Do You Need to Be Lucky to Be an Entrepreneur or Can You Create Your Own Luck?

A lot of people say there is a great deal of luck behind all successful entrepreneurs. They happen to have made the right product, at the right place during the right time. However, I think this statement does a disservice to entrepreneurs. 

Although I do believe that luck does play a role in almost all businesses, I think it’s unfair to say that business success comes from luck. Unfortunately, success has very little to do with luck. At least not the traditional definition of luck, meaning success brought by chance rather than through one’s actions. 

How entrepreneurs are actually lucky

Roman philosopher Seneca once said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” I like that definition because while it still does imply that luck comes from some serendipitous opportunity, it also acknowledges that you need to be prepared to be lucky. 

Things Every Entrepreneur Needs to Know About Leading Through Uncertainty

Sure, Steve Jobs was lucky to have been introduced to his genius co-founder Steve Wozniak. However, he also had to be prepared to revolutionize the computer market through his knowledge of computer science. If Steve Jobs only had the opportunity of meeting Steve Wozniak but wasn’t prepared to build the first Apple Computer 1, then Apple never becomes the company it is today.

Strategies to Make Yourself Luckier

As I study more and more “lucky” entrepreneurs, it seems that the difference between lucky and unlucky comes down to their ability to spot an opportunity. With this ability, lucky entrepreneurs can generate their own good fortune. Lucky entrepreneurs are mission-driven people who have a strong understanding of their long-term goals. They are constantly searching for strategies and new methods to achieve their outcome. If they see what they think could be a good course of action, they go for it, not caring whether they fail or not.

Lucky people also create self-fulfilling prophecies. They look at life as a series of opportunities rather than a series of problems. Instead of thinking that life is always happening to them, they believe life is happening for them. Therefore, it is integral that you always look for a silver lining in any situation you may find yourself in.

Entrepreneurs aren’t inherently lucky, but successful entrepreneurs do create their own luck. So, don’t get yourself in the wrong mindset of thinking you are not lucky. Everyone has the opportunity to be lucky. It’s just up to you to create your own luck.