Raj Abraham Share These 5 Things You’ll Never Hear From a Successful Entrepreneur

 Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes, from a great diversity of backgrounds and with a great diversity of different philosophies and approaches. This is evident in the spread of company cultures and growth trajectories among startups.

Considering this, if you ask 10 entrepreneurs what the most important factors for entrepreneurial success are, you’ll probably get 10 different answers.

Nevertheless, there are fundamental qualities that almost every successful entrepreneur shares in common. They are passionate, imaginative and undaunted by the inevitable challenges of starting a business from scratch. That’s why you’ll never hear a successful entrepreneur say one of these five things:

1. “I don’t want to hear it.”

The most successful entrepreneurs are open to new ideas and inspiration no matter where they come from. They’re willing to listen to customer complaints and incorporate that feedback into later models. They’re open to talk with mentors and peers about different approaches and different ways of doing things. They’re eager to hear from their teams to discover new perspectives about the challenges faced by the business.

Listening to others’ thoughts and opinions, even if you don’t agree with them, is essential for achieving any kind of meaningful growth. Our individual perspectives are limited, no matter how much we’d like to think otherwise. Entrepreneurs who are open-minded enough to hear others out tend to be far more successful than those who aren’t.

2. “That’s impossible.”

Possibility is relative. What might be impossible to one group of people in one set of circumstances might be entirely possible to another. When someone says “that’s impossible,” what they often mean is “I’m not capable of doing this right now.”

Successful entrepreneurs don’t view the world with this type of artificial limitation. Instead of seeing how a challenge can be overcome by their current abilities and current resources, they think of how it can be overcome by any possible set of abilities or resources.

For example, if something is “impossible” in the moment, the successful entrepreneur might imagine that it’s not impossible with the addition of two new team members and an extra week added to the timeline. Alternative solutions drive innovation, and successful entrepreneurs are always willing to experiment to get the results they want.

3. “It’s good enough.”

Some people stroll through their entire careers with a “good enough” mentality — they put in just enough effort to see a favorable result, and make decisions based on minimum criteria for success. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this. For most people in most careers, good enough really does mean good enough.

But in entrepreneurship, competition is much fiercer and you’re in far greater control of your own destiny. Too many competitors and volatile factors are bearing down on you for you to settle for anything. When you first launch your core business, or your core product, your mind will be racing with ways you can improve upon it. Even after years and multiple generations, you’ll still be driven to experiment and find ways to improve. This constant denial of satisfaction can be maddening, but it’s what drives these entrepreneurs to success.

4. “I’m too busy.”

Most people don’t know the meaning of “busy” until they get started as an entrepreneur. You’ll be wearing so many hats, taking on so many different responsibilities, and making so many decisions each day you won’t know what to do with yourself. But at the same time, you’ll be exhilarated to be in such a position.

To successful entrepreneurs, the position of business owner isn’t a burden — it’s a thrill. It’s not a job — it’s a passion. There will be moments where you feel overwhelmed, of course, but if you’re truly committed to what you do, you’ll never be “too busy” for that extra conversation or that one additional responsibility.

5. “I give up.”

There will be times when you question whether you have what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur, and times when you question whether all your sacrifices are worth it. There will be challenges you face that will threaten to collapse your entire business. This is normal.

It is part of the process, and the successful entrepreneurs of the world are the ones who encountered these moments and decided to keep going. The minute you give up, on your business or entrepreneurship in general, your journey is over and there’s no going back.

Entrepreneurial success starts with the right frame of mind. You have to have an innate drive and a passion for what you do, and you can’t let the unavoidable complexities and trials of business ownership get in the way of your ultimate vision. Take inspiration from these taboo phrases and set your own course for entrepreneurship. Just don’t let your doubts get the better of you.

Raj Isaac Abraham

Entrepreneur

https://www.facebook.com/Raj-Isaac-Abraham-765159050257036/

Raj Abraham Share 8 Qualities that Make A Great Entrepreneur

1. Focus
“It’s been said that leadership is making important but unpopular decisions. That’s certainly a partial truth, but I think it underscores the importance of focus. To be a good leader, you cannot major in minor things, and you must be less distracted than your competition. To get the few critical things done, you must develop incredible selective ignorance. Otherwise, the trivial will drown you.”

2. Confidence
“A leader instills confidence and ‘followership’ by having a clear vision, showing empathy and being a strong coach. As a female leader, to be recognized I feel I have to show up with swagger and assertiveness, yet always try to maintain my Southern upbringing, which underscores kindness and generosity. The two work well together in gaining respect.”

3. Transparency
“I’ve never bought into the concept of ‘wearing the mask.’ As a leader, the only way I know how to engender trust and buy-in from my team and with my colleagues is to be 100 percent authentically me—open, sometimes flawed, but always passionate about our work. It has allowed me the freedom to be fully present and consistent. They know what they’re getting at all times. No surprises.”

4. Integrity
“Our employees are a direct reflection of the values we embody as leaders. If we’re playing from a reactive and obsolete playbook of needing to be right instead of doing what’s right, then we limit the full potential of our business and lose quality talent. If you focus on becoming authentic in all your interactions, that will rub off on your business and your culture, and the rest takes care of itself.”

5. Inspiration
“People always say I’m a self-made man. But there is no such thing. Leaders aren’t self-made; they are driven. I arrived in America with no money or any belongings besides my gym bag, but I can’t say I came with nothing: Others gave me great inspiration and fantastic advice, and I was fueled by my beliefs and an internal drive and passion. That’s why I’m always willing to  offer motivation—to friends or strangers on Reddit. I know the power of inspiration, and if someone can stand on my shoulders to achieve greatness, I’m more than willing to help them up.”

6. Passion
“You must love what you do. In order to be truly successful at something, you must obsess over it and let it consume you. No matter how successful your business might become, you are never satisfied and constantly push to do something bigger, better and greater. You lead by example not because you feel like it’s what you should do, but because it is your way of life.”

7. Innovation
“In any system with finite resources and infinite expansion of population—like your business, or like all of humanity—innovation is essential for not only success  but also survival. The innovators are our leaders. You cannot separate the two. Whether it is by thought, technology or organization, innovation is our only hope to solve our challenges.”

8. Patience
“Patience is really courage that’s meant to test your commitment to your cause. The path to great things is always tough, but the best leaders understand when to abandon the cause and when to stay the course. If your vision is bold enough, there will be hundreds of reasons why it ‘can’t be done’ and plenty of doubters. A lot of things have to come together—external markets, competition, financing, consumer demand and always a little luck—to pull off something big.”

Raj Isaac Abraham

Entrepreneur     

https://www.facebook.com/Raj-Isaac-Abraham-765159050257036/

What Raj Abraham Explains about the Misconceptions of Entrepreneurship

Being an entrepreneur is all about serving your customer base and the employees who execute your vision. Clients and staff become your boss.

With that in mind, here are six misconceptions of entrepreneurship I discovered when I acquired ConsumerAffairs in 2010.

1. Employees are motivated by money.

Negative. Some 64 percent of Millennials would rather earn $40,000 a year at a job they love than $100,000 a year at a job they think is boring, according to Glassdoor. I’ve had to learn the psychology around why people do what they do, how they are motivated and why they show up every day, which, it turns out, isn’t always related to money.

The challenges I’ve faced in employing good workers and creating a company culture conducive to performance were unexpected. It has never been hard for me to see what ConsumerAffairs needs to do and where we need to go in order to improve sales or grow the business. The challenge has been creating an environment in which people are motivated to embark on the journey with me, because I know I can’t achieve those things alone. Marching up the hill alone without troops is impossible no matter how innovative or brilliant you are as a CEO. You need customers to buy your product, and you need good workers to execute company goals.

That’s where finding ways to inspire workers enters the picture. The catch is that you can’t just inspire with a salary. A great team, flexible schedule, appealing work environment and amazing benefits are just a few things that can motivate employees to excel in their roles.

2. Entrepreneurship is better than employment.

Here’s the thing about non-entrepreneurs. They can shut work off the second they leave the office. As an entrepreneur, the success of the business becomes part of your identity, and you bring that with you wherever you go. ConsumerAffairs currently employs over 200 people, and the pressure of their professional lives falls on me. The responsibility is massive, which is something I was not thinking about when I quit my job at a private equity firm in San Francisco to acquire ConsumerAffairs.

If you’re good at being an entrepreneur, it’s because you have a deep-seated psychological need to build a business, which becomes part of who you are. The downside is you’re not always able to leave the office at work or turn it off at home when your title is Chief Executive Officer. To prepare, read up on recruiting because you’re going to need to hire the best staff possible to keep yourself from going insane.

3. Entrepreneurship is static.

As ConsumerAffairs continues to scale up, there’s a trickle-down effect throughout the company based on my decisions. I have to always be thinking ahead to figure out what our company needs based on impending threats and advances.

As it turns out, I’m not alone in this way of thinking. About 88 percent of CEOs are concerned about cyber threats, 78 percent are concerned with the rapid change of pace due to technology and 65 percent are fearful of over-regulation, compared to 35 percent in 2010. From drones and 3D printing to self-driving auto technology and artificial intelligence, CEOs need adequate infrastructure to innovate and evolve.

4. Cash is king.

Nope. Cash flow is important, but in the end, it’s the customers who are king. At ConsumerAffairs we serve seven million customers a month who visit our website for brand leadership, reviews and information. Some 80 percent of them are researching a life-changing purchase. They come to us during their time of need, which means the pressure is on to provide them with the tools and resources they need to make the best purchasing decision.

5. Business school is the only path to entrepreneurship.

Not even close. What do I have in common with Microsoft’s Bill Gates, Oracle’s Larry Ellison and Google’s Larry Page? We all studied engineering. Data indicates three times as many CEOs and founders have earned an advanced degree in engineering than an MBA.

An engineering degree is the perfect training for entrepreneurship because it gives you a framework to apply the scientific method to real world problems. On a day-to-day basis, engineering has prepared me to find creative solutions to big problems by giving me the wisdom to apply science, technology and materials to consumer related challenges. Sure, business school can be a pathway to entrepreneurship. But it’s far from the only one out there.

6. Time is your own.

That’s a hard no. Time is always limited, so no one can say they own their calendar, including CEOs of huge companies like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg. A carefree attitude about time management is over once you’ve entered the entrepreneurial realm. Instead, the demands of life become acute. That’s why many CEOs are accused of being aloof and brusque towards family, friends and employees. We carry the weight of the company on our shoulders in 24-hour units.

What keeps me sane is the Franklin Covey time grid, which forces you to proactively think about prioritizing and delegating. Now, I block out quadrants for everything, including family, to make sure I take care of my priorities first with the limited time I have.

Raj Isaac Abraham

Entrepreneur     

https://www.facebook.com/Raj-Isaac-Abraham-765159050257036/

Raj Abraham Explains Entrepreneurship And The Skill Of Business

When it comes to developing business skills information available on the Internet indicates that entrepreneurs have to be adequately skilled in finding the right type of advice online.

This has driven home the need to ensure as an entrepreneur you are receiving the right advice for your business.

Building An Entrepreneurial Empire Team Member By Team Member

From the springboard, entrepreneurs tend to jump in with “all hands on deck”, but what really drives growth is being able to delegate to the right team, and of course to understand your limitations as an entrepreneur.

“Skill builds entrepreneurial empires” – Bright Amisi MD of Avante Advisory Services

It is a valuable skill to have in understanding that you, as an entrepreneur, are not the master of all things. Understanding skills you may need to bring into your business will give you the edge. In the initial set-up phase of your business, evaluate your skills and ensure they align with the initial start-up requirements your business may need.

Future skill requirements could be filled by employing or outsourcing accordingly.

Learning As A Skill

Lace up those running shoes and get ready to learn at high speed. Unlike joining a company as an employee, your support system when starting a business is virtually zero. However, if you show curiosity and a willingness to learn, you will find this will lead you to look into what your competitors are doing, and it will also allow you to streamline your business and even reach out to new customers. When the only limit you have is what you can imagine and apply, just about anything is possible.

Skills Training Versus Skills Doing

In essence, practical theories around entrepreneurship are not developed by entrepreneurs. They are created by academics, packaged, sold and taught to entrepreneurs. Understanding this will help when you venture out into the world of business. You may know the theory, but the practical will offer different challenges.

Ensure that more time is spent actually conducting business, rather than spending time predominantly in classrooms, incubators and discussion groups. When running a business, entrepreneurs should look for mentorship and practical programmes that can balance academic qualifications.

Universities are increasingly looking at the concept of work integrated learning programmes. The results of which, university students could now exit with real life experience. This proves vital for entrepreneurs who hit the ground running.

Business Failure As A Skill

Typing in the keyword “business failure as a skill”, the Internet draws out editorials, blog posts and articles on why your business failed. From lack of skill to bad planning, the list is endless. However, for whatever reason your business failed, as an entrepreneur, failure can also play a role in defining your future success. Failing in business teaches lessons that cannot be learnt elsewhere.

Raj Isaac Abraham

Entrepreneur

https://www.facebook.com/Raj-Isaac-Abraham-765159050257036/

Raj Abraham Share These Game-Changing Skills Every Young Entrepreneurs Can Master

You know the “Don’t You Dare” one with all the young entrepreneurs who are changing the world. You see these young inventors and pioneers and venture capitalists and you think, “now that‘s what I should be striving for.”

Well the reality is, most entrepreneurs aren’t quite like that. Those stories are inspiring, but the vast majority of entrepreneurs — even young entrepreneurs – made it to where they are today by showing up every single day, learning basic skills, working hard and never quitting. One bite at a time, as they say.

You don’t have to come up with a groundbreaking new invention or technology to have the freedom and sense of accomplishment that comes with being an entrepreneur. You just have to tell a story, connect with others, and solve a problem.

But how can you, with no high-end education or venture capital, start connecting and solving problems that will eventually change people’s lives?

Well, you’re going to need to learn a few basic skills of your own in order to reach the world and make money in the process, so here are five specific skills that can help you do just that.

1. Learn how to write persuasively.

Hear me out, because this is probably the most important point. Most people in America can write, but not everyone can write persuasively. Writing to persuade someone to take action is called copywriting, and it’s a very powerful thing.

Leaders are persuasive, and nearly every major social event in history occurred because someone was persuasive. Persuasive copy allows you to convince people to read your article, buy your product, join your group, and so on and so on.

Copyblogger and Ray Edwards are two great resources for learning how to write persuasively (aka “copywriting”). Spend as much time as you can learn, then do this…

2. Write something useful regularly.

Attention is the new currency. Gain someone’s attention in today’s world, and you’ve really done something special. Gain the attention of a group of people, and you can build any business you’d like.

Seth Godin once said that everyone should have a blog and write something, anything, every single day. If that’s a bit much for you, then make it every week. Just write frequently and write consistently. Write about what you know about, or what you want to help other people do.

The thing to remember is, attention is gold, and attention is only gained by contributing. Learn to contribute (by writing something useful and posting it to the world) on a consistent basis, and I’m confident you’ll be amazed at where you are a year from now.

3. Learn basic coding skills.

Kids in grade school are learning to code now, which should tell you something. Technology is the future whether you like it or not, so even if you have no intention of being a programmer or software developer, you still need to know how to read and write basic code.

Plus, when you do decide you want to reach the world with your ideas, how do you suppose you’re going to do it? A website? Maybe even an app? Developers are expensive. Like, really expensive. It feels amazing to be able to build the basics of what you need to get started without having to save up for a year or pay a cheap shady contractor to do it for you.

4. Learn how to use WordPress.

I can’t stress this enough. Learn how to use WordPress. It powers over 24 percent of the Web now, and it’s only going to continue to grow.

When you’re ready to build your website or blog (and you will need a website or blog), WordPress enables you to do it all yourself, for free. You probably don’t want to do everything yourself, but when you’re first getting started building an audience to sell your idea or product to, getting a website off the ground can be the most time-consuming and expensive part — unless you know how to use WordPress.

Not to mention if you get in a financial pinch and need some extra money, you can freelance as a WordPress developer with only a basic knowledge of how to set WordPress up, and people will pay you good money. It’s something to think about.

5. Learn how search engines work.

If you want to connect with people across the internet, you’re going to need to know how search engines work and how to get yourself in the top of search results. Learning search engine optimization, or SEO, can mean the difference between writing to crickets and building a loyal following.

Make a point to spend time on a regular basis learning these five skills, and you’ll be well on your way to having the skills necessary to build the business or movement you’ve always wanted.

Raj Isaac Abraham

Entrepreneur

https://www.facebook.com/Raj-Isaac-Abraham-765159050257036/

Raj Abraham Share How Small Town Entrepreneurs Made It To The Top

All the professionals or enterprises those have set their niche in their particular domain are always determined to increase their corporate growth. No wonder they are not able to cope up to the expected limit of the competition. In short, these enterprises or business professionals can attain the desired position in the market. However, the dire need of an hour is to get acquainted with the popular Big Bosses of the market to assess their USPs. It is possible to outshine those successful entrepreneurs and enterprises only after analyzing their winning strategies to conquer the market. Therefore, it is essential to know about the competition in the business world before actually attempting to outshine them.

Every successful entrepreneur has some or the other lesson to teach to the aspiring entrepreneurs. Be it special business model or profitable way of leading in the market, the whole idea is to set new trends and styles within entrepreneurial world. But, in order to do so, it is beneficial to get an overview of their starting Let us now focus on the big bosses in the business world at present and what are their unique work mechanisms:

Rashmi Bansal, Award Winning Writer

Rashmi has been a very prolific writer ever since her college days. She has turned her intelligence and witty work into her business by being a writer. She was also awarded with the national award: National Talent Search Scholarship. Her notable contribution of writing over 100 for newspapers and magazines had boosted her morale and started career as a writer. Rashmi is among the successful entrepreneurs who have been an example for all the aspiring writers yearning to be like her.

Rashmi’s Winning Techniques

• Monetizing writing and ruling the market: Since, writing has been the strength of Rashmi, She has become a writer. She has monetized her writing skills and is now a renowned writer acclaimed for her commendable writing style.
• Serving as a brand manager: After her successful completion of MBA, Rashmi joined Bennett Coleman & Co. as a brand manager. She had a strong aura about her performance in terms of writing and management abilities.
• At 24, she owned youth magazine: At a very young age, she has been the owner of one of the biggest selling magazines of India.
• Break the norm of only high class entities win: Rashmi believed in the fact that all the high-spirited entrepreneurs can flourish other than Tatas and Birlas. She emphasized on connecting with the actual scenario faced by the masses.

Rohith Bhat, Founder of Robosoft

Rohith Bhat is a famous entrepreneur who hails from South India. He has successfully managed to make the presence of his business venture, Robosoft Technologies. The organization was launched in 1996 and ever since its establishment, it has got a very good response. The profits of Robosoft Technologies are ever increasing from time to time due to the hard-work of the company as well as the staff members. Bhat’s main aim was to develop software products for Mac. He expanded his success on the basis of the demand of the customers at present.

Rohit’s Winning Techniques

• Expansion of business continuously: He believed that growth of Robosoft technologies will be attained by constant expansion of business. He started with small business but gradually diversified it.
• Apt platform for Mobile and software development: Rohith’s focus was always clear ever since the inception of his business practices. He had been consistently trying to attain brilliance in coming up with mobile and software development solutions.
• Source of inspiration for all entrepreneurs: He has proved through his business endeavors that no matter who you are, you can establish your business without a glitch. He inspires others to set their foot strongly in the business world.
• He chose to seek inspiration from others and soon turned like them: Rohith says: “Apple had built Indian language support for their Mac operating system. Some of the software we had worked on went into that.” He worked with big companies with international recognition and soon became famous like them.

Dilafrose Qazi

Dilafrose was born and brought up in Kashmir. She has been a competent woman entrepreneur who inspires almost all the women who idolize her. Dilafrose started part time courses for women and  later on she set up SSM Engineering College. She also established college in Haryana for Kashmiris. She has been a constant source of motivation for women entrepreneurs.

Dilafrose’s Winning Techniques

• Source of livelihood: Her main motto was to offer livelihood to women. Along with the livelihood, Dilafrose even wanted to set benchmark in the stream of girls’ education.
• Remain strong despite of hardships: Despite several challenges in life, one has to be strong enough to chase the aimed goals. Dilafrose also lived up to this guideline and she stayed strong enough to pursue her goal.
• Efforts to keep hurdles away from the path of people: Since, Dilafrose lived in Kashmir, where, lack of security has been a major hindrance in the path of success. So, she ensured that she should try her best to keep these hurdles away from the life of people in her society.

To sum it up, all these Big Bosses are not just the entrepreneur but have even stayed ahead in the market. They have even proved their prominence in the business world.

Raj Isaac Abraham

Entrepreneur

https://www.facebook.com/Raj-Isaac-Abraham-765159050257036/

Raj Abraham Give 3-Step Emergency Plan for Every Entrepreneur

If you’re like pretty much every business owner I’ve ever met, you can’t stomach the idea of abandoning your business. But if an accident or illness knocks you off your feet, and you’re not prepared for it, you can go from six-figure monthly revenues to squat overnight. And yet, you’ll still need to pay your mortgage, business vendors and payroll. Can you do it? If you don’t have a backup plan, turn the page — you’ll find the three financial steps you should take today to protect you tomorrow.

Step #1 Secure access to cash.

For years, financial advisers have recommended that everyone stash enough cash to cover at least six months of personal and business operating expenses for emergencies. Yeah, right. To most people, that’s an obscene amount of money to have parked in a near-zero-interest bank account. A better solution: Open a line of credit (both personal and business) that can supplement a more modest emergency fund amount of about two to three months’ expenses.

Step #2 Insure your paycheck.

If you don’t have disability insurance, get it. Some policies guarantee a percentage of your income — typically up to 60 percent — while others cover your business’s overhead so you can pay bills (which, conveniently, includes your full salary). But make sure you shop around and read the fine print to uncover any loopholes. A client of mine learned this the hard way, when she found herself in the hospital after a car knocked her off her bike. The insurance company paid nothing because it determined that her business did not suffer a “significant enough” drop in revenue while she was debilitated. She nearly went bankrupt.

 Step #3 Get down to basics.

Whether you end up relying on a lump sum of cash or a reduced income stream, one thing is for sure: You’ll need to live lean when you’re out of commission. The more time you prepare for the worst by limiting your personal overhead, the easier it’ll be to weather adversity. Personally, I never let my fixed expenses account for more than 45 percent of my income after taxes.

Raj Isaac Abraham

Entrepreneur

https://www.facebook.com/Raj-Isaac-Abraham-765159050257036/