What Can You Learn From Entrepreneurs

Money makes the world go round.

We’ve all heard that before. It’s not right to say that those that make the most money keep the planet spinning, but they are definitely important.

Sometimes successful entrepreneurs seem so far removed from average people. But what lessons can a normal person like you or I learn from them?

It’s always important to let others inspire you, and the world’s leading entrepreneurs provide inspiration in spades. Whether you want to lead a company or not, the business world has a lot of things to teach us. You can stand to learn a lot from it. Entrepreneurs can teach you to improve your work ethic, how to find the drive to never stop learning, or even how to find your passion.

Preparing for change

The world as we know it is always changing. That is clear now more than ever. But many people are still afraid of it. The most successful entrepreneurs, however, embrace change. Psychiatrists often recommend immersion therapy to get over phobias, so that’s what you have to do. Instead of being afraid, look at entrepreneurs who have immersed themselves in the exciting and the new.

Fashion entrepreneur Tom Chapman says that in the modern world, “Leaders must rethink what’s possible and deliver meaningful change”. This not only applies to leaders, but to everyone. Instead of seeing the unknown as a roadblock, see it as an opportunity. Think like an entrepreneur and find solutions to difficult problems. If you rethink what is possible, you can achieve anything you set your mind to.

The importance of hard work

You might think you work hard, but there will always be someone working harder. Roosevelt said comparison is the thief of joy, but you can use it for your own benefit. The world’s most successful entrepreneurs also happen to be some of the hardest working. Mark Cuban famously didn’t take a vacation for seven years when starting his business. Microsoft CEO Tim Cook starts his day at 4:30am with emails. Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer frequently worked 130 hour weeks when she was a Google employee. Can you spot the common theme?

Everyone knows you need to work hard to be successful. Not everyone knows how hard. New York Times Best-selling author Grant Cardone says that, “if you can outwork the rest of the population, you’re going to get lucky”. This doesn’t just apply to business. It doesn’t matter if you want to bake cakes or join the circus. Hard work is the first step for success.

Always keep learning

Knowledge is all around us. Due to the nature of the modern world, you don’t need to go to the best universities to find it. Thanks to the internet, you have all of mankind’s collective knowledge at your fingertips. Long gone are the days where you need a degree to get anywhere. Some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs don’t have one.

Bills Gates, founder of Microsoft, is perhaps the most successful college dropout ever. He has a net worth of $98 million dollars. Mark Zuckerberg is another example. He founded Facebook while at Harvard and never finished his degree. If you have the right drive, you can learn anything you want. The world’s best entrepreneurs never stop learning. So, don’t let success go to your head. Never rest on your laurels. How are you going to outwork everyone else if you don’t have the knowledge?

Finding your passion

Passion might just be the most important trait an entrepreneur can have. It is the glue that binds their work ethic, desire to learn and ability to think on their feet. You could have all of this. It means nothing if you don’t love what you do. It’s easy to be cynical and think leading businesspeople only care about money. This is rarely the case. No one gets to be the best at what they do for superficial reasons. The truth is, the world’s most successful entrepreneurs are filled with passion for what they do.

So then why do something you aren’t passionate about? Find something you love doing and apply the lessons you’ve learned to that. Become the best. It doesn’t matter if it might be trivial or insignificant to some. I’m sure if you told someone in the 90s the richest man in the world built his fortune selling books on the internet, they would have laughed. Now Jeff Bezos is worth $117 billion.

Always work hard. Never stop learning. Be prepared for things to change – because they will – and find something you are passionate about. People who are successful in business would tell you the same thing. So, what are you waiting for?