In all the years I’ve been coaching women in business, I’m still amazed at how many entrepreneurs expect immediate success. In business, success doesn’t happen overnight. How many times have we heard about the so-called “overnight success” who waited years and years for her big break? Success is a process that takes time, energy, focused planning and persistence.

Don’t Give Up Before Payday

Patience in business is a virtue. Many well-meaning business owners give up before their business has had enough time to reach fruition. In other words, many entrepreneurs give up before payday.

Business success is about:

• Having a viable plan and working that plan consistently
• Believing in yourself and your ability to succeed in business
• Working with a business model that makes the best use of your skills and talents
• Possessing an unstoppable commitment to business success
• Knowing that success takes personal and professional time, effort and patience.

Five Tenets of Business Success

I believe success takes physical, emotional and mental stamina—it isn’t for the faint of heart! What does it take for a business owner to become successful without getting discouraged or impatient?

1. Start with a viable and motivating plan of action.

Success requires having a practical and workable plan that will consistently attract prospective customers and create steady income. A key element in success is making emotional peace with the fact that it takes time before any plan of action begins to pay off. I’ll say it again—success doesn’t happen overnight.

2. Believe in yourself and your vision.

Success in business is as much about personal development as it is about professional development. The confidence you have in yourself as a successful business owner is key to the success or failure of your business. If you believe in what you are offering and can back up that belief with a well-thought-out business plan, you are setting the stage for success. Belief in yourself and your ability to succeed provides the motivation and patience to keep going until payday. An unstoppable belief in yourself and your business can often make the difference between success and failure.

3. Capitalize on your natural gifts and talents.

I realize that not all of us get to “choose” our businesses—some of us inherit or marry into them. Still, it’s the unique gifts and talents that you bring to a business that can make the difference between succeeding and failing. What are your unique business gifts and talents? Can you hire someone to provide the business skills that you are lacking? Can you take classes or attend seminars to learn new skills? When you believe that you are skilled at your business, you are more willing to do what it takes to succeed and less willing to give up before payday.

4. Make a commitment to persevere.

Commitment is the glue that holds together your vision of success, whether that commitment is to a single business relationship or to the growth of an entire organization. TheFreeDictionary.com defines commitment as: the state of being bound emotionally or intellectually to a course of action or to another person or persons. Make a pledge to yourself and your company that becoming discouraged is not an option.

5. Be willing to pay the price.

You’ve heard the saying, “If success were easy, everyone would be one.” There is a personal and professional price to pay when growing a successful business. It takes time, effort and persistence. Successful women have learned how to balance their personal and professional lives. A successful business owner knows that her future vision is powerful enough to justify the time and effort she must spend to get there.

You must decide if being a business owner is the right choice. Success requires work—and patience. Not all businesses and entrepreneurs are successful. And many business owners become impatient and give up before they’ve given themselves reasonable time to become profitable and successful.

Do you have the patience to succeed? Are you willing to nurture and grow a successful business? Are you willing to develop your skills and talents? Are you willing to persist all the way to payday?

About the Author

Sharon Michaels is a business coach and the author of How to Give Yourself the Power to Succeed (EmPOWERing Publications, 1996). She produces and hosts the weekly radio show, Women Enjoying Success, interviewing and sharing the strategies of self-made successful women. Learn more at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Sharon-Michaels . Read Sharon’s blog,  http://www.SharonMichaels.com/powertosucceed , check out her weekly Ezine, Unlimited Success for Women and visit her website athttp://www.sharonmichaels.com

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