Just like it is a personal decision and action for the gazelle or the lion to determine its own fate, it is a personal decision and action for you as an entrepreneur to determine the success of your enterprise. Whether you fail or succeed in your business, it is solely in your hands. 

Over the years, I have seen entrepreneurs apportion the failure of their businesses to every other factor (instability of the economy, bad government, lack of infrastructure and insufficient funds) except themselves. All these factors are your reality, there is no doubt about that. However, it is of essence to know that the first key instrument to business success is the person behind the business. You cannot give what you don't have. You have to be the right person behind the business. Your business success is a case of what you know and what you don’t know.

If you type the phase “get up and run” on your computer, and you send it to the Printer, it won’t print out anything but get up and run. Same way, in business it is simply a case of virtue in; virtue out. What you know will determine to an extent the success of your business. That is why the first assignment as an entrepreneur is to equip yourself for your business. So, the question is; what are the things you need to know or do before venturing into starting your own business. And if you are presently struggling in your business, it may be as a result of what you don’t know.

The first thing you need to do as an entrepreneur is to expose yourself to knowledge. Someone once said: knowledge is the edge you have over others. I believe that too. What separates the wise from the foolish is knowledge. What separate high-flying entrepreneurs from others is knowledge. Knowledge is something you must quest for as an entrepreneurs. Not general knowledge, but specialized knowledge that you need to enhance or build your business.

There specialized knowledge can be acquired through:

Reading wide: yes, as an entrepreneur, you must be an avid reader; you must expose yourself to reading business books that can help you increase your business acumen. Walk into bookstore or go to Amazon and shop for business books online. If you don’t like reading hardcopy, get softcopy. If you don’t like e-copy, get audiobook. If you don’t like audio books, there are video-books these days. Whatever you do, make sure you are reading business books that can help you grow your business. Most of these business books are lifetime experiences of the authors who most times are entrepreneurs themselves or those who have dedicated their lives to studying the mechanics of successful businesses. Don’t take such knowledge for granted; consume them like your business depend on it. It sure does.  

Enroll for professional business programs: the second place you can get the right knowledge is through professional business programs. Whether it is an online or onsite training, seminar, workshop or conference, enroll and attend it. If it is a free training sponsored video of Grant Cardone that popped up on your timeline, go for it. If you have to save up to attend a business school, go ahead and do that. Your business deserves your investment. It will eventually pay off.    

Get a mentor: Except you want to keep reinventing the wheel, your best bet to quick business success without making unnecessary mistakes is to have at least a mentor. Mentors are those who can help you navigate the business terrain. Most successful entrepreneurs that you see and admire have mentors; those they can run to when necessary. You should not take this part of your business for granted; it is as important as investing your time in your business. Invest your time finding the right mentors. Also, if you call someone your mentor, you should have access to the person, not just access to their books.  

Develop business network: Your professional network will not only help your business, it will also increase your business acumen. When you network with business minded people, they will naturally share their perspectives to business with you. Some will share with you their business secrets. Some will share with you their business contacts. Like the saying, you are as rich as your network. So, deliberately as an entrepreneur, you must work pretty hard to build a resourceful network of professionals for yourself and your business.