This is going to be a short post today because I’m working heavily on a side project (an informational website) that a friend and I are trying to get up as soon as possible.

But that doesn’t mean that I won’t provide you with any value.  I was browsing some blogs the other day, and I can across this list: 15 Abilities You Must Have to Get Out of the Rat Race.  It’s a phenomenal compilation of skills that every aspiring entrepreneur should have.

I encourage you to check out that list to see for yourself exactly what you need in order to break out of the dreaded 9 to 5 purgatory.  Of the abilities on that list, I think the following three are the most crucial to any entrepreneurial success:

1) Take Risks.  This is the skill I keep harping on.  And yes, it’s a skill.  Without a flare for taking calculated risks, you won’t succeed as an entrepreneur.  When the rest of society is spending $2,000 on wide-screen TVs and $40,000 on SUVs, it’s OK to fore go those types of expenses and commit $1,000 or $2,000 to designing and promoting a website.  If you’re young, go for it. 

2) Be A Salesperson.  I suck at this.  But selling is vital to entrepreneurial success.  It doesn’t just involve selling to customers.  Being a salesperson in your entrepreneurial ventures can involve selling your idea to an investor, selling an idea to a potential partner, selling advertisers on why they should pay X dollars for an ad spot on your website, etc.  Selling comes in many forms, so it’s a good idea to take a crash course in it.

3) Discipline.  The problem with being an entrepreneur is that you’re not restricted.  Your ideas come in all shapes and sizes, and even when you’re working on one idea and one project, your mind comes up with more ideas and opportunities.  (You might think you don’t have the ability to come up with a profitable business idea, but you’d be surprised at how good you can be once you train your mind to do that.) 

This is what is currently happening to me.  But you can’t let the rapid influx of ideas derail your current project.  Be disciplined.  Stay focused.  Keep a list of ideas that you can continually update.  Then, once you finish your first project, move on to the next idea on your list.  And so on and so forth.

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