Do whatever it takes to win

By Bayo Ogunmupe There are many excuses people give for being late: it is one of the classic jokes Comedians tell. What you might not realize is that every time you come up with some excuse, other people resent it. Whenever you are late, deep down inside most people think that you must feel your time is more valuable than theirs. And that perhaps your plans are more important. You can see how this can kill any chance of your building any successful personal and professional relationships. Being late is one of the reasons why people feel you aren’t deserving their trust or respect. You might believe being late is just how you are. Though there is no denying that being late is a choice. You allowed yourself to be late. However, the most successful people in all areas of life uphold punctuality above all else. They value time, and always plan to arrive ahead of time. Great people would rather be ten minutes early than five minutes late. Those who value punctuality are less stressed and therefore are more insightful, creative and decisive. Success starts anew everyday, ensuring that punctuality remains a key focus and a great way to achieve greatness. Entrepreneurs as risk takers both in life and in business, understand that to succeed, they have to take life altering steps to reap huge rewards. Bad risks result from thoughtless and impulsive actions. An example of bad risk is doing an illegal thing just to save money or cut corners that endanger other people’s lives just to make a bigger profit. When you take calculated risks, you would naturally require background checks, historical data and statistical analysis before making any move. Such information gives you insight into people’s buying patterns, potential gains and profit projections to help you make your decision. In calculated risks, you don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Instead, maintain the parts of your business that are making profit while taking the risk to move your company forward. Never go for every opportunity presenting itself to you. Study each one carefully before taking a decision. You might go into debt for trying to grab every opportunity coming your way. Take the opportunity that is worth doing now, others can be done later. One of the riskiest part of doing business is expanding operations. Many factors affect expansion that companies are hesitant in tackling. One such factor is that the surging demand for your product may wane abruptly before even finishing expansion. So to expand you must study customer surveys, relying on statistical data to back up the need for expansion. Developing a new product is another risky venture. To grow your company, you must be willing to adapt to the changing world. A new product might not be well received by the public. If that happens, the time, money and effort expended would come to nothing. But you can still do it because as an entrepreneur this is the best way to move your company forward. To take such a calculated risk, you must take on market research. And you must evaluate feedback that is either positive or negative. Positive feedback will tell you what you are doing right, while the negative will help you fix what it is that you did wrong. When faced with advice whether to take the risks, try to listen to what your gut is telling you. Meditate and be silent as you listen to your intuition and your inner being. Many times, the best advice comes from within you. Risks are always part of life. To make huge gains, you must take calculated risks. Don’t be afraid to make leaps of faith, just ensure that you have the data, the resources and the strength to face the future. You might not always get what you want. But you will never know success if you didn’t try at all. Take a risk based on valid supporting data, not just on impulse. Trust your gut, your team and trust yourself to make the r