Use These 7 Hacks to Become a More Successful Entrepreneur

By: Samantha Thorenson

Why do most small businesses fail within their first year? The answers you’ll get will vary depending on who you ask. I think it comes down to one thing – habits. Successful entrepreneurs engage in the right behaviors on a consistent basis, while struggling entrepreneurs practice limiting behaviors on a consistent basis. Here are 7 things to incorporate into your routine to make you a better entrepreneur.

1- Commit to a Daily Workout

According to Dr. John Ratey, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, many entrepreneurs have at least mild ADHD. The mind of an entrepreneur moves faster and produces more thoughts than the average person. They thrive on generating new ideas, but struggle to make anything out of these ideas if they don’t have a way to harness this mental energy.

Ratey’s research shows that exercising daily helps the brain regulate mood and focus.

2- Have a Food-Choice Strategy

You have to make good nutrition a habit if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur. It sounds like these two things shouldn’t be related, but they are. Food is your body’s fuel. If you skip meals and pound coffee or energy drinks to get you through the day, you’re going to burn yourself out.

Commit to eating five or six small meals throughout the day. Use the Internet to find a nutritional program that works best with your tastes. Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to eat food you don’t like.

3 – Stick to a Sleep Schedule

Have you ever gone days without closing your web browser? Things were probably pretty slow until you restarted it. Likewise, your brain starts to run slower if you don’t get proper rest.

You need to get 6 to 8 hours of rest each night. More importantly, you need to go to bed and wake up at the same time daily to get the most benefit out of your rest time. You know your body best. Pick a bedtime and wake time to stick to for the next 30 days.

4 – Find a Coach or Mentor

Athletes, actors and performers rely on coaches to hone their skills and keep them focused. A business coach does the same thing for entrepreneurs.

If you want to hire a coach, you have to commit to doing your due diligence. There are a lot of snakeoil salesman masquerading as business coaches. Vet any potential coach to make sure they have entrepreneurial accomplishments.

5 – Be More Hands-on with Your Employees

Research in the Harvard Business Review suggests that companies with founders who are hands-on and regularly interact with their employees reap several benefits. Employees are more engaged and loyal when they feel like they have a personal connection to the person signing their checks.

Hands-on founders also create a healthy work culture, which leads to more productivity. Make a daily habit of interacting with your employees.

6 – Feed Yourself With Good Information Daily

You know the cliche “you are what you eat?” Well, that applies to your mind as much as your body. It is important to feed yourself with good information on a daily basis. Don’t get wrapped up in politics or the negative stories that dominate news shows and publications.

Instead, consume information that can make you a better entrepreneur. Instead of binging Netflix, binge a business podcast in your niche.

7 – Join a Mastermind Group

Jim Rohn once stated you are a sum of the five people you spend the most time with. Mastermind groups give you access to like-minded individuals who share your desire to become a better entrepreneur.

Find a mastermind group in your area if you can, and if not, find yourself a virtual version. Commit to a few sessions and see if it makes you more inspired to achieve your goals.

Turn these seven hacks into habits and you’ll reach new levels of entrepreneurial success.