We’re often told that it’s only the end result that matters in business and in life. However, if you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you can’t think like this. The way you start matters as much as the way you finish a task. Ask any successful entrepreneur and they will confirm that none of them were born successful. In fact, all of them had to work their way up. Very few, if any, got there by luck.
It’s the choices they made that brought them that far up the ladder. If you want to become like the best, learn from the best. Yes, it’s cliché, but it’s absolutely true. To become successful in your business, you need to start out strong. A morning routine directs the general outcome of your day. Do you have one?
Below are examples of how 7 successful entrepreneurs start their days, and how they can benefit you:
1. Naveen Jain
The former founder and CEO of InfoSpace is a successful and innovative entrepreneur. Every morning has to start with him taking care of his mind, body, and soul. Why? Because he believes that business is like war, and if your mind, body, and soul are not ready, you’ll lose that battle.
He wakes up between 4:30AM and 5:00AM. The first 15 minutes of the day are focused on taking care of his mind – by catching up on the news, emails, and blogs. He then works out to take care of his body and meditates to take care of his soul.
When asked what he thinks makes a successful person, his answer is simple. “They go out and solve big problems.” If you want to know how to make a billion dollars, solve a 10 billion dollar problem.
2. Oprah Winfrey
Renowned for her Oprah Winfrey Show and journalistic reporting, Oprah is an entrepreneurial icon and a role model for many young women. If you struggle to wake up after the alarm has rung for the third or maybe fourth time, Oprah has a solution: no alarm clock to wake her up!
She lets herself wake up naturally around 6:00 AM and starts her day by expressing her gratitude. As she says, “The key to realizing a dream is to focus not on success but on significance and then even the small steps and little victories along your path will take on greater meaning.”
At 8:00 AM, Oprah brushes her teeth and then walks her five dogs. She comes back to enjoy her favorite cup of espresso before engaging in 30 minutes of meditation. 9 to 10 AM is usually her workout time, after which it allows for the beginning of her day.
3. Warren Buffett
Warren is the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. This ‘Oracle’ of Omaha has continued to rank high on the list of top billionaires. Though he is one of the world’s most successful investors, his lifestyle remains very simple.
He wakes up at 6:45 AM, and will spend 80% of his time during the day reading. When asked how to get smart, he said that one should read 500 pages each day to build up their knowledge. At 88 years old, he still finds time to exercise, as well as enjoy the little things, like eating at Mcdonald’s. Despite his financial success, he still takes time to appreciate simplicity.
“I tell college students, when you get to be my age you will be successful if the people who you hope to have love you, do love you.” – Warren Buffett
4. Renee Fishman
As an Ivy League graduate, former lawyer, and real estate mogul turned life coach, Renee has a lot of life experience. Her success hinges on her ability to think outside the box and take risks, so it makes sense that she needs something consistent. This is where a defined routine comes in!
The first thing she will do when she wakes up is to take care of her body. Without checking her emails, touching her phone or reading a book, she will head out to the gym. The workout will last between 15 minutes to 3 hours, but mostly lasts 60 to 90 minutes.
After the gym, Renee will take time to meditate, which she incorporates into her fitness routine. Regardless of where she is, these two activities are a must do every day. When back in her apartment, she will turn all audio or video devices off as she goes through her morning routine. This is the time when she will think about the day and analyze and strategize about things she may be battling with.
5. David Karp
As the founder and former CEO of Tumblr, David Karp is a successful entrepreneur and web developer. While he believes that schedules and “appointments are caustic to creativity,” he does keep it consistent in the morning. He walks to work, enjoys a small office environment, and makes sure to set time aside to check emails, rather than look at them at home.
By making sure he has a definite balance between work and home, he can focus on the tasks at hand with high focus, rather than being distracted and constantly thinking about work.
6. Tony Robbins
With his extremely busy lifestyle traveling all over the world, this life coach, author, philanthropist, and successful entrepreneur has maintained his morning routine. A high level of self-discipline has kept him consistent.
For over 10 years, he starts his day with 10 minutes of meditation which he breaks down as below.
- 1 minute to perform 3 sets of 30 quick successive breaths (breathing exercise)
- 3 minutes engaging in slow breathing to reflect on things he is grateful for
- 3 minutes to create and experience a connection between his head and the rest of the body
- 3 minutes to focus and imagine on what it would feel like to accomplish three of his goals.
Then, he follows a rigorous 15 minute work out before starting his day.
“I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece. I challenge you to join the ranks of those people who live what they teach, who walk their talk.” – Tony Robbins
7. John Paul Dejoria
This once homeless man and now billionaire takes the first five minutes of his morning reflecting and being grateful for what he has. He says it gives him his everyday energy boost. Then he makes a cup of coffee or cappuccino before calling his assistants and checking his agendas and calendars.
He admits to sticking to his old-school way where he never uses email, does not text, or even use a computer. All his communication is done via calls or fax, which he says helps him center his attention to the most crucial things that require his attention.
Conclusion
What can you, as an entrepreneur, take away from all of these morning routines? All of these icons prioritize their mental and physical health. Meditation and working out are crucial in establishing a strong start to the day. Taking time to appreciate your achievements and focus on your goals is another key factor.
Another important point is that these entrepreneurs will stick to their routine no matter where they are. They understand why they do what they do. Their self-discipline and self-respect set the tone for the rest of their day, and their overall success.
Start small and make some changes in your daily activity. You might be surprised at the influence it has over the rest of your day and your business.
Great article 🙂 Almost all of that I am trying to mix up in my morning routine.
Can’t say enough about how powerful starting your day off early is. There’s truth in the early to bed – early to rise saying. It can be hard to get started but I found that if you plan out exactly what you will do in the morning the night before, it’s easier to get yourself out of bed. Have things ready to go when you go to bed. Lay out your clothes, set the coffee pot to auto brew, choose a guided meditation, etc. If you do that, when the alarm goes off, you’re mind will already be ready to go fulfill the plan.
It takes 21 days to form a habit… When you’re up early, you are in the company of the most successful people on the planet!
Great article! 🙂
My morning routine is a little mix of some routines mentioned in this article. First – Showing gratitude – extremely important for getting my mind into happy mode from the beginning.
Also, I learned from Admiral McRaven to next thing always make your bed. I was skeptic firstly, but now I understand that so little thing like this can actually take a big difference in your mood and happiness.
Then I exercise ended up with a cold shower for improving my immunity and metabolism.
And last but not least reading at least a few pages a day in the morning, which also helps me think more positively and looking forward to my day.
I love this write up
I follow Tony Robbins morning routine and currently trying to commit to it everyday
This is really great!