9 Habits that Accelerate the Efficiency of Successful Entrepreneurs

Innovative ideas are born every minute. With such intense competition, entrepreneurs who want their business to succeed must develop highly efficient habits and skills that also allow for personal growth.

Successful entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sir Richard Branson all have one thing in common: they were known to have developed certain habits and unique approaches that made their businesses remarkably successful. By taking a closer look at each of the following habits, you can learn from the best and see how the habits of other successful entrepreneurs might apply to the type of entrepreneur you want to be.

1. Automating and delegating low-impact tasks

Spotting repetitive tasks in order to automate and delegate them allows successful entrepreneurs to focus on the high-level and impactful activities that no one else can do instead. For example, tech entrepreneurs Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs are notorious for wearing the same clothes to work every day in order to eliminate time spent deciding what to wear. Instead, they could free up that time to focus on high value tasks.

2. Not taking ‘no’ for an answer

Assertiveness plays a central role when it comes to developing ideas and creating a vision for your company. Usually, it’s only those who do not give up easily who end up closing the deal. They are the ones who look at every possible option and create opportunities where there haven’t been any before. Elon Musk, known for PayPal and Tesla Motors, is known for such grit by trying one venture after another.

3. Rugged tenacity

Known to have perfectionist tendencies, highly successful entrepreneurs aren’t afraid to make drastic adjustments to keep the business going. Yahoo’s CEO, Marissa Mayer set up a nursery in her office to shorten her maternity leave and get back to important tasks at hand. This is not to say her child was not important but that her time management was essential.

4. Constantly looking to solve customer problems

Consumers develop trust in companies that understand their pains. A successful business constantly innovates in order to offer new solutions that go along with the needs of their target market. One of Twitter’s founders, Evan Williams, strongly exhibits this customer-centric approach, which is reflected in the rapid growth of his other company, writing platform, Medium.

5. Willingness to fail

Entrepreneurs who are willing to learn from their defeat are also likely to succeed in their next ventures. Payal Kadakia, founder of Classpass, imbibes such a mentality. Upon recognizing that her previous business ideas were not going anywhere, she decided to make a shift, create better business strategies, and start a new venture. A great way to think of this is to ask yourself, “Would I invest in my business in its current state?” If your answer is “no”, it’s time to address failure as an option.

6. Strong knowledge of the business

Most entrepreneurs who don’t have industry-specific skills and experience usually struggle when faced with challenging situations they are not accustomed to. However, those who have dedicated their lives to building their business know the ins=and-outs of its operations. Having valuable first-hand experience is crucial to the company’s success.

7. Transparency

Both employees and consumers trust entrepreneurs who have an open-door policy. Sir Richard Branson of Virgin Group exemplifies this habit by regularly blogging and sharing highlights about the company on the corporate blog. As an added bonus, his writing also improves the company’s visibility in the process.

8. Cultivating a positive working environment

With a globally distributed team, Taso Du Val, CEO of Toptal, practices the habit of empowering his employees to make excellent decisions that spur company growth. Allow employees to take ownership in the business by actively communicating your company’s goals with the entire organization. This helps them feel a sense of ownership toward the organization.

9. Staying true to the company culture

Successful entrepreneurs use their differences as an advantage. They do not follow what others are already doing. Instead, they set their own standards and develop unique strategies that speak to the kind of company they have.

While anyone could come up with innovative ideas anytime, only those with the right attitude and highly efficient habits end up succeeding. If you want to accelerate the success of your business, you better start developing habits that will lead to the most impact.

Featured photo credit: Jarle Naustvik via flic.kr

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