Justin Herald-An Inspiration For Young Entrepreneurs

Justin Herald-An Inspiration For Young Entrepreneurs

Written by Reeti Roy

This birthday, when my mother got me a birthday present, I brushed it aside. It seemed to be just another preachy self help book to me. Also, I was slightly insulted by the fact that my mother had given me a book based on "attitude". Did she think I had an attitude problem? As I kept glancing at the book, I realized that I might as well open it and read it. Someone wise had once said, "never judge a book by its cover" and I’m glad I did not do so this time around.

The book was called It’s All a Matter Of Attitude: Slogans to Live your Life By. As I read on, I discovered that the book was written by a man named Justin Herald who had copyrighted his own company and called it Attitude Inc. When he started off, he had only 50 Australian dollars in his pocket. Slowly, with his inspirational lectures and motivational speeches, not only did he become a competent Entrepreneur but he contributed to the Social Development sector by willing people to believe in their own ability and to do well.

When Justin started Attitude Gear, he decided that he would put slogans on the backs of t-shirts. In his book, he says, “I never thought that one simple idea would reach the heights that it did and still does today.” Later, he says, “When things are tough we wish we could just stay in bed. So we need to constantly remind ourselves why we get out of bed everyday.” He goes on to say that the book is designed not only for people who are anxious to make things go according to plan but also for people who thinks that their life is going exactly as planned.”

According to him, wanting to be better is often perceived as a negative thing. He advises people not to compete against other people, but with each other. He asks people to dare to be better, not in a way that is competitive but also because it can be aimed at oneself.”

“Constantly remind yourself that you are better than the outcomes you experience. This doesn’t mean you are better than everyone else, it just means that you are constantly bettering yourself,” he says.

One of his chapters begins by saying, “I don’t care how good you are…I’m better”. At first, this sounds extremely arrogant but when I went on to read the chapter; I realized how much sense the title of the chapter made. “Are you aiming to win? By this I mean, do you want to complete everything you do with a sense of total satisfaction because you know that you have to put in 100 percent? Never settle for second best. Never start something that you know you won’t finish.”

He also lays great emphasis on excellence. He says, “Excellence is a learnt skill. Once you learn and apply it, you will find it hard to go back to being mediocre. The feeling you get when you win something-whether it was a race when you were at school or a competition or even a business award-is worth the extra effort.”

He also stresses on self-belief. “Believing that you are a winner is a great attitude to have; when things don’t work out the way you’ve planned, they won’t really slow you down because you will just bounce back and start all over again.”

What strikes me most is this particular slogan of his and I believe that this should be the slogan for all Young Entrepreneurs: I’m in the Business of Winning and Business is Good.

Justin says that he has over the years he has met many people who have no drive and no ambition to succeed. “They don’t care if they fail; in fact they seem to be planning for failure.” He advises people to never think of losing. “Losing should never enter your thoughts. The minute it does it sows an area of doubt that, if not addressed, can grow and bring undone the biggest of dreams and all of the potential in the world.”

The book certainly helped me put things into perspective. And here’s hoping that it helps all young aspiring Entrepreneurs.

(Justin Herald has fast become one of the rising stars in the fields of business and personal development. His success has been noted world wide due to him starting a business (Attitude Inc) with only $50 and turning it into a multi million dollar empire. He has been named one of the most influential leaders of the next generation in Australia as well as the International Entrepreneur of the year for 2005. For more information, log on to www.justinherald.com)