I was talking to someone the other day who insisted that a successful entrepreneur had to have a ‘positive attitude’, or an expectancy that good things would generally happen. It’s one of those old clichés – you can achieve anything if you want it enough.

To some extent I suppose it’s true. There’s got to be something that inspires people into action, and inspires them to take risks where others would not. In other words, serial investors and entrepreneurs expect to win, not to lose.

This eagerness might be a large part of what gets people to the top, but I can’t accept that it’s the whole story. Consistently high-achievers don’t just launch into things with the vain expectation that everything will work out for the best. At the risk of sounding like an American self-help manual, that brings me onto another old adage, that ‘knowledge is power’.

Those that get to the top and stay there aren’t just lucky. They’re proactive about finding things out, taking the time to study, read and learn the ins and outs of their business, or any business that they’re investing in. They’re not afraid to ask ‘what if?’, and know it’s better to know an ugly truth than meet it unprepared.

I like to compare it to buying a house. However excited you might be, however eager to move in, you’d never commit before having it surveyed. If you’re investing in a business, even if your instinct is that it’s an amazing opportunity that’s not to be missed, you’re going to find out a bit more and have a proper due diligence before you part with the cash. It’s about asking ‘what if?’ on a serious level, collecting together all the knowledge you need to make an informed decision.

With business as with houses, you want an expert and independent view – and I’d say the independent part is just as important as the expertise. Enthusiasm can blind a person to potential problems, so among the most successful investors and entrepreneurs are people that are acutely aware that their ‘positive attitude’ might get in the way. By handing over the initial checks to someone more distant, they can trust a more objective view as well as expert analysis before committing their finances and enthusiasm.

If success is being positive, self-confident and dedicated to your decisions, the flip-side is that it’s also about being careful and fully-informed before making those decisions. It can be a hard balance to strike, and more often than not, I’d say that bringing in someone else to help is the best option.