11 Powerful Entrepreneurship Nuggets by Bruce Lee

Known for his versatile acting and martial arts expertise, Bruce Lee conquered the world by taking martial arts to a whole new level through his films. He was a pioneer when it came to making Chinese martial arts popularly in the west. Till today, he is considered a legend and his philosophy lives on through his martial art ‘Jeet Kune Do’ and through his writing. Bruce Lee was an all rounder; he was a brilliant actor, philosopher, film director, producer, screenwriter and martial artist- which made him possess the traits of a genuine startup entrepreneur.

This short-statured guy, who weighed very little, seemed to have the power of a lion. Just like an entrepreneur, Lee was faced with the task of giving birth to a good idea, conceptualizing the idea for the movie, building it, fuelling it by raising money, implementing his extraordinary martial skills in his project and thus making it a success

1 – Ego

"The martial arts are ultimately self-knowledge. A punch or a kick is not to knock the hell out of the guy in front, but to knock the hell out of your ego, your fear, or your hang-ups.”
Entrepreneurs need a very healthy ego to succeed. Ego is important but without a healthy ego entrepreneurs will not be able to survive the daily rigors of start up life. Everything involves an ego. It makes you stay where things are comfortable, convenient and safe.
If you listen to your heart, you know that this isn't the path for you. Go after your dreams and do so boldly. Accept the fear inside you and keep moving.

2-- Take Action

"Knowing is not enough, you must apply; willing is not enough, you must do."

After brainstorming ideas and collecting all the information, the next step is to take an appropriate action. If you never take action, nothing will ever happen. In the case of starting an enterprise, the entrepreneur must have crystal clear clarity and progress without uncertainty and confusion.

3-- Find Your Path

"Absorb what is useful, Discard what is not, Add what is uniquely your own."

While starting an enterprise, initially, learn from someone whom you look up to. As you get better and more successful, take what works and discard what doesn't. Think of an idea which is quite realistic and always be open to different ideas.
We are all unique and so we have to find out our own groove and start listening to ourselves. Once after finalizing the idea, locate your target audience and brainstorm a list of things which attracts the customers’ attention towards your enterprise. Listen to your heart for guidance.

4- Simplicity

“Simplicity is the key to brilliance.”

The key to business success is as old as humans. To succeed in business, add value; i.e. give the customers something that they really want. Doing something unique is better but keep it simple and ensures it provides value.

Simplify your life and eliminate the unnecessary. Consume only which is important and amass material possessions. But since it isn’t easy, be happy and try keepings things simple. Simplicity gives you clarity and peace of mind.

5—Creativity

“Using no way as way, using no limitation as limitation.”

                Creativity is a process and the entrepreneur needs to work hard and continually improve ideas and solutions. In order to be creative, an entrepreneur must be an expertise in his or her work, have creative thinking skills and motivate others towards the goal.
As Lee says, you impose your own limitations. Even if a guru tells you that something is impossible, doesn’t mean it is. Always do keep in mind that most great people were told they could never accomplish something, but they went ahead and did it their way. Listen to yourself and do what excites you.

6-- Single-Mindedness

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

If you want get results and master something, you have to stop dabbling and jumping around from thing to thing. Entrepreneurs need to be single-minded when it comes to business. They need to have immense focus, stamina, focus, persistence and courage and commit to something and follow through, leaving little time for other activities. Lee suggests to never give up soon before results can appear.

7- Acceptance

“Take no though of who is right or wrong or who is better than. Be not for or against.”
An entrepreneur needs to have the quality of acceptance especially while dealing with clients and other venture partners. Be open to ideas and accept suggestions and advices, which will obviously help you in reducing mistakes. If we want the earth to become better, we have to let go of judgment, prejudice and rigid beliefs. There is no need to be right or wrong, or say that you are better than someone else.

Everything is as it is. If you do not like it, you can do something else, but do not inject negative energy, because it never does any good.

8- Service

“Real living is living for others.”

Without your clients, you don’t have a business. Make it a practice that your customer comes back to you and not your competitor. The most satisfying way is to live to help and enrich the life of others. If you can find a way to solve other people’s genuine problems while following your passion, you have found the ideal way to live.

Your customer would probably come back to you, if your service is good, which would make your venture a successful one. Hence, if you want to grow your business as an entrepreneur, service is the end-to-be all.

9- Time

“If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.”

Time is relative. It can be long, short, free and expensive. But for an entrepreneur, time is one of most valuable assets. It is fixed and you have only a certain amount of it. It can’t be bought more. As Lee says, there’s no time for procrastinating, making excuses and succumbing to your fears as you will ultimately die and so why not make the best of your life?

For an entrepreneur, time is very precious. Start boldly towards your dreams rather than wasting it. At times you might fail and make mistakes along the way but  stay calm and make the best use of your time to attain your goals.

10-Flexibility

“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.”

                While starting a business, your endeavors may not go always according to plan. Even though an entrepreneur is a good planner, he cannot change plans according to market trends or business needs if he has a rigid work style. A “flexible” entrepreneur who is able to switch gears and “go with the flow” has a greater success rate.
The happiest people in the world are flexible. They do not have rigid beliefs neither try to control and manipulate their surroundings to make themselves happy. Hence, entrepreneurs need to be flexible. They need to accept the things how they are. If you want to have a successful venture, be flexible and accept things as they are.

11 –Goals

“A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim it.”

                Successful people have one thing in common; their ability to set, activate and complete goals. In the case of an entrepreneur, goals give a framework within which to work. It serves as something to aim for, so it’s better not to get too hung up on reaching them. Any good goal has a timetable; focus on it and enjoy the process.
If you are hiking on a beautiful trail, your goal is to get to your end destination. But it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the walk, you are free to change the direction. Be open and flexible while choosing your path towards reaching your destination which ultimately leads to success in your business.