Rarely is entrepreneurial success ever coincidental or accidental. Without a doubt, entrepreneurialism is hard. It takes unrelenting dedication, undeniable drive, and consistent discipline.
And it’s not just about having a great business idea. It’s about taking that idea and bringing it to life with an exceptional plan, dedicated team, and -- of course -- a few great habits to help you along.
While different entrepreneurs and business owners will tell you their habits they do every single day, which might or might not vary, there’s a few that every successful CEO and high-level officer seem to stick to.
From Richard Branson to Sara Blakely, great habits are the solid foundation of building a raging success of a business. Don’t believe me? Take a look at these 8 habits from highly successful entrepreneurs that will change your mind.
8 Habits of Highly Successful Entrepreneurs
Feeding the Body and Mind with Healthy Food
Did you know Richard Branson drinks on average 20 cups of tea a day? Nope -- no coffee for this powerhouse! He fuels his body and mind with good old tea.
Feeding yourself with healthy, good for you food means not only will your body will be in tip-top shape, but your mind, too. I mean, have you ever heard someone say their ready to tackle 50 emails and a strategy meeting after chowing down on a Big Mac and large box of french fries? Probably not. (More like their ready to tackle a 3-hour nap, right?)
Always Setting Goals
Steve Jobs was notorious for bringing Apple from the brink of defeat to one of the most powerful and successful brands in the world. Not only was it his relentless drive to always make things better, but his habit of always setting goals -- both long-term and short-term -- gave his mission purpose and a never-ending momentum that ultimately helped him reach his dreams.
Setting achievable goals as an entrepreneur means you won’t just be floating through life or bouncing along, waiting for success to happen. Habitually setting goals means you’ll always be reaching or moving towards something to further your brand or yourself.
Practicing Daily Gratitude
While many believe Thanksgiving is the day to give thanks, Oprah Winfrey believes everyday should be filled with endless gratitude. Not only does practicing daily gratitude elevate your mood, it’s said to help you even improve sleep (if you write down things your grateful for before bed, instead of going through your to-do list for the following day!).
Furthermore, being grateful everyday for what you already have sets the tone in any office space and shows others to do the same. Instead of constantly stressing out and being anxious about what clients you need to land or that new contract you need to get, showing the team to express gratitude for every little win inspires positivity, loyalty, and brings about an overall elevated atmosphere.
Remember, you reap what you sow, so make sure it’s only the good stuff!
Consistency is Key
It’s no coincidence that Mark Zuckerberg wears the same outfit nearly everyday… he makes his life easier by cutting down on the amount of decisions he has to make so he can focus the majority of his attention on how to best serve his audience.
With that in mind, a little-known, yet powerful, entrepreneur habit to follow is consistency. Whether that means waking up at the same time, wearing the same outfit, meditating everyday, or having a healthy smoothie to fuel your body in the morning.
Sticking with a consistent habit or schedule allows you to simplify your life by streamlining your decisions (just like good old Mark).
Prioritizing Sleep
Ever heard of Jeff Bezos? Aka the richest guy in the world and CEO of a little company called Amazon? This successful entrepreneur doesn’t just have great habits of waking up early and eating breakfast with his family, he also prioritizes sleep.
Yep, that’s right! You won’t find this guy claiming he’s a night owl.
An underrated habit for business owners, getting adequate sleep sets you up for success for the following day. Allowing your brain to clear out, reset, and power up means you can take advantage of more focus, less stress, increased energy, and overall better productivity (which is essential for entrepreneurs).
They Get Moving (But Not in the Way You Might Think)
Typically, exercising is at the top of every successful entrepreneur’s to-do list… but when it comes to Sara Blakely (aka the brain behind the booming brand Spanx) she gets moving by driving aimlessly around Atlanta before work starts to get her creative juices flowing!
Although, she’s not the only one who has her best ideas come to her while on the move. In fact, Steve Jobs was known to go on long walks to spur ideas and he often held meetings while strolling around Apple’s campus. And Linkedin’s CEO Jeff Weiner explained why he’d choose walking meetings over office meetings any day in a 2013 Linkedin post.
Unplug to Unwind
As you might imagine, sitting on your phone all night before bedtime and in the morning right after waking up does your brain no favors. That’s why Arianna Huffington, aka the maven behind the popular online journal The Huffington Post, always unplugs before bedtime and in the morning by charging her phone in a completely separate room.
Additionally, this successful entrepreneur doesn’t use an alarm. She unwinds and goes to bed early enough to wake up naturally, as she despises the thought of starting her day with a blaring alarm because it creates a flood of “stress hormones and adrenaline as our body readies itself for danger.”
Multitasking is Off-Limits
How did Bill Gates become one of the richest people in the world? By refraining from doing this one thing that cuts productivity in half -- multitasking (as well as a few other great habits and a dedicated team to help bring his vision to life!).
In fact, Bill Gates says his productivity secret is unbreakable concentration towards one task. Often times, at the beginning of his career, he’d spend multiple days at a time in the office. While many would pin this down to workaholism, he was actually getting lost in his deep, immersive concentration!
Too many entrepreneurs and business owners are guilty of multitasking but while many claim to be an expert at it, the science is clear: multitasking doesn’t work. Instead of saving time and being more efficient, multitasking divides your focus and concentration, which effectively means you’re giving less than half of your attention towards a task.
Ready to take your success to the next level? Make sure to keep this raving entrepreneurs’ habits in mind and try them out for yourself! Whether it’s just one or two at a time, or all of them combined, you can be sure your business and life will benefit from any one of these habits. Which of these habits was your favorite?