As a successful entrepreneur himself, Ezekiel Bentancourt reflects on his own successes and failures along the way to bring you some of the top tips to being the entrepreneur you've always dreamed of. Read on to discover the wise words of Ezekiel and implement them into your own life, kickstarting your business journey the right way.
Always Put God First
I attribute all of my success to God, It says in Matthew 6:33, 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you'
Whenever I humble myself and pray, God always has a knack of bringing the right people into my life and showing me the right path. Of course, I still have to put in my own effort. Many people have the misconception that God is some kind of cosmic vending machine giving free handouts. This is simply not true, and if you want to eat cake, then God provides the recipe but you have to do the baking.
Get In The Right Mindset Of Accepting Failure
Business is not an easy path, and it often goes against the academic grading system. We were subconsciously programmed to be perfectionists with our work in school, but in contrast, business is all about failing - people have to accept failure and understand every failure is one step closer to success.
My first business was teaching skateboarding lessons at 19 and I didn't know anything about marketing at the time so I used to pass out flyers every weekend to grow my business. For 6 months straight, I would show up to my lessons every weekend with no attendees. Many people would have given up at this point but I remained persistent and finally got my first client.
I eventually learned about multiple forms of marketing, subsequently leading me to have 100 students and 15 employees throughout the years. The moral of the story is to love the process of failing, be persistent, and do not get discouraged.
Learn From Your Own Mistakes, And Those Of Others
Insanity can be defined as repeating the same mistakes over and over yet expecting different results. You have to learn from your mistakes and innovate to get different results. It takes years of failure to familiarize yourself with a business model.
The learning does not stop there, the market is always changing so you have to continue to adapt to stay ahead of the competition. The secret to cutting the learning curve of a business model is to get a mentor who can teach what they have learned over the years in a minimal amount of time. You either need to provide money or value to get a mentor. If you have neither, focus on getting one.
Be The Best You, Focus On Self Development
Prioritize growing in the 5 Ys - spiritually, mentally, physically, financially, and socially.
- If you want to grow spiritually, read the bible and pray more.
- If you want to grow mentally, read more books and watch educational content.
- If you want to grow physically, lift weights and do cardiovascular exercises.
- If you want to grow financially, learn new business models and become financially literate.
- If you want to grow socially, practice becoming emotionally intuitive and building relationships.
All of these skills will prepare you for any obstacle you may face in the future. The key is to focus on your insecurities and weaknesses to become a better you.
Focus On One Business Model
Shiny Object Syndrome is the situation where people focus all their attention on something that is current and trendy, yet drop it as soon as something new takes its place. Many fall victim to this syndrome and end up achieving nothing.
There are a lot of great business models out there and it is possible to become successful in one if you dedicate yourself to it. There is a lot of competition with each type of business and it's worth remembering that everybody is fighting for your spot.
The people that win are the ones who put the most hours in and are devoted to succeeding. I would recommend doing a brief overview of different business models you are interested in and whichever one you are passionate about or sparks a fire is the one you should go all in on. Don't attempt any other business model until you dominate your current one.
Give 100 Percent In Everything You Do And Always Follow Through
Success comes down to discipline and consistency. Motivation only gets you so far and eventually runs out. The days that you don't want to do something are the most important days where you have to push through and grind the hardest.
One missed day can set you back for weeks. Something as simple as making your bed everyday or exercising for a certain amount of time can affect all aspects of your life. If you let one thing slide, you will most likely let another thing slide.
This is similar to the domino effect - the cumulative effect produced when one event sets off a chain of similar events. Your mind is constantly observing your behavior and subconsciously molding your character. Always follow through with your promises and intentions and give 100 percent, even when you don't feel like it.
Create The Best Environment Around You Geared Towards Success
Your friends and your environment can either make you or break you. We have all heard the saying that you are the average of the 5 people you hang out with. Most people waste their short time here on earth with fruitless pursuits such as partying and watching mindless content. Furthermore, many individuals are insecure or have many limiting beliefs.
It is inevitable that you will adopt some of these characteristics if you are always around these people. You need to separate yourself far away from these people, even if you have to run solo for a period of time.
Only follow the people you want to emulate on social media and consume financial content as much as you can. This will help you create the right wavelength for yourself until you meet the right people.
Value Your Time
Time is the most valuable asset you have and does not stop for anybody. We only have a limited amount of time on earth so we have to use it wisely. It is easy to let time slip by scrolling through social media, watching TV, or just sleeping during the day when you could be more productive.
That is why it is important to schedule your day using a technique known as time boxing. The most successful people have the best time management skills. Elon Musk is a big fan of time boxing. You may wonder why time boxing is so effective and that's because it prevents you from wasting time on mindless content and it mitigates the negative effects of Parkinson's law.
Prioritize Your Sleep Patterns
Get in the mindset that your day starts the night before. Sleep plays a very important role in productivity for the next day so always aim for at least 8 hours. We have all felt the negative effects of the lack of sleep as it affects your cognitive and motor capabilities and can cloud your judgement. Invest in devices that track your REM sleep and help keep a strong circadian rhythm.
Believe In Yourself
You have to believe that you can do something before you try it. There are many risks and a lot of competition in business and if you do not believe you can do something then you are most likely going to fail. Our thoughts shape our reality from the inside out, and everything we see in this world today was created from someone's thoughts whether it is an invention or an excellently designed building.
Our current characteristics are shaped from what we believe about ourselves. Our minds are more powerful than we think, so that is why it is important to always talk highly about ourselves. Self affirmations will mold you into the person you want to be.
Delegate Your Work
Everyone has a limited amount of time but what if I told you it is possible to create more time? The secret is to hire employees who are passionate about what they do, and who you can trust to delegate responsibility to.
You should only hire employees when you are making a decent amount of money and you are too busy to manage every aspect of your business. You should be only making big decisions or handling important calls. When I started delegating tasks, I got a majority of my time back and I had exponential growth in my business. This allowed me to step away from business and create new endeavors.
Maintain A Healthy Work/Life Balance
As a new entrepreneur, it is important to work at least 50 hours per week, some entrepreneurs even work 80.
Eventually it gets to the point where you are working too much and your mental health will start diminishing and you will feel burned out. To prevent this, spend one day or a couple hours out of the day doing an activity you love to do something for yourself instead of being focused on money and success.
These activities will contribute to your vision because they will help you relieve stress and maintain an ideal state of mind. It might not seem like these hobbies or activities relate to your vision, but it is the feelings you have while doing these activities that make them relatable to your vision. You are creating and living in the ideal state of mind which transfers back to your business.
