What it takes to run a successful business could fill a whole book, and it has, probably tens of thousands of times over. There are so many different angles to cover, from financial savvy to a willingness to work on yourself, not just your venture. But, for the purposes of this post, I am going to cover some topics that are really not in the realm of ‘’practical, concrete-type actions,’’ like buying a good accounting software, or making cash flow projections .I want to discuss topics that are a bit more ‘’abstract.’’  Tips that will help form the foundation of your success, and the steps you take to achieve it.

What is Your ‘’Why’’?

When it comes to really succeeding at the things we want in life, such as building a successful business, it is imperative we clearly define why we want the things we want. Defining the ‘’why’’ helps us uncover our core values, what we truly want out of life, and who we really want to be. Once we discover this, we are much more motivated to achieve the goals we have set out for ourselves. We do the work; we make  the necessary changes; we try harder to become the people we need to be to make these things happen. If you don’t clearly define why you want this business, and what you hope it will bring you, you will fail, without a doubt.

Commit to Working on Yourself and Not Just Your Business

If you notice one thing about the most successful people in the business world, regardless of the nature of their work, they all seem to have a similar mindset. A mindset of taking personal responsibility for your life, thinking positively, and engaging in personal development, not just professional development. If you really want to succeed, you have to do some work on yourself, not just your venture. You need to plant the seeds of success through exposure to information that will help you develop a mindset and belief system that will push you forward, not hold you back.

Be Curious and Willing to Learn

Successful people never stop learning; they don’t reach a point where they think they know all there is to know and just stop taking in information. If you want to succeed with your business, you should develop and nurture a curiosity and desire to educate yourself about topics that will help you be a better business owner. I am talking about all sorts of topics, from practical matters, such as alternative financing options and how to provide better customer service, to meeting with other business owners and learning from them, and reading the success stories, and teasing out what these people did, and how they thought.

Set Specific Goals

Sure, you want to be successful and make boatloads of money; but, in order to get there, you need to get a bit more specific with your goals. Without defining specific targets, your efforts will be scattered and inefficient ; you will not have a good base off of which to evaluate whether certain strategies are working or not. Set both long-term and short-term goals to give order and clarity to your work.