Entrepreneurship is primarily a matter of doing. Or as Cicero put it in 106 BC:  Character without knowledge has more often led to success than knowledge without character . A man with undoubtedly a lot of knowledge and character. It is therefore about the character and the character partly determines the behavior you display. By doing, you learn to fall and get up, but also to stand and stand out. Through damage and sometimes shame, I have come to 10 wise entrepreneurial lessons in my 16 years of experience in business and studying science. It has become my 'business bible', so to speak. It may sound pedantic at times, but it really isn't meant that way. Take advantage of it and spread-the-word!

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Wise lesson 1: Give before you take

The first of the 10 entrepreneurial lessons is mainly about networking, but also about working together. I have attended many networking drinks and collaborative discussions. So talked to a lot of people. The vast majority, if not the majority, take first before giving anything back. Those 'takers' first want to know what they can get or take from you. If you allow or allow that once, they will only give you something in return later. But sometimes not even. But later or never, it was never sustainable. So my lesson is give before you take: simply ask:  Those 'takers' are shocked by that. They hadn't expected. If everyone does that, you will eventually get what you originally wanted.

Wise lesson 2: Do what you can't resist, but don't leave what you can do

Number 2 of the 10 entrepreneurial lessons is about passion, drive and perseverance. As an entrepreneur you are really thrown into the deep end. You can no longer hide behind your position, or colleague or excuses such as: “this is not my neighbourhood”. You irrevocably encounter yourself in all your strengths and weaknesses. Confronting. Yes. That's why the lesson I've learned is to be yourself. There's no point in hiding anyway, so do what you really feel like doing. What you are passionate about and you can't do without it for a day. Then it will also be a lot more fun. Even if you earn too little investment for your sandwich. Of course there will always be leftovers. For years I pushed them out in front of me, but that didn't make them any nicer. So what can you do today? DOING!

Wise lesson 3: First well then quickly and a lot

This third lesson of the 10 entrepreneurial lessons is about building a foundation. About planning and organizing. A bitter necessity if you want to turn it into a real company. Because if you make mistake after mistake, you will burn out. Under the guise: mass is cash register, but without a good basis - read proven processes - it becomes a fuss. So a mess. This lesson is actually very simple. Make sure that what you want to undertake is good and in good condition first. Test it out in a small circle or in small quantities. If that works well, you can start thinking bigger and test it again. Test, test, test. Only then will the rest come.

Wise lesson 4: Think from the filter of the other person, starting with that of the customer

This wise lesson in successful business is persistent and difficult to master. But I'm going to give it a try anyway. It is about market orientation, thinking from the customer's point of view and how a salesperson's thinking style works. It is mainly about the filter. I don't mean the coffee filter, but that of every person. So also from you and your customer. You can see the filter as a pair of glasses that you wear. Not to be taken literally, but one with which you view the world around you every day. Those glasses are the sum of your upbringing, your norms and values, your character traits, your thinking styles, etc. Basically everything you've been through so far. How you look at the world in your unique way, the customer does in his unique way. So in order to sell something to your customer, you need to know what his unique glasses consist of. Only then will you actually know if and how you can meet his needs. How do you do that? Actually very simple. By asking questions, you find out about his or her glasses. An important detail here is, ask open questions. They always start with how, what, who, where and when. Another tip: if you are really interested, it will come naturally.

Wise lesson 5: Listen before you talk

This fifth experience of the 10 entrepreneurial lessons is about social orientation and of course about communication, so again about the filter. Your customer's filter; what kind of thinking style does he have? What concerns him more at that moment. Of course you are full of yourself and your company. You have gold in your hands. But 10 to 1 that the customer is not working on that at that moment. He has something completely different in mind. Something that he doesn't immediately throw openly and honestly on the table. Especially if he has the feeling that you want to sell him something, he will look the cat out of the tree. So you first need to put him at ease and gain his trust. That starts with asking questions. Exactly: open questions. If you still feel the urge to talk, bite your tongue and curl your toes. Another tip: you listen with your eyes.

Wise lesson 6: What you really want, you can do

This is about believing in yourself. About effectiveness, as measured in the E-Scan. Actually, this goes back to all entrepreneurial lessons. It means that if you really, really want something, you will find a way that will get you there. It is not for nothing that there is a well-known saying, no road is impassable for the persistent. Where there is no road, one will be built. But that is only possible if you firmly believe in what you want. And that is only possible if you really want it. That's why successful entrepreneurs have the fire of passion in their eyes. You can see it sparkling and twinkling. That rock-solid conviction in what they want means that they eventually get it done. By getting up again and again, after they have fallen (deeply), they eventually succeed. Tip: start with the end in mind. After all, that's what you want. The more concrete, the better. So as if you can already grasp or experience what you want. Then all you have to do is do it.

Wise lesson 7: Make sure you hear yourself talking

This entrepreneurial lesson tip is about your inner voice. About what you think and want. So about your independence and creativity and not what others want you to do. Do you live on fantasy. Don't be distracted by what others think or say. By that I don't mean that you can ignore everyone around you from now on. They want the best for you. Doubtless. But they also have their own filter on. They view you and your company from their own point of view. Everything they say is related to that. Do listen, consider their advice or opinion, especially if preceded by good open questions on their part, but ultimately make your own decision. No one else is so intertwined with your company. Only you know all the ins and outs. So listen to your own intuition, to your feeling.

Wise lesson 8: Don't consider yourself successful, because then you're already too late

This eighth lesson of 10 entrepreneurial lessons I've learned is about keeping both feet on the ground. Of course – you'll never have to hear me say – you can celebrate your successes. Please even. But don't let it go to your head. By considering yourself successful, you stand a good chance of becoming arrogant. Arrogance is the enemy of every entrepreneur. Don't get hung up on that. Don't think for a minute that you're already there, because then you'll oversleep and you'll be too late. The future is always ahead of you, not behind you. Although there is of course nothing against looking back and reflecting from time to time. What can be done differently? What can be done better? What possibilities are there? How do we get it done? After all, you know very well what you want, right?

Wise lesson 9: Stop controlling, start learning

See, I know better! Managers and Craftsmen are more often affected by this. They don't think it's natural, entirely according to their thinking style. That is not good or bad, but less effective, depending on the situation of course. Ask yourself rather: what is different, what is actually meant, what possibilities does it offer me. Exactly, here too it starts again with asking the right questions. This time to yourself. Because that's where learning starts! Learning by reflecting and (wanting to) do better.

Wise lesson 10: Never give up

The wise lesson number 10 of the entrepreneurial lessons was not deliberately mentioned last. Wise lesson numero uno is no more important or better than number 10. Still, if there is one quality that you as an entrepreneur should have enough of, it is the ability to never give up. So perseverance. As an entrepreneur you find yourself in new and unknown situations more often than you would like, which sometimes demand the utmost of you. They don't turn out the way you expected. That makes an enormous appeal to your motivation, to your passion. The reason why you once started your own business. But if the reason why you started your own business is still there - no matter how small or far away - then you will eventually persevere. Then you will find the motivation to think of another way that will take you to what you so eagerly and fervently desire.