The most underrated quality in entrepreneurship

It’s about 5 am and I’m on my way to the airport again.  If you’re an entrepreneur like me, you know it’s a difficult and lonely road that usually ends in failure. If you are not a start-up or business owner, you can safely ignore the rest of this article.

Those who aren’t entrepreneurs might not appreciate the path we trod. I’ve witnessed many well-known, now super successful, entrepreneurs spend their last dollar on a lavish client meal, miss payroll more than once, and even lose a wife in the process. And all the while, people come and go. Perhaps the #1 complaint I hear from successful business owners is how hard it is to find good people— folks who won’t flake out and can think for themselves. You, as the business owner, are the only one who cannot call in sick, blame that other guy for your mistakes, or make excuses to the client.

And it would be a mistake for you to try to get your employees to care as much as you do. The reason you’re alive and progressing is simply because you persevere until the point where you reach your goal.  This Boulder tennis pro wrote nearly 500 consecutive posts when he started out and now ranks on the first page for searches such as Boulder tennis instructor. Another friend has been doing SEO for 3.5 years and this morning we had a conversation about what a trip it has been. She started knowing very little and now is well-connected.

And it’s not about skill, intelligence, or other factors, though these, as well as luck, play a minor role. So don’t worry about things like that or even what the “competition” is doing.  Odds are they are dealing with the same issues– finding and retaining quality people.  The race goes not to the best PHP coders, of which there are many, but to those that see it through.

I’d recommend connecting with other entrepreneurs who can identify with the issues that we face. It could be a formal group you pay for such as Vistage or EO– or it could even be a local chamber of commerce, meetup, or another group. Whatever the case, keep at it, and here’s to your success!

P.S. If you’re over 35, congrats, as 80% of high-tech startups are founded by folks like you.

Dennis Yu

Dennis Yu is co-author of the #1 best selling book on Amazon in social media, The Definitive Guide to TikTok Ads. He has spent a billion dollars on Facebook ads across his agencies and agencies he advises. Mr. Yu is the "million jobs" guy-- on a mission to create one million jobs via hands-on social media training, partnering with universities and professional organizations. You can find him quoted in major publications and on television such as CNN, the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, NPR, and LA Times. Clients have included Nike, Red Bull, the Golden State Warriors, Ashley Furniture, Quiznos-- down to local service businesses like real estate agents and dentists. He's spoken at over 750 conferences in 20 countries, having flown over 6 million miles in the last 30 years to train up young adults and business owners. He speaks for free as long as the organization believes in the job-creation mission and covers business class travel. You can find him hiking tall mountains, eating chicken wings, and taking Kaqun oxygen baths-- likely in a city near you.

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