How to succeed in business by breaking all the rules

The notion that natural talent determines achievement is alluring but misguided. In truth, most highly skilled people developed their abilities through hard work over time, not inborn gifts. Past experiences inevitably shape us, but need not restrict our future; we each decide whether to let history hinder us. Passion energizes effort, so pursue fields that captivate you and skills will likely follow.

If you have a strong formal education, utilize it fully. However, many highly successful people did not have impressive educations. A lack of education only holds you back if you let it. For some careers, education is mandatory. But for most, it's optional - a personal choice rather than a strict requirement.

To get ahead in business, self-promotion is essential. Waiting to be discovered means others will surpass you. Know your talents and find ways to effectively communicate your value. Many think self-promotion suggests arrogance.

However, modesty won't get attention in a competitive marketplace. You must boldly tout your superiority and work hard to deliver. This applies to pricing too. We tend to be conservative, focusing on materials cost versus charges. However, your experience and expertise have more value than materials.

Those with great aspirations will likely ruffle feathers on their road to success. Self-assurance and self-promotion are often mistaken for arrogance, offending others. However, waiting to be rewarded solely on merit often leads nowhere. Confidence and conviction tend to draw people in. Many high achievers aggressively promote themselves at the risk of abrasiveness. Their audacity to intimidate while feverishly building a reputation generates results.

The entertainment industry prides itself on creativity, yet rarely produces truly original content. Successful storylines and themes are recycled repeatedly in different settings. For example, Star Wars essentially depicted old Westerns in space; The Jetsons was The Flintstones set in the future; Mork and Mindy reworked My Favorite Martian; and Miami Vice combined MTV aesthetics with a cop show formula. If such a creative industry relies so heavily on proven models, businesspeople should feel no qualms about building on existing ideas that have already demonstrated success.

The prevailing view that winners never quit and that one should persist until finally winning big is logical only if active changes and improvements are being made, rather than endlessly repeating what did not work previously.

A better mindset is to view current endeavors as tests. If something works out, great – keep at it. If not, seriously consider applying your background and abilities in another area entirely. Quitting what did not pan out could prove the smartest move.

When you study the investment world, you'll soon realize the herd is always late and the most successful investors are usually moving steadily in the opposite direction from whatever the stampede of the current moment is.

In other words, there's always going to be money in being a contrarian investor. The media always focuses on products-of-the-moment – things that are currently in favor.

Some widely-held business beliefs can reduce effectiveness. Never accept conventional wisdom at face value. Luck exists. Don’t ignore it. Put yourself in a position to capitalize if it arises, but don’t rely on it. In business, some waste enables swiftness needed to stay competitive.

A quickly jotted, faxed note is now acceptable versus a formal letter previously. Many successful people impatiently focus on accomplishing goals without delays. Don’t avoid mixing business and pleasure. Spend half your waking hours enjoying work through passion. Blurring work/life boosts productivity and success. While communicating is easier, don’t let technology pressure constant availability. Only permit innovations genuinely bettering productivity. Judge what increases effectiveness yourself.

A college degree or strong resume alone provides little value unless one can get their foot in the door at their dream company.

Be prepared to accept any entry-level opening to prove your worth. Tackle menial tasks with unmatched enthusiasm. Soon you will stand out and ascend the ranks.

For instance, tell an employer skeptical of your sales experience: "Give me 3 unpaid months to validate myself. If I succeed, hire me part-time with commissions. If I continue excelling, bring me on full-time."

After reasonable effort to satisfy customers, acknowledge you won’t always succeed and move on. Periodically removing dissatisfied customers makes room for better-matched, profitable ones. Going to extreme lengths trying to satisfy everyone hurts your business. In most cases, which customers you attract matters more than how many. Target advertising to desired clientele specifically.

There's no valid reason to avoid getting rich quickly - sometimes speed is crucial and you have to act fast to take advantage of a specific opportunity before others do. It depends on the situation. People are told their whole lives to avoid get-rich-quick schemes, which is usually wise counsel, but not always. Never dismiss a money-making opportunity just because it offers fast returns - it can happen.

Launching a business with limited funding compels creativity beyond what ample capital allows. The resultant resourcefulness implants fiscal discipline while increasing the likelihood of success. Many preeminent businesspeople began with scarcely a dollar yet tenaciously clawed their way upward. Given the choice, would you invest in an entrepreneur who has proven they can survive sans adequate capital or one who cannot operate under constraints? Counterintuitively, excess capital at inception can prove more baneful than scarcity.

Products that achieve commercial success rarely do so based on innovative features alone. More often, effective marketing and positioning strategies create a compelling story and identity that resonates with consumers. Entrepreneurs tend to become enamored with their product's features, expecting innate superiority to drive sales. However, features matter little without strategic messaging, demonstrations, testimonials, and branding that make the product emotionally appealing.

True marketing is the discovery of new opportunities - better ways to serve customers. To create opportunities, generate some constructive chaos. Have executives swap responsibilities to tackle old problems with fresh eyes. Seek direct contact with consumers instead of conventional arrangements. Take a contrarian approach outside industry norms and see what results. Discard old company rules and explore where creative freedom leads.

Today's managers need to encourage innovative thinking, even if it leads to some failures. Dynamic companies operate entrepreneurially, relying more on business instincts than projections. With innovation comes risk, so managers should tolerate more mistakes. Not all employees are equal; high performers should be allowed to customize procedures if it boosts productivity over conformity. Perfection has diminishing returns - "good enough" is sometimes best to control costs.

Progress necessitates constructive dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs. Without that, many of the products we now take for granted would have never been developed. To actively encourage an environment where new ideas can flourish, managers need to frequently shake things up. One approach is to consistently inquire: what would transpire if we did the opposite of our present course? This question enables companies to methodically refuse to let new ideas be stifled by yesterday’s thinking. For instance, conventional advertising spotlights the product or service offered.