Entrepreneurial Tip: Learn Why Self-Motivation is the Key to Success!

This is one of several tips for entrepreneurs that I’ve developed, featuring shared experiences and wisdom from my successful career as a global entrepreneur that I outline in an easy to understand tip format with a brief story/snippet from my own experiences as well as a current anecdote about how this tip applies in today’s business environment, or with well-known companies.

Entrepreneurial Tip: Self-motivation is the key to success and will achieve powerful results.

In business, there is no safety net. Successful businesspeople don’t rely on manipulating markets or government regulations—they have to find their own internal motivation and use it to propel themselves forward, whether to create financial prosperity for a family or community, support a cause they’re passionate about, or bring an innovative idea to the world. Self-motivation helps entrepreneurs ignite the drive needed to push through challenges when the going gets tough.

From the Jack Nadel Archives

In my role as a mentor, I have given strong advice to an individual that, if carried out, would have produced a very successful deal. In some cases, however, that individual did not have sufficient self-motivation to take the steps I recommended they take. I learned that many people lack the strength of their convictions, which leads to failure or holds them in a place of stagnation. No one can teach self-motivation…either you have it or you don’t. If you can tap into self-motivation, you can truly propel yourself forward from where you are now.

How Does This Tip for Entrepreneurs Apply Today?

Imagine being fired from your job as a magazine editor because you “lack imagination” and “have no original ideas.” The last thing you would likely go out and attempt to do would be to start an entertainment company, but that’s exactly what Walt Disney did. This entertainment company soon went bankrupt, forcing Disney to partner with his brother, Roy, in starting the company that would become the Walt Disney Company. At almost every stage of its early life, the Walt Disney Company was discounted.

Early on, the Walt Disney Company had trouble with financing, and distributors literally laughed at the idea of animated cartoons with sound. But Walt Disney could not be dissuaded from his goal of creating a movie and entertainment company. Luckily for families across the globe everywhere, Disney’s passionate pursuit of his vision resulted in the creation of one of the world’s most well-known and beloved brands.