1. A Thick Skin.

Sounds crazy doesn’t it?

If you don’t know what you are doing and you’re not mentally and psychologically prepared for the challenges up ahead, you will crumble and “pack it in” i.e. quit in no time when things get rough and trust me, they will.

Your best defense against these tough times is a “thick skin”.

Now don’t misunderstand me, I’m not talking about the skin on your body, I’m talking about your mental toughness, your ability to stick to the task or what I call your “stick-to-itive-ness.”

The second tool you must have is;

2. A Mentor

Let’s face it, we all need help from time to time and it makes no sense trying to do it alone, “no man is an Island”.

Besides, it is always better and more profitable to you to have someone in your corner that can guide you, encourage you, motivate you and assist you to become better than the person you currently see in the mirror.

A Mentor  will help to reveal your inner strength, which you will use to conquer self-doubt and negative thoughts that can play havoc on your mind-set, causing you to want to give up, throw in the towel  and crawl in a corner and die.

A Mentor is a very vital tool to have.

The third tool you must have is;

3. A Support System.

This tool goes hand-in-hand with tool #2, it could be a team of people or just another individual with whom you can brainstorm ideas and strategies for success.

Having a support system of like-minded individuals is essential in today’s knowledge economy, and they can be the difference between success and failure.

You should never try to go the journey alone because it will be much more difficult, lonely and stressful.

But with a support system or master-mind group, your journey can be much more enriching and fruitful as a result of the accumulated knowledge at your disposal.

The fourth tool you must have is;

4. A Marketing System.

You MUST have a way of marketing your business or else you will be “dead in the waters”.

If your intention is to generate an income then you must know how to market your business, whether it’s a product you’re selling or a service you provide.

 Now if you just want a hobby then that’s fine but if you want to be taken seriously as an Entrepreneur, you must have a marketing system in-place, it is in my opinion, one of the most critical tools to have.

The Fifth tool you must have is;

5. A Funnel System.

Now depending on how knowledgeable you are you might be asking yourself, “what on earth is a Funnel System”? A very reasonable question.

This is the “tool” that allows businesses both small and large to “capture” certain information about individuals who visit their website.

Some of them are more sophisticated than others but essentially, it's a tool used to capture names, emails, phone numbers and other optional information.

It allows marketers to build their “email lists” and subscribers which allow us to build relationships with those subscribers and also communicate with them on a continuous basis.

The goal of the "Funnel" is to get your customers or clients to a particular point in the journey, where they make a purchase or say yes to your service.

As an example, as you’re reading this Blog Post you might like what you're reading, and want to read additional material from my Blog in the future. You enter your details in the “Form” below and you will be included in the list of individuals to receive my material whenever I post them in the future.

On a side note, I have some very cool videos to send to you, for free, that shows you how to build your own on-line empire, from scratch. Click on the word "on-line empire" to get started.

The Sixth tool you must have is;

6. A Willingness or Desire to Learn New Skills

Let’s be honest here, we don’t know everything and the sooner we admit this the easier it will be for us down the road.

You must have a deep burning desire and willingness to acquire new knowledge, new skills, and new information.

If you intend to be a successful Entrepreneur, you have to get in the habit of reading books, viewing instructional videos, listening to tutorials and podcasts to enlarge your knowledge-base and widen your overall skill sets.

Ignorance is akin to mental and physical shackles in this industry and you must shake them off at all cost, or you will never be successful online or anywhere else for that matter.

The Seventh Tool you must have is;

7. Patience

Yes, you read that right; “Patience” is a tool and a very vital one too.

This is not a sprint, it is more like a marathon and you must realize that it takes time to build yourself, your skills and knowledge necessary to succeed.

Baby steps are required to build momentum and after you've spent some time setting up your systems for success, then you'll be ready to “launch out” into the deep.

Your level of patience will determine whether you stick around to go through the process or quit on day one.

Many people are hooked on “quick fixes” and if you are one of those individuals then let me be blunt with you, don’t even start this journey because you will fail and fail miserably.

This is no place for sprinting or the “get rich quick” fanatics, it takes hard work on your part, getting up to speed with all the strategies and tools you need to be successful, including patience, and the sooner you come to that realization, the easier your journey will be.

The Eighth Tool you must have is;

8. Capital, Your Own or O.P.M (Other People’s Money)

This goes without saying but you MUST have some capital to invest in yourself and your business.

Whether you have a little for yourself or you choose to borrow from someone else, you must invest in your education about the business model you chose and the knowledge you have to gain, so you can be successful at the end of the day.

You can find free material in some places, provided you know where to look, but the most important items you will need, will require some monetary investment on your part.

Your willingness to invest in your self-education is an indication of your intent and strong desire to succeed.

Research has also shown that when an individual has to spend cash in pursuit of an enterprise or an endeavour, they are automatically more invested because they have actually paid for the programme, training, coaching etc.

Hence they are more willing to do the tasks necessary to succeed.

The Ninth Tool you must have is;

9. A Vision For Your Business.

A “Vision Board” can be a useful representation of this tool.

It basically visually illustrates what it is that you want to accomplish, the goals you want to achieve, your "bucket list" and things of that sort, this is a must-have.

What or who will you become after you've set up your thriving business enterprise?

What charities will you become a benefactor for? How will you contribute to the greater good of the society on a whole?

How will you impact the world in a positive way and for the good of those less fortunate? Only you can answer those questions and you will come to that point somewhere down the road on your journey.

Your Vision for your business and what or who you become is totally in your own hands, and can become the driving force of your business. How do you want to be remembered? What will be your legacy?

The Tenth and Final Tool you must have is;

10. A Big Why.

If you don’t have a compelling reason or a huge “why” for doing this business then you won’t even start, that is as plain as I can put it. Your “why” should be so compelling that it keeps you awake at nights, it is always at the forefront of your mind.

You talk about it incessantly sharing your thoughts with significant others and like-minded individuals. It is what Mark Joyner calls, your B.H.A.G (Big Hairy Audacious Goal).

Your “Why” could be any of the following;

• To Stop living from pay-cheque to pay-cheque.
• To be able to travel anywhere in the world whenever you want to.
• To be able to provide for your Family financially.
• To provide an education for your Kids and not worry about where the money comes from.
• To stop trading time for money and have money working for you instead.

Your “Why” is a personal instigator, a catalyst, and it is different for each of us, depending on your situation and your present circumstances.

This to me is the actual number one reason for wanting to have your own business, it supersedes every other Tool and it is a Tool unique to you.

Now you know the 10 Tools you MUST HAVE to be successful online.

Make sure you get them and use them for your benefit and let me know how this list of tools have helped you in your journey as an Online Entrepreneur or a fellow human.

Now take the following steps:

1. Subscribe to my Blog for more powerful, eye opening content.
2. Read about the 3 Mindset Ingredients for the New Economy in the next Article.