoying their paychecks every two weeks, you will have to remember that you are building a business that will have the ability to pay you every day. You will have to forgo your short-term pleasures in favor of pursuing your long-term vision. The results that are produced from doing so may very well turn out to be tremendous.

Such long-term thinking is typical of passionate and successful entrepreneurs. They weather the storms of the life of an entrepreneur in good spirits, they stay up longer, work harder, and make that additional trip to meet a potential investor or customer. They persevere. True passion shows itself in how well it faces challenges and how well it prepared for such challenges.

Related Reading » Success Quotes to Motivate Entrepreneurs

4) Clients Will Appreciate Your Integrity

Customers will notice when you are trying to sell your product out of desperation or just for the money, rather than passion for a great solution to their problems. When you are desperate to make a sale, it means that you do not have an active customer base, which will make prospects question why that is the case. Their thoughts will either be that your product is not worth being purchased or that your customer service drives customers away. If you’re just out to make a quick buck, at some point your insincerity will show. Either way, these are negative perceptions that will make it hard for you to make a sale.

The best way to acquire customers is to really believe in and have a passion for providing unique solutions for your customers’ problems. When you work to understand what their problems are and create solutions that are customized to solving their problems, you will find that people are highly positive about being your customer.

5) You are Ensuring Long-Term Success

When you possess a passion for your business, its success is your main focus. This means that you will work tirelessly to create a product that is demanded by your target customers. You will work to provide the best customer service that keeps your existing customers loyal to your business. Your entire focus is on producing long-term success for your business, rather than experiencing short-term results that can never be regained.

Think about the business idea that you have in your mind. Are you willing to work day and night for years until your business finally resembles the vision in your mind? Your passion should drive you to excel no matter how difficult the journey towards success may become. It may seem like it is not worth it while you’re knee-deep in the process of reaching there, but the payoffs will eventually justify the problems that you had to endure and the sacrifices you made.

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10 Tips to Succeed in the Business of Life

By SUCCESS Staff |

1. Get predictable.

Doubt over predictable income scares too many people from joining the YouEconomy. This weekend, take time to sketch a plan to keep checks rolling in from the same clients at regular intervals.

2. Follow your mind.

Exercise your curiosity muscles. During a break in work, allow yourself to go down a Wikipedia rabbit hole, clicking links to new pages and learning about things you didn’t even know existed.

3. Scare yourself.

Plan to do something that freaks you out a little bit. Whether it’s something death defying, like skydiving, or makes you anxious like speaking to a stranger on the train, push your boundaries.

4. Log your hours.

This month, keep track of how many hours you work and what you got done. There’s nothing wrong with putting in a lot of time at the mine, but if you see lagging results, you’ll know when to recharge.

5. Find a buddy.

If you have a health goal in mind, enlist a friend or family member to join you on your quest today. Accountability partners make the road to success not only easier, but more enjoyable.

6. Be kind.

Poor self-image can be deflating, and it starts with telling yourself you aren’t good enough. Tonight make a short list of acts to remind yourself of the good you brought to other people today.

7. Think ahead.

You’re going to be old one day! But you get to decide when. Look at all your habits and food cravings. Pick out two bad ones and make a plan to scale back and replace them with better alternatives.

8. Say thanks.

Our relationships shape us. This week, schedule time to reach out to someone close—a friend or family member—who you don’t speak to enough. Share a laugh and a thank you for them being in your life.

9. Fix it.

Often enough you’ll encounter a status quo that just doesn’t work right or isn’t fair. Make it your mission to not complain about it. Instead, think of a way you personally can create change.

10. Treat yourself.

Happiness is a choice. No matter how packed your schedule is, pick out two hours this coming Saturday that are just for you. Take yourself on a date—do only things that you absolutely love.

Related: 10 Tips to Change Your Life for the Better

John Addison: How to Find Your ‘Why’ in Life

By John Addison 

In 1981, after I’d been working at Life of Georgia for about a year, I was moved into their management trainee program. A lovely, very intelligent young woman named Loveanne was hired to replace my old position. I was smitten and luckily she was, too. About a year later, we were married, and more than 30 years later, I can honestly still say she is the best thing that ever happened to me.
She also changed my outlook on my future. I hadn’t been really motivated or aspired to greatness. Heck, I considered it a win if I had enough money left over after paying my share of the rent and bills to have a fun weekend. But, now I was married. I had another person to think about. And I wasn’t married to just anyone. I was married to Loveanne. Suddenly, I was plugged into a whole new “why.”

Related: Answer 6 Questions to Reveal Your Life Purpose

German philosopher Frederick Nietzsche once said, “He who has a why can endure any how.” Your why is the thing that motivates you to get up every morning and work a little harder to get a little better. It’s the thing that pushes you even on the days when all you want to do is pull the covers over your head and hide from the world. Your why may change throughout your life, as you get married, have a family, have to care for aging parents, etc., but the questions you have to ask yourself in order to stay focused on it and overcome all the obstacles you will inevitably face remain largely the same.

What is my definition of success?

Your definition is yours, no one else’s, so you don’t need anyone’s approval and you don’t have to alter it to fit into some little “acceptable” box. But you do have to know what your definition of success is or you won’t know what your end goal is or why you’re working for it. If you define success as being able to pay the mortgage and keep the lights on and that’s what motivates you, there’s nothing wrong with that.
Once you come up with your definition, dig a little deeper and ask yourself why that is your definition of success. The deeper you dig, the clearer your why becomes and the more motivated you will become to reach it.

What am I passionate about?

Skill and passion are often confused for one another, but they aren’t at all interchangeable. You can be really good at what you’re doing, and not only not be passionate about it, but also totally loathe it. So, ask yourself if you’re passionate about what you’re doing and, if not, what you are passionate about. What excites you? What gets you going and motivates you to keep going? Find your why and then pursue it with gusto.

Related: How to Carve Out Your Life’s Passion

You will find more personal and professional fulfillment at the place where natural talent and skill meets your personal passion. That is the place where you will find your motivation and be able to maintain it for the long haul.

If money were no object, what would I do?

To some degree money is a driver for all of us. Maybe it’s not the main driver, but you know it totally is one. So, look at the job you’re doing every day and ask yourself if you’d still be doing it if money was no object. What would you do? Be realistic—odds are, you aren’t going to be a professional athlete or runway model—but really think about what your dream circumstance would be. If it’s not, you’re in a j-o-b when what you need to be in is a career—a career you love and look forward to giving your all so you can be your best.
So, how are you going to work toward that? How are you going to change your current circumstances (or use them as a jumping off point) to reach that end goal? It may not be something you can do overnight, but it can be the why that gets you up in the morning and motivates you to give your all now so you can have the future you dream of.
One of the biggest whys in my life has been making Loveanne proud. I try to do it both professionally and in our personal lives. It’s what I’m passionate about, and when I do make her proud, I feel like I’ve succeeded. You won’t ever reach your goals unless you do plug into your why and reassess from time to time to make sure you are still plugged into it. But if you are plugged into your why, the how will never be a problem.
Follow John Addison’s 9 simple practices for leading and living with purpose in his Real Leadership Roadmap, a four-week training course brought to you by SUCCESS Academy.

John Addison

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John Addison is the Leadership Editor for SUCCESS and the author of Real Leadership: 9 Simple Practices for Leading and Living with Purpose, a Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-seller. Renowned for his insight and wisdom on leadership, personal development and success, John is a sought-after speaker and motivator. Read more on his blog, and follow John on Facebook and Twitter.

TED Talks: ‘8 Secrets of Success’

TED Talks: ‘8 Secrets of Success’

November 16, 2016 / TED /

Richard St. John, marketer and success analyst, has dedicated several years to researching the nuts and bolts of achievement. It all started with one big question: What leads to success? It came from a neighboring passenger during a flight to a TED conference, and at the time he didn’t have a good answer.
Related: 12 Simple Habits That Set Ultra-Successful People Apart
Prompted by the question, he decided to conduct 500 interviews on the subject, pulling wisdom from successful TEDsters along the way. After absorbing as much as he could, St. John compiled eight powerful secrets of successful people. In this TED Talk, he shares those important success habits.
1. Passion
“Freeman Thomas says, ‘I"m driven by my passion.’ TEDsters do it for love; they don"t do it for money.”
2. Work
“Rupert Murdoch said to me, ‘It"s all hard work. Nothing comes easily. But I have a lot of fun.’ Did he say fun? Rupert? Yes!”
3. Get Good
“Alex Garden says, ‘To be successful, put your nose down in something and get damn good at it.’ There"s no magic; it"s practice, practice, practice.”
4. Push
David Gallo says, ‘Push yourself. Physically, mentally, you"ve got to push, push, push.’ You"ve got to push through shyness and self-doubt.”
5. Support (aka moms)
“Frank Gehry said to me, ‘My mother pushed me.’ ”
6. Serve
“A lot of kids want to be millionaires. The first thing I say is: ‘OK, well you can"t serve yourself; you"ve got to serve others something of value. Because that"s the way people really get rich.’ “
7. Ideas
St. John says there’s no magical secret to coming up with ideas, only a process of thinking. A few simple exercises will do the trick, such as:
Listening
Observing
Being curious
Asking questions
Solving problems
Making connections
8. Persistence
“Persist! Joe Kraus says, ‘Persistence is the number one reason for our success.’ You"ve got to persist through failure.”
Related: 5 Characteristics of Highly Successful People

4 Powerful Habits That Will Change Your Life

4 Powerful Habits That Will Change Your Life

By Mick Ukleja |

If we don’t learn good habits , life becomes more difficult. We have a choice: Get hard on ourselves so life becomes easier, or get easy on ourselves resulting in life getting harder.
Successful people choose good habits over a stagnant life. At first it might not seem like you are accomplishing much, but don’t be fooled. “Small hinges open big doors.”
Not all good habits are created equal. Some are more powerful than others. Here are four powerful habits that will strengthen your confidence, help you get what you want and result in a satisfying journey.
Related: 4 Science-Backed Habits to Make You More Successful
1. Embrace life, don’t resist it.
When things aren’t working, our first action is often resistance. Instead of resisting, take a moment to consider what isn’t working and why. This kind of information is valuable.
Tough times can be used to disrupt stagnant patterns in thinking. If we embrace the disruption, it can have a purifying effect that knocks off the rust and barnacles we naturally collect on our daily voyage. Embracing life is resisting stagnation.
Life might wreck your plans when your plans are about to wreck you. So pay close attention.
2. Affirm yourself, don’t degrade yourself.
One of the most common ways to degrade ourselves is to ask the wrong questions. Wrong questions are disempowering. They immediately change our subconscious thought patterns from positive to negative, or vice versa. They are powerful.
Question: Why can’t I lose weight? Answer:
Because you’re a pig!
Question: Why can’t I do things right? Answer: Because you’re not smart!
Question: Why am I so broke? Answer:
Because you’re a loser!
Ask a bad question and you’ll get a bad answer. This is how our subconscious mind works. Because the conscious mind programs the subconscious, take charge. Good questions lead to productive answers.
What are the top two things I can do to lose weight?
What is a better way to do this?
What are three things I can do to increase my cash flow?
Asking the right question is empowering.
3. Brainstorm, don’t blame-storm.
Blame-storming is using our creative abilities to come up with reasons why something is not our fault. This creates an emotional roadblock to healthy living called resentment. It comes from the Latin words “re” and “sentire,” which means “to feel over and over again.” It’s almost exclusively internalized, which makes it different from anger even though it can accompany the emotion.
It’s tempting to wallow in resentment because it provides a feeling of control. But that is an illusion. The past is no more. There is no control. How can we disempower the past from stealing the present? Through brainstorming, you come to the realization that your past deepens you but does not define you,
deter you or defeat you.
It is a part of your maturity but not your identity. Your past has made you stronger for today. You are not a prisoner of your past. You are a pioneer of your future. And you have power in the present.
4. Do something, not everything.
It’s good to be resilient—to a point. Sometimes quitting is the smartest thing to do. There are times when I look at my to-do list and complete one or two of the items quickly, just by eliminating them. For example, if I have 10 things on my list, Pareto’s Principle reminds me that 80 percent of my results comes from 20 percent of my effort. Let me get those top two done first and I’ll go from there. To not do this is to spread myself too thin. Time to prune the list.
The secret of concentration is elimination. This leads to productive living and has health benefits as well—a needed message for a society of high achievers .
In Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain, people who quit unattainable goals saw physical and psychological benefits, including:
Less depressive symptoms and negative affect
Lower cortisol levels
Lower systemic inflammation
Better immune functioning
Fewer physical health problems over time
This is not a polemic for a carefree life! The happiest people are busy but in control. They are not rushed.
“Be quick, but not in a hurry.” —Coach John Wooden
It’s a matter of control. You can do anything when you quit trying to do everything.
Related: 10 ‘Harmless’ Habits to Drop If You Want to Be Successful
This post originally appeared on
LeadershipTraQ.com
Mick Ukleja
Mick Ukleja, Ph.D., is the founder and president of LeadershipTraQ. He empowers leaders to optimize their talent and equips them to excel in their professional and personal life. Mick is an author, speaker and generational strategist. He writes and speaks on engaging millennials at work. He is the co-author of Managing the Millennials: Discover the Core Competencies for Managing Today’s Workforce, 2nd Edition, which is used in corporate training and business schools. He co-founded the Ukleja Center for Ethical Leadership at California State University, Long Beach, which promotes ethics across the curriculum. Mick is an adjunct professor in the MBA program at Concordia University. His book Who Are You? What Do You Want? has been praised by legendary coach John Wooden: “I have always taught that success can be achieved by each one of us. These principles provide an excellent life-planning guide for bringing out your best.” Mick has been featured on Fox News, CNN, Fox Business Network, NBC and in numerous publications. Keep up with Mick at
Leadershiptraq.com .

4 Powerful Habits That Will Change Your Life

4 Powerful Habits That Will Change Your Life
By Mick Ukleja | April 18, 2017 | 0 
If we don’t learn good habits , life becomes more difficult. We have a choice: Get hard on ourselves so life becomes easier, or get easy on ourselves resulting in life getting harder.
Successful people choose good habits over a stagnant life. At first it might not seem like you are accomplishing much, but don’t be fooled. “Small hinges open big doors.”
Not all good habits are created equal. Some are more powerful than others. Here are four powerful habits that will strengthen your confidence, help you get what you want and result in a satisfying journey.
Related: 4 Science-Backed Habits to Make You More Successful
1. Embrace life, don’t resist it.
When things aren’t working, our first action is often resistance. Instead of resisting, take a moment to consider what isn’t working and why. This kind of information is valuable.
Tough times can be used to disrupt stagnant patterns in thinking. If we embrace the disruption, it can have a purifying effect that knocks off the rust and barnacles we naturally collect on our daily voyage. Embracing life is resisting stagnation.
Life might wreck your plans when your plans are about to wreck you. So pay close attention.
2. Affirm yourself, don’t degrade yourself.
One of the most common ways to degrade ourselves is to ask the wrong questions. Wrong questions are disempowering. They immediately change our subconscious thought patterns from positive to negative, or vice versa. They are powerful.
Question: Why can’t I lose weight? Answer:
Because you’re a pig!
Question: Why can’t I do things right? Answer: Because you’re not smart!
Question: Why am I so broke? Answer:
Because you’re a loser!
Ask a bad question and you’ll get a bad answer. This is how our subconscious mind works. Because the conscious mind programs the subconscious, take charge. Good questions lead to productive answers.
What are the top two things I can do to lose weight?
What is a better way to do this?
What are three things I can do to increase my cash flow?
Asking the right question is empowering.
3. Brainstorm, don’t blame-storm.
Blame-storming is using our creative abilities to come up with reasons why something is not our fault. This creates an emotional roadblock to healthy living called resentment. It comes from the Latin words “re” and “sentire,” which means “to feel over and over again.” It’s almost exclusively internalized, which makes it different from anger even though it can accompany the emotion.
It’s tempting to wallow in resentment because it provides a feeling of control. But that is an illusion. The past is no more. There is no control. How can we disempower the past from stealing the present? Through brainstorming, you come to the realization that your past deepens you but does not define you,
deter you or defeat you.
It is a part of your maturity but not your identity. Your past has made you stronger for today. You are not a prisoner of your past. You are a pioneer of your future. And you have power in the present.
4. Do something, not everything.
It’s good to be resilient—to a point. Sometimes quitting is the smartest thing to do. There are times when I look at my to-do list and complete one or two of the items quickly, just by eliminating them. For example, if I have 10 things on my list, Pareto’s Principle reminds me that 80 percent of my results comes from 20 percent of my effort. Let me get those top two done first and I’ll go from there. To not do this is to spread myself too thin. Time to prune the list.
The secret of concentration is elimination. This leads to productive living and has health benefits as well—a needed message for a society of high achievers .
In Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain, people who quit unattainable goals saw physical and psychological benefits, including:
Less depressive symptoms and negative affect
Lower cortisol levels
Lower systemic inflammation
Better immune functioning
Fewer physical health problems over time
This is not a polemic for a carefree life! The happiest people are busy but in control. They are not rushed.
“Be quick, but not in a hurry.” —Coach John Wooden
It’s a matter of control. You can do anything when you quit trying to do everything.
Related: 10 ‘Harmless’ Habits to Drop If You Want to Be Successful
This post originally appeared on
LeadershipTraQ.com
Mick Ukleja
Mick Ukleja, Ph.D., is the founder and president of LeadershipTraQ. He empowers leaders to optimize their talent and equips them to excel in their professional and personal life. Mick is an author, speaker and generational strategist. He writes and speaks on engaging millennials at work. He is the co-author of Managing the Millennials: Discover the Core Competencies for Managing Today’s Workforce, 2nd Edition, which is used in corporate training and business schools. He co-founded the Ukleja Center for Ethical Leadership at California State University, Long Beach, which promotes ethics across the curriculum. Mick is an adjunct professor in the MBA program at Concordia University. His book Who Are You? What Do You Want? has been praised by legendary coach John Wooden: “I have always taught that success can be achieved by each one of us. These principles provide an excellent life-planning guide for bringing out your best.” Mick has been featured on Fox News, CNN, Fox Business Network, NBC and in numerous publications. Keep up with Mick at
Leadershiptraq.com .

11 Secrets to Becoming Rich, Successful, and Happy

11 Secrets to Becoming Rich, Successful, and Happy

Even though we all define "rich" differently--and we should--most of us factor at least some degree of wealth into our equations.

Yet we also want to feel successful. You don't have to make a lot of money to be a success.

And we definitely want to be happy.

Can you have all three? Sure. It isn't easy, but it is possible. Here's how:

1. Stop focusing on money.

While it sounds counterintuitive, maintaining a laser-like focus on how much you make distracts you from doing the things that truly contribute to building and growing wealth.

So shift your perspective. See money not as the primary goal but as a byproduct of doing the right things.

2. Start tracking how many people you help, if only in a small way.

The most successful people I know--both financially and in other ways--are shockingly helpful. They're incredibly good at understanding other people and helping them achieve their goals. They know their success is ultimately based on the success of the people around them.

So they work hard to make other people successful: their employees, their customers, their vendors and suppliers...because they know if they can do that then their own success will surely follow.

And they will have built a business--or a career--they can be truly proud of.

3. Stop thinking about money and start thinking about service.

When you only have a few customers and your goal is to make a lot of money, you need to find ways to squeeze every last dollar out of every transaction.

But when you find a way to serve a million people, many other benefits follow. Word of mouth is hugely magnified. The feedback you receive is exponentially greater--and so are your opportunities to improve your products and services. You get to hire more employees and benefit from their experience, their skills, and their overall awesomeness.

And in time, your business becomes something you never dreamed of--because your customers and your employees have taken you to places you couldn't even imagine.

Serve a million people--and serve them really well--and the money will follow.

4. See making money as a way to make more things.

Generally speaking, there are two types of people. One makes things because they want to make money; the more things they make, the more money they make. What they make doesn't really matter that much to them--they'll make anything as long as it pays.

The other wants to make money because it allows them to make more things. They want to improve their product. They want to extend their line. They want to write another book, record another song, produce another movie. They love what they make and they see making money as a way to do even more of what they love. They dream of building a company that makes the best things possible...and making money is the way to fuel that dream and build that company they love.

While it is certainly possible to find that one product that everyone wants and grow rich by selling that product...most successful businesses evolve and grow and, as they make money, reinvest that money in a relentless pursuit of excellence.

Like Walt Disney said, "We don't make movies to make money, we make money to make more movies."

5. Find your happiness in the success of others.

Great business teams win because their most talented members are willing to sacrifice to make others happy. Great teams are made up of employees who help each other, know their roles, set aside personal goals, and value team success over everything else.

Where does that attitude come from? You. Almost every truly successful entrepreneur feels a major chunk of his or her happiness comes from enjoying the success of employees and customers.

Do you?

6. Cultivate dignity and respect.

Providing employees with higher pay, better benefits, and greater opportunities is certainly important. But no level of pay and benefits can overcome damage to self-esteem and self-worth.

The most important thing truly successful entrepreneurs provide employees, customers, vendors--everyone they meet--is dignity.

And so should you, because when you do, everything else follows.

7. Do one thing better...

Pick one thing you're already better at than most people. Just. One. Thing. Become maniacally focused at doing that one thing. Work. Train. Learn. Practice. Evaluate. Refine. Be ruthlessly self-critical, not in a masochistic way but to ensure you continue to work to improve every aspect of that one thing.

Financially successful people do at least one thing better than just about everyone around them. (Of course it helps if you pick something to be great at that the world also values--and will pay for.)

Excellence is its own reward, but excellence also commands higher pay--and greater respect, greater feelings of self-worth, greater fulfillment, a greater sense of achievement...all of which make you rich in non-monetary terms.

Win-win.

8. Then list the best people at that one thing...

How did you choose them? How did you determine who was the best? How did you measure their success?

Use those criteria to track your own progress towards becoming the best at what you choose.

If you're a developer, it could be the number of people who use your software. If you're a leader, it could be the number of people you train and mentor to reach their goals. If you're an online retailer, it could be conversion rate or sales per transaction or on-time shipping....

Don't just admire successful people. Take a close look at what makes them successful. Then use those criteria to help create your own measures of success. And then...

9. Then do more of what you do best.

Another benefit of building a team is that it allows you to do a lot more of what you do best.

Say you're great at selling. Why perform admin tasks when your time is better spent with customers? Or maybe you're great at creating awesome processes. Why spend time creating social-media marketing campaigns when you could be streamlining your distribution channel?

Every person has something they do that makes the biggest difference on their personal bottom lines. The most successful people find ways to do a lot more of that...and a lot less of everything else.

10. Relentlessly track your progress.

We tend to become what we measure, so track your progress at least once a week against your key measures.

Maybe you'll measure how many people you help. Maybe you'll measure how many customers you serve. Maybe you'll check off the key steps on your journey to becoming the world's best at the thing you chose.

More likely, you'll measure a combination of these, and more.

11. Build routines that ensure your success.

Never forget that achieving a goal is based on creating routines. Say you want to write a 300-page book. That's your goal. Your system to achieve that goal could be to write four pages a day--that's your routine.

Thinking about your goal won't get you to a finished manuscript, but sticking faithfully to your routine will.

Or say you want to land 50 new customers. That's your goal; your routine is to contact a certain number of leads per day, check in with a certain number of current customers, network with a certain number of potential partners...your routine is what you will do, without fail, that will allow you to achieve your goal. Follow that routine and faithfully meet your deadlines and if your plan is great, you will land your new customers.

Wishing and hoping won't get you there. Sticking to your routine will, especially when you ruthlessly measure your progress, fix what doesn't work, and improve and repeat what does work. Success is almost guaranteed when you refine and revise and adapt and work hard every day to be better than you were yesterday.

And probably without even noticing, you'll also be rich--and more importantly, a lot happier, because you'll like how you got there.