My view on successful entrepreneurship

It’s been a while since my last post, sorry about that. Been recharging and also saving up for this coming week as I will be blogging for the Swedish Entrepreneurial page http://www.xn--entreprenrerna-3pb.se/ The sight is run by a Swedish network for entrepreneurs in Sweden called Founders Alliance, check them out. I will write two posts for them this week: the first will be my view on successful entrepreneurship and the second, how Sweden can develop to become world-leading within this area. Not easy topics, so stay tuned.

There are many inspirational videos and books on what makes entrepreneurs successful. However, I find them fairly generic and hard to apply, as we all have very different traits. Instead, I will try to open up and tell you about how I have applied these theories in my life. I wouldn’t have said this 10 years ago, but I think it’s very important to take in new ideas from reading, asking questions and meeting new people. Don’t ever stop this. I won’t bore you with my favorite reads list, see below if you’re interested, but I generally like books on psychology, inner discovery and stores about putting life on the line.

Mingling leads to ideas — be a pro networker

Starting up Mediapilot at age 26 was my first real venture, besides running college nightclubs. If someone asked me if I had the correct background to start up a company, I would say no. It’s not in my blood; there are no entrepreneurs in my family. However, my Dad’s father was wildly energetic, which I take after. He was full of ideas and knew how to bring people together, an art in many ways that I think people don’t fully utilize. An extremely social man, he loved walking through the neighborhood summer camp in Sweden, chatting up people from all over the world, and mingling with locals at a village my grandparents frequented in Gambia. I think his ability to never be afraid of seeking new connections is something fundamental in being an entrepreneur. This trait definitely helps me. I also think my grandfather’s love of meeting new people led to his constant flow of ideas. For me, networking presents new dots to connect: problems, needs, etc., or other successes that can be applied in other industries.

Take matters in your own hands — after failing school

A lot of books and entrepreneurial reads say being pro-active is essential. I found this to be one of my key abilities sometime after high school, when life got real. One of my favorite memories is scoring dream digs with a mate at Karlstad University. It was impossible, so they said, but after baking delicious treats and bringing my adorable golden retriever for a visit, we managed to charm the officials and had our place a couple weeks later. Taking matters into your own hands can get you a long way. I think not performing well in school forced me to think differently. I’m certainly not endorsing poor marks in school, but it led to my skill in looking for alternative solutions, which I use daily.

Mix up business and pleasure

I have a really hard time being creative and inspiring at set times, so I don’t follow the trend of separating work and free time. Struggling with finding real energy and peace for the typical 9-5 workday, I try to find time where and when I feel the lust and energy to work. This might be on an airplane, on my couch late at night with a gin & tonic, after a workout or on vacation. Basically, I found that it’s important for me to break the daily routine. I also think having a plan for the short and long term is really effective and structure for how to move forward. Check out the “Life Plan”. I have been doing this for more than three years now. I structure, dream and plan all the major things in my life such as family, finances, health, personal time, and especially thinking about how I want to look back at everything. One product of my life plan is the trip I am currently taking, travelling around the world for four months. Visiting various paradise islands in Southeast Asia has been a huge opportunity for me to mix up business and pleasure. So far I’ve connected with creative people in Saigon’s start up community and started on a new model for sustainable entrepreneurship. And maybe the most important, I have time to contemplate on all of the dots that I haven’t had time or energy to connect in the last seven years of running Mediapilot.

Last but not least, be persistent! Yes, this is the biggest cliché of them all, but it’s true. Better yet, be persistent with all of the points above.

Some books that I like are:

The Four Hour Workweek

7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Surviving the Andes

http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_st_john_s_8_secrets_of_success.html