November 11, 2019 4 min read

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Chris Jericho may be better known in the entertainment world than the entrepreneurial world, but his life story and success provide lessons that anyone can apply in business. These lessons may not be revolutionary, but they’re straightforward for a reason. Luck is few and far between; if you want to make it as an entrepreneur, you’re better off betting on yourself in terms of taking calculated risks and investing the time to make your dreams a reality, rather than just hoping that everything will work out.

Believe in yourself

When Chris Jericho dreamed of being both a professional wrestler and a rock star, the likelihood of achieving both may have seemed far-fetched to others. But he didn’t let what others thought get in the way. Instead, he stayed true to his belief in himself and got to where he wanted to be through hard work, sacrifice, and determination.

Now, he’s one of the most recognizable in the world and has been the lead singer of his band Fozzy for 20 years. Over the years, he has continued to bet on himself and believe in himself, both figuratively and literally, such as through the launch of his rock and wrestling related cruise in 2018, which he provided funding for.

As Jericho explains, taking chances in business and setting off on your own course is like jumping off a building knowing you can fly. If you don’t truly believe you’ll fly, you’re not going to jump, but if you believe in yourself, it’ll feel like the right thing to do.

Hard work is the foundation of success

If you believe in yourself and what you’re setting out to do, you’re also more likely to be willing to put in the hard work needed to get there, as Jericho has done. Unfortunately, there are no guaranteed shortcuts to success; if there were, everyone would be successful.

For example, when Jericho was 10 years old, he delivered flyers for a local pharmacy at a clip of one cent each. While another delivery boy figured he could just dump the flyers all at once and collect the payment, Jericho was honest and delivered the flyers one by one to homes. When his boss called homes to see if they received the flyer, it became apparent that Jericho followed through on his work, while the other delivery boy cheated and was subsequently fired.

This example applies just as much, if not more, to entrepreneurship. If you’re not willing to put in the work, you’re not cut out to be in business for yourself. The stakes are higher as an entrepreneur, because you won’t get paid unless you actually do the work.

Don’t take no for an answer in business

As an entrepreneur, you’re likely to hear “no” a lot, whether it’s from investors, potential customers, partners or anyone else. People tend to be busy, which means sometimes it’s easier to just say no, and other times people may not trust you enough to say yes.

For example, if you were to ask someone to do an interview for your podcast and they don’t really know you or understand what they can get from working with you, it can be a lot easier to just say no and not waste time. But if you’re persistent while still being respectful, you can improve your odds of getting to where you want to go. A no may be temporary, but if you stay on that person’s radar and build a relationship, you can eventually get to a yes.

A no can also be easier in the short term for you to accept, but in the long term, you’ll go further if you push yourself a little harder and work toward a yes.

Don’t get complacent

Lastly, as Jericho advises, anything can change at a moment’s notice, so you shouldn’t take anything for granted or get complacent. Jericho diversifies himself through multiple business streams, including wrestling, music, hosting a podcast, his cruise experience and more.

If you want to be an entrepreneur, you should also look to diversify yourself and not assume that one area of business will always be successful. The best companies innovate and evolve, and you can too as an entrepreneur.

Watch more videos from Carlos Gil on his YouTube channel here. Follow Carlos Gil on Instagram @CarlosGil83.