Amidst many advantages the online landscape affords the average person perhaps the most significant one is gaining perspective and knowledge from the most successful people in the world without having to go anywhere or buy anything.

There is a great deal of insight to be gleaned from successful figures like Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington, Suzie Orman, Mark Cuban and a host of other thought leaders, but what about nuggets of knowledge from less-known-but-stellar entrepreneurs?

Keep these evergreen pieces of entrepreneurial advice in mind as you navigate your dreams.

You’re Only as Good as the Quality of People You Hire

Read: an employee’s intelligence, talent and skill set can only take a company so far. Truly successful companies grow and stand the test of time because they hire exceptional people; they don’t settle for an objectively good hire that doesn’t perpetuate a positive, collaborative work environment.

This single piece of advice is a significant reason behind how entrepreneur Andrew Housser co-founded the Freedom Financial Network, a conglomerate of companies helping people shed their debt and pave new roads toward financial freedom. Housser attests that “if someone is a high performer but a jerk, give that person the message early and in no uncertain terms. If they don’t fix it, set them free.”

Housser contributes to several publications and occasionally writes about the state of consumerism and the U.S. economy, providing actionable tips people can follow for prudent financial hygiene.

The Best Way to Start Anything Is by Doing

As simple as this sounds, in life, there’s always a reason to delay something. Whether it’s an item on our to-do list, a person we’re nervous to ask on a date, or starting a company. But these things will cast a shadow over us as long as they’re pending. Instead of waiting for the energy to tackle your to-do list item, the right time to ask a person out or the experience and/or funding to launch a business, just get to it. You’ll make more progress—and feel better while doing so—if you stop offering reasons for your inaction and instead follow through on your intentions.

Tara Gentile founded Quiet Power Strategy to help give aspiring and current business owners more clarity around their business ideas and action plans. Gentile says too many aspiring entrepreneurs look for reasons to put off new initiatives, feeling like they need more information, more experience, more money and that perfect vision. To this, Gentile advises that “the best way to learn is by doing. Stop waiting and bring your ideas to life today.”

Develop Profitable Business Ideas

You’d think someone who’s written over 50 books and has topped the Amazon business and investing best-seller list half a dozen times would offer complicated advice to new entrepreneurs, but Jeff Haden stresses that the most simple aspect of business is also the most important. In an age where tech companies are valued at billions of dollars yet don’t make any profit, too many entrepreneurs develop business ideas and try to secure funding without the slightest clue how they’ll actually turn a profit.

Haden’s best business advice is to “never forget that your business needs to take in more money than it spends. I know that sounds too simple, but so many people lose sight of that. That’s also why so many first-time entrepreneurs over-invest (or spend so much of their time looking for investors) early on.” Haden stresses the importance of creating solutions that cost little to no money and always ensure you’re making more than your spending. Capital is important, but Haden asserts that there needs to be a return at some point. A few years of losing money, funneling money back into the business or taking investments is fine, but everything you do needs to contribute to taking in more money than what comes out.

The above advice is by no means revolutionary in its complexity, and that makes it all the more compelling. The best advice cuts through the noise and empowers the recipient to take action.

After all, legendary investor Warren Buffett once said in regards to setting goals, “I don’t look to jump over 7-foot bars — I look for 1-foot bars that I can step over.”

These thought leaders didn’t get to where they are by making things unnecessarily hard on themselves. Keep things simple, work hard and know what you want to achieve. Slowly but surely, you’ll get there.

Shift Frequency © 2018 – Educational material