The Power Of Perseverance In Business

“Victory belongs to the most persevering.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

Many aspiring entrepreneurs dream of creating a successful business but fail to realize the harsh realities of running a business. Starting a business requires more than just a good idea, it also involves great qualities like, creativity, intelligence, ambition, passion, a strong work ethic, the ability to adapt, and a willingness to learn from failures, and so many. These are all qualities most successful entrepreneurs possess in some measure. But the most important quality of all is perseverance.

Being an entrepreneur is tough, the journey is often fraught with many challenges and obstacles. You’re likely to encounter numerous setbacks and failures, from funding to competition to market fluctuations, etc, that will test your capability and determination.

Without perseverance, many businesses would fail at the first sign of trouble. However, those who persist and persevere through difficult times are more likely to succeed in the long run. The ability to pick yourself back up after being knocked down multiple times and learn from your mistakes is truly the most important quality an entrepreneur can have.

One may wonder why perseverance. It’s a necessary attribute because almost every entrepreneur will experience some form of shortcomings or failure.
As an entrepreneur, making mistakes countless times is an integral part of the business life. Without errors, you may never be able to learn and make progress.

What is Perseverance and how important is it to your business as an entrepreneur?
Perseverance in business is the ability of an entrepreneur to remain steadfast, focused and solution-oriented despite what could become roadblocks that make their business more likely to succeed.

This persistence is demonstrated by an entrepreneur’s continued positive maintenance of entrepreneurial motivation and constantly renewed active engagement in a new business venture despite counter forces or enticing alternatives.

Examples of persistent entrepreneurs are Jeff Bezos and Amazon. Bezos founded Amazon in 1994 and faced numerous challenges, including a lack of funding, intense competition, and a shaky economy. However, he persisted and focused on customer satisfaction and innovation.

Another example of perseverance in business is the story of Steve Jobs and Apple. In 1985, Jobs was fired from his own company after a power struggle with the board of directors. He could have given up and moved on to other ventures, but he persevered. He founded NeXT Computer and Pixar Animation Studios and eventually returned to Apple in 1997, where he led the company to unprecedented success with products like the iPod, iPhone, and iPad.

The Four Principles of Perseverance

• Have a Purpose
• Step Into the Unknown
• Deal with Disappointment
• Work with Limited Resources

How to develop perseverance in your own business

1. Seek Honest Feedback From People You Trust
Seeking outside counsel from trusted experts to gain an unfiltered view of where your business stands is a great path to perseverance.

Ideally, trusted outside counsel won’t be as afraid to give you tough love, either or bad news about your business, because they care about your success, not as much about your feelings. It might be difficult at times to hear, but your business will be stronger for it, and you’ll be a better entrepreneur in the long run.

2. Set Ambitious But Manageable Goals
Entrepreneurs get pulled in multiple directions at once and get overwhelmed by the activities of the business, but great ones prioritize and balance these competing forces to serve longer-term goals

Setting goals you’ll achieve and that you can achieve is the key to success.
SMART goals can be ambitious, but as you can see, they should also be achievable. And you should reward yourself for reaching them or attaining milestones along the way.

3. Have A 5 Year Long Term Plan
Perseverance requires long-term, strategic thinking. This is especially important for entrepreneurs because it can take years to build a stable, successful business.

Many abide by comprehensive longer-term plans that lay out the company’s big-picture mission and objectives, along with tactical instructions to achieve them. Five years is a good plan length, but you can go for a shorter or longer time horizon if you prefer. What’s most important is to set out a sweeping yet actionable plan to which you can hold yourself accountable.

4. Break Complicated Projects Into Smaller Tasks
SMART goals and the most comprehensive long-term plans can fail when there are too many demands on your time and attention or your team.

Try breaking longer or more complicated projects into smaller tasks you can do at once. Because many entrepreneurs find it difficult to follow amid all the chaos of building and running a business.

Incorporate these “task plans” into your goal statements and hold yourself accountable for achieving them. And give yourself smaller rewards when you complete them.

5. Embrace Uncertainty
Global economic uncertainty is affecting all industries as diverse as construction and cybersecurity. Some say the challenges entrepreneurs face are unprecedented, but “Uncertainty and instability are facts of life”.

Successful entrepreneurs acknowledge uncertainty, embrace it and persevere through it. They recognize that a certain amount of chaos is inevitable in life and business. They build this recognition into their business plans, goals, and day-to-day work.

6. Hire People Who Want to Be There
Successful entrepreneurs don’t persevere on their own.
The solution to having a successful business is to hire people who believe in what you’re building and see their work as more than just another job.

Hiring employees with positive attitudes and willingness to take on more responsibility. Hire people who share your passion and are happy to see you win because they will be winning alongside you.

7. Embrace Failure
Failure is a natural part of the process. Instead of giving up, use failures as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Successful entrepreneurs never give up when they fail. They practice resilience and bounce back from setbacks. They acknowledge their mistakes, take the blame for them and try again.

Resilience is the ability to bounce back from setbacks. It involves developing coping skills and a positive mindset.

In Conclusion
Perseverance is a critical quality for success in both business and life. It involves determination, resilience, and adaptability. By setting clear goals, embracing failure, finding support, practizing resilience, and staying flexible, you can develop perseverance and achieve your goals. Remember, success is not about avoiding obstacles, but about persevering through them.