The mindset of the successful & happy business owner

Although everyone’s idea of success is different, there are certain traits happy and successful business owners have that link them together. By looking at the attributes of people who have the kind of life we want for ourselves, we can use them as tools to get our own success and happiness, whatever that means for us. But what is the mindset of the successful, happy business owner?

Here is a non-exhaustive list of characteristics or tools you could aim to get or improve. Remember that your personality will have a lot of influence, so certain things will be more ‘natural’ to you than others, but because this is all about mindset, you can always learn to change.

1. Believe in yourself

Successful people believe in themselves, even if nobody else does. However, most of the time others believe in them too, as this characteristic often leads to success.

This is not about being arrogant or deluded, but about believing you have every right to be here and do your thing. And think about it this way: if you don’t believe in yourself, how do you expect others to believe in you?

2. Don’t be afraid to fail

This is a key ingredient for success: “the ability to go from one failure to another without loss of enthusiasm” ~ Winston Churchill. And the opposite is true as well: fear of failure and therefore not even giving ‘it’ a go, is a recipe for never achieving anything.

You have to try things out and see every mistake as a learning opportunity, that’s how you improve and ultimately become successful.

3. Be open to new ideas

Even though success isn’t uniquely linked to doing new things, being open to new ideas plays a big part in how successful and happy you can be. Embrace the unknown and learn to deal with change.

This can be easier said than done because most people dislike change, so start with small things. Try a new recipe, a different route to work or learn a new skill and then work up to the bigger things such as changing career, start a business or develop new products.

4. Be willing to take a risk

This follows on from the previous points about being open to new ideas. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone, as that’s where the magic happens.

The thing with your comfort zone is that the more time you spend in it, the smaller it gets. Whereas if you’re willing to try new things, even if they are a bit scary at first, that’s when you’ll experience growth and fulfilment. 

5. Don’t give up

“The difference between winning and losing is quite often…not quitting.” ~ Walt Disney. It’s such a simple concept, but one unsuccessful and unhappy people don’t get. They try something new and if it doesn’t work the first time they simply give up.

But that’s not how you get good at something. You have to keep on trying and not give up. Sure, you might have to try something else and learn from what went wrong but most of all, you just have to keep going, especially when it is important to you; which is the only thing you should be working on anyway.

6. Keep on learning

Super successful people know they don’t know everything and will always invest a lot of time (and often money) in learning new things. Whether it’s reading about the latest trends in their industry, getting familiar with new technology or working on mindset skills, they know that it all helps to create a more rounded, more creative individual.

7. Value your time

Time is incredibly valuable, much more so than money, so make sure you use it wisely.

Get good at time management; focus on the things that are truly important to you, and learn to say ‘no’ to things that will distract you from your goals.

8. Don’t be afraid to be different

If you’re not afraid to be different, you can be a disruptor, come up with brand new ideas and find new ways of doing things. Rather than follow the ‘but that’s how we’ve always done it’ school of thought, you can carve out a new road that leads you to your idea of success.

But to do that, you have to worry less about what people think of you and have the courage of your convictions. It doesn’t matter what other people think: you’re the only one living your life, so make sure you live it the way you want to.

9. Learn to deal with uncertainty

This is especially true for business owners. If all you want is safety and security, then it’s unlikely that you’re ever going to be super successful. Starting and running a business is full of twists and turns and you never know what disaster is looming around the corner. If you’re ok with uncertainty and work on mitigating it as much as possible, then you’ll be set for success. 

10. Focus on what you CAN control

Most things that are of concern to us, are actually outside our control such as the weather, the economy, the government, what people think of us and what society thinks we should do. The only things that we can truly control are our reactions to these outside influences and the actions we take as a result.

So, the trick is to focus on the things you CAN control, and don’t worry about the things you CAN’T control. Once you do this successfully, your happiness will never again depend on things that happen to you. 

11. Be happy to delegate

To have more time and freedom to do the things you love, you have to trust others to do a great job for you. Whether that’s your outsourced providers or your staff, you have to be able to delegate properly.

Tell them what’s expected of them, give them all the training and the tools they need, and then let them get on with it.

12. Get good at systems and processes

This may sound boring, but good systems and processes are the keys to freedom and success. From production to sales, from marketing to customer delivery, everything needs to be process-driven and easily replicable.

You can read my post on How to be more productive for some practical tips with this. 

13. Get support

Last but most definitely not least: get help and support when needed. I’ve said before that your personality preferences will influence how you feel about these characteristics and tools, and if you want to change some of them, you will probably need some help.

Super successful people didn’t get where they are without help: they have mentors, business coaches, trainers, accountability groups and people they can use as a sounding board. They realise that they are not perfect, and they will find someone to help them in the areas that they need the most. 

I’m a co-author of the book The Successful Mind, which is a toolkit to help people live a purposeful, productive, and happy life. So if you want to know more about the mindset of the successful & happy business owner, get your copy here!