Written by Evan Rose
I got my first job at 14, as soon as I could legally get my work permit. From then until the end of college, I worked every summer as well as during the year part time. From my freshman year to my junior year, I worked in finance at prestigious firms in New York and Atlanta. By the time I had graduated in 2009, the entire financial market had crashed. Job offers were being rescinded all around and the industry I had spent years gaining experience in was seemingly closed to many new entrants. I was lucky enough to secure an entry level position at a hedge fund in Manhattan but I moved in with my parents to save up money. Though at times it was embarrassing to admit that I lived with my parents when many of my friends were thriving in finance or studying at top med schools, the two years I spent living with my parents and younger brother helped me cultivate the skills central to my future success.
The following tips are intended to help aspiring entrepreneurs gain a mindset crucial for success in the field:
1. Invest in Yourself
Soon after I moved in with my parents, I wanted to move out. It wasn’t that I disliked my family--it was the opposite. I felt that they had given me so much that I owed it to them to use my blessings productively. I was desperate to make something of myself. The temptation when you’re hungry for success is to chase it frantically, thinking that any work is good work. All work is not equal. While you’re trading your time for money, you have to make sure to save some time for yourself. You can spend years working only to look up one day, not like where you are and realize that your skills are not in high demand. One of the most important things I learned was to invest in myself. While I was working in Manhattan, I spent my nights at home learning to code. I saw what was happening as the world went mobile and I couldn’t stop thinking about the endless possibilities. I wanted to be one of the entrepreneurs helping to create the future. My investment of time and effort into learning to code was by far the best investment I have ever made--I now run my own development firm, Rose Digital.
2. Use failure as feedback
Even after committing to an idea, it is likely that you fail at least once. The first failure is where most budding entrepreneurs hang their hat and pursue a normal job. In our risk-averse society, this failure is viewed by many as a confirmation that a person is not cut out for life as an entrepreneur. In reality, the first failure should be used as a checkpoint. Failure does not mean “game over,” it means “restart”-- and you get to keep all the wisdom and relationships you had before it. No matter how many times you fail, as you accrue wisdom, your probability of success increases.
3. Stay humble and keep an open mind
Humility is key for an entrepreneur. Remain humble and search for ways to improve. This means never thinking your solution is the best or the only way to do something. You can always learn something from other people in your industry and other entrepreneurs. Being an entrepreneur is not about knowing or being the best at everything--it is about rallying a group of incredibly sharp, committed individuals with complementary skills to successfully achieve a goal.
4. Use affirmations
In a career inherently riddled with failure, it is crucial for aspiring entrepreneurs to become comfortable assuring themselves. Self-affirmations have been proven to boost confidence, mood, productivity, and counteract negative emotions. One useful app is Affirmable. For a more in depth description of affirmations among other great tools, check out Think and Grow Rich (https://www.amazon.com/Think-Grow-Rich-Napoleon-Hill/dp/149617545X). Many people, even those who are supposed to support you, can be very skeptical of your choice to become an entrepreneur because of the high level of risk. While dealing with skeptics is hard, it is a natural part of life as an entrepreneur. One of the most crucial things an entrepreneur must acknowledge is that you are your biggest investor. To jump into uncertainty takes bravery and self-belief, and it is crucial to preserve those throughout your journey. Entrepreneurship is a field that demands resilience and self-confidence, and as such, it is crucial to support yourself.
5. Take care of your mind and stay healthy
Despite the huge amount of pressure that comes with being the captain of your own dreams, it is important to regularly take a step back and productively manage negative emotions and stress. Without a healthy mind and body, productivity decreases immensely, and progress stalls. Cultivate healthy resilience; take disappointment and losses, process them, and come back stronger--don’t just ignore that they happened. To be an outstanding entrepreneur, you must know yourself and know how to build a healthy life around your goals.
Being a successful entrepreneur is no easy task. It takes commitment, adaptability, persistence and creativity. If you are willing to spend time cultivating those virtues and skills, you will be equipped for the road ahead; all that’d be left is abandoning fear and getting to work!
Evan Rose is a web/mobile applications developer and entrepreneur. He started Rose Digital, a New York based minority-owned digital agency focused on mobile and single page responsive web applications, in 2014 and since then has built and delivered web and mobile applications for companies like Ford, American Express and Zoetis. He’s passionate about building modern web experiences around major, revenue generating products for companies.
Website: http://rosedigital.co/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosedigitalco
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evanmrose