Keys to be an entrepreneur #1

A bonus (or is it a reason?) for attending conferences is exposure to new ideas. There are some presentations that make you sit up and listen – you are ready.

Sometimes I like learning for the sake of it – and I store the insights away.. to refresh my spirit and my energy levels

November 2014 saw me at the Soroptimist International of Great Britain and Ireland conference in Harrogate. we were addressed by Sahar Hashemi who asked us if we were entrepreneurs. She had left the legal profession when she realised it didn’t suit her personality. She had been told that work wasn’t supposed to be fun, which was crushing for an optimistic and enthusiastic person.

The main points she shared are:

One: Don’t ask “Am I creative”? Ask “How can I unblock my creativity?” Be your own customer – and look at the essential elements of hope, expectations and need. Switch to your right brain – that of intuition, the big picture, playfulness, empathy and individuality.

2. Do your homework. Do the research. Go and find out for yourself. Stimulus in = ideas out.

3. Explore the importance of being clueless. Think like a novice. Ask “Why not?” Be curious. There is no age limit. You get old when you stop learning, being clueless keeps you young.

4. Notch up the numbers. Develop perseverance. Fear makes us complacent. There are plenty of stories of how great successful people had huge numbers of rejections.

5. Pull up your bootstraps – and make it happen. Don’t be scared of making a mistake. Be persistent. There were 5,127 prototypes for the Dyson vacuum cleaner. There are no overnight successes .