What is that little bit of magic which separates ordinary workers from highly successful entrepreneurs? What makes them tick and what can we learn which will make a difference to our lives?

A few years ago Bill Rancic became the original “The Apprentice” and shot to stardom as Donald Trump’s sidekick following the successful reality television show. And in true entrepreneurial style wrote a book on success to cash in on his fame. You’re Hired… How to Succeed in Business and Life (HarperBusiness).

I read this book a couple of years ago and for some reason read it again recently. I was reminded just how relevant it still is.

I’ll admit I’m not a big fan of American “get rich” books but this bloke is unique. Sure he won the television contest but this is also a driven entrepreneur, and his experiences provide some terrific lessons particularly for young Australians sick of the self promoting rantings of some of our older success stories.

Bill started young buying cheap cars, doing them up and selling them for a profit. He then graduated to doing the same thing with property. There’s a wonderful story about his college years when he and a mate started a boat cleaning business at a local mariner. They decided to do anything a client wanted but to do it better than anyone else and they charged what they thought the market would bear rather than calculate a fixed price.

His biggest step was founding Cigars Around The World, a cigar mail order business which rode the internet boom.

Rancic is a born entrepreneur who has been full of ideas and backed his judgement. Sure he has made mistakes and had failures but he has learnt from them. In the US failure is seen as a learning experience. Unfortunately in Australia failure is a sentence.

For those who don’t have time for an MBA… Rancic’s book provides some terrific pointers

Strategies For Success

Be the bee; be whatever it is people least expect and do whatever it takes to get a thing. Just as, according to physics, the bumblebee isn’t meant to fly you can do the unexpected.

Break from the Pack; no-one ever got rich through the same motions as their competitors… beg to differ and accentuate the differences.

Separate your expectations from your shortcomings; learn the material; anticipate the problem; know your stuff; know your bosses stuff; know your competitors stuff.

Go above and beyond; if no one is willing or able, there’s probably a reason… but there’s also an opportunity.

Make each day count... Twice; splitting the day into two distinct sessions (7am-noon then noon-7pm) gives you a psychological edge first thing in the morning. Get more done than anyone else.

Under promise and over deliver; you only get one chance to make a first impression… so make it count.

Stay quick on your feet; your level of success will directly correlate with your ability to shift gears and respond to changing conditions.

Take pride in your work; own your efforts and your ideas.

Get a good night’s sleep; because you never know what the next day might bring.

What Makes A Good Leader?

Plan at least a couple of moves ahead; the successful entrepreneur can never truly be satisfied if they get where they’re going. Because once you’ve arrived you’re done.

Read; keep your worldview as wide as possible. Celebrate your well roundedness. Learn a little bit about an aweful lot and an aweful lot about precious little.

Know what you’re worth; Put a price tag on your time. It comes down to knowing who you are and what’s important to you.

Conquer the fear factor; challenge yourself to overcome your biggest fears first and the lesser fears will seem smaller still.

Anticipate change; creativity and adaptability are the only safe havens from uncertainty.

Pursue your passion; get behind a product or idea that you can see, feel and taste… and you’ll stand a better chance of success.

Get out of the way; the best leaders provide support and direction but then let their team get on with the job.

Track your progress; just as a “to-do” list brings order to your day, tracking targets brings order to your teams progress.

Hire the racehorse; surround yourself with the best possible team of “goers”.