So, you may not agree with what I’m about to say but I think it’s something to ponder about before you spend another hour dedicated to brainstorming entrepreneurial ideas.

I’ve been reading a few start-up books and books on successful people such as Warren Buffet and they all seem to have this golden thread through them. They start explaining their upbringing, then their interests and then bam, the multi-million dollar enterprises, and life-changing investments. But what I find these books don’t emphasize enough is that these entrepreneurs and successful business people didn’t just wake up one day and say, “yes, that’s how I’m going to make money” or “yes, today I will build the Apple computer.” What they did, which a lot of my family have said to me (But never really understood), is “find what you love and then be the best.” Warren Buffet read – He read everything, anything he was interested in. He wanted to know the in’s and outs of the stock market, his favorite brands, businesses, shares, the whole lot. He spent and continues to spend over 80% of his day reading. He doesn’t just dedicate an hour of his day when he has some free time, he completely immerses himself in learning about what he loves and that knowledge has to lead him to be one of the most successful men of the 21st century.

We have to stop thinking that some big idea or opportunity will pop into our minds in a dedicated one hour a day session with a mate. I hate to break it to you, you may not agree but these multi-million dollar businesses people didn’t dedicate time to what they loved, they emersed themselves in it and what they love became who they are. Steve Job’s didn’t dedicate an hour a day – his passion for computing, innovation, efficiency, and quality became his life. All these successful men and women became successes because they were determined to learn all they had to learn about what they were passionate about, they picked up on a problem or a gap in the market and then became leaders in their industries.

In 1944, Warren Buffet learned a lesson that became his legendary investment strategy – which is essential – patience pays, so buy them and hold them. You may not find this relevant and I may be molding the words to suit what I believe but I truly believe that having patience with yourself and the world around you, you’ll begin to pick up on simple opportunities that can lead to bigger and greater things.

Buffet figured out two other critical things about himself in the 1940s – what he is good at and what he likes to do. So there you go, first, figure out what you’re good at and then if you have a passion for it, go for it! Grow your knowledge, give yourself time and get started, even if it may be small steps, just start, you never know where it may lead. My Dad was once asked by the owner of Mr Price to make a couple thousand t-shirts. So my Dad connected with a factory and got a couple thousand t-shirts made. Since then he has been one of Mr Price’s biggest clothing wear suppliers and has now been supplying them for over 20 years. He would never have believed where a couple thousand t-shirts would have taken him but he was willing to get started and run with it.

That business idea or opportunity will come and it will come as you learn about what you’re passionate about, strengthen your knowledge in the industries you love and get started when it’s time to step into an opportunity. You never know, that business opportunity could be building inside you from a collection of experience in your daily lives – those books you’ve been reading, those walks to work, that online platform that you use for work that needs improving and your interactions with mentors and people at work. There are opportunities all around you. You don’t need to create something new but what you need to do is solve a problem, see the gap and ultimately, be the best.

For me, I’ve made it my mission to read more start-up books, biography’s about successful business people and ultimately keep learning about what I love: Entrepreneurship because I have the knowledge, I’ll see the gap and from the gap, I’ll have the patience to know when and when the time is right and opportunity arises, I’ll be so immersed in my interest that getting started is all I’ll want to do.