#bosspreneur

If you’re like me, you may be fascinated with studying the most successful people and learning from the best in the trade. Whether it’s Oprah, Marissa Peer, Beyonce, the founders of BossBabe or anyone else, there is incredible value in absorbing the readily available wisdom, tips and tricks, and the formula to their success, by simply doing your research.

In today’s age, we can find books, autobiographies, TedTalks, podcasts and videos, to name a few – all relaying the wisdom of those that have worked long and hard to achieve their success, wealth and fame.

By learning from their mistakes and following their advice, you too can emulate the most important traits of successful entrepreneurs and CEOs.

Here are the 10 characteristics that they all have in common…

1. Ambition

Successful people are go-getters, goaldiggers, they know the sky is the limit and they deserve a slice of the cake just as much as anyone else. They don’t settle for scraps, don’t take no as the final answer, and if there isn’t a way, they will make one. What sets them apart is their drive, that inner fuel that keeps them going even when the going gets tough.

2. Open Mind

They are focused on growth and self development, learning more every day, opening doorways and challenging themselves with every step. They approach life from a positive perspective of “How can this get even better? How can I improve things? How can I achieve more?” instead of “What if xyz happens? This is bad, this is not good enough”.

The key here is focus, because what you focus over, you’re giving your power to, and only attracting more of. As such, when they invest all their efforts into brainstorming how a business can grow, that is what they will actively be nourishing in the future.

3. Thirst for Knowledge

Darlings, we start the new year fresh with a powerful mindset and determination – and that begins with the question, are you working in your dreamjob or working towards it? If the answer is no… hold on tight because it’s time to MAKE THINGS HAPPEN. No excuses, no slacking ladies!

Whether it’s Youtube, e-commerce, Instagram modelling, a print-on-demand start up or anything else you have been dreaming about doing, this is the time to start if you haven’t already. Firstly, I know what you’re thinking. You’ve probably heard countless times (from the wrong people) that “the market is oversaturated” and “there’s no more place” and “they’re just the lucky ones” and other nonsense.

I genuinely believe the market can never be oversaturated with passionate people who are doing what they love. You can never have too many people in the world providing a service to others by using their greatest talents and skills!

I’m here to tell you that right now is the perfect time to get started on your dream.

When else are you going to start, in 1 year, 5 or 10? Because I promise if you wait that long, you will regret not starting sooner. When are you going to start, when you feel “ready”? That mythical time and location is relative. The sooner you start, the sooner you will gain more experience, traction and business know-how – and your future self will thank you for starting when you did, instead of later. Now, you may feel terrified at the idea of of failure or not knowing where to start, but remember that in all truth absolutely every successful business owner makes mistakes, it’s part of business.

To work in tune with my Mindset Glow Up Challenge on Instagram and Tumblr, today we are having a peptalk that may be much-needed, on why some of you keep failing your yearly goals.

Today we will make sure we have all the tools we need for succeeding at our goals for 2021, and that begins with understanding (and overcoming!) what the most common obstacles are. This way, you’ll avoid making the same mistakes year after year and wake up in late December reviewing your progress and wishing you had done better.

No TLC for this article, ladies – it’s January, and it’s time to get down to business with that potent CEO energy that Capricorn season blesses us with…

1. Lacking Intention

When it gets down to it, accomplishing any sort of goal begins with deciding that you want to make it happen! It really is that simple. Making the conscious choice of “Yes, I want this” is the foundation, the mental blueprint you need to get started on any goal. Our minds are incredibly powerful and highly responsive to any stimuli, any affirmations, any narrative – in other words, any kind of content we expose it to.

Solution: When you lack intention, there is no mental blueprint to build upon. So then, review your list of goals for 2021 and decide: do you really want to make them happen or not? Yes? Congrats babe, you’re already one step closer to your success!

2. Not putting in the work

So you’ve just finished setting up your blog, now what? There are 5 key things you need in order to make sure your blog is set up for success by creating magnetic content for your new audience. Let’s get right into it!

1. Authenticity

The most important thing you need in order to write magnetic content as a new blogger is authenticity. But what do we mean by authenticity exactly? It means that the value and information you provide to your audience is done so with integrity. It’s not just an ad for a product that you have zero association or belief in.

All the products, services and things you recommend, by default you are associating them with your brand, so if you’re filling your blog with things you don’t believe in, readers will know. If you were in their position, you wouldn’t want to be underestimated either would you? You’d want quality content, not just someone who’s in it for the monetary gains alone. There’s nothing wrong with monetizing your business, your blog, whatever you’re passionate about doing, but it is important to do it with authenticity  – that way you’re setting yourself up for success down the line!

Otherwise, if you’re not exercising caution and setting standards and principles about what you’ll present on your blog, this may become a liability down the line in terms of your reputation and brand. That’s why it’s better to stay on track from the start and not shoot yourself in the foot.

2. Confidence

As humans, we are naturally drawn to strong-minded people who boldly claim their path, we look up to them and admire them because in the end, we all aspire to reach the same level of confidence.

Perhaps you have been drawing since you could remember, or always enjoyed sketching and doodling but never invested enough time to develop your skills as you’d like.

Perhaps art has always been your bread and butter, your beating heart and soul, and this is the year that you have decided to really dive into drawing courses and practice daily and challenge yourself to grow the way you’ve always wanted.

Whatever the case, if you want to turn your creative work into a genuine, monetizable business so that you can create art for a living (or side hustle) and do what you love – this article is your 101 guide to get started.

1. Strategy

Any business, even one for your art, begins with answering the tough questions and defining what your goals are. You need to get clear on your strategy, on how you want to go about setting up this new business:

describe your artistic style

define the themes and topics of your art, for your own clarity down the line

what kind of products do you want to offer? (original one-time products, or printables like stickers, tshirts, prints and more)

what platform do you want to use for your e-commerce business? (Etsy, RedBubble, Society6, Shopify, etc)

2. Grow Your Audience on Social Media

In case you don’t already have social media accounts, create them. Instagram particularly is ideal for artists, creators, designers of all sorts because it’s all about the visual presentation, right? If you already have accounts, re-brand them, change the icons and update your bio to reflect your current goals. Change the username and name to make it clear who you are (make it crisp and professional, “sklumen.artist” is good, “skl2021hey” is not). You want to make it clear to any new visitor what your account is actually about. Make sure to add an interesting yet informative bio, useful contact info, and a website link (to your store, which we’ll get to in a bit).

Believing in yourself, because if you don’t believe in your potential, you’ll be lacking the most important fuel for achieving your dreams. You have to believe in yourself if you want others to believe in you too.

Having clear goals, so that you can keep your eyes on the prize. If you don’t know what you’re working towards, or what you’re fighting for, any motivation or desire will vanish, because there’s nothing enticing you at the end of it all. What’s your why? Why are you doing this? If you can’t answer these basic questions, you’re shooting yourself (and any success) in the foot before you’ve even started.

Dedication, which is the bread and butter of manifesting anything. You have to put in the work. Whether that is a lot of hard work, or being strategic and smart about your efforts, the point stands that your business endeavours require nurturing and watering in order to grow.

Consistency, to make sure you are progressively building on your goals, and so receiving equally consistent, steady results and income as well. By staying consistent, you are honoring these new endevours and giving them the opportunity for infinite growth.