Posted by JuJuan Buford, Entrepreneur & Writer @JSBUFORD
"Don't miss anything. Don't miss the game. Don't miss the performance, don't miss the movie, don't miss the show, don't miss the dance. Go see everything and experience all you possibly can." - Jim Rohn
I used to be that guy that didn’t mind missing events. My thinking led me to believe that I’m motivated enough, hype enough, focused enough, and if it’s worthy enough, I’ll find it in a book and read it. And I was oh so wrong. The talk that Mr. David Tarver gave reminded me of the aforementioned quote by Jim Rohn. Feast on other people’s experiences, confidence, wisdom, their enthusiasm.... Don’t miss events my fellow entrepreneurs.
Ok. Here’s the preface. These thoughts, words, perspectives are mine, re-framed by how Tarver’s words resonated with me.
Lesson One - Your success is not always about you.
Movements Matter. Passions Matter. Dreams Matter. Visions Matter. The Civil Rights Movement’s power was that it inspired others to take action when otherwise they may not have. Very similar to the energies released during periods like the Harlem Renaissance that birthed the eventual “Black is Beautiful” exclamations that eventually impacted and touched many in my generation decades later.
The Black Action Movements that galvanized students across college campuses in the 1970s and 80s. Energies that drove people who were tired of being told, no you don’t belong here, to stand up and say damn whether you think I belong, I am better than you. Smarter than you. I will work harder than you. Create more than you. Perform better than you.
Entrepreneurs are problem solvers. And more often than not, our efforts have to be about something more than the money. Our endeavors have to have “heart”; capture the imagination and passions of those around us. I firmly believe that given the lack of genuine interactions cluttering the internet today, the winners of tomorrow are going to be the entrepreneurs who are unabashedly genuine, and understand how to capture the strivings and tap into the neglected emotions of those around them.
Lesson Two - Entrepreneurs are born.
It’s not to say that people cannot grow into highly successful entrepreneurs. However, when you read volumes of stories of business titans who at such early ages exhibited the desire to practice arbitrage, you have to know it isn’t coincidence.
Newspaper routes. Selling refurbished or repurposed bikes. Collecting pop bottles. Selling lemonade. Candy in school. Tireless commitment to bankrupting everyone in Monopoly (the game had to be finished). Ice cream sales. Selling frozen Kool Aid cubes for ten cents a piece.
You either get excited about this stuff innately, or it’s kind of hard to inculcate it.
Lesson Three - “I got this idea that can make us all millionaires.”
It’s only recently that entrepreneurial-ism has become the sexy, cool thing to do. It wasn’t too long ago that being an entrepreneur was tantamount to being an outcast, weird, unpractical, irresponsible, or unemployed. And to some extent, the aforementioned attitudes predominate today.
You have to have enthusiasm for days to make the decision personally, and it needs to be inundating your pores to attract others to your cause. So often people want to be super cool. Start up, not being born on third base, and being cool don’t make for a successful entrepreneurial recipe.
You have to have loco-belief, and a willingness to exclaim your inevitable success to those who you desire to work with. Enough for you and them. Until the infection spreads.
Lesson Four - “There were times when we wished we would fail, because we weren’t going to quit.”
Enough said.
Lesson Five - There is no such thing as time management.
You wake up in the morning knowing you only have 24 hours in the day, and so does everyone else. Whether you end the day a winner is determined by your ability to prioritize and how much value you squeeze out of every minute of the day. Entrepreneurs are acutely aware of the aforementioned. Some things are going to have to be sacrificed (especially in the beginning), in order to achieve success. In less coquettish language, you’re going to neglect some things, some people, some events,.....you’re going to get squeezed.
And you’re going to have to accept it. You can’t make excuses and be successful at the same time. There is no try. You do or you don’t. No one wants to hear your complaints about your lack of a social life, or that you are sick of tired of driving a car with a hole under the driver's seat, or that you missed a recital. I know it's harsh. Shut up, or make different choices. But this is the deal.
And remember, at the end of the day. The only opinions that really matter, are those who are counting on you to be successful. The ones who kiss you on the cheek and embrace you before you head out the door.
There are no guarantees in life. It’s going to feel like you’re shaking a tree to make dew drops fall.
But after the sore hands. And if you can endure the snickers and temporary rejection. If you can deal with the necessary attrition. The juice is worth the squeeze.
JuJuan Buford is a Detroit native, a successful entrepreneur, activist, writer, and public speaker. Buford is dedicated to helping families, entrepreneurs, and business owners establish thriving enterprises, achieve financial independence, and build lives of satisfaction.