1. Entrepreneurs pay attention to the new opportunities that present themselves everyday.

2. Entrepreneurs don’t stop because they don’t know how to do something. They delegate tasks to people who are more gifted to perform the things you can’t, or learn to do them. They don’t re-invent the wheel if its not needed.

3. Entrepreneurs aren’t afraid of change or new things, so they try, investigate and willing risk making mistakes.

4. Entrepreneurs set realistic goals daily as well as for the long term.

5. Entrepreneurs study the background information of what they’re marketing so they can become experts in a filed they wouldn’t normally have any expertise in.

6. Entrepreneurs study other peoples’ mistakes and successes and learn from them.

7. Entrepreneurs realize that they’re running a long term business, not a get rich quick venture. They think and plan for the future.

8. Entrepreneurs don’t let problems stop them from reaching a goal. They learn new things from road blocks and hurdles.

9. Entrepreneurs are professional, thoughtful in their communication and to the point. They don’t give people fluff or false hope.

10. Entrepreneurs are real with who they are and understand their own personality. They know their strengths and weaknesses.

11. Entrepreneurs use their resources and time wisely, while learning to make room for taking risks.

12. Entrepreneurs don’t get frustrated if something takes longer than expected. They always focus on the goal.

13. Entrepreneurs know that there are many parts of entrepreneurship that WILL NOT be fun, but they do them anyway.

14. Entrepreneurs learn to move on to new projects. They don’t get attached to something that isn’t working or is using too many resources.

15. Entrepreneurs don’t give away their best information upfront. They understand how to pace what they bring to market.

16. Entrepreneurs remove things that distract them or take their mind off the goal.

17. Entrepreneurs don’t have pre-determined or fixed ideas about how something will end up. They are flexible and try new things.

18. Entrepreneurs are honest with others and themselves. They earn the trust of their following by being trustworthy.

19. Entrepreneurs don’t make decisions on whether or not something is enjoyable. They think about what their target wants.

20. Entrepreneurs are always making new products or ventures. They are constantly exploring new options without get wrapped up in one thing. They can get out of their own box.

21. Entrepreneurs don’t take things personally.

22. Entrepreneurs run their business the way they want, while always being open to advice. They can understand that no one person can possibly know everything.

23. Entrepreneurs are proactive with their decision making. They DO what they DREAM.

24. Entrepreneurs are prepared for long hours and lots of work because they know that success does not occur overnight, or on its own.

25. Entrepreneurs incorporate ideas and products that they know already work.

26. Entrepreneurs know how to delegate tasks to other more gifted than themselves. They know how to let go of something and let another person get add their own style, twist or flavor to it.

27. Entrepreneurs learn about who they are marketing to and craft their communication accordingly.

28. Entrepreneurs welcome feedback and criticism from those who matter the most: their customers.

Success can be intimidating.

In fact, for many people, it is the fear of success (or possible the fear of failing) that keeps them from it.

In order to overcome the fear of success, you have to be willing to fail and NOT give up. That is not the same thing as being willing to fail. Anyone can do that – MOST people do that.

What brings about success is when (not if) you fail, you get back up and restart, repair and/or reorganize your business.

It’s hard to imagine the potential your business has when you are looking at it in its beginning stages.

But think of it as a little snowball that, while sitting lifeless in the palm of your hand, has great potential when that little ball of snow has been nurtured into shape and made ready to be pushed down the hill. You will witness an amazing mathematical phenomenon known as exponential growth.

The more success you create, the more success you CAN create. So don’t be intimidated by a small, awkward looking start to your success.

Think ahead.

Think out of the box.

Think about helping people and respond to them well.

That is what will activate the Entrepreneur in you.

I once taught a middle school computer programming class as an elective for 7^th and 8^th graders. I remember the first day of class. They all had this look in their eyes that made me wonder why they were so excited to be in that class. Then it finally emerged. One of them said, “When are we going to get to design video games??”

Aha! No wonder they were so enchanted. It was because they had NO IDEA the amount of boring math and flowcharting they were going to be doing long before they even thought of designing a video game. I had to break the news to them and only a few really stuck with it.

They had a good excuse for their misguided excitement – they were just young kids.

But I often see that same mentality on the Internet Marketing world. So many think they can sign up for one magic program that will make it all happen tomorrow – or that one incredible system that will only require a few hours of Internet surfing. The ones who actually make it big are the ones with an accurate perspective on what is ahead of them.

There is a learning curve for everything worthwhile and making a success of your business venture is no exception.

Now go do your homework.  There will be a test in the morning.

Having grown up in Santa Cruz California, we often found ourselves visiting the beautiful and quiet town nearby known as Carmel. Carmel is most famous for it’s luxurious setting “by the sea” with famous residents and visitors. At one time the actor Clint Eastwood was the town’s mayor and anytime he would drive through the main square it would cause quite a stir.

We saw a few famous faces among our visits there; such as musician Kenny Loggins, actress Doris Day, actor George Lindsey (“Goober” from the Andy Griffith Show) just to name a few. With Pacific Grove nearby (home of the famous PGA golf tournaments), it’s no surprise that many well know personalities graced the streets of Carmel By the Sea.

Because of Carmel’s “ritzy” atmosphere, it was not uncommon to find small parties of rather snobbish people with money. You know the kind. Those who have just enough money that they think they have license to be rude and demanding to the waitress.

But the person I remember most during our short day trips to Carmel was not famous at all. He was just a young college-aged boy working behind the counter of a bakery.

As I walked into that little shop one day just to see if I could find a cookie, I instead found absolute chaos.

The place was crowded with mostly older women who all wanted the attention of this young boy behind the counter – all at the same time. It was as if each one thought they were the only customer of importance. They were each calling out orders for cookies, cakes, bread, pastries and a plethora of other baked goods – all talking louder than the next. Clearly, he needed some help behind the counter as his customers were showing him no mercy. Like a crowd of screaming Beatlemainia fans they kept pushing at each other to get to him as if it was a race to see who could get service.

I was amazed. I wondered if there was a convention in town of rude people. Somehow all of the pushy people of the world showed up in this tiny little bakery all at the same time just to annoy this young man. I didn’t understand how this room was so full of noise.

In fact, I stood silent and amazed at this scene, and as the young man stood still behind the counter, paralyzed by the predicament he was in, he caught my eye and I caught his.

Somehow he knew I was his friend because I was the only person in the shop NOT demanding his attention. He must have been able to tell by the look on my face that I was full of pity for him and wondered how he would react to this ridiculous commotion.

Without missing a beat, he grinned and spoke directly to me as if no one else was in the room.

He said to me, “It’s not a job…it’s an adventure.”

I burst into laughter. I was so delighted by his incredibly positive attitude. What would have annoyed me enough to make me immediately quit that job – he found entertaining!

Instead of rolling up his apron and throwing it to the ground in frustration and walking out…he smiled and calmly helped each customer, no matter how rude, irritating or selfish each one was.

I will never forget what a great response he had and how friendly he was to each self-absorbed customer.

I don’t know where that bakery employee is today, but my guess is that he is not an employee anymore. He had all the makings of an Entrepreneur!

Spiders are amazing creatures. They never give up.

One day, I was watching a spider on the back deck at our home in the Pacific Northwest while it was building its web. It did so at an incredible pace and with such an unstoppable tenacity, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of it.

The sun shone through like a spot light into our backyard in such a way that it perfectly illuminated the scene for me for just a few moments. I could see each strand of silk being woven by the spider as she spiraled herself around a work of art. She spot-welded each joint like a crazed construction worker.

At the same time, I had a terribly cruel mental image. I thought about how easy it would be for me to destroy all of this hard work in just seconds with one fell swoop of my hand. (I’m not really that mean of a person…but the thought did cross my mind.) But I let her continue and I studied her work.

However, while this web was wonderfully engineered to trap any one of many kinds of flying insects, it was no match for my size – and with one swipe of my hand I could ruin what was probably hours of work.

But you and I both know what would have happened if I did. She would build another one…. immediately. And if I broke that next web – she would start over again.

Spiders are the best kind of entrepreneurs. They work hard with a specific goal in mind. They follow the blueprint of past success and carry out their plan in a regimented and disciplined stride.

Then they wait. Patiently, a spider will wait for her web traffic to arrive, so she can sustain herself and do it again.

If her web site goes down – she builds another one. Nothing can stop her quest – because it is who she is – and how she lives.

If would-be Internet entrepreneurs thought and behaved more like the spider, we would be reading many more true success stories than we do.

Successful entrepreneurs are funny people. They never get PERMANENTLY discouraged – just temporarily set back. Their downtime just causes them reason to stop, re-group, learn from the past and do it again.

History and/or legend tells us that Thomas Edison created something like 2,000 light bulbs that failed before he finally hit on the perfect combination when his first bulb lit up. But Thomas Edison, didn’t consider his 2,000 attempts failures. He said, “Now I know 2,000 ways NOT to do it.”

That is the making of a success story.