** Excerpted from American City Business Journals article posted to http://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/growth-strategies/2014/03/6-reasons-luck-has-nothing-to-do-with-business.html **

In my opinion, true luck plays only a small part in running a successful business. I spent some time looking at what traits most successful business owners and CEOs have in common.

1)      They understand there’s no substitute for hard work. Successful people make a name for themselves because they work hard, learn from their mistakes and never give up.

2)      They take chances. Many successful entrepreneurs didn’t succeed on their first try. It often takes several attempts. Most thriving businesses became that way because someone took a chance.

3)      They focus on the customer. I’m a customer experience expert, so a laser focus on the customer is obviously near to my heart. Customers are the lifeblood for every business and have to be considered in every decision.

4)      They don’t procrastinate. Successful business people don’t put off until tomorrow what can be done today. They get the job done – even if the task isn’t their favorite.

5)      They produce more than what’s expected. Successful people go above and beyond when it comes to delivering ideas.

6)      They aren’t afraid of hearing “no.” Countless top CEOs in American business heard the word “no” many times on their way up.