Boost chances of success by staying positive (From The Northern Echo)

Boost chances of success by staying positive

9:43am Tuesday 18th November 2008 in

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Study reveals secret to maximising potential

A POSITIVE mindset can be the key to business success, irrespective of the economic crisis or a lack of personal wealth and experience.

That is the finding of a study from the If We Can You Can campaign, which has concluded that ambition and a positive attitude outweigh a solid strategy and cash flow.

Dr David Johnson, a chartered psychologist who has coached hundreds of business owners across the UK, is championing the belief that the correct mindset can determine success.

Dr Johnson, working alongside the Entrepreneurs Forum – which runs the If We Can You Can campaign – is promoting the message among North-East entrepreneurs that focusing on personal strengths and weaknesses can bring business benefits.

His work forms part of the second phase of the campaign Essence of the Entrepreneur, which aims to challenge perceptions of entrepreneurs as being money-driven and ruthless.

“By focusing upon mindsets, we enable business owners to understand themselves more, build their emotional awareness and, in so doing, help them realise what their business needs in order to make it survive and thrive,” said Dr Johnson.

“Mindset profiling enables us to take a look at the personal dimension of entrepreneurship and the ‘hidden’ impacts of business ownership.

“Developing a winning mindset will help to maximise an entrepreneur’s potential in the current financial climate.

“The credit crunch brings a renewed need for entrepreneurs to show their determination and their ability to adapt to changing conditions.”

The If We Can You Can campaign is a three-year strategy, supported by The Northern Echo, to create a can-do culture and revive the spirit of entrepreneurship for which the region was once famed.

Fourteen ambassadors for entrepreneurship were found through the If We Can You Can challenge, including seven winners.

Carole Beverley, chief executive of the Entrepreneurs Forum, said: “We have had a fantastic start to the campaign, which already has positioned itself among the most successful the region has seen.

“The achievements of the challenge winners and ambassadors to date are a credit to their self belief and determination.

“After the success of the first challenge we will be running another next year with the hope of inspiring another generation of entrepreneurs to bolster the North-East’s entrepreneurial presence.”