“Don’t become an entrepreneur, unless you know how to smile.” Sounds strange and yet do I see you smile? May be you are sarcastic, but this article will wipe out the skepticism armed with nothing but ‘smile’ as the message. Human endeavor doesn’t rest scratching the surface, but extends beyond the possible and to that effect, we all aspire to accomplish as much – just that some venture far off and way beyond and make a difference. Now read that as Entrepreneur – those who dare to tread on the path least walked. Entrepreneur and smile – what’s the connect? it takes 43 muscles to frown and 17 to smile. We should just smile because it’s simpler. Smile is simple yet powerful. There is a lot smile teaches an entrepreneur – that Solutions too should be simple to a problem yet powerful. That’s one lesson. A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. ~Phyllis Diller Smile has a lot of power – to attract, the power to deal with the challenges; just a smile and the whole perspective of the situation is made definitely positive. Entrepreneurship is a challenging journey, and only when you are challenged the best of you comes out. Knowing there are challenges, one of the best armor for an entrepreneur is a smile. The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief. ~William Shakespeare, Othello You can win hearts by a smile, and the way it connects people is a compelling contact. As a serial entrepreneur, been associated with entrepreneurship, someone asked me “what’s is CEO to you? Is it power, passion, position?” I pondered for a moment and collected my thoughts “for a CEO, it’s all about responsibility – the responsibility to put a smile on the faces of my stakeholders – Customers, Employees, and Owners (CEO). Put a smile on your employees face, they will make the customers happy, and that in turn makes the owners happy. After stating this, I smiled! Whenever there is a problem, there is an opportunity. To look into the face of a problem and smile calls for courage which also connotes confidence. It’s all about recognizing the problem, ability to convert that as an opportunity and encashing it – is the core objective of an entrepreneur. Smile states implicitly ‘here is the opportunity’. It takes a lot of work from the face to let out a smile, but just think what good smiling can bring to the most important muscle of the body… the heart. ~Author Unknown Smile. It helps. Perception matters. Impression matters. You will realize that you don’t have all the time to make an impression. More often, it’s the 30 seconds space clients are willing to provide as audience – that’s often referred as the ‘elevator pitch’. And nothing connects like a smile. It’s like a handshake; and goes beyond as heart shake,…two smiles is a heart shake and when the hearts are connected it creates a wonderful opportunity for the brainwave to connect. So when thought is backed by a plan and followed by action is when you can expect results – this is a sustainable model for working together. This powerful tool called smile in the physical form changes the aura of the workplace – can convert hostility to hospitality and hospitality is divinity. Whoever said that ‘A smile is something you can’t give away; it always comes back to you’ coined it beautifully. “Smile is the simplest step to start which can pave way towards success” – Naveen Lakkur image courtesy: photo.elsoar.com