In a recent post by entrepreneur.com contributor, Steve Tobak, opportunity never just comes to you, you have to go out and make it happen. You have to hustle for it. If you want a meaningful career, you have got to hustle.
That, dear friends, is the secret behind the success of countless entrepreneurs and business leaders. Nothing was simply dropped in their laps, they had to hustle every day of their lives.
Take Steve as an example, he had to hustle to get whatever he’s got today – he hustled every step of the way. When he graduated from the university, there were no jobs, so he worked part-time in a bank for the equivalent of ₦850 an hour. From there, he got his big break into the tech industry and did whatever it took to advance his career. According to him, he said yes! to everything.
He worked for between 60 and 70 hours every week, fought for every promotion, and spoke to as many people as he could for every job opportunity. He was an engineer for a decade, a salesman for a semiconductor chip making company, and worked hard to build a worldwide sales organisation for a startup that ended up going public. In this position, he competed heads-on with tech giants like Microsoft and Intel, before ultimately becoming a senior marketing executive.
Did he remain static, hoping that jobs would find him? No! He always went where the work was, moving from one city to another; flying Sunday night just so he could make Monday morning executive meetings. In all, he must have flown about five million miles! He admits to have failed miserably countless times; but each time, he got back up, dusted himself off, learnt a hard-fought lesson, and tried his best to do better next time.
And now? He runs his own show, his time, and can afford a lot of things he couldn’t before. And even after thirty something years, the hustle is still on. Based on experience, and in his own words, “that’s what it takes to make it in this world. If you want to be successful, you have got to hustle.”
