The Psychology Of Small Business Success

By Leo Gura - July 5, 2016 | 19 Comments

Top 5 errors of aspiring entrepreneurs.

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The Doe Doe Bird says:

Hi Leo,

Just wanted to express my appreciation for you creating this video. I so needed this advice right now. Your timing is impeccable!

I’m currently in the process of getting my own business up and going full time. I just started last year and have been working my business part time, and was holding a part time job to bring in cash as I get everything started. The part time job was great at the time because it was congruent with my business plan and attracted a lot of eyeballs and then eventual clients. I just recently ended my contract with them because they were the typical orange company. That were based on greed and money and didn’t care about the opinions or well being of their clients. Their beliefs were not congruent with mine. Now that I’ve been placed in a position of being completely independent I came to a complete stand still with promoting my business and living my dream. I had no motivation or drive, and I wasn’t governing my business in a way or putting in enough effort to promote success by doing sales and marketing. I soon discovered that because of all the this enlightenment work I was doing it left me unmotivated to do anything because I knew materialism and money were just pointless things and no longer need those things for happiness. Yes you do need money to survive, but I didn’t have the gumption to push forward and go for the gold. This has all steamed from the fact that I had no life purpose. Just a few days ago I bought your life purpose course. It was worth every dollar and every penny I spent to get it. I’ve never seen so much passion and drive in a handsome individual as yourself! I could see the tears in your eyes as you expressed so much passion and emotion in your life purpose videos. I just wanted to say thank you for bringing that spark in me that I lost when I first started my business. And for further explaining in this video not only the importance of what not to do in a business but you brought up the most important aspect of having the business to begin with….your life purpose. A life purpose that when you wake up in the morning you are so excited to start your day with helping others at what you do best. What a beautiful perspective and way to perceive life! I have so much respect for you. And words cannot describe how much dedication and love you have put into helping other people.

My goal is the be that one doe doe bird that is in the top 5 percent. The doe doe bird that creates success for herself. The doe doe bird that beats the evolution and all obstacles that stand in her way!

Thank you for showing others a good example of what living your life passions and life purpose is all about!

The Doe Doe Bird!

Yael Bolender says:

I watched your whole video, because even if I’ve been in business since a very long time (1994 in France and since 2006 in USA), I thought that I would probably learn something.
I did.
I have sold a lot, and I have sold a little too, actually, I never know in advance, that’s what makes the thing exciting, I always have surprises.
I sell vintage stuff on the Net, but also my Art on the Net and in person, and I created two years ago a YouTube channel, which is something totally different. I don’t sell the vintage stuff as I sell my art. I mean that for the home decor and vintage items, I try to imagine what the customers would like, and I have to like it too because I wouldn’t like to sell something that I hate, even for the money.
But in art, as for my YouTube channel, I absolutely do whatever I want, and then, if people like it, good, if they don’t… whatever…
What worries me is that I don’t feel attacked or insulted or even disappointed when I don’t sell something. Because it depends so much on what kind of clientele. Who? Where? When? For example, I’ve sold vintage chenille bedspreads that I over-dyed myself, like crazy three years ago, and now, nobody cares. So I know that the success of a year or two is not automatically a success forever.
I sell a lot to New York, Virginia, Texas a lot! United Kingdom, wow, a lot! But in California… eh… Hence the advantage of Internet, so we can reach people who are not automatically around.
Should I be supposed to be disappointed or sad because I don’t sell? When I don’t sell, I try something else, something new, but everything is still there on sale. Sometimes a thing need two years to start interesting people, it means a lot of patience.
I tried all these years to define rules in the customers behaviors. I learned one thing: that there is no rules. It is never what we expect.
Another thing: I do some marketing on social media, flyers, newsletters, talking to people, blablabla. Honestly, I have no idea what I am doing, I probably suck big time at doing that. I do it because I have to, but it is far from being my forte.
I would dream to have someone doing it for me. Even if I don’t mind discussing with clients, I actually appreciate that.
And I am not fast enough, because I try to do it all, the result is that I manage to do only the half of what I planned, but at least, there is a progression, and eventually things get done.
I don’t manage to relax, it is business business business, because I am so passionate about what I am doing, that I don’t take one day of vacation. I came to L.A. for the beach, I never have the time to go to the beach, there is always something to do for the business.
You are right about what you said at the end: we must be inspired, there must be a soul in what we are doing. I saw so many business men around me dying of cancer or I don’t know what, because they were hating what they were doing. I prefer earn less, but still be passionate.
Thanks to your video, I also learned that I was not weird because I was working alone most of the time. According to what you said, it is normal, so I am glad to discover that I am not a weirdo… I thought it was my fault.
I just realized one thing, it’s that I have absolutely no strategy, except maybe for my videos where I know where I want to go, but beside that, I go with the most exciting thing in my field at the moment I do it, and I do it how I feel it, and I observe, and if it works, good, if it doesn’t I try something else. I am never bored.
When I was a child, I was already selling stuff, I suppose it is in me, it’s my thing, beside my art. Actually, I have no hesitation to sell my art either, as long as I am okay to sell a piece. Like if this piece had its own life to live. It’s not so much for the money, it’s just that it proves me that I am allowed to continue my art, since people appreciate it, and it finds a justification. I don’t mind creating without selling then, it’s just that at a point, I have too much stuff in my house.
All that to say that I think a business should come first from a passion, and then growing and lasting, means for us to be very patient, persistent, and grateful for what we managed to accomplish so far. That is how I see it.
I’ve been doing that since more than twenty years, I love being self employed, I wouldn’t change a thing.
But it’s true that it is a lot of work.
Just one last thing: I don’t watch your videos for your personality but for what you are saying. It’s true that you have a lot of competitors, but they don’t say the same things as you do. Your speech is different. It seems to be articulate and logical, what I appreciate. Also it is not superficial, I appreciate that even more.

Kyle says:

Couldn’t we say the purpose of business in a free society is to improve people’s lives? I don’t totally disagree with the rape and pillage comparison, but in a free market, people voluntarily purchase the goods and services available to them that they believe will most improve their well being. Nobody is being forced to do anything. Sounds like an overly grim outlook to just call it modern day rape and pillage when business does so much to increase society’s standard of living. Interesting discussion topic…

Leo Gura says:

The problem is, people are fools and cannot distinguish what is good and what is bad for them. This includes the people running the companies. So what you get is an ego-feeding circus.

The true well-being of humans is rarely considered.

Increasing the material standard of living does virtually nothing for your well-being. And is in fact damaging to you. That’s the paradox.

neil byrne says:

out numbered 10 to 1 ….. if ya cat beat em join em does that count as a win : )

Brett H says:

Brilliant video Leo. Time I watched your others. BTW your video on chimpdom was one of the most profound truths i have come across in my 48 years this realm. Powerful!

WingWizard says:

You are a savior. That is what you actually are. I don’t know how much you know it, but you have and you are eliminating so much suffering from people’s lives. What I have got from your work, is invaluable to me. I thank you with every bone in my body.

Sam says:

I LOVE your style, you have a unique talent. Thank you so much for you videos.

Stephanie says:

Leo,

I think this is one of your most outstanding and exceptional talks. This is the third time I have listened to it, and I don’t listen to most bloggers’ talks even once, even some of the better ones. What you said about the emotions that arise when one is trying to get a startup off the ground is really resonating with me as that’s exactly what I’m trying to do just now! Well, I have been in the research and building my blog phases for a few months now, but now I am starting to reach out to potential customers, and finding that quite scary. I was laid off from my comfortable corporate librarian job last November, so this business I’m trying to start is a do or die kind of thing. On the plus side, I think I can offer really value to people with it and if I can pull it off it will be very satisfying, plus it’s something that I could also use to build a passive income in the form of courses.

But that’s all beside the point, which is to thank you so much for your teaching, which goes right down to the core of the example you set by the way you live your life and by who you are. I know I lot of effort went into that, so you deserve all the success you’re having right now…. enjoy it… and keep making these videos!

-Stephanie

Lauren says:

Hugs hugs hugs to Leo!!!
“Business with a cause!” “The joy you get from the creation of business” is much more than the cash flow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tears grateful tears…how beautiful what is taught here!!!!! Nobody match this! Nobody! Not tony Robbins, not Brian Tracey!!!

Pure joy of listening to Leo!

Lauren says:

Keep trying to test your idea and get to the customer and find eyeballs, then at the same time, do business with a soul!

You don’t hear this kind of outstanding person and mind much these days!

I am so honored to “hang out” / consult with Leo over the net remotely–my master mentor and teacher

The most generous man with brilliant teaching!

Lauren says:

I will keep testing my idea and if I have doubt about the cause of the business, I have the option to quit it.

It ignite my idea of helping the world — please don’t just focus on the money , Lauren! I know you have generated good cash from the business you are testing but there are a lot of controversy on your business platform you joined in — people recruiting people to build a team to do business. You have so much doubt about it!!!!! You yourself like it but your family and friends really don’t like it–they think those people are cheating you.

Keep exploring and always maintain to be able to pull out if it is integrity issue!!!

Lauren says:

Be aware! Be aware of the materialism trap. The unfulfillment after material success. The meaningfulness and material success are totally in different league.

The idealism and the success combined together are visionary business, exceptional business!

I am stopping my morning running, my favorite, to listen this out.

I can’t stop my tears running down

I have so much respect for you Leo

You changed my mind and my life
There is a higher level of cause to this life of mine!!!!

Lauren says:

I can proudly say that I know what is going on now. I am talking about the movie the god father. The cause and idealism: his joining in the violence ring vs. his wife’s deep disdain for his decision.

To combine a good cause with a successful conscious business is the way!!!! There are plenty of examples!
Follow those!

Alice says:

Great episode! Thank you Leo!

Best,

Alice

Ethan says:

The last error of business success was tremendously insightful, Leo. You’re going to change the world with your ideas if you keep with this mindset, and if you keep conveying this sort of information.
Thank you for an amazing video because I have been having trouble with my business, and you made me realize all the things that I have been doing wrong.

Tip Jar button. love it.

Martin Davis says:

Hi Leo,

Really enjoying your video. I do have an issue with your historical perspective though. If you believe that everything that we have been taught is a lie, I do, then the historical narrative you laid out about our ancestors raping and pillaging certainly fits the category. The best historians, the ones who have told the truth and some paid the ultimate price for doing so or were just ignored by the “mainstream”, tell of a time when humanity was much wiser and much more advanced in terms of spirituality. Which made for what we might call utopia. Where everyone got along and life was indeed a dream, in the best sense.

We are currently coming out of the densest of ages, the iron age or Kali Uga and going into the Dwapara Yuga or bronze age. Yes, those scenarios you mentioned certainly were a big part of the Kali Uga, but when we were in the golden age things were much different. So rather than evolving, the story we’ve been told, we have been devolving. But thankfully now we are back on the ascent.

If you are interested these books have some good information on the subject:
The Holy Science by Sri Yudteswar Giri
Lost Star of Myth and Time by Walter Cruttenden
Everthing You Know is Still Wrong by Lloyd Pye

I found you recently on Youtube and you are inspiring me to start my own business.

Thankyou,
Martin Davis

Martin Davis says:

Hi Leo,

Really enjoying your video. I do have an issue with your historical perspective though. If you believe that everything that we have been taught is a lie, I do, then the historical narrative you laid out about our ancestors raping and pillaging certainly fits the category. The best historians, the ones who have told the truth and some paid the ultimate price for doing so or were just ignored by the “mainstream”, tell of a time when humanity was much wiser and much more advanced in terms of spirituality. Which made for what we might call utopia. Where everyone got along and life was indeed a dream, in the best sense.

We are currently coming out of the densest of ages, the iron age or Kali Uga and going into the Dwapara Yuga or bronze age. Yes, those scenarios you mentioned certainly were a big part of the Kali Uga, but when we were in the golden age things were much different. So rather than evolving, the story we’ve been told, we have been devolving. But thankfully now we are back on the ascent.

If you are interested these books have some good information on the subject:

The Holy Science by Sri Yukteswar Giri

Lost Star of Myth and Time by Walter Cruttenden

Everthing You Know is Still Wrong by Lloyd Pye

I found you recently on Youtube and you are inspiring me to start my own business.

Thankyou,
Martin Davis

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