Running an online business takes work … a lot of work. All the planning in the world is not going to guarantee things will go as expected. You make the most of it and adjust accordingly.
It is not the destination it’s the journey.
We often get so caught up on how things should be and not accept them for as they are… accept things as they are now. Part of the process of growing as an entrepreneur is being open to the evolution of your business. Accept that things are changing; and quickly.
Accept that with the fact they you may not always be on top of things but willing to learn and move forward regardless of it.
I have written the 10 Rules of Entrepreneurship. Let me just say, this is totally made up! But that’s the beauty of being an entrepreneur… you can choose how YOU want things to go and make up the rules along the way.
- Being willing to accept things as they are and work with where you are at NOW!
- Be a stand for others’ peoples success.
- Always be willing to give more than you get.
- Accept that you WILL have to give more than you get to get people to know, like and trust you.
- Seek to learn something new everyday.
- Accept that you can learn something from everyone so don’t be a snob with “newbies”.
- Enjoy and share your successes as well learn from and share your failures.
- Being accepting of change because it’s happening every day around you like it or not.
- Build relationships and nurture them as you would with your friends and family.
- Make every day your goal to touch, move and inspire those people you connect with.
There you have it folks; The 10 Rules of Entrepreneurship. Feel free to make up your own but make sure they are empowering and designed to move you forward.
How about it? Have any rules you’d like to add? Please leave a comment below and share some of your own rules.
Nicely done Michele, I couldn’t have made a better list myself. The ideal entrepreneur is the person that never makes mistakes, is always on top of their game, and everything goes their way because that is how they planned it.
But in the real world things rarely go exactly the way you planned it and good entrepreneurs understand this and are able to adjust and move forward. Your rule number 1 is something I deal with on a daily basis.
Hi John,
Thanks for the compliment… very much appreciated. Yes, I agree. The key is to adjust and go with the flow and to reach for the stars but be OK that it may take you longer than planned or how you get there may not be as you intended.
Thanks for your input! Hope to see you again soon.
Michele, I really like this list and I do work to apply it.
Accepting things as they are and not focusing on how we with things were is very important for maintaining focus and momentum. Most of us wish we were farther along our intended path than we are.
Hey John,
Don’t we though? Always wish we were further than we are? Every time I get stuck in that conversation I remind myself that in the “real” world it can take business owners YEARS to reach business success. Why would we think any differently with an online business?
Acceptance is an ongoing conversation. And you know what? It get’s easier the more you practice.
Always a pleasure to hear from you!
I find that the older I get, the more accepting I am of what’s happening right now.
Hey Michele,
Nice and straight to the point post! Being able to adapt to changes is really important, especially for an online-based business. After all internet is the place where things can turn upside down in a matter of seconds. So knowing what to do in order to take advantage of those changes is crucial. Your rules are all valid as well. Liked the third point – if you want to get something, you need to give and as you’ve mentioned sometimes you actually have to give far more than you’ll get. That’s how things work in blogging and pretty much every online businesses.
You have done a great job! Keep it up!
Hi Daniel,
You are always so supportive … you are truly awesome and a true entrepreneur!
Change is happening SO quickly … from one day to the next you are faced with the next “new” thing. As internet entrepreneurs we are required to keep up with the times if we want to stay ahead of the game. As long as you know that and are willing to play the game, than you have a great shot at being successful I think.
Continue to explore, learn and grow!
Have a wonderful day. Talk soon.
You did a great job of staying focused and on the path, if I write something like this it can get away from me quick. So many young entrepreneurs and business owners fear giving that glory away, number 2 is a great tip.
Hey John,
Yes, being a stand for other people success is one of my favorite. Maybe too much so I think sometimes.
I often times over-deliver with clients b/c I’m so concerned about them being successful with they are up to that it can be all-consuming. But at the same time it is why I’ve had repeat customers. 
Thanks for stopping by John… stay cool!
Hi Michele,
I want to add something on top of that list but i think you have covered it all. My most important point is to enjoy the process and never let any failure bring us down. To enjoying something that we do will keep the creative juice flowing.
This is a good 10 rules to remind ourselves whenever we encounter any setbacks. Thanks for sharing.
Lye
Hi Lye,
That is something that we definitely have to remind ourselves of every so often.. enjoying the process. Anytime I feel that I’m getting stressed, I stop and remind myself why I started NewBizBlogger in the first place! As well, realize that I make the rules and if something is not working for me and making me unhappy, then change it! Can be very powerful conversation to have with yourself.
But you are absolutely right, your creative juice just works when you are at a state of relax, fun and ease.
Thanks for your input… always appreciated!
There is one great saying “Build the relationship first,then Do business”
It’s a nice share and valid points.
That’s a great saying Goutham! Building relationships are so important and a little goes a long way.
Thanks for stopping by!
P.S.: Nice FB popup on your site… very cool!
Hey Michelle,
Great, straight to the points there
This list is good enough even though I suspect there might be a lot of similar articles to this.
I think it’s harder to practice than to write or say them. I always try to consciously remind myself that this journey is challenging but doable.
Have a great day Michelle!
Hi Bryan,
It’s all about practice! The good thing as with anything, the more you practice the easier it gets.
Great to hear from you and have a great day as well!
Very nice list Michele.
I gotta say, #1 is more important on the net then probsbly anywhere else; considering how often things change.
Hi Dennis,
Yes, acceptance of where you are at is the key! There’s no looking at the past (except to learn from our mistakes) and no looking to the future (outside of setting goals). It’s just what’s happening NOW, and what you can do to move yourself forward in the moment and being OK with how things are. There’s something about acceptance that puts you in a more powerful place to stand.
Thanks for stopping in Dennis!
And these are your “own” rules. C’mon, this is what the “bible” says, lol.. Anyway, I have been trying to rearrange the points above by order of importance, but quite frankly it does not apply as all of these rules are tied in with each other and they all complement together. Great stuff, as always. Have a gr8 and productive day.
Hey Francisco,
In actuality I had initially did a count down where #10 was actually the most important. But then I thought, what the hell, they are equally important! At least for me.
Always great to see your lovely face…talk soon.
Those are the right rules, Michele, for sure!
But, in my mind the #1 characteristic for the entrepreneur is the vision. People who have goals can achieve something – people who have long term vision, will eventually dominate the field.
There are tons of people who have goals, but there are really few who have a clear and definite vision.
Hi Peter,
Interesting you should point out vision. I wrote an article for YoungEntrepreneur.com some time ago that covered just. One of my best pieces if I should say so myself.
Here’s the link if you care to read it: Small Business, Big Vision.
Thanks for you input!
P.S. Haven’t forgotten about you…been a crazy couple of weeks. Will be in contact soon.
I run a Boxer Rescue in Tampa, but your principles still apply. A business is a business, even if my business is all volunteers.
Great rules to follow here, Michele. I think if more bloggers followed these, the blogging world would be an even better community. Many of the bloggers that I follow, like yourself, are already doing these commandments. Like I mentioned to you earlier, I think they should be etched in two stone tablets for all to see!
Great stuff as always!
wow, this was great! i was so focused on time management and planning, that I forgot about these other aspects. Lately I’ve been really feeling 2,3, and 4. You really do have to give a lot, especially in the beginning with little return, but I think giving is a sound investment, that pays off well as time goes on. Number one is good too, did you ever work through a thunderstorm?
Working through thunderstorms is my specialty Joe! LOL Yes, you do have to give a LOT at the beginning and I think you never do stop giving although the need to prove yourself may diminish as your business and credibility grows.
But as you said the long term gain will definitely outweigh the short term … (sorry, can’t think of the proper wording, but you get the point.
).
Thanks for stopping by!
I agree with your principles about 90%, but I have to veer slightly from the crowd with #3 (and my disagreement may be purely semantic). Often in business, entrepreneurs will give much more of themselves than reaped in visual/ tangible rewards, but the act alone is more often the reward than anything else. It reminds me of a Friends episode when Phoebe and Joey try to commit a “Selfless Good Deed” but cannot do something that doesn’t, in some way, provide them with joy or a benefit. Business & life are the same way. If it’s a favor or a recommendation or RT that you give, do it because it is something that by not doing, you’d feel less. Always do things that are in YOUR best interest because they will have a multiplier effect on those around you. I just don’t like seeing folks, whether in business or in daily life, committing acts of kindness from a position of guilt or self-subordination. So give, but understand that to give help, should be all the reward that you need.
Hi Jamey,
I have to say there is nothing better than seeing someone willingly and openly disagreeing and stating what’s true for them. It’s an amazing characteristic of an entrepreneur. The willingness to stand from the pack, stand your ground and state your beliefs is what makes people innovators and not emulators. Anyway I digress.
I do agree that giving in itself SHOULD be the reward. And if were talking about giving to charity or lending a helping hand to a neighbor or even a stranger, than I can say yes, the act alone is the reward. For myself, I love people and I love giving! It just comes naturally; always has. And I’ve always felt great about it. However, I have been in situations where that generosity has been taken advantage of. Doesn’t stop me from continuing and I totally understand and accept that this is the process at times; knowing that the long term gain of building and growing a relationship outweighs the short term obstacles.
Thanks so much for your input Jamey. It’s been a pleasure meeting you!
Those are great rules. I think #7 is my favorite, and man, have I shared a lot of failure with folks!
Hi Mitch,
It’s great to have failure…shows you are working hard. Also, how else would you appreciate the successes?
Thanks for stopping in. Good to hear from you.
I like No.10 the best I think;
Make every day your goal to touch, move and inspire those people you connect with.
Could you imagine if everyone on the internet thought that same way!!
I did think that you might of missed the ideas around fear and the fact that you really do need a little bit of fear to be successful!
Does not mean that this fear stops you from doing or shipping!!
Keep up the good work!
Hi Michael,
Interesting question. I don’t necessarily think your need fear, I think it’s inherent in all of us; just at different levels. For some people fear stops (or even paralyzes) them; for others it drives them.
But yes, I think there’s this underline element to successful people that’s called fear… just wish I can prove it.
Thanks for the great comment. Take care.
I really like this article.
I smiled when I saw that you mentioned my first rule of being an entrepreneur (and the reason I am an entrepreneur), but didn’t list it as one of your 10 rules:
“the beauty of being an entrepreneur… you can choose how YOU want things to go and make up the rules along the way”
Hi Simon,
Glad you enjoyed the article. Thanks for the wonderful comment!