21 Business habits of highly successful people

Over the years, I’m blessed to have worked with many exceptionally successful business owners. Here are some of the success habits I see repeated over and over again, which you may find useful.

In no particular order.

1. They personalize the way their business operates, so that it’s uniquely theirs. This is true no matter what industry they’re in. Why? Because it helps them get noticed. It helps them get talked about for all the right reasons. And it’s a proven way to become as close to irreplaceable as possible.
2. They strive to achieve something compelling with their business. This forces them to think bigger, and as actions are preceded by thoughts, they get further, faster.
3. They know success is about more than money. At some point they figured out that if you’re rich and unhappy, you’re still broke.
4. They show people, rather than tell people.
5. They out-care their competitors.
6. They out-smart their competitors too.
7. They do all the work required, rather than the 95% of things that every business owner does. That extra 5% is worth an absolute fortune.
8. They set extremely high, self-imposed standards. Then they achieve them. This process runs like an endless loop throughout their business.
9. They throw away the manual and write their own rules. This is also an essential part of the previous point.
10. They focus on what they want rather than what they fear. Sounds obvious. However, it’s the total opposite of what the vast majority of business owners do.
11. They learn how to be great decision makers. They get the information required, study it, request advice if needed, then decide. They know that if they fail to make their own decisions, time will make their decisions for them. This is one of the master skills of success.
12. They avoid those expensive detours, which come dressed-up as short cuts, business hacks and “scaling”. Warren Buffett often says a key reason for his amazing results, is his commitment to get rich slowly.
13. They regularly take time to relax. If you work smart during work time, you can relax when it’s family and friends time.
14. They seldom watch TV.
15. They are very selective regarding who they associate with. As a mentor once told me, “If you hang around enough people who’re going nowhere, one day, everything they have will be yours”.
16. They lead. They’ve worked out that the world already has more than enough followers. And that those followers are eagerly looking for leaders.
17. They manage their time extremely well.
18. They intentionally build a valuable network of contacts, long before they need them.
19. They help those less fortunate than themselves. This is a key factor in point 3.
20. They choose to stand out.
21. They summon the strength to do what’s required, rather than what’s comfortable.
22. They do more than expected. They know that it’s the additional, unexpected ‘extra’ that people remember.