Top Entrepreneurs Share Their Secret Sauce to Success

1. “You got this.”

Marina Barnes, founder Racysuits

Sometimes you wake up and feel like there is no way you can get everything done. Telling myself daily that I can make it happen is a personal motivation that everything can get done. I have it posted right next to my computer screen.

Surround Yourself with Motivation

I am part of a women’s entrepreneur group called Savor the Success here in the city. It is the best thing I have done for myself. The group declares 90-day goals and does a weekly check-in to hold each other accountable. The women in my group are all running their own businesses and hearing about their achievements is a great way to get energized.

A new habit I have picked up from Savor is a weekly ‘brain dump’. Every Sunday I make a long list of everything I need to do and then I go back over and circle my top priorities that actually help move the needle. This helps me differentiate between tasks, things I can delegate, and the actual important things that will help grow the company.

2. “Done is better than perfect.”

Etan Brandt-Finell, founder Wholesale in A Box

To stay focused throughout the day I make a paper-and-pencil plan for our days, in 30-minute blocks.  To reenergize and refocus I love taking walks!

3. “If it’s worth doing at all, then it’s worth doing today.”

Avi Levine, financial consultant at Star Funding

My good friend Bernard from Blooming Sky, a real-estate investment platform, said it to me once when we worked together at an e-commerce men’s clothing start-up. It kicked me into high gear, and I decided to quit what I was doing and follow my dreams.

Write It Down
I still like paper. After all of the time and money I have invested in custom CRM platforms and software to keep me and my team on track, I still use paper. Every morning I take a post-it note and write down everything that needs to be accomplished that day. If I don’t finish I put the note in my wallet and take it home to complete. I guess I sort of challenge myself to complete important tasks and not put them off.

4. “Life’s a garden. Dig it.”

Helen Behn, founder Spand-Ice

This quote is from the 90s movie Joe Dirt. I just love it. So raw and true!

I do 2 things regularly to help me stay focused and energized.  I exercise first thing in the morning to get the creative juices flowing and I make daily to-do lists. If I get 1 thing crossed off my list, sometimes that’s success.

5. “If I believe it – I can achieve it.”

Sumiyyah Rashed, founder and designer ANN NAHARI

My mantra is simple, I repeat “If I believe it – I can achieve it”

Meditate and Remain Calm
The routine I consistently incorporate is sitting quietly and meditating to rechannel my energy. You see when one is in a confused or scattered condition the energy to complete the designated task is funneled in a sporadic way and the creative thoughts are flashing around as if they are bolts lighting. To pull the bolts of lighting into on laser beam, I take the following steps:

  • Change my internal conversation to lift my spirit so I can refocus my attention
  • Use power words to integrate into my internal conversation
  • Meditate and calm my spirit
  • Take a 2-mile walk to think and gain clarity.
  • I close my eyes and envision how to break the task into smaller components which make achieving the goal simple.

6. “I’m lucky to do what I love.”

Syama Meagher, CEO at Scaling Retail

I have a 5 min dance party every day to get me energized and refocuses. It’s a great way to shake off anything and always makes me smile. Today I danced to MIA’s Borders- great song!


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