18 Business Lessons from Nipsey Hussle

Nipsey Hussle was a very popular American rapper and entrepreneur. In a career spanning more than two decades, he amassed a fortune of over $8 million with an empire that included record deals and real estate investments. With his passing at 33 years old, we look back on the 18 business lessons that made him one of America's most influential artists and entrepreneurs: 

1.You Don't Need an Education Degree to Become Rich

One of the most significant things parents try to focus on is their children’s education. They want their kids to have the best results in the exams because for some reason they think that good results translates to good job or a successful business. That is rarely the case. Education can teach you a lot of things but it the knowledge and learning that make you successful.

Nipsey Hussle dropped out of high school at a very young age with the dream of becoming a millionaire by 30.  He eventually achieved this goal by taking the knowledge he had of his community and business, applying it to creating a lucrative career. He worked hard as a rapper but he knew that he wasn’t going to become rich by just rapping so he started investing in different businesses. This is why you didn’t see him flaunt his money like most of the other rappers. 

2.Invest In Boosting Your Business

Invest in your own business. Expand it and make it better. Try to control the uncontrollable aspect of your business like Nipsey did. He was working for another label company but then he started his own. So he could have his own rules throughout the chain. But it wasn’t about power, it was about having a smooth business. Having a music label gave him a lot of freedom but also made his business smoother to run.

Nipsey Hussle invested in booming business due to his commitment to his community. He knew that a lot of people weren’t going to understand or appreciate the work he was doing, so what did he do? He invested in his own business. Instead of being a rapper associated with other music labels he invested in started his own label.

3.Build a Brand

Being a rapper is one thing. Being a brand is a separate ball game. Take for example the former president of USA. Mr. Donald Trump. He is known to be a real estate mogul but more than that his name is a brand and that is one of the major reasons of his success. So Nipsey believed that it was important for him to start a brand if he wanted to succeed as a business man.

4.Focus More on Building a Movement Rather Than Just Sticking To Building a Brand

Building a brand is important but it is not enough. Nipsey Hussle always believed that building a brand was crucial to his business success but it wasn’t going to get him to the finish line, it wasn’t going to help him reach where he wanted. He believed in his movement and doing what was right by the people rather than worrying about getting rich from it all. Nipsey is known for being one of the most influential rappers of recent times, not because he had expensive cars or clothes or went to rich parties. It was because of his work and the people he helped with it.

5.Build a Positive Reputation for Yourself and Your Business 

Nipsey Hussle was known for his positivity. He always spoke about how important relationships were and what they meant to him rather than just concentrating on the money he was making from all of it. When you build a positive reputation like Nipsey did, success will come your way because people want to work with someone who is honest and has their best interests at heart.

6.Be Patient

Patience is a virtue and business requires a lot of it. . Nipsey Hussle was very patient when it came to waiting for success and that is what he tells other people. He never rushed into anything, instead he waited until the opportune moment to act on it and also wait for what was best for him at that particular time. 

(Get this Nipsey Hussle painting here)

7.Accept the Risks That Come With Leaving Your Comfort Zone In Order To Achieve Success 

Nipsey Hussle left his comfort zone when he decided to leave the school and pursue a career in music. This wasn’t easy but it paid off big time for him because this is what gave birth to a mogul who revolutionized hip hop through his music and business investments. 

8.Be Willing To Invest Your Time and Money into What You Believe In 

Nipsey Hussle always had the mindset that investing was important because it allowed him to keep hold of his money rather than giving into expensive habits like other rappers. He believed in himself so he never stopped working on what he wanted. He invested his time and money into making it big because he knew that was the only way to make something sustainable happen in the long term rather than doing what others were expecting of him. 

9.Always Keep Learning 

Nipsey Hussle knew that he had to keep learning and perfecting his craft in order for him to make it big. That is why he never stopped reading books, watching videos about entrepreneurship and making connections with other people who were at the top of their game. 

10.It Is Going To Take a Lot of Work: Be Prepared For It

Success isn't going to come easy. Nipsey believed that you have to be willing to work hard and never give up no matter what the circumstances are. You can always learn from your mistakes so don't ever give up on something just because it didn't happens as quickly as you wanted it. Nipsey Hussle had a plan b for his business idea if things didn't go well with his record label (which they weren't). He then turned into an investor and bought properties instead of waiting around for someone else's opportunity like most rappers do these days. One way to get prepare is to always surrond yourself with inspirion, having a Nipsey Hussle portrait in your home or office will boost your motivation and remind you that everything is possible. 

11.Networking and Connections Is Important

Networking is one of the most important aspect of doing business. No matter what field or niche you are in having the right connections is compulsory. Nipsey Hussle made a lot of connections with other people in his industry. He believed that it was the best way to get ahead and grow your business because he knew what these connections were capable of achieving for him. They had more power than just making rap songs so Nipsey took advantage of this fact while others did not. 

12.Take Slow Steps and Put Efforts in Your Business Whole Heartedly

Nipsey Hussle invested in many different business opportunities. He didn't care if one of them worked out or not, he was going to put his efforts into the others as well and make sure that they succeeded because that’s what mattered most to him. Nipsey is a true example of someone who believed in their goals and weren’t waiting around for it all to happen magically by luck. They put effort into making things work just like everyone else does but with more passion than anyone else could have done at the time too. 

(This Nipsey hussle canvas is available on our website)

13.Focus On What Makes You Passionate 

Nipsey Hussle was always focused on what mattered to him the most. He wasn't chasing money or trying to impress others, instead he put all his time and effort into helping other people because that’s how he liked spending his days off rather than partying with celebrities like a lot of rappers do nowadays after they make it big. Nipsey believed that you shouldn’t waste your life doing something you don’t care about because then there would be no point in living at all. You should be passionate about everything you do like Nipsey was. He didn't want to just sit around and wait for success to come his way, instead he wanted it all right then and there! Nipsey believed that if you had no passion in what you were doing, then why would anyone else want to support you in the first place? Passion is what drives people.

14.Think Outside the Box

Nipsey Hussle didn't think like everyone else. He always thought about what he could do differently to stand out from the crowd and make a difference in his life as well as others too. Nipsey was willing to take risks that other people wouldn’t have even considered taking because they were scared of failing at it all, but not him though which is why a lot of things worked out for him eventually! These days you have to be extremely innovative if you want to succeed.

15.Remember the Community that Built You Up

Nipsey Hussle was known for giving back to his community and also helping others who were in need. He believed that the only way he could be successful himself was if everyone around him was too because that’s how it all works. This is why Nipsey opened up a store where people from the hood, like himself when he first made it big, could get jobs at and make money off of which they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to do! 

16.Be Fearless

Nipsey Hussle always told people to be fearless in life and in business. Nipsey Hussle himself was a fearless person. He didn’t care what people thought about him and he also took a lot of risks that other people would have been too afraid to do because they were scared of failing at it all. That’s one thing you could always say about Nipsey, he’s fearless which was why even though things weren't going his way for a while with the label, he kept on pushing forward anyways! 

17.Keep It 100% Real: A lot Of People Are Not Going to like you

Being real isn't easy especially when you’re trying to make a name in the rap industry where everyone is so fake these days but that’s exactly how Nipsey wanted it. If you want be successful then this means being a real person and staying true to yourself. It doesn’t matter what people think about you or if they don’t like it because that’s life! You can't please everyone so just focus on being your best self instead of trying too hard to impress others.

18.Always Have a Plan Before You Start Something New

This is an extremely important lesson for anyone out there who wants to be successful because a lot of people aren’t willing to put in the time and effort when starting something new. Nipsey Hussle always had a plan before he took any big risks or started anything brand new so that he knew what was expected from him if things didn’t go well right off the bat! This made it easier for Nipsey because then all he would have to do is follow his original game plan instead of trying too hard which could cause more problems down the road anyways. 

Final Words

Nipsey Hussle has some great ideas and business lessons that can be very useful to you in business. One of the best ways to keep his ideas in mind is to get a canvas with his quotes. You can even get a canvas with his face and quotes that would not only be helpful to you for reminding you of these great business lessons but it would also be a great tribute to Nipsey Hussle and once you are rich and famous you can name Nipsey Hussle as your inspiration. Check out our unique pieces: Nipsey Hussle portrait and Nipsey Hussle art.