You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what you need to do to succeed in business.

You don't need an MBA, lots of money, or a wiz-bang business coach (though these things help).

You don't need to have a flashy website or published book or be a regular user of social media tools (although it helps if you do and are).  

What you do need won't cost you money and won't even take you a long time to learn.

What’s the catch? Well, you’re actually going to need three things. And, as most entrepreneurs can tell you, they’re hard to do.

As Tom Hanks said in the movie A League of Their Own, "It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great."

The Three Ps of Lasting Business Success:

1. Persistence

Persistence means that you keep at it day after day, month after month, and year after year. You keep keeping at it, even through the occasional fumble, intermittent failure and repeat mistake. Persistence means you stay with it and are unrelenting in your pursuit of what you want.

Begin now by acting like the highly successful businesswoman you know yourself to be. Then, keep at it for the rest of your life. Now that's persistence! 

2. Patience

If you thought keeping at it day after day for the rest of your life was tough, try being patient. Well, don't try. Do.

Just about every woman I've helped start up a business has been impatient for results. Many of them wanted to start up right away and turn a profit in less than a year. 

Often this lack of patience is characteristic of women who’ve had an unsuccessful mindset for many, many years. Now they are desperate to turn their thinking around and be successful immediately.

Changing an unsuccessful mindset, though, takes time. Be patient. Think like a toddler learning to walk. You will fall down many times before you're able to string a succession of steps together. Focus on the goal. Stick with it, and be patient with the results.

3. Practice

Successful entrepreneurs are people who practice what it takes to be successful, every day in every situation. When they fall down, they practice getting back up. When they get good at something, they practice getting better. If you examine the lives of professional dancers, Olympic gymnasts, concert pianists, or anyone who has gained mastery in a specific area, you'll discover that they have one thing in common: They've had a lot of setbacks.

What made the difference was not how they dealt with those setbacks but how they practiced success. Mastery in any area, including business, comes from daily practice. So, focus on what will lead you to business success. Then practice.

Persistence, patience, and practice are the three Ps of lasting business success. These are three things everyone, in any kind of business, can do. Truly embracing the three Ps makes good business sense. Nevertheless, it is hard to do. Every successful businesswoman knows this. Yet, they are persistent, they are patient, and they practice. Why? Because they know that when they apply these three Ps to their business, success is assured and greatness just is.

* * * * *

About the Author: Dr. Susan L. Reid is a business coach and consultant for entrepreneurial women starting businesses. She is the award-winning author of “Discovering Your Inner Samurai: The Entrepreneurial Woman’s Journey to Business Success,” and has a free chapter PDF of her most popular chapter: “Doing What You Love: Multiple Streams of Passion” for those who want see how persistence, patience and practice can really pay off.