82 entrepreneurs REVEALED the top 8 habits to follow

Entrepreneurs are always on edge, and they do have to progress and survive in the highly competitive world of business. Thus, they have to develop habits which makes them a better individual who can tackle and pass the harsh tests of entrepreneurship. But, what are those habits for entrepreneurs?

Well, we asked 82 entrepreneurs to share a habit which is necessary for them to go through their daily routine. To get a better result, we shortlisted entrepreneurs who work in diverse fields and are in different stages of running a business or startup. The result that came was amazing and insightful, and it revealed the top eight habits that can help any entrepreneur to become a better version of themself.

Here are the eight most-followed habits for entrepreneurs shared by entrepreneurs in ascending order:

1. Listening 

3.7% of entrepreneurs believed that listening is what helps you in becoming a successful entrepreneur.

It’s a very important habit because entrepreneurs always have to convince others to have confidence in their product/service, and in the process, they sometimes forget to listen to the harshest truth or feedback. But, for an entrepreneur, it’s vital to keep an open mind at all times and take the opinion of each member of the team.

Listening is an art, and it requires you to keep your ego at bay to listen to diverse opinions from people in different positions. Also, it’s essential to not build prejudice while listening to someone because even the junior-most person in your firm can come up with an innovative solution and make you follow the right path.

Also read: Interview with an entrepreneur who founded Asia’s largest crowdfunding startup

2. Gratitude

Gratitude is a tool that triggers your mind to look into the positive side of life, which in turn makes you humble and happy. And it’s a habit that helps you get through and enjoy the tough journey of building a business, where failures are common.

Entrepreneurship is full of chasing goals and targets, and it’s quite common to get demotivated and get into the mode of comparison with others; this is a really bad condition which affects productivity in a major way. But, practising gratitude makes you feel positive and gain the confidence to achieve the goals that can be called ‘Success of your startup’. No wonder 4.9 % of entrepreneurs endorsed the habit of practising gratitude.

3. Reading

Reading is a top habit of 6.1% of entrepreneurs.

One of the major threats to the progress of any venture is the stagnancy of knowledge and ideas of the entrepreneur. An entrepreneur needs to keep the habit of reading magazines, books, and articles on new technical innovations as these are the catalyzers to generate new ideas and find opportunities in the ever-changing demands of the market. Also, a study from Mindlab International at Sussex University suggests that six minutes of reading reduces stress by 68 per cent, which is no less than an ether for an entrepreneur.

4. Proactiveness

Proactive people believe in taking control and influencing outcomes rather than responding to the outputs of an event. 8.5% per cent of entrepreneurs in our study have cultivated the habit of proactiveness.

As an entrepreneur, you have to always look into the future and think about the opportunities and challenges that you might face. With the cultivation of proactiveness, you become conditioned to take initiatives in the present to prepare well for the future.

A proactive entrepreneur analyzes both success and failures and tries to implicate required changes to repeat the success and avoid failures. Thus, it’s a habit that can help an entrepreneur in the longer run.

5. Perseverance 

Perseverance is what keeps 11.0% of all entrepreneurs ready to handle day to day challenges.

As per a study, almost 90% of startups in India fail within five years of inception. Thus, it’s a very tough job to raise a scalable business, and a lot depends on the capabilities of the entrepreneur and the response he gives to challenges and failures.

Perseverance is one of the habits for entrepreneurs that helps them in taking failures sportingly and evolving to become better. No plan is perfect, and every startup has to face failures and tough problems. Thus, perseverance is a very important habit that makes leading entrepreneurs and the most successful startups in the world.

 6. Meditation

11.0 % of entrepreneurs follow the art of meditation and made it into a habit to become a better version of themselves.

Meditation sure has the power to let us understand emotions and mindset. It also helps in detaching from the mind and reducing stress, which in turn improves productivity and makes you able to face the ups and downs of life. It has the power to help you make decisions with a cool mind and not take the decision to cool the mind, which can create a substantial effect.

It’s a habit that helps an entrepreneur keep hustling in the darkest phases of life. So, do try to follow it daily.

7. Morning Routine

Morning routine got endorsed by 18.3% of entrepreneurs, and it is the second most-followed habit among the 82 entrepreneurs.

A right morning routine helps in getting a perfect start for the day. The entrepreneurs believed in waking up early and following a particular routine like writing a gratitude journal or a task list, reading positive articles, doing exercises, and praying. And the common link between all the mourning routines was to have an energized mind with a positive feeling to face the daily grind.

There are huge benefits of having a morning routine, and it really catalyzes the overall development of a person. As it’s rightly said, a strong foundation is a prerequisite for a strong building.

8. Planning

22% of entrepreneurs believe that the habit of planning is what helps them in winning the day. Also, it’s the most-followed habit in the group of 82 entrepreneurs, signifying its importance.

Entrepreneurs who chose planning as a top habit attested that it’s very important to plan, analyze its output, cut unnecessary work and delegate time expensive tasks to make it available to do more important work. This whole process signifies the importance of time as high as that of money and planning as a tool to utilise it to the fullest.

Also, it’s very important to remember that in the process of building your business, you sometimes deviate due to unforeseen challenges and obstacles. Thus, you must again look at the goal, and evolve your plan accordingly. Remember, planning is not static; it’s a continuously evolving process.

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9. Both Planning and Morning Routine Plus other Habits

It was amazing to see that 3.7% of entrepreneurs believed that the habit of planning along with the morning routine is a must for positively kickstarting the day. These entrepreneurs believed in following a particular routine in the morning and then writing a plan for a day or coming week, which further highlights the importance of these two habits.

Also, 11% of entrepreneurs believed in following complete different and unique habits in their life. One of them which is worth highlighting and inculcating in everyday life is calling friends, or business acquaintances, once in three months for an informal chat; this prints the right image in the heart of other people and helps you in the long run.

AND with point number nine, our pie chart reveals the complete statistics on ‘Habits that entrepreneurs love to follow’:

In the end, we can conclude that entrepreneurs try to work on their mental aspect, make sure to start the day with positive energy and give weightage to planning.

There you have it.

Now, which habit do you think is great to follow as an entrepreneur? Do you follow any of the above, or do you have some unique habits?

Do share your amazing habit and thoughts below?

Here is the list of those amazing entrepreneurs, who shared their habits:

(*Slide the table in mobile view to read all columns)