Hard to imagine it comes down to two traits.
But I dare you to come up with a successful entrepreneur (male or female) who does not possess them. Steve Jobs had them. Sara Blakely has them. So does entrepreneur Kelsey Ramsden.
As Founder and owner of four companies, Ramsden is set to bring in revenues of $50 million this year. She is Canada’s Top Female Entrepreneur two years in a row and on the Richard Branson Centre for Entrepreneurship as a mentor.
So what traits does Ramsden and these other rock-star entrepreneurs possess?
‘The ability to think big and be bold.’
Simplistic? Maybe. But entrepreneurs who brush this off risk waking up in the wasteland of unfulfilled dreams.
In fact, in a recent impact study on successful entrepreneurship sponsored by EY, the ability to think big and be bold came out as the number one differentiator between success and failure.
Flying back from the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Moscow, Ramsden shared with me three ways for entrepreneurs to practice thinking big and being bold:
1. Jump Outside Your Comfort Zone
Successful entrepreneurs get chills down their spine and do things to make their skin crawl. They constantly reach beyond their known capabilities into the unknown. For Ramsden -- a commonplace experience: “As I stepped off the plane in Moscow I asked myself what the hell I was doing there. Language barrier. Political turmoil. No one smiling. It reminded me of starting my own businesses. But then I realized entrepreneurs need to put themselves into situations they have not yet experienced and have no playbook for. Fear is a good reminder where we can choose to stay in our comfort zone or cross over the line to grow, improve, explore and gather higher levels of knowledge about ourselves and our opportunities.”
2.
Dr. Phil McGraw calls the ‘fear of rejection’ the number one fear of the human race. If we allow this fear to crush our boldness in reaching out to connect with new people, we won’t enjoy the success we dream of. Ramsden loves to get inspired by the likes of Steve Jobs and Richard Branson. But what she discovered on her Moscow trip opened her eyes. Inspirational people are sitting right next to you and it’s your obligation to meet them. “There are people out there just like me not named Branson or Jobs who have started their business from nothing and built it into something to be proud of. I think we make the mistake of comparing ourselves to the giants of entrepreneurship, as opposed to making deep connections with fellow entrepreneurs to learn their stories, get inspired and collaborate with. I am more moved by a colleague in pursuit of their dream than reading the story of Virgin one more time. We ought to boldly connect with other entrepreneurs. We ought to celebrate ourselves as entrepreneurs. Then we ought to go out and do something about it.”
3. Focus On What You Can Give
Blake Mycoskie wants to change the way we give. Dr. Lisa Williams wants to change the lives of millions of little girls. Bill Gates wants to change the world of millions in poverty. Big thoughts. Bold acts. But all in the name of the greater good. Have you noticed the world’s most prominent entrepreneurs focus more on what they can do for others than for themselves? Ramsden agrees this is a key factor in both thinking big and acting bold: “We spend so much time creating the veneer of all knowing and success. We do it when we meet people and our conversations revolve around our list of achievements. This is wrong. I think instead we ought to be mixing with people who have a single goal in mind: what can I do to serve others?”
As Ramsden continues on her journey to change the world around her for good, think of how you can do the same.
I’m Eric. Life-long entrepreneur and founder of Mighty Wise Academy. You can connect with me here.
