By: Dr. David B. Audretsch, Amway Education Advisor
Starting and growing an independent business can put even the most resilient entrepreneur to the test. Millions of people build better lives for themselves and their families through entrepreneurship, driven by a desire to create and grow an enterprise of their own. But while entrepreneurial ventures can empower people to earn extra income and achieve personal goals, the day-to-day challenges can try even the most relentlessly optimistic individual.
To maintain motivation and positive momentum, you will have to go well beyond your comfort zone to build your business and reinforce your skills. These efforts can enable you to forge ahead, even in the face of difficulty, as I have found in my research on .
Here are four dos to help stay motivated and reach your goals:
Do remember why you started
In both trying and triumphant times, always think back to why you started. Being constantly mindful of why you started your business in the first place and what you set out to do for yourself, family and community will help give you the motivation necessary to push forward.
Keeping an eye out for your next big break is key, as well. Opportunities for growth, advancement and inspiration are abundant and can appear at unexpected times and places. If you let tough times get you down, you may not be on top of your game when moments of possibility come your way. The Amway opportunity provides numerous ways to grow your business and enrich your community through long-term thinking, planning and commitment to a bigger purpose, so an eyes-open approach is critical.
Do harness the power of passion
Passion is a common trait that successful entrepreneurs around the world share, despite the diverse cultures and walks of life from which they hail. It is what gets them up in the morning, fuels their drive and keeps them focused. Entrepreneurs who are passionate about their business are more motivated because they find their work to be personally meaningful, which is key to confidence and grit.
Do find strength in numbers
Even the strongest, most driven entrepreneur doesn’t go it alone. To succeed in business, you must be good at what you do, and few people start an enterprise knowing everything they need to know to succeed. For independent business owners, additional education and training can help boost growth potential and achievement. This is why companies like Amway have decided that training and education are paramount to supporting their business owners, and is part of what differentiates them from other entrepreneurial opportunities. From my teaching, research and engagement throughout the world, I have found nothing else comparable to Amway’s unique educational opportunity for entrpereneurship.
Amway Independent Business Owners (IBOs) are equipped with a unique system of mentorship and ongoing support that makes Amway business ownership unlike any other entrepreneurial pursuit. With Amway, you are in business for yourself, but never by yourself. Amway Education, an online learning platform, provides nearly 100 virtual courses organized into four series, each focused on a milestone stage in an IBO’s entrepreneurial journey. These resources provide motivation and reinforcement, and are the hallmark of a company that is ahead of the game in the professional development arena. Entreprenurs reap the benefits this distinction and backing provides, enabling them to build skills that support success.
Do expand your experience
Successful independent business owners are well-rounded individuals who are always looking for opportunities to broaden their experience and knowledge.
Education plays a critical role in the ongoing development of entrepreneurship. To empower success, Amway, in particular, encourages continued learning and frequently expands its offerings and resources – all of which are adaptable to different interests and personalities. It recently launched an interactive learning personality quiz to help IBOs and business owners alike discover how they learn best. Designed to encourage business owners to reflect on what personal traits have made them successful, the quiz uses the persona revealed to direct users to relevant Amway Education to continue their learning experience.
The most critical entrepreneurial assets are leadership and basic business skills, as I am always emphasizing with my students. Business owners rely on valuable insights based on the real-life successes and setbacks of others to develop these skills and expand opportunities for learning and leading. That’s why Amway IBOs get access to training, compelling and effective mentorship as well as business development tools. For additional support, IBOs can lean on their growing community, which provides ongoing encouragement and guidance.
By continually being mindful of what inspired and drove success from the outset and while drawing support from the community and expanding education, aspiring or existing entrepreneurs can stay motivated. Education and training that meets their development needs and level of motivation, wherever it may be along the business ownership pathway, fosters lifelong learning and personal enrichment.
David Audretsch, Ph.D. is a Distinguished Professor and the Ameritech Chair of Economic Development and Director of the Institute for Development Strategies at Indiana University. He is an Honorary Professor of Industrial Economics and Entrepreneurship at the WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management in Germany and a Research Fellow of the Centre for Economic Policy Research in London.
Dr. Audretsch’s research has focused on the links between entrepreneurship, government policy, innovation, economic development, and global competitiveness. He is co-author of The Seven Secrets of Germany, published by Oxford University Press, and co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Small Business Economics: An Entrepreneurship Journal.
