Sadly today is Rob May’s last day at the helm of BusinessPundit. Personally I think it’s a great shame Rob’s leaving. His last post is The Top 10 Changes In My Business Thinking, which is a candid review of his experiences in business and is well worth a read.

I really enjoyed it and wanted to add some of my own thoughts:

Luck Matters – I agree that luck matters, but I’m also a great believer in making your own luck, or as Seneca put it “Luck is when preparation meets opportunity”.

Touchy Feely vs. Analytical – I couldn’t agree more, it’s so much easier to succeed in a market that is growing fast than it is in a declining market. Which is exactly what most of the most successful entrepreneurs we hear about today have done.

Beware of the Hype – I couldn’t agree more, for years the UK press raved about Reuben Singh and the Guinness World Records as the world’s youngest self-made millionaire with an estimated personal fortune of £27.5M, but last year he was declared bankrupt. In their rush to criticise the entrepreneurs on Dragons’ Den the press have also hyped up StableTable and Trunki without the slightest understanding of the realities of business.

It is Always Easy to See What You Want to See – A point many of the entrepreneurs who pitch on Dragons’ Den should take on board. I’m not sure I have the answer for Rob, but my approach is to speak to smart people, seek their feedback and ask them to point out the problems they see.

Do Stuff - I’m a great believer in the Nike slogan “Just Do It”. I prefer to put an idea out there, try it and then iterate on it.

Failure Doesn’t Really Matter - Failure is not a bad thing, sure it’s not fun, but if you learn from it, more often than not it’s moved you a step nearer to success. Thomas Edison summed this up well when he said “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work” and no one remembers his failures, yet we remember his successes.

Find Your People - Rob sums this up brilliantly with “Don’t try to change other people. Try to find the people who are like you in the ways that are most important.”

Revenge is a Waste of Time and Energy - Very true.

Help Others Reach Their Goals - Chances are that some of them will then help you reach yours.

Relationships, relationships, relationships - Business is ultimately about people, suppliers, customers, competitors, investors, journalists – they are all people and building relationships with them will help you succeed in business. So if you’re not networking, start now.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below and don’t forget to visit Rob’s new blog.

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