A great thing about running your own business is that it makes you think as an entrepreneur and because your thinking develops in this way; looking for opportunities and working out how to use them becomes second nature.

Successful entrepreneaurs will without thinking; keep the payroll to a minimum. Only pay themselves enough to exist. Never indulge in fancy office equipment or furniture. They will hold meetings in hotel lobbies and such places.

Successful entrepreneaurs are good at negotiating, hiring and firing, getting funding, marketing, and grovelling. They are single minded, give their business everything, because they are going to succeed. They dedicate themselves to their business and particularly in the early days they work prodigiously.

Thinking creatively, freely and laterally is second nature to successful entrepreneaurs. Things do not always work as planned, the business model may not be working, they will keep changing it until it does. They will seek out advice, sometimes craftily. A friend of 30 years standing has started two successful businesses. He's a successful entrepreneaur as most people never start one, let alone two!

The second business was a larger version of the first involving considerable amounts of start up capital. Over many months in the start up phase we met regularly, mostly at his instigation on a Friday night in the pub. He's a sociable chap so I thought he was just being friendly and trying to relax. This went on for months and intermittently for years. We always discussed issues relating to the start up business. Some years later when the business was established and successful I realised from some chance remark he made that I had been giving away free consultancy because my friend had been drawing on our discussions to help him with his problems.

This is what friends are for and his business is a now market leader in it's sector and I am so pleased that he had the forsight to use my 'free consultancy'. So, talk to other entrepreneaurs because you will find that successful entrepreneaurs work nearly twice the average employees' hours but significantly more than 83% say it's worth it.

Never ever be too proud to discuss your problems

Best wishes,

Michael Harrison.

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