Here’s the truth: You don’t need most of the things you think you need to be successful.
A lot of people won’t agree with this list because they are looking for excuses.
But the reality is, there are things you don’t really need in order to be successful, even though it might seem that way. We know this from personal experience.
But you’ll learn everything for yourself shortly, so let’s dive right into the things you don’t actually need to be successful.
Don’t worry if you don’t feel like reading; you can enjoy the video below or watch it on YouTube:
1
Money
Let’s start off this list nice and strong with money.
You can put your pitchforks down because money is one of the things you don’t need to start something that will eventually be successful.
What you really need is growth. And let us give you a very clear example:
We started off Alux with the smallest budget you can imagine, which is 0.
Everything was done in the house, in our own time.
But we found a way to keep it on a growing path, which eventually led us to be in a position to create cool things that do in fact need a lot of money, like the Alux app.
You see, there are plenty of things you can start with little to no money.
The secret is to find a way towards sustainable growth. That’s the only secret ingredient you need.
Think about it like this: for something to be successful, it needs to make money eventually. And that eventually means you need to find a way to keep the lights on until that happens.
2
Connections
If you need connections to start anything, you are not the one really starting it.
Somebody else is doing it for you. That’s not to say it is bad, but it is not required.
Real success comes from authenticity and grind, not borrowed influence.
You don’t need to know anyone besides yourself and what you are capable of.
People won’t come to fix your problems, nor will they open doors for you for nothing in return.
And the truth is, if you can’t do it alone, others can’t really help you.
3
A fancy college degree
The real world doesn’t bow to fancy diplomas anymore.
Look around; it’s swarming with self-made giants who didn’t need a ritzy degree to prove their worth.
School’s cool, but it ain’t the only ladder to the top. We’re living in a digital powerhouse—use it.
The internet’s bursting with tools and courses that are just as good, if not better.
Save the sob story if you didn’t get into some elite college.
Roll up your sleeves, hit the online grind, and show the world what you’re really made of through relentless hustle and smarts.
A degree’s just paper; it’s your grind and guts that’ll force doors open and leave the world no choice but to take notice.
Your roadmap to success is spelled WORK, not just DEGREE.
4
To have a high IQ
There are plenty of highly intelligent people who are anything but successful.
Actually, most of them seem to be miserable because they think too much and do too little.
And success comes to those who act about it, not those who think about it.
On top of that, there is nothing inherently complicated about building something great.
In a way, it’s like building a Lego castle, which must sustain a drop from the table.
But you’re playing with skills, products, people, markets, and other stuff like that instead of Lego pieces.
And sure, intelligence does play a part in figuring out where things fit and how to arrange them properly. But figuring out a business is a resilience test, not an IQ one.
However, that doesn’t mean you should stop working on becoming smarter along the way. You should keep working on that for basically the rest of your life. Here are a few tips to get you moving.
5
A real-life mentor
Having a real mentor can provide guidance and accelerate your learning curve, especially when you can grab coffee every morning and discuss the daily plan.
They can put you in the right mindset and keep you on the right path.
But not everyone has access to or even knows any mentors.
Lucky for you, wisdom and mentorship are available in various forms.
Which is exactly what the Alux app provides.
We refer to it as a mentor in your pocket—someone you can check in with daily and who can help you reach your goals twice as fast.
Get the app and start your performance coaching today!
6
Time
A lot of great things started as side projects done in my spare time.
Success is a gradual climb, not a ticking time bomb.
It’s not the hours you pour in; it’s what you pour into those hours.
You don’t need a clear calendar or a sabbatical to start something that can eventually take over.
People really underestimate how much they can do in a couple of focused hours every week.
Statistically speaking, on average, people spend 3 hours and 15 minutes on their phones per day.
You can check your own statistics on your phone. And the thing is, you don’t really know you’re doing it.
You don’t really count it as “doing something”.
Now imagine what you could do if you spent even half that time doing something that actually counts as, well, “doing something”.
7
A complete plan
You don’t need to have everything figured out from the start.
Having a complete, detailed plan isn’t essential.
What you need is a clear vision, a starting point, and the next few steps lined up.
Some of the most successful people didn’t know how massive their ideas would become. They took the first step, learned, and adapted along the way.
The thing is, you never really know how things can evolve over time if enough care and attention are given to them.
Life will force you to make twists and turns that are impossible to plan for.
So having a perfect start-to-finish blueprint is pretty pointless.
All you need is a place to start and a general direction to go in. You will figure things out on the way there.
8
Supportive parents
Having a support system is beneficial, but a lack of one, including supportive parents, should not be a barrier.
Your drive, passion, and determination are your true allies.
Numerous success stories have been carved out of adversity, where a lack of support acted as a catalyst for individuals to prove themselves and build something substantial and meaningful.
You see, it’s not about the hands that held you; it’s about the wings you built for yourself.
A lack of support isn’t a stop sign.
Maybe they don’t know any better; maybe they had something else planned for you.
But at the end of the day, it’s you who have to live your life.
9
An easy childhood
Here’s something you probably weren’t aware of: Real successful people actively try to challenge their kids so they develop a sense of hunger in them.
They don’t want them to end up like ignorant assholes.
You see, an easy and carefree childhood is obviously not bad, and everyone should have one – but two is not a prerequisite for success.
As a matter of fact, many people use their childhood struggles as fuel for their adult success.
You cannot choose how, where, and with whom you grow up.
But you have all the tools to decide what you do with yourself afterward.
10
A new idea
Your idea doesn’t always have to be groundbreaking or entirely new.
It can be an improvement, an optimization, or a different take on something that already exists.
Success can come from execution, marketing, and the value you provide, rather than the novelty of the idea itself.
Do you know what most successful people have in common? Perfectly executed boring ass businesses.
Things like cleaning services, software solutions for other businesses, transportation, and other things of this nature.
You see, there are a million ideas out there, and they are all great.
But even a stupid idea executed perfectly can make you successful.
On top of that, realistically speaking, there is an incredibly low chance of coming up with an idea that literally no one has ever thought of.
It’s always about the execution.
11
Timing
The notion of ‘perfect timing’ is often an illusion.
The best time to start was yesterday; the next best time is today.
You see, timing is when your product perfectly matches market conditions.
And since nobody can predict what the market will do, trying to time it is pretty pointless.
Sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes you don’t.
In most cases, what “bad timing” really means is a bad product that nobody wants or cares about.
12
To be organized
Being organized is a bit overrated.
You don’t have to adhere to stringent routines or be overly systematic.
It’s more about finding a rhythm and routine that align with your energy.
The 5 a.m. club is filled with pretentious pricks who think running on low sleep is somehow an advantage.
We gave it a try a while ago to see if there was anything to it.
And truth be told, there isn’t much to it. You don’t need to make your bed and have all your pencils sharpened in order to have a productive day.
At the end of the day, a productive day is a day where you did most of the things you said you would do. That’s all there is to it.
Being overly organized is often more of a distraction than anything else.
13
All the tools to start
Start with what you have and build along the way.
Waiting to have all the perfect tools or resources is another form of procrastination.
The initial stages are about making the most of available resources, being resourceful, and learning to optimize as you go along.
You will have the means to buy what you need afterward.
And that’s an achievement in itself.
On top of that, at the current moment, there isn’t a tool out there that doesn’t have a free trial or a free alternative.
14
Shortcuts, quick fixes and magic formulas
Success is a journey of continuous effort, learning, and persistence.
There are no shortcuts or magical formulas that will catapult you to success overnight.
There is no perfect plan that doesn’t require any input or thinking on your part.
Even if you are trying to emulate someone who did the exact thing you are trying to do, it still won’t work the same for you.
We like the saying “searching for last week’s lottery numbers”.
You cannot bypass real, genuine effort.
15
Other people
Everything can be done on your own, up to a point.
But that point is far enough to know if it’s worth scaling to more people or not.
The reality is, you can’t really build something great without a team.
But what you can do is try different things on your own to see what works and what doesn’t.
And when it gets to a point where you need a team around you, well, at least you have something to show them.
Now that you’ve learned why you don’t need any of these things to be successful, what’s the plan? See you next time!
