The big question on everyone’s mind when they’re starting or growing a business is: Will I be successful?
What if I told you that you could know the answer in advance?
That’s right; I believe it’s possible to predict your own success.
Think about how much time, effort, and stress you could save if you knew how it would all turn out before you put in all that hard work.
Do you want to know if you’ll be successful? Find out with a quick quiz I developed just for you.
The Secret to Predicting Your Success
Read each of the questions below and choose the most likely answer for each. Then tally your results and discover your chance of success (and how to increase it even more!).
The Success Quiz
1. You’re sitting down to write your next (or first) blog post. As your fingers hit the keyboard, you think…
A. I’m so excited to write and share these ideas. Even though my list is tiny, I know it’ll help those who read it.
B. The experts say I should blog, so I will, once I figure out what to write about. Though I’m not sure anyone will actually read it.
C. Why bother? No one’s going to read it anyway.
2. You’re scrolling through one of your favorite Facebook groups. You read a success story from a fellow entrepreneur. You think…
A. That’s so awesome! If she can do it, so can I.
B. Hmmm… I wonder if that’s even possible for me.
C. F*&^ it! That’ll never be me.
3. You’ve set a list-building goal. Your next step is…
A. Diving in head first to try guest posting. It scares you, but you know that the only way to learn is to give it your best effort.
B. Research. After all, it’s new and challenging, and you’d rather wait until you know you’ll get it perfect.
C. Nothing because, honestly, you’re frustrated. This list-building this is so difficult. Why isn’t your list bigger than it is?
4. You know the next step you need to take to grow your business. When you think about it, you…
A. Feel super nervous and know that’s a good sign. You dive in and take the next step, regardless of how uncomfortable it is.
B. Decide that your website needs more tweaking, maybe you need new headshot, or a little more time on Facebook would be a better idea. You’re not quite ready to put yourself out there yet.
C. Realize that you’re really far behind on laundry, the garage needs to be cleaned, and the carpet needs a deep cleaning. Is this business going to even work?
5. When left alone to contemplate the future of your business, you think…
A. I’m totally going to make this work. Failure is not an option. (And you believe it 100%.)
B. I’m not sure if this business thing will really work out. I guess time will tell if anyone hires me.
C. Forget it. This won’t work. So many people fail to make money online, and I don’t think I’ll be any different.
The Tally
Now that you’ve answered five questions about your business, let’s take a look at your answers.
If you answered mostly A’s, you have a high likelihood of success. You’re not afraid to be uncomfortable, try new things, or fail — because you know everything is a learning experience and never an ultimate failure. You’re “all in” and really are committed to making your business work.
If you keep up this attitude and continue to work through the challenges, you are likely to be successful in business and in life. Keep the positive mentality and the forward-moving action steps. These are your keys to success. (More on this below.)
If you answered mostly B’s, you have a low likelihood of success. You’re passively trying to grow your business which is like not growing your business at all. You’re leaving it up to chance, and chance is never a good business plan.
If you keep this up, your business will not grow, and you will likely not be successful. The good news, however, is that you can change this and chance your outcome to a better one! (More on this below.)
If you answered mostly C’s, you have a low likelihood of success. My dear friend, you’re attitude is getting in your way big time! You’re playing victim and sabotaging any chance of success in your business.
If you think you’re going to fail, you probably will. The good news, like the B’s, is that you can change your attitude and your outcome! (More on this below.)
Determine Your Own Success
Whether you’re an A, a B, or a C, the good news is that you determine — and increase your chance of — your own success.
That’s right;
Click to TweetYou determine your own success.Yes, you decide. Your attitude, your actions, and your approach to business are the biggest determinants of your success.
This means you have the power to change your attitude, take new actions, and adjust your approach to increase the likelihood that you will succeed.
If you answered mostly A’s above, bravo! You have the attitude, actions, and approach to be successful. Keep this up, and you will be likely to succeed in business.
If you answered mostly B’s and C’s above, go back and look at the A answers. Notice that A’s attitude. Notice her actions, and notice her approach. See that she’s willing to go for it no matter what.
The A entrepreneur doesn’t have any more knowledge, money, support, experience, or luck than a B or C entrepreneur. She simply believes in herself and is fully committed to her own success.
It really is that straightforward!
The Three A’s of Success: Attitude, Actions and Approach
To increase your chances of success, you need to work on the three A’s: attitude, actions, and approach.
You need to understand what each is and how to adjust it for your unique circumstances.
And that’s exactly what we’re going to dive in two weeks.
In the mean time, I want to hear from you!
I’d love to know…
Are you an A, B, or C entrepreneur? (It’s okay to realize you’re not an A. Owning it and adjusting it is totally within your control!)
What was your biggest insight from today’s quiz?
What shift are you going to start making today to increase your changes of success?
I can’t wait to hear your thoughts, ideas, and experiences in the comments below!
And be sure to watch for the upcoming post on the Three A’s of Success — so you can increase your chances of getting the outcome you desire!
I didn’t realize I was so much an A! I’m always positive and optimistic, that’s never an issue with me. I believe in myself, I know my next steps, but then I still don’t do them. I have goals, I write action steps, I have a to-do list and then I let everything distract me. I suppose there are some other blocks I’d need to work on…
What a great realization, Sunita! You have the positivity, now it’s time to add focus, diligence, and follow-through. I know you can do it!!
This is FABULOUS Jenny!! I was stifling a giggle throughout as I ticked “A… A… A… “. Developing an online business to build on what I do 1:1 in my office makes me positively giddy and it’s so exciting to be in the company of smart, savvy entrepreneurs who feel the same. Thumbs up to you on another great post.
Awesome, Jennie!! I love that you’re giddy about taking your 1-1 work online. I agree with you that it is exciting!!
Great little quiz! Thankfully I was mostly A’s with a leaning to B on 2 of them. The one that made me laugh was the “I’ll tweak my website and get a new headshot.” I had a photo shoot last week and it snowballed into a whole rebranding effort that I didn’t anticipate. I’m sooo close to being done with that. I’m a coach now after leaving an IT corporate career, so it’s really easy for me to play and get distracted with the technical side of business.
Great awareness, Tami! It is so easy for us to distract ourselves with seemingly important details (design, head shots, plugins, etc), but those things are not nearly as important as we think they are!! Sounds like you’re just about ready to really put yourself out there!
Ok in all honesty (and a little creativity) here we go. I think I am a B, with the devil (C) on one shoulder and my little angel (A) sitting on the other. But this awareness has really opened my eyes to what I need to pay attention to moving forward. Thank you Jenny!
Love your honestly Teri! It’s good to notice how you might be holding yourself back. Having the right mindset in business is so essential. Ready to make a change to more A’s? You can do it!
What I love the most about this is that nothing is set in stone. “You determine your own success.” LOVE that! I was definitely a B (with moments of C thinking) for the first 6 months of starting my business. Then something clicked, and about 2 months ago I started switching into A mode. I’m already seeing results in my business and just feel better in general. If there is anyone reading this that is a B or C… don’t get down on yourself about it… it IS totally possible to change things around!
I’m so glad that message made it through loud and clear and so happy you reiterated it here. You are right: We can determine our own success and we can change our attitude about business to increase our chances of success!!
Thank you for sharing how you used to be a B/C gal and have changed to being an A. I know that will be helpful for others to read.
I am working on mindset so my answers where A & B’s.. one C. so taking the action but actually knowing the action to take is where I breakdown.. like i have no website and I have been working on a list and doing different things. I am putting my ideas out there to see if they work so that is a big confidence showing up for me. :).. I have to work on not getting distracted so I subscribe to very few emails and keep tweeking those and not much on fb unless its my social media and right now its limited time till i see how that works for me.
There’s definitely a lot to figure out as you start a new online business: mindset, marketing, practicing your craft, technical, etc. Sounds like you’re plugging away at all of it which is exactly what needs to happen!
Hi,
What a great quiz.
I’m almost all a’s now … I wasn’t a year ago. I sometimes struggle with believing that’s it’s doable! That’s interesting.
Thanks again!
Seeing where you were and where you are is great. Noticing where you struggle and what beliefs are holding you back is the next step to moving forward. Bravo for noticing where you’re stuck and owning it — when you can see what’s stopping you, it’s easier to work on shifting it. Best of luck!
C. F*&^ it! That’ll never be me.
Haha! I have definitely had that thought!!
Usually it comes on the heels of doing something way out of my comfort zone… I push myself to get out there in a bigger way and the impatient side of my personality goes into disaster mode and thinks “I’ll never make it, what’s the use, waaahhhh!”
I’d say lately I fall mostly into the A camp but on bad days I’m a B or C.
Such a good reminder to be aware of the major impact my attitude has on my business.
I want to bring my A game!!
xo
Carla
You make such a great point, Carla! When we push ourselves too much, we can go from positive to totally negative. It’s important to challenge ourselves a little (it’s the only way to grow a business), but too much of a challenge can shut us down.
It’s been so fun to see you transition into the hopeful zone as you build her business. It’s serving you well — and you are bringing your A game!!
I’ve always been a straight A student. 😉
This was nice to do though, because I’m much more a realist than an optimist, and I lean more toward the side of pessimism. For some reason, I just know that this is what I’m meant to do, come hell or high water.
Sometimes we realists can go pessimistic if we’re not careful, so good catch on your part, Mallie!
Ooo I love a good quiz!
I’m definitely an A (woohoo for being better about things than I thought!) My biggest takeaway is that I’m so much farther along the entrepreneurial path than I used to be! I went and hit up the 3 A’s of Success post already, so I’ll be making use of those tips to help me keep on track.
Fantastic news!! Love it!