Entrepreneurs are indeed a unique breed. Sometimes it can be a long lonely journey to the top. Friends and family may brand you as crazy. You may be poverty-stricken and struggling to pay the bills. But there is a bright side to all the grinding and hustle that you tirelessly put yourself through day in and day out. There are many hidden blessings of being an entrepreneur that you may just pass over.

It wouldn’t be more fitting that I am writing this at 2:36 a.m. to introduce you to something that I like to call the “Wake to Faint Principal.” This is a super scientific formula, or the “secret sauce” on how to be extremely successful in business. Everyone has their own formula to success, right? And usually all of them are pretty willing to convince you that they know best. You may hear, “ahhh you got to write a 107 page business plan. That’s what you are missing.” It’s like my favorite comedian Kevin James says from the King of Queens, “Everybody thinks they got the secret. ‘You know what you got to do. You got to chew sugar-less gum. That’s your problem right there.’ Yeah, because my ass got fat from Bazooka!”

There are four words in the English language, that when structured in the correct order, could be one of the biggest limiting beliefs for an entrepreneur. When I hear someone say these words, I sometimes cringe because I can tell opportunities just blow this person by. These four words form the saying, “I can’t afford it”. I must preface by saying, it is not your fault if you were taught to use these atrocious words. They stem from your financial blueprint.

One of the most underutilized tools in the social media strategies employed by entrepreneurs and community leaders is the niche social network. It’s like having a Facebook like site for your brand or industry. Businesses exist within communities, and struggle every day to find ways to add value to those communities and to effectively engage with their audience. A social network can be the perfect way to accomplish all of these goals in one place.

There is no deadlier sin in business than to be caught up in the arena of comparing yourself to others. Let’s say someone is the same age as you and they can appear to be blowing you out of the water with their results. The hidden piece is that you have no clue what circumstances they have been through that allowed them to go through “the process” sooner than you. And we all go at different speeds. You must face the fact that you are not on the same level if your comparing peer was churning $500 a week selling candy as a tyke back in school.

One of the biggest challenges for entrepreneurs is finding an environment outside of your home in which to work. Sure working from home sounds like a dream, but sometimes it can feel like a dungeon and being in your pajamas until 4PM sounds like a symptom of chronic depression. It’s time to get out and about explore your small town or city and find places to become more productive than ever.

I used to absolutely hate going to networking events. Back in college, my professors would always emphasize networking being a key player in creating success. Now, I am the first to admit that there may have been just the slightest chance that I may have not been the model college student. And sure, my nonchalant attitude was probably the number one reason why I flat out didn’t understand the science of networking. But my professors insisted and of course I would give it a shot.