Do you want to be a successful entrepreneur?  No matter how you define success, if you want to be a successful business owner, there are three things you can’t do:

1) Don't wait for a golden invitation. Business development and entrepreneurship are inherently creative endeavors. That means you are bringing something into existence that wasn't there before. The world won't come to an end if you don't build your business so you can't expect someone to come and make you do it. You have to wake up in the morning and start creating – just like an artist would wake up and start painting.

2.) Don't expect (or need) a direct reward for everything you do. The physical world we live in is full of direct feedback – if you throw a ball, it goes a certain distance, if you throw it twice as hard, it goes twice as far. The world of business development is often more about indirect results – the networking you do today may pay off in 3 days, 3 months, or 3 years. Don't let that frustrate you. Keep focused on doing the important activities over and over.

3) Don't give up. Business is tough, but so is life - get used to it. The most successful entrepreneurs are the same people that can give you a long list of their failures, big and small. Ideas won't come to fruition, people will to say no, things won't go as you planned, etc. Just remember that failure is an event, an occurrence – it's not a person. The world needs you and needs your contribution. Don't give up.