
Ambition is one of those words which has a really bad image problem right now. Although in reality it simply means having a strong desire to do or achieve something, over the years it has wrongly come to be seen as a dirty word, a short-hand way of describing ruthless, selfish, people trampling over each other in their efforts to achieve success.
Unfortunately, this negative image means that people can often feel they have to downplay their ambition, or even pretend they don’t actually have any. That’s a real shame, especially for entrepreneurs, because studies show that being ambitious can not only spur you on towards success, it can actually improve your chances of success, by helping you stay motivated and focused on what you are trying to achieve. Quite simply, it’s one of the best tools there is to get you to where you want to be. The good news is that, contrary to the stereotype, you can still be a nice person while you’re being ambitious. Indeed, I feel so strongly that having ambition is a good thing that I’ve not only written a book about it, I’m also about to take a one-woman show about it to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August. So how can you use your ambition to fulfil the dreams you have for your business? First you need to set your business a really big goal. It may sound counter intuitive but having a big challenging target actually improves your chances of success, because you know that if you are to have any hope of achieving it, you must give it absolutely everything you’ve got.Read about the entrepreneurs demonstrating ambition:
- My little girl’s school assembly inspired me to get my business started
- Hosting student club nights led this DJ to mix it up and launch an overseas festival
- Brother-built sushi business rapidly expands to compete against Itsu and Wasabi
That might mean moving towns or even countries to be located in the best place for your business; it might be retraining to acquire the skills you need; and it is likely to mean making sacrifices – goodbye sleep, goodbye social life, goodbye carefree summer holiday.
It might also mean sometimes saying no, which can be hard to do because it feels all wrong, but if you are going to build a successful business there will be times when you need to turn down invitations and opportunities, no matter how exciting and fun, because they don’t take you nearer to where you want to be. Third, you need to surround yourself with a team of people who are every bit as ambitious about building your business as you are. Get your family involved in what you are doing, find a mentor who inspires you, and choose business partners, employees and investors who genuinely share your vision. Finally – and this can sometimes be the hardest bit of all – you have to shout about your ambition and tell the world what you are trying to achieve. Yes, you have to say it out loud, and with confidence. I speak at many small business events around the country and I’m always amazed at how few people actively come up to tell me about their businesses, preferring instead to wait until it is coaxed out of them, before mumbling sheepishly about this little venture they have started.These are the six SMEs that took their dreams to a panel of judges including Richard Branson and Tyra Banks.
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