To master work, you work hard. The most successful people are those who love their work or clearly appreciate their work as a means to an end. Establish clearly defined career goals. Talk to veterans in your proposed field. Work part-time. Seek out internships. Decide whether your temperament and talents are best suited to working for a company, in the public sector, as a commissioned salesperson or as an entrepreneur. Research and choose a career path before you go to college wasting time and accumulating debt that will take years or decades to repay.
If you work for others, be aware of the opportunities the job offers. If you find yourself in a dead end job you need to change employers. When you find a good employer, as you work, always be on the lookout for ways to make yourself more valuable. Those who show persistence and determination and hard work will advance.
If you are working for others, realize that you are not in full control. Pay attention to how the business is doing. If your company is falling behind technologically, losing money, or in a dying industry, you need to look into other employment options and you need to do that now. Conversely, if your company is growing, you need to look for ways to ride the wave all the way to the top.
In commissioned sales, if you have the courage to talk convincingly to customers about buying a quality product or service at a fair price, your success is assured. In sales, every person you meet is a potential customer or lead. Learn all you can about your product or service. Learn all you can about your customer’s needs. The best salespeople believe in their product or service. Make sure you can really believe in yours.
If you choose to succeed in small business, offer a quality product or service that is in demand and charge a fair price. Appreciate your customer. Copy success. Keep improving. Find the people who are doing what you want to do, watch what they do and do it yourself. Ignore the naysayers. If what you want to do has been done, you can do it again! Stick with the tested and tried and true. It is easier to an imitator than an innovator.
Find the best people in your industry, observe them and talk to them. Most will be glad to share what they know. Then, when you know what to do, go out and do it.
