5+ Reasons why successful entrepreneurs never play by the rules

Entrepreneurial success is hard to come by. Only great minds with unmatched potential for hard work can achieve it. One trait that is necessary for groundbreaking innovations is the willingness to break or bend the rules.

Breaking the rules differentiates the dreamers from the doers. The doers often validate their actions with overconfidence, talent (or a mix of both). Sometimes it doesn’t even occur to the dreamers that they are treading on convention. However, the doers perceive the rules as the narrow spaces of a box they must break free from.

Now there is no exact way to burn the rule book. It might sound ironic, but if you want to spread your wings, make sure that you break the rules with etiquette. Given below are the reasons why successful entrepreneurs never play by the rules.

Reasons why successful entrepreneurs never play by the rules

  1. Sticking to the rules never helped in the process of innovation

In order to be in the same league with successful entrepreneurs, you have to create your own set of rules. If everyone starts getting used to set ways, many innovations would remain only a figment of the imagination.

Picture this. You chose to book tickets through a travel agent, or hail a cab and pay for it via cash, then remarkable inventions like Uber or Google Pay wouldn’t have existed. The popularity of these organisations is in fact testimony of the same fact.

Now, it’s likely that the road less traveled poses more challenges with limited guidance. Also, often the opportunity cost tends to be too high. The bottom line? It will never be easy. But you will know whether the risk is worth the opportunity cost or not.

  1. Startups are designed to bend the rules

If we talk about compliance and regulations, the rules should be taken as both the gospel and the law. Needless to say, ignoring them would be a huge mistake.

“If you consider the case of some of the famous entrepreneurs, you’d know it’s often impossible to bring innovation with set rules. This is specifically true in case of start-ups, as they tend to be disruptive. It is necessary that they have to break some rules to accomplish their business objectives”, states Brian Morrison, an expert on paper help from Essaygator.com.

What sets successful entrepreneurs apart is that they are eager to innovate and reinvent the way things are done. You can take a cue from the successful entrepreneurs. However, that doesn’t mean that you will ignore the legal process before launching new products or introducing new processes.

Incurring backlash from market incumbents is another risk that budding entrepreneurs often face while presenting disruptive products.

Startups are designed to bend the rules

  1. There are no set patterns or rules for success!

“Rules are meant to be broken”- this adage alone sums up how successful entrepreneurs function. In fact, this is something every successful entrepreneur would agree on unanimously. It’s a common notion that there is some authority that decides how you are “supposed” to operate, but it’s far from the truth.

If rules were everything, renowned innovators would have been stuck in the 9-to-5 rut. In fact, the more an entrepreneur cares for rules, the less likely are they to achieve success. Irrespective of the nature of the business, it’s important to follow your own ways.

  1. Raising the bar

As stated earlier, breaking the rules are never simple, more so in case of entrepreneurs. But, if you think you have the affinity towards innovation, then you should go beyond the rules.

Sometimes, you have to learn the rules to break them successfully. For this, you have to play by the rules at times. Once you know them, you can bend them whenever necessary to tip the scale in your favor.

Once you have utilised the rules to your advantage, you can alter them as well. And the best part? No one will question. That’s because you’ve already set an example for others to follow.

Raising the bar

  1. Doing away with the monotony

If you continue to follow the same pattern, the business process will become stagnant. In order to keep the excitement alive within the process, you must move beyond the boundaries.

For example, if you think you have a better process in mind than the one that is currently being practiced, then don’t shy away from trying it out. Who knows, your idea might redefine the processes future generations can benefit from.

From Steve Jobs to Elon Musk, all the great innovators are guilty of being rule-breakers. In fact, we know the examples of success they have set for the world to live by. How did they accomplish everything? By not confining their potential to the book of rules.

  1. Challenging the status quo

The decisions we make define the course of our life. The same goes for businesses. If you want to make a mark in your chosen industry, you have to challenge the status quo. If you are following what thousands of others have already mastered, then you can’t expect to stand out

You simply cannot innovate unless you come up with something that hasn’t been done before. That’s the reason you need to break away from the book of rules.

There is a famous saying in sports that is applicable to entrepreneurs as well, i.e. sometimes you have to bend the rules to emerge as a winner. Sometimes you have to take risks to become extraordinary.

Wrapping it up,

Now that you have gained a perspective on breaking the rules of business, feel free to take the ‘road less taken.’  Take cue from the renowned entrepreneurs and shake things up in your business process. Here’s wishing you all the success of the world.

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