The 10 Common Characteristics Of Empire Builders

Written By Dave Lavinsky
city with a sun shining over it casting red light

Are you an Empire Builder?

How do you gauge yourself and your business?  Do have the potential to turn your business into an empire? You may not know it yet, but you may just be the person to create the next business empire.

Empire builders are ordinary people who perform extraordinary tasks. There are certain traits and actions that distinguish these outstanding individuals from others. By learning certain skills and adopting successful actions you can set your business growth to super-size.

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10 Characteristics of Empire Builders

If you have painstakingly built your business from scratch to where it is now, assuming it is growing steadily, you should not be surprised that you possess some characteristics in common with empire builders. Here are the 10 common characteristics.

1. Sacrifice & Hard Work.
Empire builders are willing and ready to make sacrifices to be successful. Running a business is quite different from simply joining your workmates at a desk job; it involves hard work.

2. Passion.
Empire builders are passionate about what they do. They put in extra effort to achieve their goals. Being passionate about what you do usually means that you are having fun doing it. The journey should be just as rewarding as the destination.

3. See Opportunities.
Do you see opportunities where others see obstacles? Another trait of empire builders is that they see an opportunity where others see barriers. Many people think that to be successful you need to come up with an idea that nobody has thought of before. Many successful empires have been built without innovative ideas, just the will to do the same thing others are doing but in different way. Or they dare to tackle a problem others are afraid to tackle.

4. Highly Motivated.
Empire builders are highly motivated people. They don’t let their determination cool off due to defeats. If they don’t succeed at first, they simply try again and again.  They use failure as a motivation rather than an obstacle.

5. Disciplined.
Another important characteristic of empire builders is discipline. Empire builders are focused on their goals. They do not let distractions derail them from achieving their objectives. They have clear steps that they take every day to bring them closer to their goals.

6. Open Mindedness.
Open mindedness is a vital characteristic of empire builders. These are individuals that are ever open to new ideas and new ways of doing things. They get inspiration from different sources and focus it on achieving their goals.

7. Team Builders.
They are skilled networkers who build strong contacts needed for success. Nobody ever succeeds alone; rather, success requires team building. Empire builders have persuasion skills that enable them to convince people to work for them even when their ideas may seem crazy.

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              If you’d like to quickly and easily start and/or grow your business, download Growthink’s Ultimate Business Plan Template and complete your plan and financial model in hours.


8. Decision-Makers.
Empire builders have good decision-making abilities. Sometimes people may wait for the right time to do something but empire builders launch their projects and then make the necessary corrections later. Decision-making is vital and in many cases, not making a decision is as bad as making a wrong decision.

9. Can Create Or Expand a Market.
Empire builders expand the market. Contrary to what many believe, you don’t have to launch something completely new to be successful. You can simply get into a business that many have thought of and get your share of the market and grow it.

10. Understand Their Markets.
In business, timing can mean the difference between success and failure. Empire builders are capable of predicting the precise time a product will be successful in the market. When Sony launched the walkman, skeptics said people would not be interested in listening to music as they walked. Know the wants and needs of you market.
What Lessons From Empire Builders Can Help You Grow Your Business?

I want you to take a challenge. Pick three characteristics from above and start applying them this week.  Keep practicing until they become second nature; aim for 3 to 4 weeks. Then pick three more. Do that until you cultivate all these characteristics of empire builders.

Here’s your checklist:

  • Don’t hesitate to make sacrifices and work hard
  • Follow your passion/enjoy the journey
  • Be open to new opportunities
  • Stay motivated
  • Be disciplined
  • Keep an open mind
  • Build a team that can deliver results
  • Be decisive
  • Realize you don’t need to create something completely new
  • Understand/research your market

Let us know how this challenge changes you and your business!

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