--- description: Do whatever it takes title: This Is the 1 Quality Entrepreneurs Need to Be Successful image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt936c2b9389ff00bd/6988692ecf40a8618fc404a7/woman-running-up-steps.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Startups](/tag/startups/) ## Startups Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # This Is the 1 Quality Entrepreneurs Need to Be Successful by [Rachel Gillett / Business Insider](/author/business-insider/) ## Rachel Gillett / Business Insider Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 21, 2015 5:31 PM CUT  Young woman running up steps Young woman running up stepsGetty Images by [Rachel Gillett / Business Insider](/author/business-insider/) ## Rachel Gillett / Business Insider Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oct 21, 2015 5:31 PM CUT If there’s one thing that has enabled [Man Crates](http://www.mancrates.com/ "undefined") CEO and founder Jonathan Beekman to be successful as an entrepreneur, it’s _hustle_. In a [recent interview with Stanford](https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/jonathan-beekman-be-bold-just-go-it "undefined")[‘s Graduate School of Business](https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/jonathan-beekman-be-bold-just-go-it "undefined"), the founder of the gift company explained how he’s “been wired for entrepreneurship” since he was a kid. In the entrepreneurial world, “hustle” goes by many names — grit, perseverance, determination, work ethic — but they all mean the same thing: “It means willing to make sacrifices to do whatever it takes to achieve results. If you’re someone who has skill and hustle, that’s a deadly combination,” [entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and athlete Lewis Howes recently told _Business Insider_](http://www.businessinsider.com/successful-athlete-entrepreneur-gives-keys-to-success-2015-3#ixzz3jCD4coTK "undefined"). [During her TED Talk, psychologist Angela Lee Duckworth explained](http://www.ted.com/talks/angela%5Flee%5Fduckworth%5Fthe%5Fkey%5Fto%5Fsuccess%5Fgrit/transcript?language=en "undefined") that the willingness to push through, even when the odds are against you, is the greatest predictor of success — greater even than intelligence. Hustle Con, a conference that celebrates the non-technical side of any tech startup, [offers a](http://www.businessinsider.sg/hustle-con-presentations-from-nerdwallet-teespring-general-assembly-thirdlove-2015-4/#.VdODqK1VhHw "undefined")[“code”](http://www.businessinsider.sg/hustle-con-presentations-from-nerdwallet-teespring-general-assembly-thirdlove-2015-4/#.VdODqK1VhHw "undefined") that sheds some light on how to hustle: * Do whatever it takes, be scrappy * Whole-a– a few things and focus * Ask for forgiveness, not permission * Cause a lil’ ruckus, go against the crowd * When in doubt, blast the Black Keys * Be authentic * Have a s— ton of fun For the most part, that’s just what Beekman has been doing his entire life. “My parents were in Christian ministry when I was a kid and there were times when money was tight,” he told Stanford. “My mom recognized an entrepreneurial streak in me early and always encouraged that in me. She regularly bought supplies for my crazy ideas and mentored me as things worked or failed.” Beekman began by selling candy at school and homemade pretzels at every baseball game in which he wasn’t playing. He enlisted the help of friends to collect old newspapers to make papier-mâché sculptures to sell and sold dolls made out of mopheads to his mom’s friends. In high school Beekman said he worked for a company that remodeled hotel rooms and spent most of the summer ripping up flooring and carpet. He and his friends discovered that they could make a lot more money by recycling the foam padding underneath the flooring. Beekman went on to found Man Crates in 2011\. The company curates gifts for guys like personalized barware, beef jerky, and barbecue sauces; packs them into wooden crates; and sends every crate with a crowbar for recipients to pry open. “Through all the ideas, my mom taught me to be bold and just go for it. Failure is temporary. You’ll have 1,000 other ideas,” Beekman said. _This_ [_article_](http://www.businessinsider.com/the-one-quality-that-leads-to-success-2015-8 "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_Business Insider_](http://www.businessinsider.com "undefined") _More from Business Insider:_ * [The 7 best podcasts for entrepreneurs](http://www.businessinsider.com/the-7-best-podcasts-for-entrepreneurs-2015-10 "undefined") * [6 signs you aren’t cut out to be an entrepreneur](http://www.businessinsider.com/6-signs-you-arent-cut-out-to-be-an-entrepreneur-2015-10 "undefined") * [7 successful entrepreneurs on the worst advice they ever received](http://www.businessinsider.com/7-successful-entrepreneurs-on-the-worst-advice-they-ever-received-2015-7 "undefined") * [21 success tips for aspiring entrepreneurs](http://www.businessinsider.com/tips-for-aspiring-entrepreneurs-2015-6 "undefined") * [8 tech skills you need if you want be to an entrepreneur](http://www.businessinsider.com/8-tech-skills-you-need-if-you-want-be-to-an-entrepreneur-2015-8 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4081653/entrepreneur-startup-success-quality/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4081653/entrepreneur-startup-success-quality/"},"headline":"This Is the 1 Quality Entrepreneurs Need to Be Successful","datePublished":"2015-10-21T17:31:33.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T11:58:15.486Z","description":"Do whatever it takes","url":"https://time.com/4081653/entrepreneur-startup-success-quality/","keywords":["Startups","Management","entrepreneur"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt936c2b9389ff00bd/6988692ecf40a8618fc404a7/woman-running-up-steps.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rachel Gillett / Business Insider"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt936c2b9389ff00bd/6988692ecf40a8618fc404a7/woman-running-up-steps.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"woman-running-up-steps","caption":"woman-running-up-steps","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/startups/","name":"Startups"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4081653/entrepreneur-startup-success-quality/","name":"This Is the 1 Quality Entrepreneurs Need to Be Successful"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Know Right Now: How to be Mentally Strong","description":"It’s estimated that you say 300-1,000 to yourself in a minute: keep those words positive","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/uzXSRUbM/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-08-25T17:28:45.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/uzXSRUbM.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4081653/entrepreneur-startup-success-quality/","duration":"PT1M1S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4081653/entrepreneur-startup-success-quality/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```