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What does it take to succeed as an entrepreneur? I think it takes:
(whoops, I left out funding. Don’t forget the money!)
What do the fancy cars sitting outside of businesses teach us about the need to work hard?
Here’s the link to a podcast with my thoughts on the matter.
Gary Vaynerchuk probably needs no introduction, but here’s a short one anyway: he took his family’s wine business from $4 to $50+ million per year. He then did a 180 and turned himself into a marketing and social media powerhouse. My dad is now buying wine from Gary’s newest wine site Cinderella Wine. If they broke my dad down, that means Gary and his crew are good!
In this now-famous video, he talks about two critical elements to success – patience and passion. You need to have patience to make it big – Gary often talks about the fact that our fathers and grandfathers built real businesses over many years, while we think we’re going to hit it big with six months of blogging. AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN! And it certainly won’t happen without passion – it’s nearly impossible to succeed unless you really love what you do.
As Gary said: “Look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself, ‘What do I want to do for the rest of my life?’ Do that!”
Another now-famous video that I just had to have as part of the history of my blog – here it is [ Warning: some naughty language ] :
Me and Gary in November 2009 at Robust Wine Bar – this was a great night. Gary left at a reasonable hour – I closed down Robust at 2am – sorry Stanley!
Alonzo Mourning has always been one of my favorite basketball players. Back in 2006, he won an NBA title with the Miami Heat after having undergone a kidney transplant in 2003. Think about just how incredible that is. Professional sports requires the very best athletes in the very best shape, and Mourning came back on a transplanted kidney. Besides Sean Elliott with the San Antonio Spurs, there is little precedent for such a comeback.
He gave a press conference after series-clinching Game 6. I watched it live, and in the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that it made me cry. I remain in awe of what he was able to overcome and accomplish after going through such a dark period in his life. His perseverance is inspiring to me.
As entrepreneurs, we go through dark times – times of self-doubt, confusion, exhaustion – it certainly isn’t always easy! Knowing that he was near death, was blessed with the gift of a kidney from his cousin, and came back to rise to the top of the NBA ….. it gives me hope that I can conquer my much smaller problems.
Watch the first seven minutes of the video, at the very least. After 7:10, he just talks hoops. Here are the parts of the video I found most inspiring:
4:10 – “You need words of hope. Words of encouragement.” (hopefully we entrepreneurs can get this from our family and our friends)
6:20 – “The key… is keeping your mind right.” (it takes a great deal of focus, even stubbornness, to stay on track through the ups and downs)
Perseverance is key! 6:30 – “So many people are quick to give up, and say ‘Why me? Why me?’ …. So many people out there have it a whole lot worse than you….. think about that.” (I think about that all the time)
Alonzo Mourning Incredible Speech – Watch more Funny Videos
p.s. I take alot of inspiration from sports, so you’ll see me talking about sports and giving examples of perseverance, teamwork, struggles etc, because it all relates to what we go through as entrepreneurs.