EXIT LIGHT! ENTER NIGHT! TAKE MY HAND! WE’RE OFF TO NEVER NEVER LAND! I love me some Metallica. And Guns N Roses. And Led Zeppelin. I always wanted to be a rockstar. I guess I’ve sort have embraced that I’m not meant to sell out Madison Square Garden rocking out on a giant stage in this life. But thats not going to stop me from becoming a rockstar of my trade. Here are the 11 ways to become a business rockstar in 2015 that I am choosing to embrace.
1. Never become content, complacent or comfortable. We’ve all heard it before. “I’m happy with where I’m at. I don’t need to grow my business. I don’t need to improve procedure.” These three C’s are the enemy. Why? Well here’s an example. You own a business that produces $500,000 in top line revenue every year. That number has been the exact same from 2011-2014. So what’s the problem? Expenses always increase. Rent, payroll, fuel costs, cost of good sold go up in price. Revenue stays the same. Margins shrink.
2. Read. Read. And read some more. Chances are there is someone out there smarter than you on most business related topics. That’s why I encourage reading as much as possible. Think and Grow Rich. 7 habits of highly effective people. The Four Hour Work Week. There are so many fantastic books out their that can really help to put things in perspective as well as teach you the way to business rockstar-dom. If you like the Donald and his real estate knowledge, read his books. If you think Warren Buffett is a brilliant investor, read his books. This is the way into the minds of the best businessmen and women in the world.
3. Understand it is alright to fail. As long as you learn something from it. Inevitably, 99.9% of failures will provide a learning experience inadvertently. A lot of us are risk averse. But know this. Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times before his success. Steve Jobs was fired from Apple! Colonel Sanders endured over 1,000 rejections for his idea of KFC. The greats have all failed. It was their perseverance through the failure that led them to greatness. This is perhaps one of the more important of 11 ways to become a business rockstar in 2015.
4. Watch CNBC often. If you can keep the channel on all day, do it. You would be amazed at how much you can pick up by just having CNBC on as you carry on your daily work routine. The meat and potatoes is the regular financial news during the day which is a great way to get a better understanding of the world of finance, stocks and business. At night, get your reality tv fix with shows like Shark Tank and The Profit. Well, reality tv to a certain extent.
5. Listen to Audiobooks on your daily commute. No time should be wasted. Audible is great. One can download a bunch of informative business audiobooks for the commute to and from the office. Let’s say your commute was 30 minutes each way. You could finish many of these fantastic business books I speak of in a week or two.
6. Frequent websites like Entrepreneur.com, Inc.com, and Fastcompany.com. These sites have some of the best contributors from all over the business worlds. Founders of start-ups with phenomenal growth and experts in a vast variety of fields such as marketing, accounting, finance. You will be amazed how much you learn with a few clicks and fast reads per day. On a few posts, they are even nice enough to tell you the amount of time it will take you to read it. Follow them on your social media profiles so you can get automatic updates.
7. Wake up early. Most of the worlds super successful are up before the sun. Why? Limited interruptions. Why should you be a copycat? It’s a sure way to get more done and be more productive with your day. Use the additional time for our next tip, or work on some new ideas, or respond to emails etc. Furthermore, there is research surfacing saying that 7 hours of sleep may be even better for you than 8. So if you go to bed by 10 pm, you can be awake at 5 am and still have a scientific research backed healthy amount of sleep.
8. Get off your butt and exercise regularly. Exercise is a fantastic stress reliever and can improve overall mental health. If I am ever frustrated with my day, I head to the gym and do a few rounds with the heavy bag. If stress was at a level 5 entering the gym, chances are it’s at level 3 when I leave. We all know the business world can be a stressful one so it is important that we develop ways to handle the stresses rather than internalize them.
9. Have a solid diet. A big, nutritious breakfast is a great way to truly energize your entire day. A healthy diet will also leave you feeling better all around and overall. A solid diet also can give you the energy to get through the day. So limit the Mcdonald’s to less than twice a day and start eating healthier. Watch the physical, mental, and emotional effects start to kick in within days.
10. Practice efficiency throughout life. Try to become more efficient in almost everything you do. Even if your shopping for groceries, try to use a process that’s the most efficient possible. Embrace efficiency in all aspects of life even in the small everyday task and soon efficiency will become you. You will want to be efficient at everything your involved in. Efficiency will be important on your journey to becoming a business rockstar.
11. Do not procrastinate. Oh there is something you keep putting off? Why? You’re too busy. No you’re not. You’re being a lazy bones. You don’t need to watch that extra episode of American Horror Story or The Profit. That episode is something you CAN procrastinate with. I will be posting a separate article addressing how to deal with procrastination because it’s one of those things that really can become a hinderance on your entire life.
These are sure paths to business rockstar-dom. Any trade for that matter can benefit from these 11 tips. Any lifestyle can benefit from these 11 ways to become a business rockstar. So make it a New Years Resolution and become a business rockstar. Oh and try not to break anything while your playing that mean air guitar. Happy New Year everyone. I wish you a prosperous one. Now take my wish and go out and make it happen. Until next time. d2 signing off.
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