How to Forge Your Own Path in Business Finding your own way doesn't require reinventing the wheel.
By Timothy Sykes Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You don't need to be a visionary to forge your own path in business.
Honestly, you don't even need to be a business owner to forge your own path. It's more about a state of mind where you're able to think for yourself professionally. To clarify, that doesn't mean you've got to be a lone wolf: ideally, you want to be able to to work with and even for others, but without being a follower.
The ability to balance being an independent thinker yet simultaneously remaining accountable for your actions will make you a much more valuable worker, no matter what field you've chosen. The good news is that with targeted effort, anyone can adopt this mindset. Here are some of my tips for how to forge your own path in business, and why it matters.
Learn the rules first.
This might sound out of place in a post about how to forge your own path in business. After all, aren't we talking about independence?
Here's the thing. Before you want to break the rules, you have to actually learn what they are. Take the time to learn the "rules" of your trade before you start trying to reinvent the wheel. You're likely to pick up wisdom that will serve you, even if you intend on using the rules to inspire new and creative ways of breaking them.
Related: The 5-Hour Rule Used by Bill Gates, Jack Ma and Elon Musk
Seek guidance.
Once again, you might find yourself thinking: why should I seek out guidance if I want to forge my own path? Picture a cliche movie scene of a parent teaching their kid how to ride a bike. There's that magical moment where the parent lets go of the back of the bike, and the kid is doing it on his own.
In business, you often need that initial helping hand before you can ride smoothly on your own. Before you can think for yourself, it can be helpful to absorb all of the wisdom you can from others.
One powerful way to do this is to find a mentor, or someone established in your field or a similar field who can give you words of advice and help you avoid making mistakes. Another is to make sure to take part in networking groups and to engage with other entrepreneurs. The more people you connect with and the more knowledge you gain, the better!
Related: 3 Critical Checkpoints When Entrepreneurs Should Seek Advice
Set realistic and specific goals.
If you want to gain confidence, become an independent thinker, and a better problem solver, do this one thing: set realistic and specific goals.
Say that you want to increase sales for your business. It may not be realistic to say that you want to double your sales, but to simply have a goal to "increase sales" isn't specific enough. However, setting a goal of increasing sales by 20% this year might be more realistic and is definitely more specific.
A goal like this is motivating, as it gives you something specific to work toward. It also allows you to break it down into actionable steps. You can begin to problem-solve, making specific plans for ways in which you could make your goal a reality. As you reach these milestones, you'll gain more confidence in your abilities, which can help you move forward more confidently in your career.
Related: This Is How You Come Up With Marketing Goals
Observe, but don't copy.
It can be very helpful to look at what your competitors and other entrepreneurs are doing. It keeps you relevant, gives you ideas, and can help keep you nimble in your chosen field.
However -- this is important -- you should never copy what others are doing. For one thing, it doesn't work. Say you see someone killing it with a brand new hummus restaurant startup. You can't just start crushing chickpeas and expect success. There are lots of inner workings to the business that you're not privy to, so even if you were to try, you couldn't quite replicate someone else's success.
Further, by the the time you copy, you're already a follower and behind the curve. It's better to use the information you observe as data, so that you can gain insight on things like effective marketing techniques and aesthetics, and apply these things to your own original ideas.
Related: The Secrets of Body Language: You Shouldn't Cross Your Arms
Think for yourself.
You probably already guessed this one, but to forge your own path in business, you need to learn to think for yourself. So...how do you do that? Education is key. You need to absorb all of the knowledge you can, talk to as many people as you can, and observe as much as you can.
It's almost like you're forming your own personal library of data and resources. As time goes on, you'll become better able to use this knowledge that you've gained to put your own unique ideas out in the world. You'll be better able to generate ideas and to come up with intelligent solutions.
Let yourself grow over time.
Ultimately, if you want to forge your own path in business, you need to be patient. Expertise, independent thinking, and autonomy won't all happen overnight, so take the pressure off of yourself.
Remember: patience is a trait of some of the most successful people. Focus on progress, not perfection. If you want to be successful for the long haul, allow yourself to learn and grow and continue to improve over time. Slow but steady, right?
