Updated: January 29, 2023
When a person is being stubborn, it usually means that he or she is being difficult or unreasonable.
Stubborn people are often thought of as lazy bums. They’re hard to manage; and even harder to make them do anything aside from the things they like.
However, the dictionary gives the word “stubborn” a definition which I find quite interesting and positive. It says being stubborn means being resolute and persistent on a purpose or opinion.
For me, this implies that all successful entrepreneurs are in fact, stubborn.
How so? Let me tell you the story of someone I know.
Albert works as a system analyst. He writes and analyzes program codes for a software development company. He is a corporate slave by day, but by night – he is an artist.
He does graphic designs, photography, and digital artwork at home. It’s a hobby of his that he hopes to make into a business someday.
On one occasion, he excitedly told me that he has decided to have his artworks printed on shirts. He was really optimistic that his venture will do well.
A few months after, he stopped printing those shirts because of low sales. I offered to help him with some marketing but he declined. He said, “I have a new plan.”
Albert started uploading his photos and digital artworks on DeviantArt and other websites where you can sell photos online. He was again, optimistic that this venture will prove to be successful.
Several months passed, one day, I asked him how much he has already made from selling his digital artworks online. He said a few dollars, but he was unsatisfied with the income. He believes his art is worth a lot more.
“So what’s your plan now?” I asked.
“Find another way to make money with my art,” he stubbornly replies.
Fast forward to the present. Albert still works as a system analyst; but aside from that, he now has a growing venture selling artist trading cards.
He stumbled upon the thousands of listings for ACEO Art on eBay and thought of selling his artwork through that medium. That decision proved to be successful.
Why not? Artwork is actually one of the top selling items on eBay.
In any case, I know he isn’t stopping there. I believe he still has a lot of plans for his art. Ideas and business ventures that will eventually lead him to more wealth and success.
And I credit his being stubborn for that.
He was indeed “resolute and persistent” in making money with his creations. It doesn’t matter how many times he will fail or receive mediocre results, he knows that he cannot stop until he has found his own formula for success.
The lesson: Be very stubborn about your vision but extremely flexible about your execution.
What to do next: Click here to subscribe to our FREE newsletter.
Nice story, very inspiring. I have a question Fitz. Where can I sell math ebooks over the internet? I’m a math author, I already tried selling at bookstores (Natioanl and Meriam) with a partner. My partner was the one who financed everything, from printing to marketing. I made my first money but not after 2 years, it such a slow, and the second money is after 3 years. I publish my math writings in a form of webpage at Mathalino.com, in there I made a monthly dollars from Adsense. I am now planning to make my work available in pdf. But where can I sell it? Do I need to get myself business permit? My other plan is to make it available as free download but lock the content with CPALead and/or LeadBolt. I hope you can give some insights. I am slow in thinking business, and I have lots of my craps piling from my years of writing. I hope I can turn this into money other than the Adsense and offline ways.
Hi Romel,
You can sell it through ClickBank, but there’s a fee for listing it. The advantage though is that it will now be available for affiliates to sell. There are also other websites, I’ll try to research about them.
As for the business permit, I think it’s not necessary because you’re not really doing business in the country. For tax purposes, the earnings can be declared in your individual personal income tax.
Moreover, locking the ebook download through CPA widgets is also an option. I just don’t know if this will be effective given the niche of your product. It’s free & easy to implement anyway so might as well try.
One last advise, try to contact Vibal Foundation. They’re a local company that help authors publish eBooks for distribution in Amazon and Apple stores.
Wish you all the best on this! 😀
Thank you very much Fitz for your response.
Hi Fitz!
I have to say that I really enjoyed your story! Well, I’m quite the stubborn person actually so I’m laughing to myself as I read. Lolz! Besides, I wouldn’t be where I am with my career if I wasn’t stubborn. I’m thinking that it would be the same on my journey to entrepreneurship. The law of attraction works in such way that it says, “ang kulit mo ah, ito na nga para tumigil ka na” and it would lead you to the things you’re seeking.
Sage advice Fitz that I’ll be sure to borrow. Being stubborn about the vision but flexible about the execution has been a cornerstone of so many uber-successful entrepreneurs. Fantastic advice.
I would agree with stubbornness being a trait of alot of successful people. Especially if you plan on doing something that is unique, you have to be really confident in yourself or you’ll just give up.
Succeeding in business or anything else worthwhile is very hard. So i think never giving up is a great trait to have.
hahaha. i think that with the kind of stubbornness i have within me, i won’t be making money soon or won’t get rich. but i guess it’s all about getting the right attitude and being able to use your stubbornness into productive use to provide you the results you needed.
Thanks everyone for the comments. 😀
[…] You Get Easily Distracted Starting a business requires a pinpoint focus on your goal. You really have to be stubborn with your vision. […]
[…] few of the many times I chose not listen to what others are saying. Some people will call me “stubborn“, but I like calling myself […]
[…] Remember that a spark of inspiration will get you started, but you need to fan the flames and turn it to a burning passion so strong nothing else seems more important. […]
[…] Starting a business requires a pinpoint focus on your goal. You really have to be stubborn with your vision. […]
Must agree 100%. Over the years, I was not always correct with the decisions I made. Some of the wise choices I made were and are the two wonderful wives God has blessed me with. After my first Bride passed away young, I never thought I would be so blessed again. These girls were and are my sounding board, my test bed and best critics. When I know and confirm I am on the right pathway, YES, I can be very, VERY stubborn.