Ever wonder what you’d like to tell other entrepreneurs after you’ve died? I hope I’m not the only one to have this strange compulsion to think such morbid thoughts. Whatever the case, I thought: who better to look to than successful entrepreneurs who are now dead for the answer?

Be Yourself

As Steve Jobs so eloquently put in his ode to The Crazy Ones, he believed in being a square peg in a round hole. Here’s what he said “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” How many of my clients are too afraid to blog their true opinions or to show their picture on their website? Sadly, too many to count.

Don’t Be Afraid To Dream Big

“If you can dream it, you can do it” said Walt Disney, the man who made big ears famous. Having big goals is a huge fear of entrepreneurs. Just today, I had a business owner tell me that her big audacious business goal was a secret from everyone but her husband. She was afraid to speak it out loud in case it never happened. I say shout it out so you can be accountable to them and never shrink in fear again.

Don’t be So Worried

Worry is just  negative visualization. As Henry Ford said “A business absolutely devoted to service will have only one worry about profits. They will be embarrassingly large.” If you’re worried about anything, it should be whether you’re doing a good enough job with your current clients. Leave the rest of your worries behind because they will not help you.

Rejection is For Your Own Good

Remember an obscure little guy by the name of Albert Einstein? Well apparently he knew a thing or two about rejection: ” I am thankful for all of those who said NO to me. It’s because of them I’m doing it myself”. When I think about all the ‘no’s’ I have gotten through the years from prospects who weren’t ready, I know that I’ve learned so much from each one. It’s all how you view it.

You’re Never Too Small

In the famous words of the Body Shop founder Anita Roddick ” If you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito.” When I’m in a roomful of millionaire business owners, I remind myself that I am also successful. I am also making a difference in the world. I also matter.

Educate Your Customers

Part of our marketing process with any new client is to establish them as an expert in a specialty and formulate their marketing plan around educating their ideal client groups in the specialty. The amazing sales coach Chet Holmes agrees with me. “When you sell, you break rapport, but when you educate, you build it. Sales is all about building rapport, not breaking it. ”

Read Dammit

I was shocked to read (no pun intended) that only 10% of the population purchases books and most of those books are only read the first quarter of the way. Jim Rohn put it best when he said  “Successful people have libraries. The rest have big screen TVs” As the author of 2 books and a Kindle-addict myself, all I can implore you to do is to read, listen to or watch videos to learn more from the masters. It’s the only way you’ll move forward.
Why not try a few of these suggestions from dead entrepreneurs. They might have a point you know…
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