Ep. 077 – Do you have the one key success factor successful entrepreneur has?
Is there one key success factor most successful entrepreneurs have? Or is the key success factor is unique to each entrepreneur?
At the end of every interview on the REACH OR MISS podcast, I ask my interviewee what their key success factor is and what works for them.
You will be amazed at what I found.
Hi Reachers.
So happy you are here! Today is the final episode in a three part series, where I talk about three main things we can learn from successful entrepreneurs.
Over the last ten years I’ve worked with over 120 startups and entrepreneurs, and met with thousands more in meetups, conferences, and the like.
I decided to start this podcast one and a half years ago in order to help entrepreneurs and startup founders increase their chances of business success by learning from most successful entrepreneurs and opinion leaders.
This podcast is focused on entrepreneurial marketing and how being a customer-focused entrepreneur will pave your way to success.
The last two episodes were all about how successful entrepreneurs started their businesses and what did they do to breakthrough into the market.
Today, I want to focus on something that isn’t directly connected to customer focus and entrepreneurial marketing: the key success factor that led my interviewees to achieve their major successes, and what we learn from those experiences.
Madalyn Sklar
Madalyn Sklar is a serial entrepreneur, community builder and leading Twitter marketing expert. With 22 years of digital marketing experience and 13 years social media marketing under her belt, it’s no surprise she’s ranked the #1 Social Media Power Influencer in Houston. Each week Madalyn hosts the #TwitterSmarter, a Twitter chat that brings together hundreds of people in an active one-hour discussion revolving around Twitter marketing. Since launching two years ago, it has reached 4.64 billion impressions. Huffington Post has named Madalyn one of 50 Women Entrepreneurs to follow.
The moment when Madalyn felt she stopped chasing after customers and started to attract them:
- I must admit that I didn’t really have to chase after customers. When I started, I built web sites and people that wanted a website came to me. Also, with the musician community, I didn’t really have to chase them either. You should make a mission of building your own brand.
Madalyn’s key success factor:
- Always moving upward. That makes me happy. I love the journey. I love the work I do. If you do things this way, you will reach the stars.
Jonathan Aufray
Jonathan Aufray is the co-founder and CEO of Growth Hackers and Growth Academia, which help startups, SMBs, and entrepreneurs grow through inbound marketing and growth hacking. He has lived and worked in 7 countries, speaks 4 languages, and has done business with companies from 70+ countries. Jonathan loves discovering new cultures and meeting new people.
What is your one key success factor?
- My key success factor is luck. But the most important factor is to not be scared to go out there and start doing. Not being scared to “go all in”, like in Poker. That is what creates your luck.
Samuel Pavin
Samuel Pavin is a Brand Strategist and Director of Samuel Pavin Group Ltd, specializing in business and marketing strategy; A Marketing Lead for ilab; and a Key Opinion Leader (KOL) for Huawei.
Samuel’s key success factor
- I’ve always made my own decisions and followed through. I moved from France to London as a student and was looking for a job, and I ended up working in a restaurant that belonged to Gordon Ramsay. That was an amazing experience because the level of quality; the requirements and expectations were through the roof! And I think that, learning to work hard and to work well at the same time, is a skill that stayed with me.
- I’d never sit down. I kept looking for opportunities; that’s what I always did. I kept looking for opportunities, which is my key success factor.
Marc Guberti
Marc Guberti is a teenager entrepreneur, digital marketing expert, and author. He is the co-founder of Teenager Entrepreneur, a movement that educates and empowers teens worldwide with the knowledge they need to become successful entrepreneurs.
From Marc’s website, about me section:
MY LIFE GOAL: Through my work, I will positively impact the lives of over 1 billion people within my lifetime. I will pave the way for more teens to embrace their dreams at an early age. My work will continue to positively impact the lives of others well beyond my time on our planet.
What is the one key success factor for Marc?
- Build relation ships! Because you don’t know everything about your niche, even if you think you do, you don’ Building relationships allows you to get in contact with more people.One of the blog posts I wrote attracted Matt McWilliams, who runs a lot of affiliate promotions. He has gotten me involved in a few of them, and he has been able to make some of the best connections for me.
- My recommendation is to build at least one new meaningful relationship every day.
Marc Hemeon
Marc is an artist and designer living and painting on the North Shore of Oahu.
Marc was the founder of Design Inc. Marc has co-founded a number of companies, including North Technologies, which merged with Hodinkee.com in 2015. Marc was the co-founder of Flick, which YouTube acquired in 2011. Following the acquisition, Marc was part of the team to redesign YouTube in 2011 and again in 2012, leading the site wide redesign.
Previously, Marc led design teams at Oakley and Digg, and co-founded a number of companies, including TeeFury and Design by Humans.
What is your one key success factor?
- Showing up every single day and being consistent, focus on a clear direction, and do something in that direction every day. You shouldn’t take breaks. Work day after day, and just do the work.
Raoul Davis
Raoul Davis is CEO of Ascendant Group Branding, which helps CEOs, retired athletes, and executive leaders increase their top line revenue.
Ascendant’s integrated model includes brand strategy, public relations, book deals, social media, and brand design. Davis has been invited to small business forums at the White House and is considered to be an expert on CEO and executive branding.
The point when Raoul stopped chasing after customer and started to attract them:
- That’s the way it has worked for us over the last several years. Our clients refer a great deal; our partners refer a great deal. This is the point any B2B should get to.
- It happened when we went through a complicity reduction and we decided to focus only on what we do best. That led to customer satisfaction and many successes.
Raoul’s key success factor:
- The ability to continuously be willing to negotiate. I think America, as well as most of its business owners, lost their ability to be resilient. If a customer says no, you can’t say ‘OK, I will never talk with them again.’ You have to find out how to keep the discussion going because they might close the deal with you in three months. You should understand why you got the NO, learn from it, and return to this customer with a better approach.
Hi Reachers!
I hope you enjoyed this episode and what these amazing guests shared with us about their key success factors.
Did you notice a unique pattern or idea that is common to my guests today and other successful entrepreneurs I talk with in the show?
None of these entrepreneurs talked about a character or a habit as their key success factor. They talked about a state of mind, about being open to new ideas, opportunities, and people and being consistent in your journey.
The reason I find it so exciting is because one of the biggest obstacles between entrepreneurs and startup founders and success is they are certain they have the answers.
And I know that in order to really succeed in the business world, you must understand that you don’t know anything, until you learn what your customers’ needs and wants are.
When these successful entrepreneurs spoke about their key success factor, they all talk about being open; they don’t know the answers, they are looking for them!
In the next episode, we have a new and exciting guest. I’ll see you next week!
Hayut
