We are proud to announce that First Data has awarded Cydcor the Top Tier Partner Award for delivering outstanding results in growing First Data’s market share in Canada. First Data, headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, is a global leader in commerce-enabling technology solutions, serving approximately six million business locations and 4,000 financial institutions in more than 100 countries around the world.

With the help of Cydcor’s network of independent sales offices, First Data has seen an acceleration of its impressive growth within the past year. Cydcor is First Data’s largest sales partner, when it comes to reaching out to potential clients and making connections on First Data’s behalf.

“Cydcor has helped grow our business tremendously in Canada, reaching out to potential clients and making connections on First Data’s behalf,” said Marco Antico, Vice President Indirect Sales at First Data.

According to Cydcor’s President, Vera Quinn, this achievement is just the beginning. “We are determined to make a significant contribution to the growth of our client’s business," and we are proud to have exceeded First Data’s expectations in the first year of our relationship with them. We look forward to continuing to build a long and prosperous future together for our companies,” said Vera.

You’ve never dreamt of owning your own business, but that doesn’t mean you don’t fantasize about getting ahead and earning that big corner office. There’s a reason those impassioned entrepreneurs seem to be so good at turning their big dreams into realities: they have an entrepreneurial mindset. They’re confident and driven, and they thrive on the challenges that sometimes keep others from even trying. Embracing and maintaining an entrepreneurial mindset can help you do your job better, allowing you to reach your goals faster, whatever they may be. So, no matter where your career is today, think like someone who rules the world, and someday, you just might.

Here are 10 ways you can think like an entrepreneur to succeed at work:

1. Take Action: Entrepreneurs don’t just talk about the things they want; they go after them. Instead of waiting for fortune to turn your way, find ways to influence what you can in order to encourage the results you want. Being a go getter can help you rise through the ranks faster, and it proves that you’re someone who can be trusted to get a job done.

2. Be Resourceful: Don’t let a limited budget stand in your way. Entrepreneurs find ways to make due and produce incredible results with what they have, and they’re clever about negotiating favors and freebees. Developing skills like these are crucial no matter the job, and finding ways to save the boss money is a great way to earn positive attention from those with the power to help you get ahead.

3. Recognize Opportunities: When entrepreneurs see an opening, they pounce on it. This way of thinking will help you choose the projects that can catapult your career by teaming you up with the right influencers or by demonstrating your ability to take the lead. Paying attention to the opportunities around you could also help you identify the perfect moment to ask for a promotion or a raise.

4. Be Fearless: Don’t let potential obstacles or rejection stop you, and don’t let a “no” scare you off. Entrepreneurs take risks and put themselves out there, which gives them an edge when it comes to sales, pitching ideas, and asking for better tools or more resources. Learning to stand your ground at the negotiating table is a skill that is critical to almost any business transaction.

5. Get Comfortable with Change: Fear of change is something that plagues many professionals, and it can prevent them from taking on new responsibilities, trying for a promotion, or applying for a new job. But don’t let fear of the unknown stop you. Instead, think like an entrepreneur, and decide to thrive on change. Accept being out of your comfort zone as a natural part of growth. Being at ease with uncertainty will empower you to say yes when others say no, helping you find the shortest possible route to success.

6. Love a Challenge: Entrepreneurs think adversity is exciting. Instead of choosing the easy road, point at the highest peak in sight and say, “l’ll conquer that one!” Priding yourself on winning in the face of extreme obstacles can be a major advantage whether you’re an intern, a new business owner, or a department head.

7. Know How to Delegate: Stay focused on the important things, and don’t be afraid to relinquish control to allow others to help lighten your load. Entrepreneurs learn that they must share responsibility and accept help when it’s available.  Embracing collaboration can assist you in meeting deadlines and preventing burnout to keep you at the top of your game.

8. Be a Lifelong Learner: Entrepreneurs constantly strive to be better, smarter, and more efficient. Learn to maintain a student mentality, and your hunger for information will help you shine at work by keeping you up-to-date on industry knowledge, critical technical skills, and relevant news you can apply to help your employer outwit the competition.

9. Think Big: Entrepreneurs set challenging goals and are constantly striving to improve themselves. Even if you never hope to run your own company, aiming high is a great way to discover how much you can achieve. Thinking about the future can be an excellent way to stay motivated. Push yourself to think about where you might like your career to be in a year, five years, and beyond, and you just might surprise yourself.

10.   Trust Your Instincts: Don’t spend a lot of time doubting yourself. Leading entrepreneurs know that negative thinking gets them nowhere. Trust your decisions, and be confident you will figure it out along the way. A great, entrepreneurial attitude will be your secret weapon against self-doubt, and it will help to remind you that you deserve the opportunity to succeed even when others casts doubts on your potential.

Thinking like an entrepreneur keeps you focused on your goals no matter where you are in your career path. It lends purpose to all the hard work you do, allowing you to set aside fear and ego to get the job done. It can help you remember that it will all pay off in the end. Adopt an entrepreneurial mindset, and the only person who will determine how successful you can be is you.

Discover how student mentality breeds success, and personal development, for employees in this article from Cydcor. Lifelong learning helps exceed goals.

When you’re a student, your whole job is to learn. That’s why companies like their employees to maintain a student mentality. And while organizations want to hire expert talent, employees who think of themselves as experts may miss the opportunity to continue growing and improving. By encouraging employees to think of themselves as students, employers foster a culture of ongoing personal development, inspiring employees to seek out valuable lessons in every task they’re given.

Here’s how a student mentality creates better employees:

1. Teaches Them to Listen

Unlike seasoned veterans who may be less open-minded to new ideas and approaches, students are in a constant state of openness. They pay attention to people and experiences, absorbing information and searching for valuable takeaways. Staying on the lookout for new ideas creates a fertile breeding ground for innovation.

2. Keeps Them Humble

There is no employee, no matter how senior, who can’t improve in some way. Adopting a student mentality reminds even executive level employees that they always have more to learn.

3. Keeps Them Focused on Growth

Students have a hunger for information and a drive toward personal development that people often lose as they move ahead in their careers. A student mentality challenges employees to set the bar higher. It pushes them to perform at their best and continue redefining what their best might be.

4. Reminds Them to Study

Encouraging employees to think like students reminds them that it’s important to stay abreast of the latest industry trends and take advantage of resources such as trade journals, white papers, blogs, and events for their own personal development.

5. Forces Them to Question

Being a student means admitting that you don’t know all the answers. Employees who think like students become attuned problem solvers. They’re willing to challenge assumptions, and they learn to probe for new approaches that are better, faster, and more cost effective.

6. Keeps Them Competitive

Students are constantly learning and applying new skills, maintaining a student mentality urges employees to keep their abilities and knowledge finely tuned and up to date with industry trends. This may mean learning new software, attending seminars, or taking online training courses.

7. Makes Them Better Leaders

Students often make the best teachers because they learn how to effectively communicate with others. By asking employees to think like students, employers also provide opportunities for employees to mentor each other, which helps them become even better leaders.

8. Keeps Them Open Minded

As employees advance in their careers, it’s easy for them to become rigid and set in their ways. After all, doing things the old way got them this far. But an environment that values constant learning pushes them to consider new ways of thinking and reminds them to stay flexible and open to change.

Employees who maintain a student mentality don’t assume they already know everything. They understand that useful new ideas can come from anywhere and anyone. By staying open to innovative thinking, and constantly striving to learn more and improve, employees who think of themselves as lifelong students have the kind of forward thinking that helps organizations reach their goals and beyond.