Risk And The Entrepreneur – 3 Ways That Risk Separates the Winners From The Rest Of The Pack

By Suzanne Muusers

Life is risky. We are taught from an early age that taking a risk is dangerous and not always worth it. Raising your hand in class when you think you know the answer could pay off, or it could lead to being ostracized. Asking someone out on a date could lead to success or it could backfire.

Starting a business is risky. Seventy-five percent of businesses fail in the first five years. The causes are varied, but I believe it has much to do with how much risk the business owner is willing to take. I often meet entrepreneurs who are not willing to make the needed investments in their business that will ensure success. I make the case that successful, wealthy entrepreneurs are not afraid of risk and do what it takes to step out of their comfort zones to become the leaders of the pack.

What are some of the risks these folks are willing to take that help to score a home run? What are they are doing that contributes to profits, sales, and success?

1. Many have taken a risk by investing in a corporate identity that positions the company as a professional, successful entity. They have sharp business cards and stationary that tells prospects that they are open for business and are not running their business on a dime. Only one out of ten business owners I meet present me with a business card that can be called professional. All too often I see a business card that has been printed off their printer, or I notice a telltale “Free business cards at …” on the back of the card. I’ve been handed faded, wrinkled business cards that look like they have been through the wash from someone selling a dazzling line of jewelry. I’ve seen flimsy one-color cards that create visions of bland, uncreative marketing ideas from a marketing consultant. These individuals may be saving a buck but what they don’t realize is that their prospects have already written them off as “unsuccessful” or unprofessional because of their image.
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How to Command Respect

Via insidecrm.com/blog

Some people are always listened to. What they say matter, and everyone pays attention whenever they speak. Why is that so? There’s an air of authority about their every words and actions, which helps them in getting their point across, when others would not even be heard.

In short, they are what you and I would call “Natural Leaders.”

I am not one of those people – I wasn’t born super-confident – so I took some time to study man and women who naturally command respect, in order to learn their secrets and get the results I wanted in my own life.

The experiment has worked well: today my behavior has changed - though I’m still me - and I have finally been offered the job I had been wanting for the last three years.

I should come clean with you – I haven’t discovered any secrets… – only well known habits which increase their effectiveness exponentially when applied all together.

If you are not a “Natural Leader”, the good news is that a confident behavior can be learned: read the tips below and start immediately to practice those which feel ok with you. Results will soon follow…

Posture
- Stand tall: keeping your shoulders pushed back will lend you an air of confidence.
- Spread your weight evenly on both feet instead of leaning only on one.
- Try standing with your arms crossed behind your back. Your shoulders will get pulled back automatically.
- Don’t stand with your hands on your hips if you don’t want to come across as confrontational.
- Don’t lean against walls or tables. You’ll appear tired and lazy.

What are you looking at?
- Look directly at the person you are talking to in order to exude confidence. If you turn away from the person you’re talking to in the middle of the conversation, you’ll show you’re not interested.
- Look straight in front of you: looking down might be interpreted as shyness, looking slightly upward could be perceived as arrogance. Finally, if you wear glasses, don’t look over the rim. It makes you look condescending.
- Don’t look at your watch unless you want to appear as if you’re in a rush.
- Don’t rub your eyes with your hands: it signals disbelief at the situation.
- Keeping your eyes on the door will show that you’re ready to leave the room. Read more

15 Successful Entrepreneurs Who Didnt Need College

How many times were you told to make sure you worked hard in high school so you could go to college and get a good career job? Okay, maybe not all of you got nagged about it, but probably a good portion of today’s generation of adults did.

It’s natural to wonder whether college is really necessary. A college degree, as many have found, is no guarantee of a good career. On the flipside, there are many successful entrepreneurs who didn’t need their college education and become millionaires anyway. Here are fifteen of them, both contemporary and from the past, in alphabetical order.

• Mary Kay Ash. The founder of Mary Kay Inc. started a cosmetics business. While she didn’t have a college education or any training, she successfully created a brand known throughout the world. To date, nearly half a million women have started Mary Kay businesses, selling cosmetics. Their appreciation for Mary Kay Ash is unwavering.
• Richard Branson. Richard Branson is best known for his thrill seeking spirit and outrageous business tactics. He dropped out at the age of 16 and started his first successful business venture, Student Magazine. He is the owner of the Virgin brand and its 360 companies. His companies include Virgin Megastore and Virgin Atlantic Airway.
• Coco Chanel. An orphan for many years, Gabrielle Coco Chanel trained as a seamstress. Determined to invent herself, she threw out the ideas that the fashion world deemed feminine, boldly using fabric and styles normally reserved for men. A perfume bearing her name, Chanel No. 5 kept her name famous.
• Simon Cowell. Simon Cowell started in a mailroom for a music publishing company. He has since become an Artist and Repertoire (A&R) executive for Sony BMG in the UK, and a television producer and judge for major television talent contests including American Idol.
• Michael Dell. With $1,000, dedication and desire, Michael Dell dropped out of college at age 19 to start PC’s Limited, later named Dell, Inc. Dell became the most profitable PC manufacturer in the world. In 1996, The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation offered a $50 million grant to The University of Texas at Austin to be used for children’s health and education in the city.
• Henry Ford. At 16, Henry Ford left home to apprentice as a machinist. He later started Ford Motor Company to manufacture automobiles. Ford’s first major success, the Model T, allowed Ford to open a large factory and later start the assembly line production, revolutionalizing the auto-making industry.
• Bill Gates. Ranked as the world’s richest person from 1995-2006, Bill Gates was a college drop out. He started the largest computer software company, Microsoft Corporation. Gates and his wife are philanthropists, starting The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with a focus on global health and learning.

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Top Ten Reasons to Remain a Wage Slave

by J Timothy King

Why be an entrepreneur? You know, entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone. And it isn’t as great as entrepreneurial bloggers say it is. Being an employee has some serious advantages. Here are the top ten reasons to remain a wage slave:

10. Some people actually like being employees. At least that’s the rumor. And they spend an awful lot of energy complaining— er, I mean, proclaiming to the world how much they love it! And if you’re one of them, you may be better off as a wage slave. Because an entrepreneur needs to spend that energy making things better, not complaining about how bad things are.

9. It’s easier to coast on through. I mean, to be an entrepreneur, you’d actually have to be motivated. How many people are excited, motivated, and still miserable? Trust me, you can be just as miserable without the motivation it takes to succeed as an entrepreneur. The boss is motivated enough for both of you, and he can always browbeat you when he needs a little extra performance. No need to become engaged in what you do.

8. You don’t have to do any of the hard work. You don’t have to make any of the hard decisions. The buck does not stop here. There’s always someone higher up in management. If you ran your own business, you’d have to make it work. But as a wage slave, there’s someone else whose job it is to figure that out. That’s why it’s easier to get a job than to run a business. It’s the low-hanging fruit. And easy come, easy go.

7. It’s a dog’s life. To paraphrase Steve Pavlina, when you want to increase your income, you have to sit up and beg your master for an extra Scooby Snack. And then you roll over and have your belly rubbed. And who doesn’t love that?

6. You need something to blame your fears on. And if you had no employer, who would you blame then? Who would take responsibility for your fears? Or your future? Trust me, you’ll be much happier if you can make it someone else’s fault when you’re miserable.

Check out the rest of the list at JTimothyKing.com

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