Work hard then smart

Here’s a newsflash about entrepreneurial start-ups: the recipe hasn’t changed – a dash of inspiration and a whole lot of perspiration.

If I hear one more success story spout the advice – “work smart, not hard” to a wannabe entrepreneur I might scream. To everyone out there reading this: if you want to start your own business, in my opinion this is the WORST advice you can take.

Starting a small business in Australia, the odds are against you. If you start out with the plan to “work smart, not hard” I believe those odds will skyrocket in a not so positive direction.

When you start your own business it will be fuelled by your passion, your sweat, your desire, your hard work. Am I saying “don’t work smart”? Of course not! I’m speaking from experience and saying that if you think you can ONLY work smart at the beginning I think you’ll be in for a rude shock.

To me the path to success for a new entrepreneur goes like this:

• Start: Work hard, hard, hard.
• Next: Keep working hard, hard, hard and once you have somewhat of a clue, start to incorporate the “smart”.
• Later: This is when you can look to eliminate as much of the hard as you can by being the smartest cookie in the packet, but it doesn’t come immediately.

Please don’t start a business unless you’re prepared for the “hard” – but always be on the lookout to incorporate the “smart” as you go along.

Kirsty Dunphey is one of Australia’s most publicised young entrepreneurs. The youngest ever winner of the Australian Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year award, Kirsty started her first business at 15, her own real estate agency at 21, was a self-made millionaire at 23 and a self-made multi-millionaire at 25. For more information on Kirsty or either of her books – Advance to Go, Collect $1 Million and Retired at 27, If I can do it anyone can head to: www.kirstydunphey.com