Stylish businessmen know that it takes more than good looks to succeed in today’s business world. It takes intelligence, diligence, and creativity to launch a business in high heels. The decisions you make about how you spend your free time will have a critical effect on determining your ultimate success and happiness in life. Chic success is created by those who spend their quality time watching, listening and learning and then cleverly sharing their knowledge with the world using their own words. Here are five ways Chic Entrepreneur stays ahead of the competition:
1. She turns off the television. Do you feel like you don’t have enough hours during the day to achieve everything you want? Take a look at how much television she watches. Television can become a waste of time, not to mention a waste of brain. If you can’t live without your favorite show, treat yourself to it and then turn off the TV or leave the room once it’s over. Do yourself a favor and keep this guilty pleasure a secret; no one sounds smart repeating a reality night. There’s nothing elegant about lying on the couch all night, remote control in one hand and a bag of chips in the other. Every moment you spend watching fake people lead fake lives inside an electronic box is a moment lost in your own life. Chic Entrepreneurs make their own reality, instead of settling for the TV version. Remember that you are in control of the television, not the other way around.
2. Read a book a week. Chic Entrepreneurs read voraciously, and I’m not talking about People magazine or Perez Hilton’s blog. Chic Entrepreneurs read in all genres and always have a good book or Business Week in their bag. Slowly replace those trashy romance novels with educational and inspirational books. For the ultimate in multitasking, look for books that combine entertaining stories with business lessons. A chic entrepreneur finds a way to have fun while she acquires knowledge that enables her to achieve her goals.
3. He puts on fancy sunglasses and becomes a spy. Listen to the market: your customers, competitors, business leaders inside and outside your industry, the media, and your employees. Business ideas and best practices are all around us, all they need is your unique touch. Great new ideas come from the combination of other old ideas, so mix and match what you see working to create your own epiphany. Sprinkle your brilliance on the ideas of others and make them your own. If you tune your mind to the ideas revolving around your universe, you are bound to come up with a great business idea and chic entrepreneurs do this regularly.
4. She writes it! Chic entrepreneurs know that the pen is mightier than the sword. Whether you write for fun, write to track your ideas, or write to improve your business, getting in the habit of writing is good for all business owners. Keep a small notepad and pen with you at all times in case you come up with a good idea. Then you can write it down and not have to think, “What was that I wanted to remember?” When it matters, don’t leave your memory to chance; amateurs remember, professionals write it down.
5. He makes powerful statements. Now that you have all these smart things to say, make sure you say them smartly. Speaking well and writing well is an important part of being chic. Success is a combination of walking the walk and talking for the sake of talking. If communication isn’t your strong suit, consider taking a business writing or grammar refresher class or hiring a public relations firm to handle this function for you. We’ve all met people who we instantly knew were successful as soon as they opened their mouths, and we’ve also met people who give the opposite verbal impression. The Chic Entrepreneur knows that the important thing is the quality of the message and not the quantity of words used, so he chooses wisely. Those who speak only to hear the sound of their own voice or those who seem unable to turn off their verbal spigot will soon irritate those with better self-control. Being able to succinctly comment on or explain a complex idea or opinion in simple terms gives a memorable impression of class and intelligence.