Let me guess: You’re ready to skip the fluff and learn exactly how to succeed in business. 

You’ve come to the right place.

I’ve helped thousands of people start their own businesses and there are a few habits that separate those who succeed from those who don’t. 

And in this article, you’ll learn nine key steps that can make the difference between hitting your goals and staying stuck.

Let’s get right to it!

1. Set the right goals

The first step to succeeding in business is knowing where you want to end up – and then creating goals that align with your vision.

How? By being specific.

For example, let’s say you want to create a business that runs mostly without you having to actively work on it. 

In that case, one of your shorter-term goals could be hiring a social media manager within the next six months to cut your workload in half.

Here, you want to pinpoint exactly what you need to work on to maximize your results. 

And once you have those goals written down? Believe they’re possible.

This is key. 

Why? Because building a successful business is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s not easy, and there’ll be times when you’ll doubt yourself. 

So you don’t want to say, “I’ll make $10,000 this month” if you haven’t gotten your first client yet. You just won’t believe in your goal. If it helps, write down personal accomplishments that you’re proud of. And when you’re feeling stuck, revisit this list and remind yourself of how far you’ve come.

2. Adopt a success mindset 

According to research, a shift in your mindset can help you achieve more. 

For example, a lot of people struggle with feeling behind. 

But here’s the thing… 

Success is a moving target. Which means? No matter how far you go, you’ll always feel that you’re not as far ahead as you should be… UNLESS you change your mindset. 

Here’s how: 

Instead of thinking, “I’m not making progress fast enough” think “Growth is a never-ending process, and all I have to focus on is the step right in front of me.”

So, zero in on what needs to be done – rather than going in a million different directions and burning yourself out. 

And speaking of which…

If you believe in what you’re offering and have fun, you’ll be much more likely to reach your goals. 

Case in point: When I created my course, Employee to Entrepreneur, I poured a lot of energy into making it the best option out there because I wanted to give people what I wish I had had myself. 

The result? I scaled faster and hit 7-figures in my twenties.

I go into more detail about mindset in this video:

3. Learn from others

When you’re just starting out or don’t have the skills to reach a specific business goal yet, here’s one of the best things you can do: 

Find a coach or consultant who knows their stuff and can help you get from A to B. 

For example, if you don’t know anything about how to launch a product, find someone who’s done that successfully to guide you.

Even as an 8-figure business owner who’s “made it”, I keep investing in coaches to help me improve in all areas of my life. 

In fact, I’ve invested several million dollars in coaching so far  – THAT’S how valuable it is. And this ties into what I was talking about earlier: Success is a moving target. 

No matter where you are in your business journey, there are always things you can learn and improve on.

I talk about how to find a business mentor (and what that even means) here:

4. Solve problems

Think about this: What’s a problem people have that your business can solve?

If you can identify what people need/want and find a way to give it to them, ultimately, that’s how you’ll be successful. 

You want to put yourself in your prospective client’s shoes and think, “What’s a struggle they have that I can help them with?”

And remember: People need/want all kinds of things, which means you have options. 

For example, you could become a coach and offer a service, like helping people find a great relationship. Or, you could offer a physical product. 

No matter what you choose, make sure it’s something you have experience in and that people would be willing to pay for. 

I covered how to find a profitable niche in this video:

5. Learn from failures

Look, failure is part of the journey to success. 

As one billionaire once said, “You can have anything you want if you’re willing to pay the price for it.” 

Which means? 

Yes, you absolutely CAN have a successful business. Just treat setbacks as stepping stones rather than roadblocks. 

For example, one of my first businesses was a mobile payment startup. I worked incredibly hard on that business and poured a lot of my own money into it. 

And despite all that… it failed. And yes, it took me a while to move on. 

But you know what? Thanks to that initial failure, I learned things about how to run a business that I might not have learned otherwise. 

Ultimately, remember this: Failure is NOT a reflection on you.

Everyone fails. 

Instead of letting it get you down, think, “What skills am I missing that can help me turn this failure around?” That’s how you’ll move forward.

And speaking of which…

6. Focus on the right things

To maximize your time, ask yourself, “What’s ONE thing I can do to have the biggest impact on my business? What’s most important?” 

You can’t run a successful business if you don’t have money coming in, so getting clients should be where you’re spending the bulk of your energy early on.

Because contrary to popular belief, you don’t need much to get started. 

For example, when I was a new coach, I didn’t even have a website. 

And instead of worrying about building one right away, I focused on talking to prospective clients in Facebook groups, which worked great. 

So, bottom line here: Don’t try to do everything at once. Focus on getting clients. 

And once you get traction, then you can move on to other things, like building a website.

7. Be obsessed 

This point ties back to what I mentioned earlier about having fun in business. 

Because here’s the thing… 

When you work a typical 9-to-5 job, chances are, you get used to thinking about your work during “working hours.” 

BUT when you’re running your own thing, it really helps if you get slightly obsessed about what you’re creating – even if it’s 3 a.m. on a Saturday. 

Because if you’re geeking out and having a good time while building your business, you’ll be less likely to throw in the towel when things don’t work out the first time. 

And that can make a HUGE difference in how successful you are.

8. Focus on your customers

Want to set yourself apart as a business? Then stop focusing on your competitors and what they’re up to. Instead, ask yourself what your customers want, and find ways to give it to them. 

Think of it this way… 

If you’re too focused on staying ahead of your competitors, you won’t be able to use that time and energy to serve your customers. 

And if you don’t prioritize serving your customers and solving their problems, they won’t have a reason to buy from you. 

So, even though it’s not a bad thing to keep tabs on your competition, ultimately, that’s not where your focus should be. 

9. Build systems

To succeed in business, you need to have systems in place. 

Why? One big reason is that these will give you the freedom to organize your time as you see fit. 

Example: If you want to take some time off, you’ll be able to do that – WITHOUT worrying that your business will grind to a halt. 

Basically, creating a system means having a specific process that outlines how to meet a particular business target. 

So, start by pinpointing your core activities, like engaging with people on social media or creating content. You can then start organizing your systems using a tool like Google Docs. 

Check out this video for an in-depth look at the different elements involved (from lead generation to money collection):

Next steps

So, there you have it! Now you know the specific steps about how to succeed in business so you can do things like:

• Have a more flexible schedule 
• Earn more money
• Reach more customers

Need extra help getting there? 

I’m giving you access to my FREE masterclass, Employee to Entrepreneur. 

If you’re ready for serious growth, this is my tried-and-tested blueprint for building a service-based business that’ll let you quit your boring job and get excited about Mondays again. 

Read more:

The Top Fears of Starting a Business + How to overcome them

The Most Successful Online Business Ideas

The Best Online Business Courses for Entrepreneurs