Are you a first time entrepreneur? Are you trying to learn what you need to do to make it in this world? If so, good!
Although you are going to fumble and make a lot of mistakes, here is why you’ll make more money than those know-it-alls:
You’re willing to listen
If you’re lost and confused what is the first thing you do? You probably go out there and look for help.
Whether it’s doing some research on the web, sending off an email to another entrepreneur, or making a phone call to a friend… you’ll figure out a way to get help.
Once you get some help, you’ll listen and try to act on the advice that was given to you.
On the other hand, know-it-alls have a tendency to not ask for help, and if someone goes out of their way to help them, they usually ignore the advice. Or even worse, they’ll keep on asking you for advice, but they’ll never act on it.
And if you ever get to the point where your customers start giving you feedback, you’ll listen.
You’re naive
I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but you’re like a baby. You are stepping into a whole new realm and you still have a lot to learn.
The bad part about being naive is that you’ll make a lot of mistakes. However, the good part about being naive is that you’ll be willing to try almost anything, even if that “thing” is a stupid idea.
But what you probably don’t know is that your business is likely to make the majority of it’s revenue from that stupid idea that you never thought would work.
Know-it-alls on the other hand aren’t as flexible when it comes to their business model, which means they’ll be slow to adapt.
You’re not a perfectionist
It’s not that you don’t like things to be perfect, you just don’t know what is perfect. Because of this you’ll move much quicker than know-it-alls who are trying to perfect their product or service.
When you try and create a perfect business, you’ll soon realize that it’s never ending. You’ll always find something wrong, and you’ll take forever to launch your company. And if you ever get to the point of actually launching your company, you’ll soon learn that customers don’t like your “perfect” business. But by this point, you have already wasted a lot of time and money, so you won’t be able to fix your business so that it meets customers’ expectations.
Agility is what you have that know-it-alls don’t, which means you shouldn’t run into the problem that I mentioned above.
You’re not confident
When you expect something to make you a shit load of money, what happens? You tend to make no money. And when you don’t expect something to make you much money at all, what happens? You make a shit load of money.
Because you aren’t confident, you won’t expect your business to make you filthy rich. Now granted this doesn’t mean you’ll become rich, it just means you’ll work harder to try and figure things out. And when you work harder, good things usually happen… they just take a while.
Know-it-alls tend to be over confident, which hurts their chance of succeeding. It’s usually the thing that’s right in front of their nose that causes their business to fail.
You’re hungry
No, I don’t mean that you want to go to McDonalds and stuff yourself with a few Big Macs, but instead you really want to succeed. You have that fire in your eye and it isn’t because you want it there, it’s because you are broke and have no choice but to figure out a way to make some money so you can put some food on the table.
If you are a know-it-all you have probably done one thing really well that’s put enough money into your pocket, which means you are financially stable. And if your business fails, you won’t be living on the street… hence you don’t have that drive to be hungry.
Conclusion
I know, you are probably wondering why seasoned entrepreneurs such as Evan Williams or Elon Musk keep on making a shit load of money.
Drum roll please… it’s because entrepreneurs like them aren’t know-it-alls they are just experienced. Experienced entrepreneurs know that they still have a lot to learn and they realize that they aren’t a jack-of-all-trades.
Although there is a big difference from being experienced and being a know-it-all, it’s a fine line. Just make sure you stay on the side of being experienced and most importantly stay humble, so that you don’t mistakenly cross the line.
{ 6 trackbacks }
{ 183 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Neal – Happy New Year!
I love your perspective and insights on business – and appreciate your blog very much!
Smart people are constantly learning, sharing and contributing value… it’s part of the growing/evolving process on the success journey… know-it-alls don’t listen, don’t shut up and have a tendency to get on people’s nerves – while they may have accomplished a few things, in most cases, they have a tendency stifle growth, change, enthusiasm, productivity and progress – run!
Yes, it’s really interesting how very little ends up becoming so much more… these people thing by getting a few things done here and there, they’re everything. Happy New year to you too!
Totally agree with being a perfectionist part. I feel that happened with me as well. For the first project I was on, since I did not have enough knowledge and money to spare as well.. I would go and give everything a try. For my second idea, I find myself stuck in deciding even the basic features. I guess, am being too nit-picky.
I’m a perfectionist too. I know it isn’t good but it’s in my nature.
Anyone got any tips on how to accept something as “good enough” and just get on with the next thing that needs doing (which I find especially hard when working on my own)?
What would the world be if the Bill Gates and the Steve Jobs of the world waited for their ideas/technology to be perfect before hitting the market?
“I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God’s business.”
Author: Michael J Fox
Even if getting “on with the next thing” is hard, sometimes we must do the things that are hard to do. Yes?
Very true… I love your insight Thanh.. also, what a great quote to share. I think it’s fantastic if you can push yourself forward toward the next thing instead of trying to perfect the first thing. We are constantly changing….nothing will ever be perfect (especially technology)
“We are constantly changing” LOL..awesome!
Neil, that’s fantastic! If I had the kind of insight that you have at your age now, things would be extremely different – I would be more thoughtful in my entrepreneurial pursuits. Time loves the youth, but unfortunately, the youth doesn’t seem to care too much for time.
And regarding the Confidence factor in your post, the fearlessness of a young entrepreneur makes up for any lack of experience and confidence.
So the best combo is perhaps to act grown up (ie. have your insights) and think young (like this post).
Great post! Keep it up!
I like your phrase on time loving youth…but youth not caring about it… it’s very true. Yes the combination of you taking advantage of everything and your level of confidence will help you tremendously.
That statement from Michael J Fox is really good. I’ve been told too many times that I’m a perfectionist and sometimes it gets me into more trouble than it actually helped me. Will remember what Michael said and keep that in mind in whatever I do from now on.
Good for you.. in fact write it down and put it in your wallet.
No, there really isn’t an exact answer… you just need to be able to move on to the next task and get back to it later.
Kat,
I typically set a deadline and stick to it.
For example if it is a new product that needs to be launched, estimate a reasonable amount of time needed to complete the project and then “ship” whatever is ready by that deadline. Then listen to feedback and make changes as needed.
You will quickly find out if the product has potential. If it does, then keep tweaking it. If not, scrap it and move on.
By the way, I am not a big fan of focus groups or surveys to identify potential products. What your customers tell you they will pay for and what they actually buy are not always the same. It is best to launch a product quickly and then see how they respond.
I would love to get Neil’s take on this approach…
I like your deadline approach and I am a strong believer in it.
As for surveys, I am a big fan of them and I have figured out unique ways to make them work. One of my new companies is a survey company… I guess you’ll have to wait a month or so to see it.
When people put too much focus on being the perfectionist, the end up forgetting about other things they need to get done. If you get stuck… just move on and come back to it later.
Yeah I know.. Its just that the expectations from yourself rises when you have already set yourself some benchmark and when you are experienced enough to understand how nicely others in the business are putting up. Anyways, I get your message. Thanks a lot.
Well you do want to set goals for yourself as you progress, but playing the role of “stupid” so to speak is where you need be… that’s the only way you won’t let your ego get the best of you.
I tend to be a little perfectionist too, but I don’t think is a really good idea mainly because you tend to overdone things and in many situations than won’t really help you.
Being a perfectionist sounds like a good idea, but it really just ends up hurting you from getting things done.
Things don’t have to be perfect. You have to be able to see when things are working out although they are not perfect. Trying to make them perfect will ruin everything eventually.
People need to just stop over analyzing and just go with it… else action will never be taken!
I had OCD with my first blog. But that actually turned out to be a virtue for me, and it now earns a massive amount of income each month. (Computer networking niche)
I guess it just depends on how far you take it.
That’s great, good for you! Well yes, some people take it so far they hardly end up getting any work done.
Heard it somewhere else and it could be repeated here, that Orville and Wilbur Wright did not have pilots licenses when they took their first flight. Sometimes its best to just go for it and learn on the way.
On the job experience can sometimes be worth much more than reading a bunch of books.
You can never know what life offers you so it’s better to be prepared and be ready to take some chances or else you regret that in the future.
Be prepared or prepare to fail… that’s usually how it goes.
But also be prepared in case of failing so you can rise and keep going forward. Never loose hope!
Fail forward fast… it’s the best motto because failing is inevitable, but getting up and going forward is what successful people do.
be prepared for what will happen and know what will you do.
It’s best to be prepared or you’re prepared to fail
That’s quite true experience is the greatest teacher in life.
It let’s you actually live through it… that’s the best method for you to learn new information.
I think that mistakes are also great ways to learn some life lessons. Just be smart enough to learn from them.
As long as you learn of them, yes it’s great. If you don’t, know that you are just taking unnecessary steps back.
Right.. if you don’t learn from them the first time…. please please learn from them the 2nd
some people are really stubborn.. thats not going to end them anywhere.. neil can u make a post on experienced entrepreneurs… that was little imcomplete..
That’s a good idea… do you have any title ideas? This will give me a clearer understanding of what you are looking for.
Wise words. Being flexible and admitting you don’t know everything is essential to being a successful entrepreneur. It also helps to be intellectually curious since that shows that you want to learn and grow.
When you tear down your walls, you allow yourself to be open to other information that can help you go forward. Let go of your ego!
Being stubborn will get you nowhere. Being able to see things the way they are and to adapt according to the reality is what will get you on top.
Being stubborn just means that you let ego get in the way. Your ego being in the way will really only hold you back from what’s possible.
I definitely agree I am quite green and inexperienced at being an Entrepreneur, but I am taking it one Baby Step at a time. I am always learning something new everyday. Putting new techniques and ideas into action is something that all newbies need to practice doing; it will be of great benefit in the future.
You’re better off taking small baby steps all of the time than a few giant leaps some of the time. The process of learning more everyday is very important so long as you never let it go to your head.
Neil,
Great points especially on the perfectionist part. My first three companies were a complete stress bomb due to my obsession with perfection (awkward rhyme).
Since letting go of it and really focusing on the business itself, my business has grown probably 600-700%.
For example, today we launched our new daily web show for entrepreneurs and marketers (which I’m much more excited for than our ABC show as you know). The new site design is up and everything is working. However, of course there are bugs and growing pains.
In the past, I would have NEVER launched the site until it was “perfect” (quotes because what the heck is perfect?).
By doing that I would miss out on:
-Feedback
-Traffic
-Peace of Mind
Creating imperfect things seem to work out perfectly.
-D
Well that’s great!! WHat you need to take in account is that if you wati till it’s perfect… it may not do as well as you would have wanted it to. Then you’ll have to change it and go the process again. Just go with it and start testing it out.
It’s a good thing that you were able to learn from your mistakes. Stubborn people really can’t see something else besides what they want to see and that is not wise at all. In today’s market conditions you have to be able to adapt quickly.
The ability to adapt and overcome will definitely take you a long way.
Very well said, I can consider myself to be in the same boat.
That’s great… if that’s what you consider yourself as, keep yourself in check and stay on top of the game.
A great school of thought. You hit on a point of “stay hungry, stay humble.”
In my businesses, I am constantly reminded to turn on my student mentality. When I overestimate is when I trail behind, however, when I underestimate is when I make the most progress. Keeping a student mentality is difficult because of age and experience; the ego fools us all. So we have to constantly question ourselves: what can we learn today and who can we serve?
Love the post! Thanks for the reminder.
Exactly…. that’s a great way to do it Thanh. Ask yourself every single day… “What can I learn today?” Doing so will allow your mind to stay open… that way you don’t miss out on ideas you wouldn’t have listened to before.
I would bet on the agile and smart guy over the big powerful guy any day (David vs. Goliath). Being hungry will allow you to make calls out on a limb that you might not do if you are already comfortable. Being small will cause you to be creative, keep overhead low, and evade the site of those who want to take advantage of you.
Another good thing about being small is that you will do the work you want the way you want because you’re the one doing it.
The smart agile guy would win any day of the week…. Being the big tough guy usually only lets your ego stand in the way and hurts you from achieving the type of success you want.
A great Insider view for a newbie Entrepreneur, an Entrepreneur should always stay hungry and look for more, no matter the achievements done.
Being hungry is something an Entrepreneur MUST have. Without being hungry, a person would just stop or eventually fail.
Be hungry but in the same time you have to be prepared for whatever is coming and be wise enough to make the smart moves.
Yes.. because if you’re too hungry, you unfortunately stop thinking straight.
Saw another thread someplace that talked about how many of our friends and families do not take us, or our business, seriously enough to give us decent feedback.
I think most of us would love well-thought out feedback. Problem is most feedback is knee-jerk, immediate response based on what the person giving the feedback is used to. Still useful but… have to be careful how it is applied.
And… I am by no means an Apple fanboy, but they (Steve Jobs) have an interesting approach where they release 1.0 with some parts of a product being ‘excellent’ – and some not. Now, if we could just choose the right parts to put off working on…
hmmm interesting… I agree with the feedback things completely. You just won’t ever get something perfect enough to be completely satisfied… there is always something going on here or there that isn’t good enough. The type of feedback you get from friends or family also isn’t as high quality as you think it might be.
Yep, its always best do do entreprenurial stuff when your young inexperience and have nothing to lose. Not having a wife, kids, mortgage, debt, and a 50 hour work week are all factors into my personal success.
it only gets harder with time. You think you need experience, then you find yourself with a gf, a condo, your making 60,000 a year it gets tougher to take risks you get complacent with your life.
then you get even more expereince and you think your ready to take the leap BUT now you wake up to find your MR senior manager making 150,00 a year with a family, a home, and a busy scheduel.
im 26, do it when your young. Even younger than me. I started when I was 23. Neil started when he was a teen. It only gets more difficult as you get older AND their is never a perfect time to start either. Stop thinking you need to line up x,y, and z before you can do something, and that it needs to be version infinity before you launch.
Very good input… it just comes to show you that the perfect to start is a few years ago… the 2nd best time to start is NOW. So get started asap and stop waiting for something to happen.
Your thoughts and business insights are one of the best i have seen. I love your stuff Neil, God bless
Thanks Ahsan, I’m glad you enjoy! Thanks!!
Mostly I can see myself in this post but I am a perfectionist a bit. Though life has thought me some lessons here so I’m trying to drop it…
Definitely interested in reading more about being Experienced VS Know-it-All.
It’s a process… a never ending process! Just keep working hard, push yourself, and never let your head get in the way.
Hi,
Nice post, but I’m confronting with a problem: I can’t think out of the box. I have read a lot of books, article where they say that if want to be a successful entrepreneur you must love what are you doing. So if I’m stuck is the design area, how can I make an app for iPhone (not me, a firm like sourcebits etc), or something like crazyegg or etc. This is my major problem that I facing right now and I think I’m not the only one.
btw: I like the design of your blog, nice and clean.
The best way to solve this problem is to ask your potential customers for their input. Get something up and running and start testing it… even if it isn’t perfect.
Once you having a beta product and you have testers, you can then improve upon it.
OK, I will try to manage that
.
how the hell do you have time to manage all of this your business, your blog, your life … ? Do you have read a good time management book?
I have another question (btw: thanks a lot for the previous answer): if you have a small idea with not such a huge target and let say that site will generate you a monthly income not over than 10 000 $, you will do it or you try to stick to big ideas? I know that you have said that isn’t good to think big every time (btw: I have read Trump book: think big … and I liked very much) but my problem is that in some way “I’m afraid” I don’t know how to tell in word the feeling …
Anyway thanks a lot for your time, I hope that didn’t ask you for a lot.
I just work a lot of hours.
There is nothing wrong with creating a business that does 10k a month in revenue. Once it’s up and running you can always create another 10k a month business.
I like the small ideas.
Happy new Year Neil!
This is a great post for newbie entrepreneurs!
willingness to learn and a hunger for success trumps know-it-alls all the time. 
That’s really what it takes to be a newbie who wants to really fire it up.
Happy New Year Neil.
Sorry to say this, but I wasn’t too impressed with this post. There are a few flaws here and there, but it’s okay I guess.
I think these characteristics are too generalised. I know a few people who have some of these but also have the ‘know-it-all’ trait – so they’re not mutually exclusive.
Well Luke, there are always exceptions here and there to the rules. It wasn’t entirely generalized, only certain points that needed to be… that way I can apply to Quicksprout readers as a whole, instead of individually.
Great post, knowing to much makes you question to much.
So a little bit of naivety is a beautiful thing.
But no matter how much you think you know, you should always keep up with your learning, since everything online changes weekly, monthly.
Being a newbie entrepreneur moved from the corporate world at an older age is a real interesting time. As a detailed person myself, I am fighting taking too much time on the nits right now. You are right that working harder (and smarter) is the key to keeping this boat from hitting the rocks. Thanks for your insight. Keep’em coming.
Many people have the problem with being concerned with too much of the nitty gritty details which is why I wanted to address it. You just need to make the conscious effort of moving on, if it’s taking up way too much of your time.
I think ‘persistence’ is critical too! Being naive helps too, then you can think more clearly and as an outsider from those in your industry that tend to all think the same way.
Being an entrepeneur or running a business is definitely a challenge. I can’t agree with you more that the best way to succeed is to learn through advices and perhaps mistakes. They’re two of the best teachers in this world.
However, I do feel like a certain degree of perfectionism would be good for an entrepeneur. I reckon the drive to make the product or service as flawless as possible would boost quality. Nevertheless, one should never get carried away with the desire to produce something perfect while wasting precious, precious time.
Great post, Neil. “My Top 10 Worst Ideas” was hilarious and very informative about the inner workings of Neil Patel
Thanks Abid… all entrepreneurs have their own goofy ideas from time to time.
You’re dead right. As usually, something is better than nothing and the ability to refine it _to what your customers need_ is more important than refining it to what you _think_ they need
Right because it almost always comes down to their needs, not yours. Sometimes you won’t have any clue until you actually go out and find out the truth of the matter.
Great Post Again as Always.
It is very motivating post especially for newbie like me. Although I am not an entrepreneur, being a Gujarati I always wanted my own business (For Gujaratis, business runs in the blood).
Let’s see when I am able to start my own business and finally call myself entrepreneur.
That’s great Kaushal.. hopefully you can get rocking and rolling sooner than later.
Hi Neil,
Great post and boy can I relate. I have been taking baby steps learning this stuff the last 18 months. Yes that is a long time however only have about 2 hours a week to do this around my 2 year old I am getting there slowly.
Over the last 2 years I have been sold to many times over, made quite a few mistakes already and lost quite a bit of money, however I do not regret the learning curve.
I am excited about my future learning and am really loving what I am doing.
But the biggest thing I believe about eventually being a success online is we must believe in ourselves and have some sort of truthful motivation for success. For me it is my daughter!
Happy 2010! See you back here soon!
Jacinta
Thanks for the comment Jacinta… yes it does take time and it’s not an overnight process…. there are definitely a lot of ups and downs, but the the best part is when it all comes into play.
It should be. The less you know, the more money is worth
Well technically it does end up playing into that. It’s a much more valuable mindset.
Great post Neil. I have been depressed for 2-3 years. I am perfectionist, but I am not happy me to be perfectionist. Perfectionism means disappointment, when you could not reach your expectations. That’s why i am depressed. Now I am searching what is wrong with me. I guess, the wrong is perfectionism…
If you ask question yourself why I’m not getting & if you get this answer then it will be more easy to achieve.
Well asking yourself “why i’m not getting it” and you’ll get the answer of why you aren’t. .. rephrase the question to be “how will I get it”
Perfectionism is a very difficult thing for something to over power. Don’t think that you can just automatically make it go away. Take baby steps first…. baby steps some all of the time are better than giant steps some of time.
Nice post Neil. perfectness is what we see in others and not in our selfs. But are are not perfect either we just think we are. There is a wise world in turkish ”Ogrenmenin yasi yoktur”. Its mean there is no age restrict for learning.
Very awesome! I love it…. there is never a time in your life where age stops you from learning something new.
Great post Niel, I would recommend everyone who wants to become an entrepreneur to read your blog regularly as the thoughts which you share are fantastic and out of the box as you don’t call yourself some expert, you just do what you love and you do it in the best possible manner.
Happy New Year
Thanks for the high praise Akash. Glad you find it useful. Passion is key
Neil- Yes, Humility is the “key”…. Nobody wants to do business with a cocky, narcissistic personality…. I believe guys like Chris Brogan, Darren Rowse, and Yourself do well…. Because People can see the authenticity, and folks do business with people they know/like/trust….. Best, Brian-
Authenticity is what’s key… be yourself, just don’t be a prick… you’d be surprised at what you can learn from some very random people.
Great post Neil. You always provide great concise information. Also I heard a great quote that sums it up for me: “Know What You Know, What You Don’t Know And Who Knows What You Don’t.”
Thanks for the quote… kind of confusing and it takes a couple times to read it but it makes sense. You can only know so much, but there are always people who do know what you don’t.
This is so true. I am a new entrepreneur and boy it is alot of stuff to learn and implement. So I am at a very humble stage of my business life. The hard part is finding help that doesn’t cost thousands of dollars. Most of us just need guidance to about which steps to take next. But with the lessons you posted on this blog I am sure I will avoid many mistakes. Looking fwd to trying quick sprout pro.
Glad you were able to realize that… just take it 1 step at a time…rushing things will only lead to a mess you’ll have to clean up later.
Man, I didn’t realize it before, but I’m a know-it-all! Dang it! I take advice but rarely act on it. I’m still following my business plan. I wait until things are perfect. I know my business will make me rich. The only difference, is that I’m really hungry. Haven’t eaten breakfast yet.
Thanks for the tips Neil. I’m a relative newcomer and I love your site. Good luck with QuickSprout Pro.
lol… go eat and then comment on the blog Nick! That’s good that you believe in yourself, just learn to put your ego aside for a bit because there is still so much for you to learn.
Would you rather rephrase your title to ‘The less you know, the more you want to learn’ ? I am guessing your point is ‘more you know, less open you are to learning’ but that is not the same as saying ‘less you know, more you will make’. Does it?
AR
It’s all about ego… usually people who know more have a bigger ego.. but then the ones who are kind of “playing stupid” so to speak… are able to understand more….
Neil, let me ask you a question.
Which ecommerce platform would you recommend, between yahoo store Vs Prostores Vs Bigcommerce Vs Volusion.
Thank you, your opinion will be appreciated!
I wish I could recommend one, but I don’t know much about ecommerce softwares as I never created an ecommerce company.
Can anyone else provide any assistance?
Sorry
Yeah it’s true, so far the one idea that is making any money was something I didn’t think would actually work and took less time than the big websites I’ve created. Yet I’m still spending lots and lots of time working on my newest big project(though it’s not completely in the dark, I have done some testing and it seems like I can definitely market it, just have to be able to make money off of my customers).
-Matt
Perfect… get more feedback from as many people as possible and then get it rocking and rolling. Also, be sure to have a set in stone model model of how you’ll get things done.
All that said I think person needs not need to know more but should have more experience.
Yes and the only way to do so is by letting go of your ego and learn as much as you can (by playing dumb) about different things.
I like this article. Everyday is a learning curve, you learn each day by your experiences and mistakes as long as they are not to costly mistakes. You may find that you are sending out letters to companies in a way that you think works until you are shown that the letter is not working and instead is being thrown in the bin. With letter writing it is important that you catch your clients attention within the first three lines, and this is one of the mistakes i made, but life is about making mistakes as long as you learn from them.
Everyday is a clean slate… if you can think about your business with that type of mindset, you’ll crush it, no doubt. Mistakes are a thing of the past, like you said, so long as you learn from them.
Neil is getting it!
The funny part for me, is that I am so under working (and sometime complaining) to go where I want to go, that I do not realize that I am already running a business with 3 employees and one internship and many other people…
Sure, my income, is still very low, but this is not the most important part, because business is growing, and future is bright!
Neil, you rock and you get it
Thanks Roro… there are always period of time where the everything remains calm.. enjoy it because you’ll eventually get a boat load of business all at once.
…by the way, I am talking now to “The perfectionnist Neil”,
on the right side, here under, you have:
“Copyright © 2009 Quick Sprout”
Like my website, it need a fresh update! Just kidding
lol… I learned to stay away from perfectionism along time ago… It just doesn’t pay off
I like that u differentiated between experience and Know-it-all. And yes, there’s a thin line between the two.
Yeah, they tend to let their ego get in the way…eventually it bites you in the but. Something to watch out for.
There is a huge difference between experience and “think to know-it-all”. Know-it-all’s just think they have the experience, while the experienced really have it.
Exactly… know it all’s act like they know but they really have no idea…. it’s easy to tell these people apart because all you have to do it call em out.
I was just talking about this … what you learn along the way and how it may help others, but what works and what does not work in the real business world.
I have learned more from just doing it.
Taking action is key…use whatever experience you get toward your next venture….as you progress things will begin to make more and more sense…like a jigsaw puzzle.
Another great post Neil. I just experienced part of it this fall. We decided to start a produce market at a great lot in a solid economic town. We do a great flower business there in the spring, thought we would give produce a try, no expectations. It went gangbusters. Then we did Christmas Trees, Wreaths and such, thought we would really cash in and it totally tanked, go figure!
Thanks,
Joe
It sounds like you guys were all over the place…
I love your perspective and insights on business – and appreciate your blog very much!
Thanks Catalin, that means a lot to me! I’m glad your updated with what I have going on.
Being naive and not listening, I’d say are too of the biggest. You’ve gotta know that there are other people out there who don’t want you to succeed and you’ve got to take some feedback. Great article.
I get what you’re saying and agree with it…. being naive can you set you back in some cases or push you directly froward. That’s exactly why you should be careful.
I kind of agree with that. You do need to look at situations with a clear perspective but it’s also important to use your experience and expertise to make informed decisions.
Well.. it’s always about your past experiences… especially considering the mistakes you’ve made in the past are still important to consider today.
Use your experience but also learn from your failures, because the best thing which comes with failing is knowledge.
The knowledge one gets from failed experiences is spectacular. More often that not, it’s worth going through the pain and suffering. You’re only that much stronger.
Yes agreed. Sometimes you just have to continue doing it without thinking much in order to succeed since most of the time hard work is going to pay off, work smart too…
The better you are at it the better the quality you’re able to put in.
Good point Neil, No one is jack to all trade, We all need to learn learn learn and this never ends…
It’s a never ending process… it’s what will help you apart from your competition.
Love this post! You know, I was watching an interview with Nike’s founder, Phil Knight, and they asked him why he’s a success and he said because he didn’t know much in college. He just had this idea better shoes and followed through. Since he didn’t know much, he just did it instead of thinking about it too deeply. Sometimes all that thinking slows us down tremendously. One thing I noticed is when I have a goal, I focus on what I intend to do instead of thinking of the millions of outcomes. I just think about my intention and that’s it. It works good!
Yeah I get what you mean.. I haven’t seen it but I can imagine it being great. It’s funny yet interesting knowing that the lesser you know about something the easier it can be…. it’s all about your controlling your ego.
Good work! another winning blog post! I have only started reading your blog today but I will be on here for hours now!
Excellent… don’t forget to take action and implement what you learned.
Another great post Neil.
You should not think about how much you can earn. Your intention of making a business should be like “I’ll make something useful, I can help someone” If you stick to it, money will be a bonus to your happiness, not inversely.
The more people you help, the more successful you’ll be. That’s the best way to perceive it.
These are all great points, I only took up blogging 15 months ago, my first and only foray into an entrepreneurial enterprise that was very low investment and risk. I stumbled at first and learn on a daily basis, never assume you know it all, always be humble and willing to accept suggestions and new ideas is my attitude toward this whole blogging thing.
Being open minded can take you a long way. Being humble will allow you to learn new and powerful ideas that’ll take you to a whole other level.
That’s true, just build it. The lesser your know, the eager you want to find out more. That’s the power of drive.
Just take action…. over analyzing it will just slow you down.
The more mistakes you do the more you learn and know. And that brings you money
It helps you move forward…fail forward fast.
Robert Kiyosaki (i think it’s right) would dissagree with you. Read some of his books he’s old and experienced man so he probably has right
But in some way you have right. But the thing is you can be afraid of trying things, otherways you can’t be really successful.
What is it exactly that he would disagree with me on?
Yes you are right @ Dreamer. The More Mistakes we make, the more money we earn, as we will get knowledge about it.
Yes, exactly
I also like one of his quotes:
“All of you are given two great gifts: your mind and your time. You choose what to do with them”
I agree with that completely… what’s interesting is that people don’t even realize how powerful their mind truly is.
Exactly and you’ll notice that some of the most successful people on the planet have made some of the most mistakes too.
Really interesting post. I’ve noticed in myself that as I learn more, I tend to shut down more and think I know everything. Coming back to the ‘beginners mindset’ is definitely something to work on.
Thanks for the reminder.
Well that’s you needing to understand and see your ego get in the way of you. success. Become aware and stop yourself from being that way.
more people know that websites business are competitive , less money they will make, cause of hesitation… less we know make us more optimistic
With the online world, it’s the people who stay in the longest, the people who are the most consistent who make the top dollars.
I’m not sure I agree totally, because a new entrepreneur can spend a lot of time just learning ‘what are the right things to do’ and that time can be very frustrating. Not everyone is born with good business sense.
Sometimes when we make a mistake we figure ‘I just need to do what I’m doing now, only work harder!’ instead of ‘I need to figure out if I’m doing the right thing to start with!’
Not having all the knowledge in the world will help you keep your ego in check. The more control you have over that, the better its is for you as you’re able to learn the right way.
Excellent post. I started looking into websites and SEO last year and I have had the time of my life. 7 months of learning has made me £900. Ok not enough to live on but I am chuffed with it. Every day I learn something knew or find a new blog or forum where I can pick up hints and tips.
I think the times when people go wrong is they beleive the “make $5000 dollars in a day” story and then when it does not happen they get disheartened.
I also like to do all my own SEO work rather than opting it out. I know my business better than a stranger and I can learn every day whilst doing it.
Good for you Altinkum…. people can make 5,000 a day, but it’s not overnight success. It takes years and years of hard work and networking.
You must read something like a business motivation,communication or time managment, then you can arrive your goals.
No wonder we always think our boss doesn’t know anything! So we are right after all.
lol, not all the time… and I certainly wouldn’t say that to your boss either
I love your perspective and insights on business – and appreciate your blog very much!
What role do you believe formal under graduate education plays in success?
it can help you make wiser decisions, but then there are plenty of people without that level of education become successful. It all varies with passion and hard work.
Thanks for this post, Neil. As we have been getting interest in our business from unexpected quarters, making us feel quite good about ourselves and the business, your post reminds one to keep perspective. Much appreciated.
Glad to here it Al, hopefully you applying what you learn and seeing some results from it.
Every time I visit your site, I’m always impressed to the topics you write. Your perception in business is very good. For today I will also have a new perspective in my own business. Thanks for the great post.
it is interesting to all businessman/businesswoman, they can learn more tips for this article..thanks..
My goal is to provide as much impactful information as possible to help you take action and make something happen.
I notice when I have a goal, I focus on what I intend to do instead of thinking of the millions of outcomes. Regarding the Confidence factor, the fearlessness of a young entrepreneur makes up for any lack of experience and confidence.
The only bad thing is you have to learn through your mistakes because lets be real…. There is a ton of garbage out on the internet on the real ways to make money online. Those people are trying to sell you something… Probably affiliates trying to make sales and making no money but they are selling you secrets. Does not really make sense.
If you find a real person like me I can teach anyone how they can actually make some money for free from a blog and seo which is all free just time. But the problem is nobody will trust me. I have went into so many different spirals of BS in this industry till I finally figured out something that works.
And that happens and it’s very natural to encounter behavior like that in the “online industry”
Nice post. Being humble is one of the best qualities a person can have. It takes a lot to be an entrepreneur and a lot more to not let it go to your head.
It also keep you under the radar (loudest is the softest)
that reminds me of a saying my friend used to tell me. “We were given 2 ears and one mouth, so you should listen twice as much as you open your mouth”
Very good saying!!