7 Pieces of Timeless Business Wisdom
Posted December 31, 2008 in Business, Inspiration 29 Comments »
Some business advice changes all the time, but there’s also some advice that’s relevant and useful no matter what year it is, or what business you’re in.
In honor of the new year, we’ve compiled a quick list of 10 bits of wisdom that are as timeless and useful now as they were years ago.
1 — Push through your limitations
“The successful person makes a habit of doing what the failing person doesn’t like to do.”
— Thomas Edison
Business is scary. It can be new, difficult, frustrating, and many other things — but if you push through those limitations and do the things that are hard you might see the best of what business can be: rewarding, lucrative, challenging, and fun.
Pushing yourself can be hard, but it’s worth it in the end.
2 — Never stop improving
“An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.”
— Jack Welch
The world changes, and things are always moving forward. In order to keep up, it’s critical to always learn and always improve.
In business, the companies who are most successful are the ones who keep learning, keep improving, and keep adapting.
3 — Action is more important than talk
“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing”
— Walt Disney
We’ve all heard the cliche before, actions speak louder than words; but it has real truth in business. Action is what matters, not talk, or ideas, or even how much money you have. If business success is what you want, than you need to take action.
4 — Success takes hard work
“Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person.”
— Albert Einstein
Doing well in business requires effort. A lot of effort.
Those who achieve the most are often the ones who are the most passionate, and most determined to reach their goals — because they devote themselves to the cause and put in the effort that others cant. It takes time, but with focus and hard work you’ll almost always do well.
5 — Hard work brings happiness (and success)
“Satisfaction does not come with achievement, but with effort. Full effort is full victory.”
— Mahatma Gandhi
Even the best intentions and efforts don’t always lead to where you thought, but that’s okay, because it isn’t the goal that counts. The act of giving yourself to a cause, and working with your full ability, is what will bring real satisfaction.
And if you put in your whole effort, you’re still much more likely to get what you want, too.
6 — Don’t be afraid of failure
“Success is not built on success. It’s built on failure. It’s built on frustration. Sometimes its built on catastrophe.”
— Sumner Redstone
Being afraid of doing something wrong is human nature, but it’s not in your best interest. Failing is one of the best ways to learn, and is often one of the only ways to become truly successful.
Fail early, fail often, and don’t be afraid to learn from your mistakes.
7 — Strive to provide something great
“A lot of companies have chosen to downsize, and maybe that was the right thing for them. We chose a different path. Our belief was that if we kept putting great products in front of customers, they would continue to open their wallets.”
— Steve Jobs
Perhaps the most important piece of advice in business is to create something that is great and valuable. If you can provide your customers with a great product or a great service, chances are they’ll come back for more and tell their friends too.
Learn to understand your customers, learn what they really need, and then do your best to provide them with that. Even when all else fails, providing an awesome product will usually lead to success.
What’s your advice?
We’ve only covered a small fraction of the timeless business advice, there’s a lot more out there that we either didn’t find or didn’t have time to include.
What do you think is the most important thing to know in business?
What has been the biggest help in your situation?
About the author: Mason Hipp is an entrepreneur, marketing guru, and writer. He blogs about life and business at FreelanceFolder.com and is co-author of the Book The Unlimited Freelancer. Follow him on twitter @MasonHipp
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29 Comments
David Hepburn
December 31st, 2008 at 1:59 pmWhat a great list of wisdom! I especially like #5. I know that for me personally, I am so happy and proud of a project that I’ve worked hard on. I think it goes hand in hand with striving to provide something great. It’s especially convenient when you freelance doing something you love.
#6 is a tough one, as it’s something we all naturally tend to lean towards. Failure can be a scary situation, but there is almost always a way for us to keep ourselves from failing. Seek advice from a mentor, collaborate with other creatives, or just discover new ways to be creative!
(editorial note: Mason, in #2, you have “In order to keep, up it’s…”. Move the comma to after “up” :-D)
Mason Hipp
December 31st, 2008 at 2:28 pmHey David, glad you enjoyed the article.
#5 is definitely a great piece of advice, though my favorite is #3. Becoming decisive and disciplined was one of the biggest challenges I faced early on in business, and looking back on that now gives me a good reminder of what I’ve learned.
Thanks for the editorial catch :-)
– Mason
Charles Stricklin
December 31st, 2008 at 3:13 pmMinor correction on #3: “The way to get started is to quite talking and begin doing”
Quit, not quite.
Shevonne
December 31st, 2008 at 4:04 pmMy advice is have misfortunes work to your advantage. It’s like Napoleon Hill said the greatest minds became known in that way after great misfortune.
Life Organizer Blog | Kate
December 31st, 2008 at 4:32 pmA great list of wisdom! And I really like the way you found some terrific quotes for each one too!
My favourite is #6 Don’t be afraid of failure.
About working hard, happiness and success in #4-5, I think that is true if you are working in an area you truly enjoy and believe in.
Again, great read!
Happy New Year!
Kate
Mirko
December 31st, 2008 at 6:32 pmReally a wonderfull list and the quotes are well chosen (I like quotes). I think beeing afraid of failure is my weakest point and that stops me to take action. So #6 is my virtual kick in the butt. Thank you.
Sonu
December 31st, 2008 at 9:57 pmHi Mason,
First of all, Wish you and yours Happy New Year 2009!!! :)
Till date, I was regular reader (of course silent!) of yours & other’s articles. Actually, I love to read all of your freelancer’s writing. But I hardly miss your one. The above one is really nice and wonderful list with wonderful quotes and worth to accept in life. I have bookmarked it. :)
Keep it up!
With best wishes,
Sonu:)
Julie Wight
January 1st, 2009 at 12:36 pmReally nice post! It takes time and thought to put posts like this together – thank you!
One of the things that I might add is “Make investments in people” – We really can’t succeed in business or many other endeavors without the sometimes intangible capital that others bring to our work and lives (and our blogs)! The investments in time and energy that we make in our relationships will make us richer and more successful in the end.
Take care,
Julie Wight
http://twitter.com/jwight
Aliff Afiq
January 2nd, 2009 at 12:35 amGood post !
i love it
Synergy Informatics
January 2nd, 2009 at 6:23 amHi Mason,
First of all, Happy New Year!!!
Your article is wonderful, and very nicely quoted… I would like to take it a print out & put it on our office’s Notice board for others to read…
Thanks for such a wonderful article.
Regards
Krunal
Synergy Informatics
Gerald Weber Search Engine Marketing Group
January 5th, 2009 at 12:16 amAll of these are great points of advice.
I say patience and perseverance are key. Success takes all the things mentioned above as well as patience.
“If at first you don’t succeed keep on suckin until you do suck seed (succeed)”
-The Three Stooges
The Baldchemist
January 5th, 2009 at 3:45 amYou get what you pitch for. Ensure that you present yourself in the best possible light. Let’s be clear, displaying your business in a badly written, poorly created, low budget, unattractive, same as everyone else light – guess what you get? Exactly what you pitched for! A small piece of the low budget, same as everyone else, unattractive market and your prospects will suspect that if they do business with you, they will get more of the same!
Have a great year.
darshan
January 6th, 2009 at 1:35 amBehind every successful ventures there many unsuccessful ones. So business is all about resilience and fortitude. Never back-off from risks because of failures. Start every new venture like a new chapter. Make strategies. Note down earlier mistakes and don’t repeat them.If success is acme then business is not an elevator in fact, its a collection of steps.
Anne Wayman
January 6th, 2009 at 12:39 pmtimeless and priceless – thanks
Marie Tucker
January 6th, 2009 at 9:26 pmMy business advice – outsource what you don’t absolutely love to do, what can be done by another, and what doesn’t directly generate revenue for your business.
Frank Silva
January 7th, 2009 at 9:21 amI like this kind of articles. Finally human nature is not that complicated neither. I now know two more things tham may or may not be included in this list. I have learnt it from my own experience. First of all, if you do good things, only good things are going to happen to you. It does not mean only nice things, just good, and by good it includes horrific failures too. The second is thta you need to keep on going. never stops. Did ya fail? ok, go to the next step, did ya crush, did ya feel bad, did ya think it is not worth anymore…never ever stops, keep going, that’s the only way to reach your goals.
thank you for such an advice.
simon - a presentation skills trainer in the UK
January 7th, 2009 at 4:04 pmCan I add another to this excellent list?
Remember it’s not personal – the people who make your life hell aren’t doing it because they hate you, they’re doing it for their own best reasons and the world isn’t out to get you… well, not personally at least – because you’re not that special! :)
S
Randy Polloso
January 9th, 2009 at 10:19 amInspiring.
my advice – compete! Lead the pack. Love your customers and know their needs.
have a blessed new year!
MikeB
January 9th, 2009 at 9:21 pmGreat thoughts to start the year 2009. We are still at the start of the year and these thoughts or as the author says Timeless Business Wisdom is something you can print and post it somewhere on your reminder’s wall :-)
I like #2 and #7. It reminds me of how Nokia started from a wood-pulp mill to a world leader in digital technologies, including mobile phones, telecommunications networks, wireless data solutions and multimedia terminals. I am not a fan of Nokia but the story of how the company evolves from point A to point B is what I really admire.
I also like #5 and that is also true from the very words of Mahatma Gandhi that the act of giving yourself to a cause, and working with your full ability, is what will bring real satisfaction. … Full effort is full victory.
AJ Austin
January 11th, 2009 at 5:17 pmThanks so much for this insight to the business world! I have been encouraged, and look forward to hearing more from you!!!
~AJ
http://www.journeygirl.org
elysiumentor
January 14th, 2009 at 1:51 pmGreat post!!!
Change is the law of nature not progress. I like this line very much. I think this as one of the main reasons why many successful people also fail. You have already talked about improving always, it just complements that. :)
My personal favorite is #5 “Satisfaction does not come with achievement, but with effort. Full effort is full victory.”— Mahatma Gandhi.
In Hindu mythology there is one line from Geeta in sanskrit says it all:
Karmanyevadhikaraste ma falseshu kadachana.(Give it all you have for every thing you do, without seeking results)
Scott Mahler-Datex Media
January 14th, 2009 at 10:19 pmAll of these points are vital, at least I believe, to any successfull business. I would also add giving your clients/customers the time and attention they deserve. This may go hand-in-hand with working hard, because it takes a lot of extra time. But, sending emails with updates on projects, or calling just to check in can make all the difference in the world; it can also be what separates you from your competitors.
Aznul Shahrim
May 2nd, 2009 at 10:23 pmLife is a Journey and Never a Destination! Behind a Successful Journey, there lies a few failures but that will only makes a person better!
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