What Entrepreneurs Didn’t Learn In College About Success; Real Business

— recently published in Smart Business

You worked hard in school. You signed up for all the classes that you heard would help you to succeed in business and you did your best to absorb those lessons and strategies. You left school, launched your business and you followed all the formulas for success… so why isn’t your business thriving the way that you thought it would?

You can learn business in college, but you can’t live business in college. To truly embrace business, you have to live it. Real business is navigating the ups and downs at any given moment. It’s about strengthening your “bounce-back factor” — how fast you get back up after you get knocked down.

Get ready for a challenge

The simple truth is that building a business is challenging. There are bound to be times that things just don’t go as well as you’d hoped. The difference between those who succeed and those who don’t, though, is the ability to effectively persevere. Sure, there will be setbacks, sidesteps and obstacles to overcome, but if you have a passion for the business you’ve created and a thick skin to withstand the storms that pass over your business’s growth from time to time, you can have a real shot at making your business great.

Yes, you can learn about economics in a book, but a viable strategy requires you to put your Sherlock Holmes hat on to analyze the challenge, look for clues and determine what is working for your business and what simply isn’t. Business requires planning and calculating, but the real test is when the rubber meets the road and you ask yourself, “How badly do I want this?” You have the ability to create a business that is beyond the classroom, so what is holding you back?

Change your mindset to experience success

No one is talking about throwing your college business training out the window, but it is important to realize that all the training in the world can only get you so far when it comes to realizing your dreams of success.

If you truly want to see your business be the most in can be, you have to envision your ultimate version of success and take the action steps necessary to reach it. It may sound trite, but you have to believe it to achieve it — and you can’t back down!

Believe in your success on the good days and the bad, and you’ll be that much closer to realizing your business goals. Textbooks can only go so far in your real-world business education. If you have the right amount of passion and persistence (meaning you are overflowing with both) and you refuse to back down regardless of the rejections, disappointments and failures, success is waiting with a big smile on the other side.