Business

The Secret Tips for Entrepreneurial Success

Published

2 years ago

December 15, 2021

Are there traits or behaviors that help you excel in life? Is it possible to sabotage your success by avoiding certain daily practices? Below is a roundup of five daily habits that, if followed, can increase your chances of standing out from the crowd.

Learn from your mistakes

During our developmental years, we are taught to avoid mistakes at all costs. This attitude carries through life. Employees who make the slightest misstep are petrified. We have a propensity to apportion blame—or punish someone—rather than learn from the situation. This shuts down many perfect opportunities for growth.

Elon Musk takes a different approach. When something goes wrong, it piques his curiosity. He questions everything, looking for valuable insights and take-aways. Instead of pointing an accusing finger, or beating himself up, he’s discovered that the fastest road to improvement is to understand how errors occurred, adjust the process accordingly, and move forward.

Intuition is your inner guide

Being a top entrepreneur is not just cerebral. You also have to learn to rely on your ‘gut’. Intuition, or gut feeling, actually involves the second brain, which resides in the stomach. Our two brains communicate details they’ve picked up—things our conscious minds may have missed. That’s why we get that tingling sensation deep down in our stomachs.

Our brains are powerful ‘pattern recognition machines’ and constantly scan the horizon for details, cues, and threats that we need to be aware of. In fact, the US Navy has been researching this phenomenon for some time and has verified the fact that it is possible for someone to sense danger before it materializes. Even in modern business, with information galore, not all problems can be anticipated. We need to tune in to our inner voice.

Lawrence Ellyard, CEO of the International Institute for Complementary Therapists (IICT), has relied on his intuitive business sense to steer his firm through COVID-related business interruptions. During the recent lockdowns, Ellyard’s firm experienced unprecedented challenges that couldn’t be met with spreadsheets, figures or other usual metrics.

Ellyard says, “As robust as our accounting and reporting functions were, they just couldn’t tell us everything that we needed to know. We had many employees who weren’t able to carry out their work; they were worried about losing income. We had to rely on our instincts. As a leadership team, we found ourselves asking what would be the right thing to do? How should we act in this situation? What are our values and guiding principles?“

Emotional Intelligence is the smartest choice

Emotional intelligence, popularized by psychologist Daniel Goleman, also helped the Australian CEO to navigate the difficulties. Ellyard admits he had to pay careful attention to how he communicated with staff, and also how he managed his own emotions.

“Because leaders have to make tough decisions, and get the job done, they are often driven, direct and unaware of how they make others feel. I found that in the midst of all the tough days we experienced, the atmosphere could get a little fraught. It was crucial for me to understand that everyone was feeling vulnerable. I tried to keep my communication style positive and upbeat and monitored my own stress levels so I didn’t appear angry or upset. Understanding how you operate within a group of people can literally save relationships and ensure that your business does not implode. A business is only as strong as the links you forge with your team.”

Don’t be afraid to stand out from the crowd

Whether it’s setting standards for personal conduct, or deciding on the company direction, successful entrepreneurs forge their own direction—they don’t ‘go with the flow’. Steve Jobs didn’t want to make another grey box as a home computer. No. He bucked the trend. He wanted to create devices that were elegant, intuitive, and at a much higher price point. Many balked at his ambitious plans, including his own company who actually fired him for a period. However, his commitment to his vision eventually turned Apple into arguably the most influential company in the world, with unrivalled profit margins.

You have to back yourself

Ellyard advises aspiring entrepreneurs to have unshakable confidence in their vision, and in their abilities, whilst maintaining humility. He says, “It’s a fine line between hubris and self-belief. You want to maintain a humility that engenders support and brings people onboard. I find that leaders have to constantly guard against ego, as it can be off-putting. Don’t kid yourself that you’re some kind of Superman and you can do everything. No, you need a team around you; you need the support of others who complement your skill set. But, also, you can’t lead by committee. You have to be a leader with a clear vision. You have to give people something to aim for.”

Business

Turning Tragedy into Triumph Through Walking With Anthony

Published

7 days ago

April 18, 2024

Rosario Farell

On the morning of February 6, 2010, Anthony Purcell took a moment to admire the churning surf before plunging into the waves off Miami Beach. Though he had made the dive numerous times before, that morning was destined to be different when he crashed into a hidden sandbar, sustaining bruises to his C5 and C6 vertebrae and breaking his neck.

“I was completely submerged and unable to rise to the surface,” Purcell recalls. “Fortunately, my cousin Bernie saw what was happening and came to my rescue. He saved my life, but things would never be the same after that dive.”

Like thousands of others who are confronted with a spinal cord injury (SCI), Purcell plunged headlong into long months of hopelessness and despair. Eventually, however, he learned to turn personal tragedy into triumph as he reached out to fellow SCI victims by launching Walking With Anthony.

Living with SCI: the first dark days

Initial rehabilitation for those with SCIs takes an average of three to six months, during which time they must relearn hundreds of fundamental skills and adjust to what feels like an entirely new body. Unfortunately, after 21 days, Purcell’s insurance stopped paying for this essential treatment, even though he had made only minimal improvement in such a short time.

“Insurance companies cover rehab costs for people with back injuries, but not for people with spinal cord injuries,” explains Purcell. “We were practically thrown to the curb. At that time, I was so immobile that I couldn’t even raise my arms to feed myself.”

Instead of giving up, Purcell’s mother chose to battle his SCI with long-term rehab. She enrolled Purcell in Project Walk, a rehabilitation facility located in Carlsbad, California, but one that came with an annual cost of over $100,000.

“My parents paid for rehabilitation treatment for over three years,” says Purcell. “Throughout that time, they taught me the importance of patience, compassion, and unconditional love.”

Yet despite his family’s support, Purcell still struggled. “Those were dark days when I couldn’t bring myself to accept the bleak prognosis ahead of me,” he says. “I faced life in a wheelchair and the never-ending struggle for healthcare access, coverage, and advocacy. I hit my share of low points, and there were times when I seriously contemplated giving up on life altogether.”

Purcell finds a new purpose in helping others with SCIs

After long months of depression and self-doubt, Purcell’s mother determined it was time for her son to find purpose beyond rehabilitation.

“My mom suggested I start Walking With Anthony to show people with spinal cord injuries that they were not alone,” Purcell remarks. “When I began to focus on other people besides myself, I realized that people all around the world with spinal cord injuries were suffering because of restrictions on coverage and healthcare access. The question that plagued me most was, ‘What about the people with spinal cord injuries who cannot afford the cost of rehabilitation?’ I had no idea how they were managing.”

Purcell and his mother knew they wanted to make a difference for other people with SCIs, starting with the creation of grants to help cover essentials like assistive technology and emergency finances. To date, they have helped over 100 SCI patients get back on their feet after suffering a similar life-altering accident.

Purcell demonstrates the power and necessity of rehab for people with SCIs

After targeted rehab, Purcell’s physical and mental health improved drastically. Today, he is able to care for himself, drive his own car, and has even returned to work.

“Thanks to my family’s financial and emotional support, I am making amazing physical improvement,” Purcell comments. “I mustered the strength to rebuild my life and even found the nerve to message Karen, a high school classmate I’d always had a thing for. We reconnected, our friendship evolved into love, and we tied the knot in 2017.”

After all that, Purcell found the drive to push toward one further personal triumph. He married but did not believe a family was in his future. Regardless of his remarkable progress, physicians told him biological children were not an option.

Despite being paralyzed from the chest down, Purcell continued to look for hope. Finally, Dr. Jesse Mills of UCLA Health’s Male Reproductive Medicine department assured Purcell and his wife that the right medical care and in vitro fertilization could make their dream of becoming parents a reality.

“Payton joined our family in the spring of 2023,” Purcell reports. “For so long, I believed my spinal cord injury had taken everything I cared about, but now I am grateful every day. I work to help other people with spinal cord injuries find the same joy and hope. We provide them with access to specialists, funding to pay for innovative treatments, and the desire to move forward with a focus on the future.”