Council Post: Four Strengths Of Superhuman Entrepreneurs

A startup growth advisor and Founder of Startup Growth Mode who has consulted for more than 200 high-growth companies.

Entrepreneurs find success from major factors, including their decisions and motivation. I’ve seen many entrepreneurs excel at what they do, but when it comes to some of their actions, they don’t always make the best decisions. Entrepreneurs also have different motivations. Some are money-driven, while others are mission-driven. There is one characteristic that can influence both decisions and motivation while pushing you to success: strength. It takes a lot of strength to become an entrepreneur and pursue your passion. There are many different types of strengths that can help you lead your team.

In my experience, I’ve found four key strengths for entrepreneurs looking to perform at their best in a company setting. This is usually what separates successful entrepreneurs from unsuccessful ones. Many of these strengths are dependent on time management and the ability of the entrepreneur to step outside their comfort zone. Face it: It takes blood, sweat and tears to build strength — and a lot of sacrifices. Many people just think in terms of good times, food and entertainment — easy, satisfying pursuits. Developing actual strength can easily get tossed out the window.

I was not born talented. I made myself, and the only way I did that was overcoming different struggles through a creative approach. I already knew I had to grow up faster than most people and my life path was not like their path. It was completely different, but I didn’t know why.

For me, developing these strengths to distinguish myself from other entrepreneurs sprang from pain that helped my ability to listen, understand and be humble. We each have our own experiences that shape us. When working toward becoming a better entrepreneur, there are actions you can take to build certain strengths to reach your goals.

Physical Strength

Most entrepreneurs leave this one aside because their business comes first, but I believe physical and mental strength work together. At a young age, I suffered from many chronic diseases that shaped me to become a healthier version of myself and be more conscious of how I treated my body. I did not have the luxury of taking my body for granted, and today I am grateful for that because my habits have helped me build incredible physical strength. I would not have reached my goals without commitment and sacrifice. Focusing on this strength can be as simple as making time in your calendar for physical activity. You are the example for your team members. You can lead by showing them how they can increase their own physical strength.

Spiritual Strength

Most entrepreneurs have a mission and a purpose they are pursuing, but some of them are more money-driven than others. It took me many hard lessons and repetitions of painful patterns to learn more about spirituality and my purpose to help others. I went on a journey that helped me understand the events throughout my life and how they were aligned with my purpose to help others. I had to heal myself from patterns and past traumas and face to face with other conflicts in order to help others. From experience, I see many aspiring entrepreneurs who are ready to start a business without doing the actual inner work and discovering who they are. It takes a lot of time and dedication. It is also a journey; it is not something we can read in a textbook and become enlightened immediately. Take the time you need — even months — to look for inspiration and go within to understand who you truly are and what your soul desires most. The inner work is so crucial for soul discovery, and without it, the soulless entrepreneur has a difficult time seeing the connections between events throughout their journey.

Mental Strength

This is something that is built over time when you work with a team. I have worked with many entrepreneurs who got upset out of nowhere or had favorite team players, and this caused more problems than needed. There were others who couldn’t handle the problems in the company and had a complete meltdown. My rule of thumb is to give yourself 24 hours to be upset before returning to normal and moving on. 

Ethical Strength

Entrepreneurship has always been about doing something for the greater good. You would think that ethics would be a given. It is surprising they are not. Doing the right thing when you may lose it all is tough for many entrepreneurs. I have seen horrible return policies and consumer sales strategies that were, ethically, epic fails. My simple rule is that if any consumer is not happy with their purchase, then give them the chance to return it or exchange it. Have you wondered what helps household names like Sephora, Macy’s and others stay in business for so long? It is partly because they have ethical strength. Sure, it hurts every business when things are returned. In the end, if the value is not there for the person, then why should they be forced to make the purchase and keep it? The goal of a business is to ensure the value is there no matter what you do. It starts with keeping promises to customers outlined in your policies. Some entrepreneurs think on different terms and usually end up losing many customers as a result. There’s success to be found from building ethical strength and ensuring your buyers are happiest when they purchase from you.

For most of my life, I felt that people who lived an average life never questioned anything. Then there were others who set limits on themselves. Still there were others whose focus on ego made it difficult to align with them. Asking questions, freeing yourself from limits and focusing less on ego can give you space to build strength. I truly believe these four strengths will take an average entrepreneur and help them become extraordinary. It won’t happen overnight, but the best achievements take time.

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