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Yes, ants are tiny enough indeed to go unnoticed. However, if we pay close attention and watch them, we find that they possess numerous habits that successful entrepreneurs display. Here are three of them:
#1: Never Quit:
When you place an obstacle in their path, ants will always find another way. They will climb up, down or around to get to where they want to go. This is what an entrepreneur does, as well, when faced with an obstacle. Throughout the startup journey and especially when things do not go well, an entrepreneur overcomes the obstacles and finds a way to keep on going… even if it means redefining the problem, sometimes! For example, PayPal changed its business model half a dozen times, before the current model became successful. Another example is Flickr, which started as a multiplayer game and ended up as a photo sharing site.
#2: Always look ahead:
Ants gather food in the summer and store for the cold winter months – They plan for known contingencies and are “looking ahead”. Similarly, an entrepreneur’s journey is strewn with problems that they can anticipate ahead of time. Successful entrepreneurs learn to anticipate what can go wrong in the future and prepare for these situations
#3: Do all you can:
Ants never cease to work. They work tirelessly to gather as much food as they can. They are absolutely focused and dedicated to achieving their goals. Entrepreneurs are not very different. They work tirelessly to give shape to their dream. Of course, it’s simply not possible to know the future; the best one can do is do their best and perhaps switch to something else… and do your best at that, if the original one does not work!
This quote from Andy grove, founder of Intel, sums it up well:
“I think it is very important for you to do two things: act on your temporary conviction as if it was a real conviction; and when you realize that you are wrong, correct course very quickly.” —Andy Grove
Special thanks to Jim Rohn, whose teachings inspired me to write this article.
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