What it takes to live in the entrepreneurial world and survive there

Richard Conway

I’ve heard it said that just 8% of the population have a truly entrepreneurial mind; we see the world differently to the so-called “normal” people. My good friend and business partner, Tony Falkenstein, says that we see the future, the way things could be. Where other people plot and plan, we go straight to the end result and have to work back from there.

This month, I picked Tony’s brains in order to help enlighten the rest of you on what it takes to live in the entrepreneurial world and survive there. True entrepreneurs tend to have a lot on the go; they’re juggling multiple business interests at any one time, so how do they do it?

Delegate

We’ve said that entrepreneurship is a unique skill, but its kryptonite is spending time on all the things that other people could do. Find what you’re uniquely good at, whether it be your innovative eye or your creative mind, and delegate the other bits. As Tony explains, “entrepreneurs often don’t run their own businesses, and this is usually a good thing; other people can do that part, so we should stick to driving towards the future, that we alone can see.”

Marinate

People with an entrepreneurial mindset tend to have a high appetite for change; they like to be amidst things that are fast-moving. However, when there’s that much going on, sometimes you just need to turn things over. “Writing things down means you’re under pressure to come up with the right, or best, answer then and there. I tend to like to put that off a bit where possible,” Tony explains. “Let your subconscious do some work; it’s amazing what it will achieve when you’re asleep if you’ve been letting something roll around in your mind, before committing pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). I often refer to the ‘golden hour’ in the morning, when I first wake up and have all sorts of new ideas and clarity; that only happens when I’ve left things alone to percolate.”

Take some time

I’m going to end this with one of Tony’s foundational theories for life; the one thing you should do, whether you have an entrepreneurial mind or not, if you take anything from this article. Entrepreneurs know how to give their minds the space for ideas to come, and this is one of the key things that sets us apart. “I often ask people: ‘when did you last have a great idea?’” Tony begins. “Often they’ll say ‘in the shower’, ‘or in the bathroom’, to which I normally counter: ‘What if you could get your mind working fifteen times as well as that?’”

“We’re so rarely just alone with our thoughts, nowadays,” Tony adds. “I truly think that going for a walk, on your own – with no dog, no music, no other distractions – is one of the best things you can do. Try for 90 minutes, and you’ll be amazed at what comes into your head in that time. It’s almost like a sort of meditation.”

Richard Conway is Founder & CEO of Pure SEO.