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The 21st century has brought great new opportunities for entrepreneurs. The digital revolution has completely changed the way we live -- and the landscape for aspiring CEOs and innovators.
However, the world is also moving faster than ever, and the competition is thick, so you have to gain every advantage you can get to turn your passion or idea into a sustainable business.
Entrepreneurship requires an unvanquished spirit of curiosity, an openness to learning, a letting go of OldCo so you're free to create NewCo. – Michael E. Gerber
This is where this guide comes in. We've outlined the 15 best resources on entrepreneurship to help you acquire the tools and knowledge you need to start your entrepreneurial journey (and keep it going). Whether you're looking to work remotely as a freelancer or want to turn your passion into a career, the resources below will help you get there.
1. Personality Traits that Successful Entrepreneurs Value More than all Others
If you want to know what the absolute most important traits and skills are to develop as an entrepreneur, look no further. If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, this will tell you everything you need to know about what makes a successful entrepreneur tick.
Read here: 5 Personality Traits that Successful Entrepreneurs Value More than all Others
2. How To Find Your Passion
If you haven’t yet found your calling, it’s important to do that first before venturing off into any long-term business effort.
That’s not just because you shouldn’t settle for anything less than doing what you love (after all, why become an entrepreneur if you’re doing that?), but also because you’ll never be able to maintain the energy and motivation to get passed tough challenges without this passion to drive you.
Read here: How To Find Your Passion
3. Dangerous Misconceptions About Entrepreneurship That You Should Know About
If you’re relatively new to entrepreneurship, there are some dangerous misconceptions that can hold you and your entrepreneurial efforts back which won’t be immediately obvious. Learn what those misconceptions are and how to keep from falling victim to them by reading this.
Read here: Dangerous Misconceptions About Entrepreneurship That You Should Know About
4. How to Build a Brand in the Digital Age — An Entrepreneur’s Starter Guide
With social media, building a strong brand is more important than ever before. But if you don’t know anything about what it takes to build a brand, don’t worry, this will help you figure out everything you need to get started.
Read here: How to Build a Brand in the Digital Age — An Entrepreneur’s Starter Guide
5. Things You Need to Know If You Want to Be an Entrepreneur
If you want to be an entrepreneur, there are a few things that you really need to know. I can’t stress these points enough– if you have dreams or plans of becoming (or are already) an entrepreneur, you need to read this sooner than later.
Read here: 6 Things You Need to Know If You Want to Be an Entrepreneur
6. The 3 Questions No Entrepreneur Wants to Ask (but You Must)
If you want to build a long and fruitful self-employed career, there are three critically important questions you must ask yourself.
This is yet another thing you really can’t put off, as it affects your entire path through entrepreneurship in several critical ways. But, the good news is, if you can be ready for these things ahead of time, you’ll be far better prepared.
Read here: The 3 Questions No Entrepreneur Wants to Ask (but You Must)
7. With Grace and Grit: A Guide to Sticking it Out for Entrepreneurs
If you haven’t already figured it out yet, entrepreneurship is tough -- really tough. You need to have the right amount of toughness to get through the inevitable challenges you’ll face along the way. Building resilience is key.
Read here: With Grace and Grit: A Guide to Sticking it Out for Entrepreneurs
8. Why Entrepreneurship Is an Effective Path to Happiness (and How to Get Started)
Aspiring business leaders have more opportunities than ever, but the path to success is also very different from what it used to be.
People who might not otherwise have considered themselves entrepreneurs are now deciding to take this path because starting a business gives them the opportunity to do what they love and live on their own terms.
Read here: Why Entrepreneurship Is an Effective Path to Happiness (and How to Get Started)
9. Entrepreneurship and the Architecture of Success: Setting Smart Long-Term Goals
Entrepreneurship is a long-term game. If you hope to find success in your chosen endeavor, you need to have a well-defined plan and the structure to make that plan a reality.
Read here: Entrepreneurship and the Architecture of Success: Setting Smart Long-Term Goals
10. Hacks Highly Successful Entrepreneurs Use to Stay Laser-Focused
Are you a seasoned entrepreneur looking for some extra tips for staying focused? Making your vision a reality is hard and requires a laser focus over a very long period of time. Fortunately, there are some simple hacks that can help you keep your eyes on the prize.
Read here: 5 Hacks Highly Successful Entrepreneurs Use to Stay Laser-Focused
11. The Best Free AI On The Market
This seems to be a more brazen suggestion as there is all sorts of controversy surrounding this new TOOL that has been released. However, technology is constantly improving and just as the phone became an essential part of life, so will AI. If you want to truly level up your game you need to learn how to do the unexpected before its expected of you.
Read here: How to efficiently make prompts and utilize artificial intelligence
12. Trello: The Perfect Organizer
Stay organized and boost productivity with Trello! Manage projects, collaborate with your team, and track tasks effortlessly. With its easy-to-use interface and powerful integrations, Trello keeps everything in one place, helping you work smarter and faster. Try it today!
Read here: The main site and number one recommendation for team organization
Man working his way up
13. Canva: Make Advertisement Easy
Create stunning visuals effortlessly with Canva! Design professional graphics, social media posts, presentations, and more—no design skills required. With easy-to-use templates and powerful tools, Canva helps you bring your ideas to life. Start designing today!
Read here: Make Advertising Easy And Effortless
14. Google Analytics: It's the perfect observer of success, see where you struggle and where you thrive
Unlock powerful insights with Google Analytics! Track website performance, measure traffic, and understand user behavior to optimize your online presence. Make data-driven decisions and grow your business with ease. Start using Google Analytics today to boost your success!
Read here: Google Analytics Lets You Look Into Your Weak Points And Work On Them
15. Hootsuite – Manage and schedule your social media posts across multiple platforms in one place.
Simplify your social media management with Hootsuite! Schedule, track, and manage posts across multiple platforms all in one place. Save time, increase engagement, and streamline your strategy with powerful analytics. Try Hootsuite today and elevate your social presence!
Read here: Schedule Your Posts And Manage Your Releases, Get To The Top And Stay There
The World Needs More You: How to Be Successful at Being Yourself
We all aspire to be successful in life, and sometimes we get so lost in the cloudy journey of fulfilling these dreams that we miss out on the important things.
In the quest for more "success," many are tempted to forfeit their true essence to become someone they are not. The world even advises you to "fake it till you make it" -- and no wonder we have a generation of people whose self-image is governed by Instagram likes and Facebook shares. A generation of young adults who are too scared to tap into their inner being and unravel the riches of their true personalities for fear of not being "accepted" by the majority.
READ: The "Risky" Road to Connection: Why You Must Dare to Be Yourself
Yet becoming someone you are not is a great injustice, both to yourself and to society. The world already has too many fakes. It is counting on you to embrace your uniqueness and dare to make a difference. You owe it to yourself to stand out from the crowd, reject what doesn't reflect your personality and uphold what is right and fair.
The World Needs More You: How to Be Successful at Being Yourself
Winning in any facet of life, be it your career or relationship, can only be sustained by first becoming successful at being yourself. The real challenge is to not succumb to social pressure and societal mediocrity. Step out from your comfort zone and live life simply being you.
The following tips will help you get started.
1 . Reimagine your potential
The image you have of yourself is so important that it ultimately determines how others see and treat you. A low self-image is quickly followed by a low self-esteem and people won't be slack to use that to your disadvantage.
You must learn to see beyond your present circumstances and visualize what you hope to become. Your reality is highly dependent on the quality of your imagination. Do away with thoughts of doubts and fear and begin to trust in your skills and abilities.
READ: Live Like You Already Have It, and You Will
It doesn't matter what has happened in the past or what has been said concerning you, make a resolute decision today to begin to think more highly of yourself and learn to appreciate what makes you different.
2 . Surround yourself with the right people
Desist from being around negative and pessimistic people who see nothing but all that's wrong with the world; people who are not interested in rendering value, but are more preoccupied with presenting a false image of themselves in an attempt to be liked and approved by others. Negative vibes produce negative attitude.
READ: 4 Tips to Help You Attract the Right Kinds of Friends
Surround yourself with folks who do not just talk, but live out what they preach. Who don't feel bound by the status quo, but are ready to face life at the edge of their potential.
3 . Quit comparing yourself to others
When you keep looking at others to find validation of who you are, you end up disappointed and discouraged much of the time.
There are millions of people out there who would certainly appear to be more talented, prettier, richer, stronger, or more successful than you. The key is to accept this fact and never rate yourself in comparison to another's abilities.
READ: Mind the Comparison Trap: Why Life's Race Is Only Against Yourself
Learn to appreciate people who possess the skills you desire, and learn from them if you can. They may have special talents that you don't have, but you have something special they don't have: your own uniqueness, style and personality. Build on these and you'll eventually discover that you can do stuff in a way that no one else can.
4 . Create your purpose
Look within yourself to find what you love the most, and how you can bring value to someone else. It doesn't necessarily have to be anything grandiose at the moment -- even the smallest act of service can make a big difference to someone's life.
READ: Find Your Why: How to Discover Your Professional Purpose
The greatest disservice to one's self is selfishness and self-preoccupation. The fastest way to become successful at being yourself is to become a blessing and a solution to someone else.�
5 . Stand up to criticism
You will never be free from people who will be apt to point out your mistakes and flaws. But it doesn't matter -- people are always bound to criticize what they fear. To be successful at being yourself, you must realize that people will try to break you with destructive words just to get the worse out of you. Don't let them!
Every successful person today has faced major criticism and opposition along the way, and they all did one thing in common: they kept moving.
READ: The Self-Growth Guide to Making Criticism Your Friend
You must therefore not be scared to say NO to things that are contrary to your values and principles. Stand for what you believe in, pursue a dream, and never give up.
6. Never seek appreciation from others
This doesn't imply that you shouldn't work hard or be committed to everything you do. But doing things for the purpose of gaining others' appreciation is the wrong motive, and ultimately won't bring long-lasting satisfaction.
Even when you do things for the right reasons, you shouldn't be surprised when people don't thank you or appreciate your work. Not everyone has your heart. You should keep giving your best nonetheless, and only seek appreciation from yourself.
Closing words
There are over 7 billion people in the world and no one is exactly like you. This is your power. Embrace it, cherish it, and develop it! Don't be scared of standing out and never be intimidated when you encounter failure. The greatest successes in life come from having the freedom to fail.
Make mistakes and learn quickly. And at the end of your story, let it never be written that you lived someone else's life. Be the best of you there can possibly be. The world needs more of you.