Gratitude Attitude - Entrepreneurs Ultimate Guide

For growth; Try thankfulness. Works all time, Every time.

"Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy." Fred De Witt Van Amburgh

Adopting attitude of gratitude is lifestyle habit that helps entrepreneurs accelerate their business. In entrepreneurs lifetime there will be many people whose contribution will matter. At every step along their journey they need to unleash the power of appreciation by making all stakeholders feel meaningfully thanked for their contributions. 

It is an awful experience to work with an entrepreneur who does not say thank you. It's painful for people to contribute and not get an appreciation for their efforts. Not only does it upset and annoy them but it actually makes the entrepreneur look in bad light.  No meaningful appreciation for actions that had an impact and was not valued, sends out negative signals. Some entrepreneurs are very polite not by virtue, but for selfish gain. Who they will be grateful to will totally depend on what's their need & not because the genuinely value the help. Entrepreneurs who find difficulty in appreciating their own work will find it hard to thank others in public. Being grateful is a virtue that profoundly impacts the quality of relationships with customers, employees and investors alike. Feeling genuinely appreciated is the single highest driver of engagement in all relationships at work. For e.g. publicly acknowledging the work of employees gets them motivated & more productive. Create a thank you notice board; make a ritual to post a public appreciation note at work. Lines such as “Thank you for getting us the customer order helping company achieve company targets." or "Whatever the task, you always find a way to get it done. Thanks for all your extra effort" or “You really helped us meet this tight deadline”. A candidate applying for the job and visiting for in person interview should be thanked for their interest. Never miss an opportunity to thank someone, however little they would have helped. Gratitude emotions are contagious; it creates ripple effects within your startup. Every day thank you habit forces entrepreneurs to think on people who matters & what are their positive qualities, behaviors and contributions for their growth.

"The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you." John E. Southard

Entrepreneurs withhold themselves; they do not communicate and let people know that they appreciate the help. They need to practice the art of being grateful by creating a gratitude journal. These two golden words liberal use can make or break professional connections, business opportunities, vendor network and employee relationships. A warm word of genuine appreciation to an investor by an aspiring entrepreneur can instantly thaw the ice between them. There are many times when investors will reject pitches. Take the opportunity to thank them for their time & attention. Hearing “thank you” is positive; it's special because it is a way of making the investor valued. Grateful entrepreneurs always exude positive energy. Many entrepreneurs refuse to believe in power of appreciation, citing: "But it’s their job to do it. They get paid for it." Not to say thank you is rude.

All successful entrepreneurs begin humble. They seek advice about many aspects of their business from various expert mentors. Engaging with undivided attention is the most compelling way to let mentors know their work and opinions are valued. But very few entrepreneurs really get it right. It’s important for mentors to know that they have made a difference in entrepreneurs business. When entrepreneurs express appreciation to their mentors, they give them a sense of significance. Many entrepreneurs in reality struggle with finding the right words to say or knowing what & how to praise.  Simple lines like "Thank you for the timely advice. It worked." Or "I appreciate it when you take your precious time out on weekends to help us".Or "Thank you for remembering me and help me with the connection." It lays the cornerstones for most mentors & helps them to do more good due to the emotional gratification. 

When entrepreneur gets the angel investment, it's as important to say thank you to all investors. Savvy entrepreneurs end their pitch meeting with "Please let me know if I can be of any help" or "These meeting has given me lots of idea's to work". When investors see genuine thank you emotions; it has a lasting effect. There is a sense of responsibility when investors feel that their work has a greater purpose of shaping the entrepreneurs business than mere investing capital. It makes them chip in more efforts to make the entrepreneur successful. On any day, there are hundreds of entrepreneurs pitching, doing innovative work, would agree for lesser valuations and would be extremely grateful. Yet how many entrepreneurs ever thank all their seed investors? Just because you've new rounds of funding doesn't mean you stop expressing gratitude to the early investors. Want to create a fan following of investors? Take them out for treat and tell them how much you appreciate their association. Look them in the eye and say "thank you." The power of appreciation brings out the best engagement outcomes. Always be sincere & specific in expressing gratitude. Don't make false praise.

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." William Arthur Ward

It's like daily exercise, doing it one day cannot make you fit. Similarly being grateful once in a while does not work, it works only if you're consistent with it. Daily exercise attracts health and wellbeing similarly regular practice with attitude of gratitude attracts abundance and happiness at work.  Gratitude has changed many entrepreneurs life and it's time to carpet bomb "Thank You" and win the world.

I thank you for taking the time out & reading my blog post. Please share your feedback & comments on twitter @mehtasanjay