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The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) attracts the world’s top business leaders and pioneering thinkers. It is a gathering place where next-generation innovations and new tech gadgets are introduced to the marketplace. The entrepreneurs who attend CES are considered to be best-of-the-best. They create products that turn entire industries upside down, redefining what it means to be successful.
So, how did they achieve greatness? Not surprisingly, many of these entrepreneurs had very similar pieces of business advice to share.
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Don’t Underestimate the Power of Networking
Whether you are trying to find customers, recruit investors or trying to land a job, networking is a daunting task. It requires energy, diligent follow-up, and worst of all, it doesn’t always yield instant gratification which can hurt motivation. But without question, networking is a powerful tool. In fact, many of the entrepreneurs at CES agree their network is their biggest advantage.
“The easiest way to expand your network is to build on the relationships with people you know and connect with often. It’s important to remember…it’s not the number of connections, it’s the quality.” – Bent Sorensen, General Manager Americas for Danalock, a European smart lock manufacturer.
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Dare to be Different
Long-term marketing success means standing out from your competitors. Businesses tend to get caught up in following a current trend, but eventually, they just become a commodity. Differentiating yourself is key and in a crowded market, those that identify and communicate what makes them unique have a significant edge over those who follow the path of others.
“It’s important to be open to any and all ideas that flood into your mind. Even the most obscure ideas can bring success.” – Fabian De La Fuente, technology advisor for Ergonomyx.
“I am constantly thinking of how I can do my job in a new way. If you are in an industry that is crowded, think of a way to be unique and different than those around you.” – Michael Bieglmayer is the CEO and founder of Cybershoes.
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Find Your Strength and Stick With It
We’ve all heard the adage, “Jack-of-all-trades, master of none.” Becoming a jack-of-all-trades is not always beneficial. Often, it can lead to being a master-at-none. Instead of multitasking and being average at a variety of different things, work on enhancing one strength at a time. Then, you can build up your skills and become a more valuable asset in your career.
“Focus on your strengths. Double down on what you’re good at rather than trying to be well-rounded. No one can afford to do everything. It is important to focus on what you do well – it will pay off in the long-run.”- Eckhard Kemmerer is the Managing Director and Founder of Briometrix.
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Never Stop Learning
Even with a college degree in hand, it is essential to keep learning and expanding your knowledge to grow intellectually and professionally. There are always new skills to learn and new techniques to adopt. Even the most successful people in the world don’t believe they are geniuses – they strive never to stop exploring and acquiring new skills. Continuous learning is the key to maintaining your success. And in order to live a full and meaningful life, we should constantly work towards improving.
“I attribute my success to my memory and research. I believe new ideas do not come from some external sources, but from gathering tons of information than seeing patterns and developing something new. I go after any and all knowledge that I can … I really want to learn everything possible.” – Dean McBain of International Intellectual Property Brokers, Developers, and Marketing.
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Be A Risk-Taker
Taking risks to achieve a goal takes strength, especially when facing the fear of failure. However, taking risks is a great opportunity to stand out and present yourself as a leader. Successes in both our personal and professional lives require strong leadership, and it’s important to take pride in character traits such as flexibility and resilience. No matter the outcome, each risk we take comes with positive growth and the ability to build confidence.
“Mindset and mental state are everything. You need to be able to take risks in your industry and focus on exactly what your goal is, in order to achieve it.” – Valerie Song, CEO, and Co-founder at AVA Technologies Inc.
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Embrace Failure
When taking risks, failure is inevitable, but it’s important not to let it define your future. What is crucial is how you respond to that failure, and take what you learned to create success. Failure can be used as a strong asset when we are trying to learn and improve on something. There’s nothing wrong with making a mistake, and it often presents an ideal way to transform problems into opportunities.
“Failure is impossible to avoid, so it is important to fail fast. Even if you take the wrong path, it is progress. Fail fast, learn what to change and often you will succeed.”- Stas Gorbunov, CEO, and Co-founder at AURA Devices.
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Try, And Try Again
Trials and tribulations are what make and break an empowering entrepreneur. Sometimes what we believe is our worst ordeal turns out to be precisely what we need to become wiser and ultimately stronger. Realizing that mistakes are a part of the process in your journey will keep you motivated and moving towards your end-goal.
“Do not give up. The more you don’t consider giving up, the more you think about how to solve the problem.” – Tom DeVesto is the Founder of Como Audio
“Overcome your challenges. I believe in using the fire of adversity and challenges in life to dig deep and discover your purpose while creating solutions.” – Royce Newcomb, Founder & Chief Designer of the eDOR & eBOX Systems. Strategic Innovations, LLC
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Your Best Motivator- You
Intrinsic motivation – or deep drive within yourself – is much stronger than any external force. Self-motivation stems from the meaningfulness of the work you do each day. Finding the strength and motivation within ourselves to push on reflects directly on how meaningful the work is for us. You are driven by what you yearn to do even if there is no reward or compensation. This drive will be endured longer and lead to profound success.
“Self-motivation is key. Starting a business is hard, and it is important to have the drive within to keep pushing forward and pursuing your goal. Once you have mastered that, you will be able to build a strong team to help you.“ Patrick (Phac Thuan) Nguyen, CEO of EKID Studio
Dave Farrow is the two-time Guinness Record holder for greatest memory.He has been a featured guest expert on over 2000 interviews in the media including, The Today Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, Steve Harvey, Discovery Channel and many others. To earn the world record, Farrow recalled the exact order of 59 decks of shuffled playing cards using 'The Farrow Memory Method'. This method was originally invented to combat Farrow’s dyslexia and ADHD and is now a unique memory system backed by a double blind neuroscience study at McGill University.
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