Zaki Ameer was never a model student; he found school to be more of an opportunity to hone his business-negotiation skills, rather than perfecting his academic record. When Zaki grew tired of selling cassettes to his classmates, he turned his attention to bigger dreams. At 18, Zaki moved to Australia and found himself living in a foreign culture with no friends, no income and in significant debt from international university fees. Determined to stay, he spent the next four years, Monday to Friday, working 8-hour days at a data entry job and studying by night. With an end goal in mind, Zaki persevered through the mental and physical exhaustion that came with balancing multiple obligations. Finally clear of debt and with a Bachelor of Business under his belt, Zaki had a chance meeting that inspired him to try his hand at property investment. Just a few years later, Zaki had built himself a successful portfolio of 10 properties, worth a total of $3 million.
Consequently, Zaki has outlined his top five tips for achieving entrepreneurial success:
Aspire for nothing short of greatness
Be solution focused and don’t let fear limit or control you. Life is for living, not procrastination. Focus on your best reality, visualise your success, have certainty about it and create it! You need to identify what is important to you, what are your core values, and shape a life that reflects those values. Understand why you want your end-goal, as this is the source of your motivation. To achieve the success you want, focus on the desired end result and work for it.
Don’t be afraid to put others’ needs ahead of your own
Take pleasure in helping others succeed! You want to support an economic and social environment that does not only cater to your needs, but also an environment where everyone prospers. If the environment you are a part of does not support your ideas, then you cannot succeed. Even within your team at work, happy employees make for a more pleasant environment which in turn makes for satisfied customers and generally results in higher productivity levels. To succeed, you need to understand the importance of being a part of a team and how to create winning relationships. This can be a great source of support, influence and inspiration.
Stay focused and disciplined
Use what you have effectively and focus on productivity. Successful entrepreneurs are not necessarily more talented than others, but they put what they have to good use. Do what you need to do on a given day, irrespective of how you feel; self-control is an essential tool for achieving your goals. You will have dark days where you will have to dig-deep and have the tenacity to see it through. Resilience is believing in yourself and having the courage of your convictions.
Stick to tried and tested formulas
To be successful you need to be adaptable and be able to embrace change, constantly learning from your experiences as well as the relationships that you create. In saying this, an entrepreneur also needs to be aware of proven formulas and implement them into your own work accordingly. This will save you a lot of time in the long run. Constantly diving into new ventures can be very exciting, but they are also risky and do not always have a great pay off. By repeating what has worked in the past, successful entrepreneurs know what works and what does not.
Always ask for help
Successful people are constantly on the lookout for new opportunities where others can miss them. By asking the right questions you become a life-long learner, whether it is formally, informally or experientially. Communication is a skill that can be developed and used to create fruitful relationships in all areas of your life. You need to surround yourself with the right people; those who share your vision and goals. Mentorship and training is what fuels the hunger to learn and be inspired in new and exciting ways. Without the input of others, you run the risk of developing tunnel-vision that blinds you to future success.
Zaki Ameer is the Founder of Dream Design Property (DDP), a unique wealth creation mentoring program that is designed to help Australians gain financial freedom, offering each client an ongoing personalised service catering to their changing circumstances and needs. DDP has helped its clients purchase nearly 800 properties and has recently launched Dream Design Property Developments, offering clients the safest and most cost effective way to purchase off the plan properties.
For more information please visit www.ddpproperty.com.au and www.kickstartddp.com.au
