Five Habits of Successful Entrepreneurs to Emulate

Up and coming entrepreneurs look to their more successful counterparts for inspiration and not without good reason either, after all, it’s generally personal and work habits that distinguish successful entrepreneurs from the rest.

Consequently, it stands to reason that by emulating their habits they too stand a better chance of succeeding in their chosen field. 

In addition to skipping reality television shows, here are five habits of successful entrepreneurs (and the world’s richest people) to consider emulating. 

1. They don’t set out to be rich

The most successful entrepreneurs, as a general trend, don’t set out to become rich; wealth is just something that accompanies success. 

To be successful, and therefore accumulate wealth, what they’ve instead done is use their ideas to create products and services and to sell the products and services of others in such a way that everyone benefits, most notably consumers. 

Moreover, to do so successfully, they’ve identified market needs and that’s where the real opportunities to capitalise upon lie. 

2. They identify and start with a market need

It’s one thing to have great ideas and quite another to have great ideas concerning things that consumers have a need for or at least, as in the case of Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, want badly. 

One way to see ideas is that because they’re so abundant and profuse they’re actually worth very little. However, when you tie a great idea to an area in need of attention, i.e. a gap in the market, then you have the opportunity to make a fortune. 

3. They’re healthy

Not surprisingly, the most successful entrepreneurs are healthy and they understand the importance of taking care of themselves. The infographic linked to above – with information derived from Thomas C. Corley’s study of 233 wealth and 128 poor people – shows that the wealthy exercise three times as much as the poor and that they also consume roughly 25 percent less in junk food calories. 

As you’ve probably noticed from experience, when you exercise you ply your brain with oxygen which helps you think clearer. Now take into consideration that it’s often the ability to think clearly and decisively that distinguishes successful entrepreneurs from the rest and the difference that regular exercise makes becomes apparent. 

4. They have a routine 

There’s a Chinese proverb that goes something along the lines of, ‘No one who rises before dawn 360 days a year can fail to make their family rich’. Whilst you don’t need to wake before the rooster crows, it’s difficult to deny that having a routine and sticking to it makes a difference. 

From the abovementioned infographic, here are some figures consider. 

. 81 percent of the wealthy maintain a to-do list compared to 9 percent of the poor

. 44 percent of wealthy people wake up 3+ hours before work compared to 3 percent of the poor

. 88 percent of the wealthy read at least 30 minutes every day compared to 2 percent of the poor

That’s food for thought, and not beans and rice either, that’s caviar and lobster. 

5. They set goals 

Not surprisingly, successful entrepreneurs set themselves goals to work towards, for example packing conference venues when giving talks, but what’s really interesting is that a high percentage (67) recognise the value of writing their goals down, an even higher percentage (84) believe good habits create opportunity and an even higher percentage (86) believe in life-long educational self-improvement. 

Whilst emulating these habits mightn’t help you to become even mildly successful; they’re worth taking a chance on, which is another habit of successful entrepreneurs – they’re willing to take risks.