What makes people succeed where others fail in business?

So, ever wonder why some people get things done and others never seem to be able to get 'caught up'? Well, I have been thinking a lot about this recently and as such, inquiring with some of my more successful friends for tips, always searching for consistencies. I also looked closely at the things that we have done so far at Von to make this company so successful (last year we grow revenue by over 3500% making us one of the fastest growing companies in Alberta). Here is what I have come up with...

1) Break big things down into smaller parts: Successful people bite things off in little chunks. They don't focus on anything as a whole, but rather they have the ability to see it in its smaller parts. Chunking things down like this makes it much easier to build up a volume of 'successes' which ultimately leads to accomplishing the whole.

Personal Note: Wow, there are days when I look at the things we are trying to do and I am completely paralyzed by the immensity of the task ahead. The process of breaking things down in to smaller, manageable parts is critical in accomplishing the larger goal. Little successes keeps motivation up and puts me on a success cycle. This is encouraging! At Von, when we were growing Von eCommerce, we just kept looking at the next meeting, the next item, rather than looking at the immensity of the whole task. This allowed us to build a great organization. With VonKids, we focused on one new facility at a time. Before we knew it, the company was generating over 1m in revenue in just over a year with no outside investors involved. Now if I was to focus on the immensity of our business goals all the time, I would likely freak out and start running for the hills. But with its smaller parts getting accomplished day after day, the successful end result is inevitable.

2) Stubborn Consistency: High performers are fanatical about consistency. They understand that Rome was not built in a day, and therefore are happy to keep plugging away at whatever it is they are working on until inevitably they end up accomplishing their goals.

Personal Note: In the building of Von's various business units, I can say that talent is worthless. Our success, and the success of our ventures, is completely the result of consistent tracking toward our goals. Just continuing to march toward our goals, and being willing to forgo some of the short terms pleasures for a long term vision.

3) Practice, Practice, Practice: I recently read a book by Malcolm Gladwell called 'Outliers'. He is very empirical in how he investigates what successful people have in common. The one thing that stood out to me was the number 10,000. He found that top notch successful people all had put in at least 10,000hrs of practice before 'making it'... So much for the notion of the overnight success! This breaks down to approximately 3.5 years working 8 hr days.

Personal Note: Yes, if there is one thing I see again and again with budding entrepreneurs, its that they aren't ready to accept little initial reward for what seems like a lot of work. Whenever you start-up, there is a period where you will be working harder than ever before without actually seeing much reward. Most people will go back to what they know at this point, hence why only 2% of people really ever manage to do anything remarkable in their lives. One company I love is Amway... To be specific, World Wide Group (wwdb.com). Before you make any assumptions, I suggest you check them out. They have probably one of the best training systems for new entrepreneurs I have ever come across. They keep it pure and simple with 10 steps to success. I personally think that no matter what industry, these are very simple truths:

a) Be accountable to people
b) Move a product or service
c) Accept mentorship and coaching
d) Read books and learn about your business
e) Listen to biographies of people who have done what you are trying to do
f) Go to business functions and seminars
g) Use your own products over a competitors (duh!, I still get wigged out over how many new entrepreneurs can't seem to take this concept on board...)
h) Bring new DNA in to your organization regularly
i) Market your product or service with a professional looking web presence
j) Get connected with people in your industry via some kind of networking platform

Of these 10, 6 have to do with practice and learning... Considering World Wide Group is full of highly ethical and extremely successful business people, I am willing accept that practice makes perfect when in the pursuit of a lofty goal.

4) Forgive Yourself: Entrepreneurs are the worst for self guilt-trips... they are so busy that they often lament over the time they take away from family and friends. The best entrepreneurs are the ones to are willing to accept that they are working toward something much bigger and that in the pursuit of this dream, there may be casualties along the way. Guilt is an action stopper. Shedding it quickly is very important because in business, all that matters is action.

Personal Note: Oh my gosh... as the parents of two incredible girls, my wife and I are always feeling the guilt of all the 15 hr days we put in building the Von-pire. Having said that, we are really good at patting each other on the back and saying thanks for the sacrifice. The key to why we can keep doing it is because we are building our dreams, not someone else's (as we used to do in our jobs). We also get the children involved in the 'dream'. My hope is that they see our effort, and understand that anything is possible when you are willing to work hard and work smart... My dream is to pass on a life where decisions are made because they are right, not because they are affordable... The kicker to all this is that we both know that the difference between children who will resent our busy schedules and children who will thank us for making the effort day in and day out is only one little thing... SUCCESS.

5) Say No: Trimming the fat out of a schedule is something that my highly successful friends all do. They are not fanatical sports fans, they do not watch loads of movies or TV, they stay up late and get up early doing things that build their dreams... They are NOT ruled by their emotions which therefore allows them to cut out a large portion of the 'feel good' things and extraneous activities that are not directly resulting in an activity that gets them closer to their goals. The reason they can do this is because they know it is only temporary. When they get to where they are heading, they will have a lot of time on their hands to do all the things they once neglected themselves.

Personal Note: When we first got started, I never really found it hard to give up most of my leisure time activities save one, TV. This is one thing I have to consistently fight myself on. I like movies and I like vegging (damn lazy bone!). What helps me a lot is simply staying busy with things that need to get done! I also set deadlines a lot to keep me on track, which in turn forces me to leave TV alone. Another strategy that has worked is simply taking one day a week where I allow myself to chill! I wish I could throw my TV in the garbage, but I think the kiddies would have a fit!

There are a lot of things that go in to building the good habits that will ultimately lead an entrepreneur to the promised land. But really, I think it breaks down to two things... Vision and a dream. If these things are really big in your life, then you will do whatever it takes to get you where you want to go!

Cheers,
P