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/

Raj Abraham Explains, Why You Should Start Early To Be A Successful Entrepreneur.

Entrepreneurship isn’t a career; it’s a lifestyle. You can either choose to play safe & die unknown or try to build something bigger than yourself. Remember what Mark Twain once quoted-

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover.”

So, if you want to take charge of your life and do something that gives you the liberty to tell your younger children after 15 years that “You Chose Your Life; You Didn’t Settle For It,” then this is the right time to get the show on the road. Here are a few points that justify why starting early as an entrepreneur is the best decision you’ll ever make.

No Family Pressure:

The best time to switch to entrepreneurship is when you’re in the 20s and living a bachelor’s life. This is the time when you can afford to fail over and over again without worrying much about family responsibilities. Initial few years as an entrepreneur are most challenging, and one thing you may not want during this period is someone else at home suffering along with you.

Fewer Financial Commitments:

As you grow old, you realize that financial burden and family responsibilities build-up with the passage of time. Home loans, personal loans, household expenses, children’s school fees, medical expenses, etc. can distract you from your mission to create a life on your own terms.

When you’re young, you don’t have to deal with these many financial commitments. Not all the ideas turn into successful ventures; in fact, most of them fail. So, rather than failing at a time when you can’t afford to take a risk, it’s always good to do it when you have fewer financial commitments.

Adaptability To New Technologies:

The world is changing faster than you may realize. New technologies are being introduced every day. Gone are those days when you had to travel 20 miles a day to set up a business. Now, you can simply use the internet and build a million dollar business without moving even an inch from your desk.

Even if you don’t come from a technical background, you can start a blog or even a YouTube channel. People are making tens of thousands of dollars every month. Why can’t you? This is the time when you can learn new things and adapt technological changes, which won’t happen so easily after 15 years.

Risk Appetite:

When you’re young, your risk appetite is high. You can afford to fail and start over again. Once you grow older and have a family to take care of, you’ll want to choose a peaceful family life over your entrepreneurial dreams. So, risk everything now and figure out if it’s worth a shot rather than give up your dreams and spend a compromised life at a later stage.

Motivation & Energy Level:

You may not find it in any book, but the truth is younger professionals have more motivation, energy, and enthusiasm as compared to elders. The latter may have more experience and knowledge of how things should work, but they can’t beat youngsters in terms of motivation and energy level. It’s the time when you can switch careers, start different businesses, fail often and rise again to see what works for you and what not.

All this can be done when you’re young. As you mature, you’ll tend to avoid starting something which you have no idea about. So, if you are still in your 20s and have a killer idea that you believe can change the world and solve a real-time problem, throw yourself into it and become an entrepreneur.

Remember one thing – “Society is going to judge you anyway, so do whatever you want to do…. No guts no glory.”

Raj Isaac Abraham

Entrepreneur

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

Raj Abraham Explains How Should Entrepreneurs Scale Up Sales

Common sales wisdom dictates thoughts such as “does your product solve a problem” or “do you add value to a customer’s life”. In today’s competitive world, and abundance of social interactions, most entrepreneurs would have engineered their product or service around these questions and prototyped to a stage where they could confidently claim that their products do, indeed solve problems and add value.

The next stage in the entrepreneur’s life cycle emerges when she goes to the market to “sell” her offering. Decidedly, the commitment and passion result in the entrepreneur outdoing herself and emerging a winner when it comes to pitching and putting in the hours to convince the customers of the value of her products. Without her knowing it though, the process of selling the offering somehow becomes a unique part of her personality and when the time comes to scale, the message that the entrepreneur wants to transfer to her salespeople gets lost in translation.

There is a real danger of sales teams following basic sales principles instead of the process that the entrepreneur used to make the service/product a success, as a result, sales execution is not upto the mark and the “magic” the entrepreneur promised investors is missing.

There are some elementary steps that the entrepreneur can follow to ensure that the sales scale up is a smooth process:

Designate the salesperson

Within the set of founders, identify the founder who will lead sales. Two people cannot do the same job and should not do the same job when scaling. If there is a single founder, hire a competent head of sales since other functions will require the founder’s attention.

Hire strong trainers and institute an excellent training program Training of sales is the most important part of scaling, an often un-utilized feature, especially in field sales. Hiring right trainers is an even more important part. Once trainers have been hired, sales training should focus on a few key aspects to ensure strong field performance.

1. Pitching:The importance of a pitch is most effectively illustrated in luxury car sales. Entrepreneurs would be well served by a visit to vendors in this industry and try a comparison with economy car sales. The difference is very striking. On one hand, you have the luxury car salesman pulling out stops with crisp pitching, outlining problem statements, offering solutions and demonstrating performance and on the other hand you have very little pitching on key performance indicators from economy car salespeople.
2. Handling Objections:Understand the root cause of objections: Fear, Uncertainty or Doubt and then build a training that shows how sales reps can overcome objections by addressing each of those emotions before moving to close a sale. It is also important to institute role plays for sales to understand real life situations before moving into the field.
3. Closing Sales:Sales closure is another very important part of the sales cycle, and training effort needs to ensure sales reps understand the techniques used by modern sales industry to ensure the customer finally pays for the service/product.

Build a process

The magic needs to be recreated and replicated en masse. The end result needs to look like clones of the entrepreneur herself, as if she were representing the company on the field. The process building begins with the entrepreneur identifying each intervening step from opening a sale to closure in the sales cycle, which also includes delivering the service/product. This process needs to be drawn out and drilled into the minds and hearts of sales reps. Without a process, sales would be weak.

Manage the process

The process once built needs to be managed end to end. Each point in the pipeline should consist of some data collection, which should be analyzed.

Raj Isaac Abraham

Entrepreneur

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

Raj Abraham Explains How To Overcome Excuses That Kill Entrepreneurship

You’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur, and you finally have your business idea. It’s a great idea that solves a huge problem in an elegant way.

This idea can scale, and go global. There’s no one in the space today, or the existing players are weak. You think about this idea day and night, and you dream about starting the company and making it real. But, for some reason you just can’t do it. It just seems too risky…plus you have a great job. Sound familiar?

Many people simply talk themselves out of starting their own business. Before I started my company, I had a million thoughts about why it was an insane idea. In retrospect, I see that what I thought were legitimate fears were just excuses.

Below are the most common reasons I have heard from peers about why they can’t start a business, and some advice on how to get past the issue:

1. “It’s not the right time.”

I know people who became entrepreneurs as teenagers, and others who started their first company in their 60s.

Here’s a secret that anyone that has started a business knows: There is NEVER a right time. It just does not exist. You can always convince yourself that you need more money, experience, time, connections, confidence, skills, business acumen…the list goes on and on.

My advice? Have faith that now is actually the perfect time. A year or two after you have started your business, you will see that it absolutely was.

2. “What if it fails?”

Entrepreneurs tend to be people who are filled with such confidence that they don’t focus on any chance of failure. But the tough fact is that 80 percent of businesses fail within the first 18 months, and it can be paralysing to face those odds.

My recommendation is to embrace the possibility of failure. Why? Because if you fail, you will learn something tremendously valuable about yourself, about business, and about life.

You may start another business, or you might realise that entrepreneurship isn’t for you. But if you don’t try, you will simply never know, and the fear of failure should never stop you from doing anything.

Remember, people who are on their deathbed usually regret the things they didn’t do, not the things they did.

3. “I haven’t saved enough money.”

Many people who aspire to start businesses are the primary breadwinner in their family, and they cannot afford to live without a salary coming in. I recommend that anyone who starts a business save enough money to live for 18 months without income coming in.

If your business hasn’t gotten enough traction within 18 months to produce income, and you don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel, then you can shut the business down and get a job with the satisfaction of having given entrepreneurship a shot.

What I like about the “18 month rule” is that it provides clarity to yourself (and perhaps your spouse), and it makes it easier to quit a lucrative job because you have a plan.

4. “People don’t see me as an entrepreneur.”

First of all, as a budding entrepreneur you have to ignore what others think of you because there will always be doubters in your life. Avoid those people if you can. But more importantly, if you take the leap and start your business, you will be stunned at how fast people who were originally naysayers will see you as a born entrepreneur.

Perception is reality, and when you are the boss, you will be seen as a leader despite the fact that you used to be (for instance) a customer service manager, a payroll clerk, or a janitor. In America, people respect those who have taken a chance and put their reputation, capital, and career on the line.

5. “It just seems so hard.”

You’re right. Starting a business is very hard. It might be the hardest thing you’ll ever do in your life.

You will lose sleep, fight with your spouse, have less time for your kids, and potentially lose all of your money. Have I scared you yet? I hope so. Because there is no getting around this one – if you aren’t ready to work your tail off and get your hands very dirty, don’t even think about starting a business.

If starting a business was easy, everyone would do it. The easy decision is to keep working for that secure pay cheque, and that’s exactly why most people don’t start companies. My advice is to be very honest with yourself, and if you know deep down that you can make it work, then take that leap of faith and make it work.

Raj Isaac Abraham

Entrepreneur

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

Raj Abraham Give These 8 Ways that Being A Young Entrepreneur Changes You

In many ways being an entrepreneur becomes a way of life. You live and breathe the business and there are bound to be new personality developments that you start to discover about yourself as your business grows

In own words:

In my journey with Morning Fresh, I have had the privilege and pleasure of interacting and working with fellow entrepreneur’s and find a lot of common traits that develop-

1. Understand the value of money

Most entrepreneurs that start out with small businesses, especially self-funded/bootstrapped companies know the perils of working within tight budgets, spending wisely, the joys of earning and the complexities of growing money.  This invariably impacts your personal spending patterns- Where can I get a good meal that isn’t too expensive? Is that gym membership worth it? Should I invest in a bicycle or continue to use public transportation? How much did I spend on cabs this month?

2. Clarity of thought

As an entrepreneur you are the driving force behind the team, the face of the brand and the single point of direction and vision. From your brief to your social media team, budget allocation, vendor and client management – your communication internally and externally has never been more paramount. This requires entrepreneurs to consistently have clarity in thought and action, so when you are out of the workplace you might find yourself processing information and articulating your thoughts more clearly than you did before.

3. Your networking and you don’t even know it

You could be at a cousin’s wedding, a concert or at the gym and you get into an interesting conversation and before you know it, you make a mental note of these individuals and how you could potentially include them in your business or he/she accidentally gave you a great idea, whatever it is, you likely come out of the conversation with a business card.

4. Your instinct becomes your new BFF

As an entrepreneur you are likely surrounded by mentors, well-wishers, investors and would often seek guidance in moments of doubt and uncertainty. There are many times when even those within the inner circle have conflicting views and as time goes I think you increasingly realize that listening or being aligned with your instincts is the best way to deal with any situation.

5. Enjoying your own company

In the middle of all the to-do lists and hectic schedules, you find solace in isolation and giving yourself the mental space to organize your thoughts and reflect. If your one of the more well practiced loners, you likely have a thinking space or cathartic activity that helps you achieve this state of mind – washing the dishes, taking a shower, driving your car, listening to the radio or reading a book.

6. Fitness freak’s

As an entrepreneur, your full time job is to ensure the well-being of your company; it is also an extremely physically and mentally demanding job.  In order to keep your business healthy you realize you need to keep yourself healthy. Most entrepreneurs’ either find an exercise routine that works for them, join a gym close by to work/home, have a treadmill at their office, own a fit bit and proactively work towards healthier diets.

7. It’s all about being practical

The number of key decisions made on a daily basis for an entrepreneur is countless, sometimes you reach a bottle-neck or have tight timelines and the only way to keep moving is to find a practical solution that works for you. This persistent need to be practical subconsciously affects many of our lifestyle choices. Swap those corporate heels for good looking sneakers? Invest in a great pair of pants that go with multiple occasions? Carry your bag-pack or sling bag instead of that fancy tote? Get a smart but low maintenance haircut rather than one that requires daily styling? Your natural priority shifts to being more functional and practical.

8. The coffee shop connoisseur

Before you know it, you become a yellow pages for the best coffee shops and community work spaces in the city. You know who has the best Wi-Fi, the best sandwiches and likely have a loyalty card or favorite spot to sit at (bet you know where the plug points are too!)

Raj Isaac Abraham

Entrepreneur

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

Raj Abraham gives these 8 Reasons of Failure that Makes You a Better Entrepreneur

Humans are preconditioned to avoid pain and to move toward pleasure. We avoid failure because we associate that with pain. As a society, we also view failure as a sign of weakness and defeat.

However, you may be surprised to know that you should embrace failure and fail often. Here are eight reasons why:

1. Failure is a great way to learn.

Those who fail the most, learn the most. When you fail, you learn what works and what doesn’t.

Venture capitalists have been known to invest in entrepreneurs that have undergone multiple entrepreneurial failures. For some, an entrepreneur who has never experienced failure is untested and has not learned from adversity.

2. You discover what’s missing.

Failure is simply a signal that something is missing. Failure reveals what needs to change for you to succeed. Through failure, you uncover gaps in yourself, your strategies, your systems, your business and your team. You learn where your weaknesses or limitations are and what needs to change or be improved.

Through failure, you discover where the obstacles are. You can then formulate a plan to push through the barriers, climb over them or go around them.

3. Failure makes you pause.

Failure forces you to pause. It gives you time to analyze what you are doing and consider whether you should be pivoting, continuing or giving up. It makes you consider, “How badly do I really want this?”

Without time for reflection, you may end up wasting effort, energy, resources and time on the wrong ladder.

4. Failure may be a sign of coming success.

Failure can be a sign of coming success. Big failures are often accompanied by big achievements. You cannot hope to achieve anything of real substance by staying small, insulated and safe.

5. Failing often builds an immunity to fear.

A fear of failure limits you. If you are afraid to fail, you are also afraid to take risks and scale fast. A fear of failure stumps growth. By failing often, you learn to build an immunity to fear. When you are not afraid of failure, you can embrace feedback and not be paralyzed by criticism.

6. Failure builds entrepreneurial character traits.

Failure is necessary for the building of valuable character traits for entrepreneurial success. Character traits such as tenacity, perseverance, and resilience are all vital for any kind of long-term success. Your ability to push through failure where others quit will lead you on the road to success.

7. Failure sweetens success.

Success is so much sweeter after you have experienced failure. When you can recall humiliating moments of failure before you achieved success, the success feels so much more valuable. You also don’t take success for granted because you know how hard it was to come by.

8. Failure makes for a great comeback story.

Failure makes excellent comeback stories. Remember how Steve Jobs was fired from Apple, the company he founded, before returning back to it just over 10 years later as its CEO? Failure makes you more “human” to others. It makes you more relatable. Failure that is earned and didn’t come easy increases others admiration of you.

Failure can also motivate the people around you such as your employees, your investors, and your peers to work harder for you, stand with you or offer more assistance.

There is another great advantage of having multiple failures on your belt — it keeps you humble. An entrepreneur who has never experienced failure tends to be arrogant. Even worse, this arrogance can feed the false belief that you are infallible and expose you to devastating mistakes down the line.

Failure may hurt but we should view it as a positive experience. We should fail and fail often. Because in doing so, we also open ourselves to opportunities for success.

Raj Isaac Abraham

Entrepreneur

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

Raj Abraham Says, "Want to be Successful? Have Fun, Seriously."

“I just don’t get how you can work those crazy long hours like you do,” Mike said. “Don’t you ever get tired of it?”

“Don’t laugh but, to me, this is fun,” I told my fellow engineer. “When it stops being fun, I’ll do something different. In the meantime, this is it.”

That conversation was more than 30 years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. It was a defining moment in my career. I was not just answering Mike’s question but making a life decision, right then and there.

That day, I made a promise to myself: If my work ever stopped being fun, I would quit and find something else to do. I have kept that promise all these years and it is paid off in terms of an incredibly fulfilling and lucrative career.

Do not get me wrong. Not every day, week, or every month is a blast. We all have responsibilities we would rather not deal with. And there are external factors you cannot control. Markets tend to be cyclical, so there will always be tough times. When making important career and business decisions, you have to take the long view.

Look at it this way: If your goals are to be financially successful, have a fulfilling career, and live a relatively happy life, of course you have to make some compromises. There will always be tradeoffs. But I am here to tell you that you can achieve all of that and have fun doing it, but there is a catch. There is always a catch.

The catch is you have to know your priorities and stay focused on accomplishing your goals. You cannot just love what you do. You also have to work hard at it and become very good at it. You have to fulfill your responsibilities and meet your commitments. And whatever you do for a living, it has to be marketable.

If all that sounds like a lot, then you are beginning to get the picture. You are beginning to understand why, if you want to do what you love for a living and have fun doing it, you have to spend a pretty big chunk of your life doing it. And you cannot waste a lot of time screwing around with nonsense.

That does not mean you cannot have a life. I have a great life. But my work has always been an integral part of it, and that is by choice. Being an executive in the tech industry, a management consultant, or a business writer have never been just jobs to me. I love the work. And I actually find news and events related to those fields fascinating. I really do.

That is where this gets interesting. I cannot say I have ever given work-life balance a moment’s thought. I have not had to. I am a hard worker by nature and I like doing things that matter. Some of it I get paid to do, like consulting and writing, and some of it I do not get paid to do, like working around my home and property.

Sure I have all sorts of interests, but my philosophy on life has always been the same—stay focused on your goals, priorities, and work and have fun doing whatever you do—and I have remained true to that theme all my adult life. I do not think in terms of what I should do, what others do, or how they do it. I could not care less about any of that.

Look, this is not rocket science. It all boils down to one simple concept. If you want to be successful and have fun doing it, you have to make that your main focus in life and stay true to yourself. You can achieve anything, but only by finding your own way of doing things that works just for you and making a promise to yourself to stick with it.

As I always say, nobody ever got anywhere in life by doing what everyone else is doing. Nobody ever made it big by following the crowd. Leaders lead. Followers follow. You cannot do both.

Raj Isaac Abraham

Entrepreneur

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

Raj Abraham Share These Little-Known Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs

The world of entrepreneurship is surprising. Once you enter it, you either love it or hate it. You’re either addicted or turned off. You realize you can go further than you ever thought possible and work harder than you thought you were able.

Some of the most surprising things I’ve discovered have been the traits of other successful entrepreneurs. For all the “traits of a successful entrepreneur” articles you’ve probably read, you might easily overlook some of the most fascinating and curious traits of all.

Here are some of the surprising characteristics I’ve identified in most successful entrepreneurs.

1. They are self-taught.

2. They live frugally.

3. They have worked menial jobs.

4. They give back.

5. They pursue happiness.

6. They are introverts.

In reality, there’s no such thing as a “prototypical” entrepreneur. There are simply entrepreneurs. They may look weird, different, attractive, uninspiring or downright shocking.

Binding them all together is that entrepreneurial drive and can’t-shake-it passion. Simply put, we’re going to build things, go places and make stuff happen.


Raj Isaac Abraham
Entrepreneur

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

Raj Abraham share Ways that Being A Young Entrepreneur Changes You

In many ways being an entrepreneur becomes a way of life. You live and breathe the business and there are bound to be new personality developments that you start to discover about yourself as your business grows

In own words:

In my journey with Morning Fresh, I have had the privilege and pleasure of interacting and working with fellow entrepreneur’s and find a lot of common traits that develop-

1. Understand the value of money

2. Clarity of thought

3. Your networking and you don’t even know it

4. Your instinct becomes your new BFF

5. Enjoying your own company

6. Fitness freak’s

7. It’s all about being practical

8. The coffee shop connoisseur


Raj Isaac Abraham
Entrepreneur

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

What Raj Abraham Says about the Biggest Psychological Hurdles of Entrepreneurship

As an entrepreneur, you’ll face plenty of logistical hurdles. Quitting your day job, getting funding, finding a location and hiring are just a few of the challenging obstacles you’ll have to overcome. The following psychological hurdles are ones every entrepreneur must someday face, especially in the earliest stages of a startup’s development:

1. Uncertainty

2. Instability

3. Responsibility

4. Balance

5. Loneliness

Overcoming these hurdles isn’t about ignoring them, pretending they don’t matter or avoiding them when they manifest. They’ll stick with you, whether you like it or not.

What really makes the difference is how you respond to these hurdles. You can overcome them by accepting them, yet not allow them to interfere with your plans or your goals. You can ask for help from those around you. And you can make meaningful changes in your life to compensate for them.

All along, realize that your strongest asset against psychological turmoil is awareness. So, remain cognizant of these potential mental pitfalls, and keep moving forward.


Raj Isaac Abraham

Entrepreneur

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

Raj Abraham Says Before You Decide to Jump Into Entrepreneurship, Do These 4 Steps

If you’ve been attracted to the idea of being your own boss, these tips will help you create the life you so desire without compromising the current one you have.

You are not alone if you are thinking about changing jobs or starting a new business and throwing in the corporate America towel.

But how do you build the life you want when you’ve got bills to pay, food to put on the table and a household to support? You need to plan before you make the leap.

If you’ve been attracted to the idea of being your own boss or the prospect of creating jobs for others, these tips will help you create the life you so desire without compromising the current one you have.

1. Determine what you are passionate about in life

What is the one thing, career or business, you really want? If you know what you are goals are in life, you can plan by setting time-bound, realistic and measurable objectives to achieve it.

2. Don’t just think about it, act on it

Action begets outcome. Outcome begets more action. You can only build when you make a move, as momentum builds through action. So act! You can’t see the results until you overcome your fear of starting something and then begin to take the first step at actually creating a new business, project or building the life you want. The only thing worse than failure is not starting.

3. Set clear boundaries

Try and make sure your job and personal passion project don’t overlap. It can become a problem when you use your company’s resources to kick start your new side project – and your bosses won’t tolerate it. Separate the two to make things easier for yourself.

4. Plan your transition

Once you have decided to start a side project to build your dream business, you will at some point make that bold decision to do it full time. Make sure you have planned for it before you make that all important move.

So, the important point here is that the decision to quit should not be taken lightly. Carefully monitor the progress of your project.

Have you made significant contacts who could be clients or support you when you start? How soon can your launch? What is your single most important success factor? And do you have that in your control?

There won’t be a clear indication when to go into your project full time. But sooner or later you will have to transition out of your current position to build the life you want.


Raj Isaac Abraham

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

Raj Abraham Share These Ways to Think Like an Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs come in all shapes, sizes, ages and can be from anywhere. They, as far as I know, do not wear a uniform or carry membership cards for an entrepreneurship club. If you passed one on the street or sat next to one in a restaurant, you’d likely not even know.

So what makes someone an entrepreneur?

We used to think that people became entrepreneurs based on something they did. Most often, we’d identify entrepreneurs as those people who started companies. And while that’s still true, the concept of being an entrepreneur has definitely changed.

Regardless of what you do, however, here are the eight parts of the entrepreneurial mindset — the way entrepreneurs think and act. How many do you have?

1. Opportunity recognition

2. Comfort with risk

3. Creativity and innovation

4. Future orientation

5. Flexibility and adaptability

6. Initiative and self-direction

7. Critical thinking and problem solving

8. Communication and collaboration

When it comes to entrepreneurship, it’s not what you do but how you think that matters.


Raj Isaac Abraham
Entrepreneur

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

Raj Abraham Share The Biggest Psychological Hurdles of Entrepreneurship

As an entrepreneur, you will face plenty of logistical hurdles. Quitting your day job, getting funding, finding a location and hiring are just a few of the challenging obstacles you will have to overcome. The following psychological hurdles are ones every entrepreneur must someday face, especially in the earliest stages of a startup’s development:

1. Uncertainty

2. Instability

3. Responsibility

4. Balance

5. Loneliness

Overcoming these hurdles isn’t about ignoring them, pretending they don’t matter or avoiding them when they manifest. They’ll stick with you, whether you like it or not.

What really makes the difference is how you respond to these hurdles. You can overcome them by accepting them, yet not allow them to interfere with your plans or your goals. You can ask for help from those around you. And you can make meaningful changes in your life to compensate for them.

All along, realize that your strongest asset against psychological turmoil is awareness. So, remain cognizant of these potential mental pitfalls, and keep moving forward.


Raj Isaac Abraham
Entrepreneur

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

Raj Abraham Share These Skills Which are Required to Succeed as an Entrepreneur

There’s a question that haunts every would-be entrepreneur – and many actual entrepreneurs – every day: “How do I know if I have what it takes?” Yes, the Internet is full of ideas, tips, tricks and even awesome quotes. But do you actually have the skills? Find out — here are 17 skills every entrepreneur must have to be successful.

1. The ability to manage money.

2. The ability to raise money.

3. The ability to relieve stress.

4. The ability to be productive.

5. The ability to make entrepreneur friends.

6. The ability to identify strengths and weaknesses.

7. The ability to hire effective people.

8. The ability to train new staff.

9. The ability to manage staff.

10. The ability to conduct basic SEO.

11. The Ability to A/B split test.

12. The ability to connect via social networking.

13. The ability to focus on your customers.

14. The ability to close a sale.

15. The ability to spot new trends.

16. The ability to deal with failure.

17. The desire to improve your world.

Don’t let this list intimidate or discourage you. Being an entrepreneur is a big task, but all of these skills can be learned. If you notice one you’re lacking in, go get it! Your eventual success depends on it.


Raj Isaac Abraham
Entrepreneur

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

Raj Abraham Share These 5 Steps That Begin Your Entrepreneurial Journey

Nobody is born an entrepreneur. Different people take different paths to achieve success, and there is no set-in-stone instruction for becoming one. Entrepreneurs take on a number of different roles and these roles can vary depending on what field you choose to enter.

While there is no perfect guide to entrepreneurship, a few steps should be taken before beginning the endeavor, however. As with most forms of success, one way to achieve your goal is by avoiding mistakes. Following these pieces of advice could prevent you from starting your life as an entrepreneur on the wrong foot.

1. Have the right mindset.

I often see people who want to be an entrepreneur and can’t figure out why their goal isn’t working. In the end, they simply aren’t thinking like an entrepreneur. The first thing that new entrepreneurs need to know is that failure is likely and success is not given. Understand the risk you are taking, and also understand that you will most likely not succeed immediately.

2. Be honest with yourself.

The life of an entrepreneur can be great — you’re your own boss, you make the rules, you run the business. However, all of these are easier said than done. Entrepreneurship isn’t an easy path. Instead, it is often much more difficult than getting a regular job.

3. Start thinking.

Just because some college drinking buddies want to open a bar doesn’t mean they should. Likewise, just because you’ve come up with what you think is a good idea doesn’t mean it’s perfect. There’s a lot of research, planning and general deep thought needed to succeed as an entrepreneur. Without proper preparation, your dream business could fail quite quickly.

4. Find a mentor.

This is one of the most important steps you can take to lay a foundation for success. When you have expert guidance, support, and motivation — you are 100 times more unstoppable than you are alone. Mentorship allows you to quantum leap straight to the head of the game more rapidly than if you tediously faced down every beginner’s hurdle. Avoid pitfalls, mistakes that could cost you your future, and rash decisions by having someone in your corner.

5. Commit.

Once your business idea is prepared and you’re ready to be an entrepreneur, the last thing you need to do is commit. If you truly want to succeed, put in 100 percent effort. Effort will always trump luck and skill, so if you’re serious about being an entrepreneur then you should never stop trying.


Raj Isaac Abraham
Entrepreneur

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

Raj Abraham Share These Stages of Branding useful for Entrepreneurs

Just yesterday, I was talking to marketing head of an ecommerce company and he shared lots of insight about Branding. He talked how his company is more focussed on building the brand and retaining the loyalty of customers than actual selling. A brand carries that strength and it takes a lot of effort and time to reach there “on the pinnacle”. Brand building is the most important factor to pay attention if we want to exist in long run.

What is Branding?

Is marketing equivalent to Branding? Maybe yes, maybe not. Everything a company does contribute to its branding and Marketing is a function, which aids in visibility of those activities. If I want my customer or end user to be advocate of my product or services, I need to brand that. I need to etch in their mind our values and worth. Brand is an image of our product in consumer’s mind and branding is a process of creating that image.

If we follow this process of seven steps religiously, we can be sure of building a great brand.

1.Build your brand in the minds of consumer 

2.Be specific -Don’t be everything to everybody

3.Focus on your specialty

4.Publicise your brand 

5.Advertise as a leader  

6.Own that one word

7.Build the credibility

Do you mind waiting for a table outside that leading restaurant for lunch? No, we do not. The link of customers waiting outside has paved the way of its credibility. Be authentic and build on your credentials.


Raj Isaac Abraham
Entrepreneur

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

Raj Abraham Says, “Work Harrd to Reach Success?”.

As the driven, innovative, informed Entrepreneur reader I know you are, you already know you need to put in the hours to make your idea successful. If you’ve read my writing or watched my show, The Pursuit, you know that nearly every successful person mentions the power of hard work.

Let’s dive into those questions, specifically as they pertain to hard work. Is simply putting in long hours enough? What if I don’t have the capacity to work 18 hour days? What about “work/life balance”?

Here are my top five keys to success for the rest of us when it comes to hard work and work habits, in order to produce your best work and become your best self.

1. Find the hours.

2. Focus on high ROI tasks.

3. Focus on one thing.

4. Focus on consistency.

5. Forget about balance.

6. Fix the effort to match the goal.


No matter the size of your dream, find out what it will take and begin to put in the work, because the payoff is worth it.


Raj Isaac Abraham
Entrepreneur

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