Good Business: 500 Days of Entrepreneurship

As I read this book, it occurred to me that there is a fine line between being a businessman and an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur is a business person who has evolved into a complete person who makes the time to be responsible for his actions and to challenge himself to become a better person.

All of the thoughts within are challenges the author had to overcome and situations that he dealt with.

He shares one of the primary lessons in life. There’s never only one single way to accomplish something.

Some secrets he shares are:

By creating value for others, you will create wealth for yourself.

There is only so much you can achieve by way of effort alone that you need talent to achieve true success.

A question you should ask yourself is what am I good at and how can I master it? The answer is to read something of substance, There is a lot you can learn from other people’s experiences.

Life is not all about business, it’s not all about work and it’s not all about money. In order to live a good, happy life as an entrepreneur, you need balance and perspective.

Your company needs capital, hard work and attention from the market. Patience is key.

Man up or don’t play the game at all because doubt kills your dreams more than failure ever will.

The most successful people are the ones who love, live and breathe what they
do every day.

For everything you do, if you want to do it successfully, you have to be consistent. Why? Because only consistent efforts bring results! Failure is most likely due to laziness or lack of courage. The intellectual will often have a negative stance towards change and innovation due to one simple thought: “If it’s such a great idea, why hasn’t anyone come up with it before you?” This approach is fundamentally wrong because it will never provoke any change. Every minute you spend thinking about how or when you might fail, you are denying yourself the opportunity to succeed.

The question that you have to ask yourself constantly is this: “What’s
not working as well as it could?” Only then can we foster growth amongst the people we work with. By making a suggestion, people will (hopefully) think about it, understand it and then realize why a change is necessary.

Focus is the key in any creative endeavor.

A good entrepreneur will always pursue the world’s needs. A great entrepreneur can anticipate the needs of the world and be first to market.

You need to plan your business properly, but the better you know your business, the less written planning you need.

Life lesson: If it’s not easy, you’re doing it wrong.

You need structure in order to be the best version of yourself, once perfected, should allow you to function at your best from the moment you wake up until you go to sleep at night, day in and day out.

As an entrepreneur, you have to make sure that those ideas are heard and that the people under your leadership are encouraged to think. Sure, there will be a lot of garbage ideas, but there is no shame in the creative process.

The truth is that you will need a bit of both money and power to achieve success.

There is no pride in leadership, and it is impossible to exert your power all the time.

There’s a certain vision that you must adopt when you are building a business. You want to work for achievements instead of possessions.

We can’t escape the rules of society (unless we are big enough to change them), so while you are doing what you do to change the world, you should regard materialistic things as temporary, and simply as a means to an end. The main recipes for sustainable success, never give your time away for free, and always be humble. Humility translates into warding off haters and keeping your success in perspective. Always strive to do the right thing.

You determine your own reality. You have to follow the rules until you are significant enough to change them.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in the professional world is to think that the deal is about you – it’s never about you, it’s about profits.

If you want to build trust and lasting relationships, you must be accurate in the things you say and do. Make sure you know people’s darkest secrets and their failures, and then make a decision about the type of relationship you want to maintain with them. Money is just a tool to get what you want, and the more you focus on it, the more enslaved you will become by it.

Consider your doubts, but don’t let them paralyze you or keep you from achieving your dreams. I believe that if your business isn’t prospering like it should then you are the problem that needs to be fixed.

In life and in business, it is important not to take anything for granted.

When you are facing a seemingly insurmountable challenge, you have to ask yourself: Is this a test that I need to pass to get to the next level of life? In life and in business – and in chess– it is crucial to anticipate what will happen next. Connect the dots and be mindful of the moving parts in your universe so that you can position yourself accordingly. Regardless of your achievements, you should never stop.

Taking notes and making lists are great decision-making tools! You can assess the pros and cons of each decision. Life is not about what you are able to do, but rather, about what you believe you can do, because that’s the only real prospect we have as human beings. I have always applied a rule that gives me the freedom to enjoy my victories but also ensures safety for my family
and myself. The author’s final words of wisdom: The rule is simple: Take the money you make and pay your bills first. Then, look at what’s left and set aside 80% of it (for investments or simply a rainy day). The remaining 20% is yours to spend as you wish!

There are many quotes of inspiration and truth throughout this book.

To sum it all up, this book is a testament to the wisdom that has been gleaned by Patrick Gruhn that he willingly shares with us so that we can learn through his experiences and apply some of these same principles in our own lives. Whether you are in business are not, there are at least ninety topics of wisdom and advice for everyone who wants to be the best person that they can be. Get your copy now!