By Mark Samuel
Mark is a serial entrepreneur and CEO/founder of FitMark a fitness bag company based out of San Francisco. In just over +2 years Fitmark bags are being sold in over 25 countries and are expected to sell +250,000 bags this year.
Like anything in life, being an entrepreneur is a continual learning process. My outlook on running a successful business has changed considerably from my first venture to my ninth, as current CEO and Founder of Fitmark.
My entrepreneurship skills started as a high school student, flipping used cars for profit. What better way than to help pay my college tuition than with my natural skills? I have learned a tremendous amount on how to be a successful entrepreneur over 15+ years in my professional career.
Most importantly, I’ve learned that my mindset has shifted tremendously from my 20s to my 30s. Here are three key lessons I’ve learned in my journey as an entrepreneur:
Always plan
Starting out as an entrepreneur, I was adventurous. I was exploring a brand new world and life. I would talk with mentors about my plans and they’d encourage me to pursue them.
But I was all over the place. I didn’t have structure or a well-mapped plan. I had never truly sat down and wrote out exactly what I wanted to accomplish and how I was going to go about doing that.
Looking back to some of my early ventures, I know the outcomes would have been a bit different if I had a plan and a strategic way of executing it.
From what I’ve seen, it’s common for entrepreneurs to feel like we can conquer the world. Maybe we can, but you can’t achieve long term success without a game plan. In my 20s I forgot about how critical a proper plan is. Proper planning has to be the number one thing I have learned as a professional.
Set realistic goals
The reason I became an entrepreneur is because I’m not afraid to chase dreams or projects. This is what makes many entrepreneurs successful and able to accomplish incredible feats.
But this also has a down side… Since many entrepreneurs are risk-takers and think differently we tend to set unrealistic goals.We see a product or a vision in our minds as something that is tangible and accessible with hard work.
When I first started I had dreams of creating incredible ventures of all types, but those dreams became more tiresome when I understood the complexity and work that it takes to make them a reality.
I’ve learned that as an entrepreneur you always want to have big visions and plans but you need to make sure they stay realistic so you’re not left with un-met, unrealistic expectations.
Manage Your Time – Not every day is a sprint!
I love the feeling of accomplishment and success. Fulfilling and accomplishing something that someone doubted you on, or something that has never been achieved before is an incredible feeling. The drive to reach this feeling is what continues to inspire me every day.
But this drive is dangerous at times as it takes over you. Although you want to accomplish everything in 24 hours, it’s physically impossible. This mind set change came as a result of the first two changes.
Having a plan and being realistic are two crucial components to proper time management. I learned very quickly that there is a time and proper place for everything, trying to push things in a place where there is no time for them only leads to exhaustion and over-working yourself and your team.
As many entrepreneurs already know, being successful is largely about learning and growing from your past mistakes. I look forward to continuing to learn and grow everyday. My ninth venture will be much more successful than my first. I owe this success to the shift in my professional mindset.
All images CC via PhotoPin
Author Bio:
Mark is a serial entrepreneur and CEO/founder of FitMark a fitness bag company based out of San Francisco. In just over +2 years Fitmark bags are being sold in over 25 countries and are expected to sell +250,000 bags this year.
Mark has had an eye for being a successful entrepreneur ever since he was a young child,and understands the challenges and issues that young entrepreneurs are facing as that was him only 15 years ago.
Mark has a soft soul and enjoys giving back. He has created a 1 for 1 program and is constantly donating bags to boys and girls clubs across America for underprivileged children. Mark is an avid fitness professional and started one of the first cross fit gyms in the Bay Area.
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