Ashton Bishop never went the conventional route. After earning a business and law degree from the University of Tasmania, he decided to try his hand at performing as a street performer, stand-up comedian and even circus performer. Flash-forward several years to 2008, when he started Step Change, an Australia-based business and marketing consultancy that Bishop calls the "Robin Hood of marketing".
The sole focus of the 'business is about sharing the secrets of big business with growing small businesses. What started with a few guys, a laptop and a single credit card has grown into six offices, 40 staff members and an ever-growing list of nationally recognized brand clients.
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After hearing about the Entrepreneurs Organization from several friends who were members, Bishop decided to join us in 2014. He offers this advice to entrepreneurs who are struggling to stay the course:
1. Reclaim your headspace first.
Until you learn your triggers and can calm down and settle down, you will not bring your best self.
2. Acknowledge your situation.
Make a truly objective assessment of where you are going and what to expect.
3. Be strategic in your approach.
How can you use your scarce resources of dollars, time, and focus for greater returns?
4. Spot the patterns.
What does it look like? Is it similar to another industry, another time or another situation?
5. Look for the gap.
Who beat it before? What can I get out of it?
6. Commit before you go without getting attached.
Understand that the outcome may not be controllable, but the inputs are. So focus 100% on the inputs, without attaching your self-esteem to the outcome.
7. Ask yourself who you need to be to get the result.
For just about everything good or bad in your life, you are the common denominator. Greatness comes from understanding that who you are changes the effectiveness of what you do.
Related: 5 Lessons I Learned From Over 200 Successful Entrepreneurs
This article originally appeared in the July 2017 issue of SUCCESS magazine.
