How Can Entrepreneurs Use Their Time Wisely During This Crisis

“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

Rarely does success come by happenstance. It often involves deliberate preparation and intentional efforts. Add strong relationships and other contributing factors – vision, motivation, talent – and people can realize their potential.

When achievers are asked to define the formula for success, their answers vary. But often a key component is focus – the ability to invest time against the work that will yield results. Those who can focus their attention, work their plans in good and bad times, will be well-positioned for success.   

In his best selling book, Outliers, author Malcom Gladwell identifies exceptional individuals whose success was predicated on the countless hours they spent deliberately practicing their craft. He coined the 10,000-hour rule – the idea that expertise comes from tons of work. Gladwell’s book is filled with real like examples, like the Beatles,who toiled away for thousands of hours honing their musical expertise.  

Award-winning technologist, Jay Hammonds, who works on the Executive Support Engineering team at Facebook, has leveraged many hours of work to achieve success. After gaining an internship at Facebook through Year Up, a nonprofit career training program for low-income young adults, Hammonds started as an entry level analyst and worked his way up the corporate ladder without a college degree. After Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram in 2013, Hammonds helped Instagram scale from a staff of 13 to over 1,000 employees. 

Today, Hammonds leads tech initiatives for executives including Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg along with the Company’s programming for an inner-city youth initiative he created. 

In a recent Forbes8 Mastermind, Hammonds shared his advice on how aspiring leaders can create opportunities for themselves and their communities through proper preparation, relationship-building and hard work. 

“I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is preparation. Ensuring that you are prepared for anything will always set you up to be in the best position. And I actually learned that from Sheryl Sandberg. She was someone who pulled me aside and told me that a long time ago. And that really stuck with me,” Hammonds explained.

Doing your job well, preparing for future outcomes and being open to new solutions is a good formula. That preparation and willingness allows companies like Facebook to evolve. Their recent grant opportunity, Facebook’s Small Business Grants Program is a resource entrepreneurs might turn to for financial support due to the global outbreak of COVID-19.

“If you’re not stepping outside your comfort zone, then you will never grow.”

Hammonds’ drive to bridge the gap between tech and underrepresented youth is what initiated his efforts to help build tech curriculum for over 150 inner-city students on Facebook’s campus. Proactively taking this type of initiative is what great leaders are made of. 

Here are Jay Hammonds’ top success principles: 

• Never stop learning. Slow down to learn the landscape of whatever it is you’re about to delve into.
• Don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone in unconventional ways.
• Listen to yourself (be introspective) throughout your success journey.
• Reconnect with your network and create a routine around checking in weekly.
• Find your motivation and make meaning out of it that will drive your ambition.
• Understand the law of attraction – whatever you seek is what you will receive.

Practice may make perfect but entrepreneurs master the art of hard work, preparation and they often cultivate others. Practice all that and your confidence, skills and opportunities will grow too.