The ingredients for success are staying focused on a clear objective, having a good plan, a lot of hard work, and an appetite for perseverance.

If you read enough about startups (and there is a lot to read!), you may begin to convince yourself that to be successful you need to build something epic in proportion, or be in a specific location, have worked at a hot startup, attended a certain school, or established a large professional network. You've probably read blog posts like "The 10 characteristics of a successful entrepreneur", "What every startup needs to know now", or opinions on "what it takes" to build a successful business. Although I agree that having certain skills, knowledge, or experience may help, but time after time we witness that perseverance trumps all.

Here are three quotes that I like about perseverance:

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." - Colin Powell

"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other." - Walter Elliot

"Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did." - Newt Gingrich

In today's networked world with most of the world's knowledge accessible on the internet, you can become successful at anything you're willing to work hard for. Sometimes you'll realize that you aren't "good enough" at what you're doing - this is what happens before you become amazing.

As you start implementing your plan, the key thing is to stay focused on your Core Objective. Don't be distracted by new markets, partners, publicity, or projects that don't contribute to your goal. You don't need to say "no", just say "not now".

Don't give up. You have a solid plan that is well thought-out and a great grasp of your capabilities. You may have to tweak and modify and try new things, but don't give up - stay dedicated to achieving your goal.

Write your objective down on your bedside table and think about it every morning when you wake up, and every night before you go to bed.

Visualize what your startup will look like when you achieve your goal - and then try to visualize what you need to get there.

The next few months are going to be really hard, but your company depends on you to give it everything you have to reach its potential. Get out of your comfort zone. Get out of your office. Get on the phone. Go the extra distance to achieve your goal.

This is why you started in the first place.