Beauty tycoon Estee Lauder had a modest upbringing in Queen’s, New York with eight brothers and sisters. She would go on to found and build the company that bears her name and become an icon of the fashion industry. When TIME magazine put out its 20 most influential business geniuses of the 20th Century, Lauder was the only woman on the list. She was a big believer in personal accountability and felt that if your company was not achieving success the problem is likely looking at you in the mirror.

“If you don’t sell, it’s not the product that’s wrong, it’s you. When you stop talking, you’ve lost your customer. When you turn your back, you’ve lost her. I have never worked a day in my life without selling. If I believe in something, I sell it, and I sell it hard. I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it. I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.”

As entrepreneurs we rarely like to admit that the problem is us - there is always somewhere else to place the blame. The supplier is not providing the right products, you do not have enough of a budget to sell effectively, your customers are not forward thinking enough to accept your offering, and so on.

To be successful as a business owner you often have to overcome your biggest weaknesses. If you are an inventor, for example, you are going to have to learn how to sell or find someone who can sell for you (but by doing so you will need to sell him / her on why your company is the best one to work for).

If you are having challenges getting your company to the next step, chances are you need to take a good hard look in the mirror and ask yourself what is holding you back. It can be a hard pill to swallow but once you do you will finally have the knowledge you need to get your business where you want it to go.

Evan Carmichael

Evan Carmichael
YoungEntrepreneur.com Blog Manager

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