Entrepreneurs? Who are they? What do they want? Why are they special? "Entrepreneur" is the one of the hottest word in town now. What does it really mean? Why do people want to be associated with this word these days?
Being an entrepreneur means you are your own boss. This brings lots of glory and fame to individuals. Imagine you are a boss, reporting to nobody, leader of the company. None of your staff dares to argue with you and you earn the kind of income that you will never earn working for people. Isn't it wonderful? That's life, isn't it?
If that is what you want to get out of being an entrepreneur, sorry folks, that is not really true. Are you dreaming of sitting on an armchair, giving instruction and waiting for profit? Then probably the army is a better place for you.
The truth is, being an entrepreneur is no glory and fame. In fact, many a time entrepreneurs have to do the dirty jobs. These dirty jobs are usually done when no one else is watching. Our youth want the best of being an entrepreneur, they want fame, yet they are not ready for the worst. Once you have decided to embark on the entrepreneur's journey, prepare to roll up your sleeves for the tough times ahead.
A few things to take note when you are preparing to take on the road less travelled.
Mindset
Do you believe that mindset alone can kill any business? Having a weak or negative mindset is the first step to failing in a business. Anyone who wants to become an entrepreneur must first learn to shift his mindset from an employee mindset to an entrepreneur mindset.
An employee waits for things to happen, an entrepreneur makes things happen. An employee waits for instructions, an entrepreneur gives clear instructions. An employee waits for someone to solve problems, an entrepreneur takes charge of the situation, to solve problems. An employee is reactive, an entrepreneur is proactive.
Taking Responsibility
You have to prepare to take up great responsibilities. Being a successful entrepreneur is more than writing a business plan and managing cash-flow. You have to take responsibility for what goes around, in and out of your business.
When the business is not doing well because of the economic downturn, instead of blaming the market, economic climate, competitors, environment and expecting the government to help them, a successful entrepreneur will take control, take charge and take responsibility to improve business in whatever ways he can.
Successful entrepreneurs don't lay blame on the environment or find excuses for the mistakes that they made, they simply take responsibility and learn from the mistakes.
Belief
Many a times there is no right or wrong in entrepreneurship. It is what you believe in that determines the right and wrong. You must have good belief system in order to make the journey much easier and interesting.
If "A" believes that he needs at least $50,000 to start a business, he will always start a business with $50,000. And "B" believes he can start the same business with only $1,000, he will find ways to start it with only $1,000. In "A's" reality, he is unable to see how he can start a business with less than $50,000. However "A" is not wrong. In fact he feels that he is right.
There is nothing wrong with starting a business with $50,000 or $1,000. It is just your belief system that makes it right or wrong. You decide what kind of belief system you want to hold for yourself.
Serving
Be ready to serve the people around you. Only by serving others, helping them get what they want, then will they give you what you want. Go into business with the intention of serving and giving, and you will receive.
Serving doesn't means serving your customers only. Serving your staff and partners will encourage communication and improve team synergy. How can you create a superb team when you keep scolding your staff?
Keep Learning
Be prepared to upgrade yourself. While you may think that upgrading is for employees, an entrepreneur should keep upgrading and educating himself. There are many attributes and skills that an entrepreneur needs. The fastest way to learn all the skills is to keep attending seminars and workshops
But why pay that kind of money to learn? There is a saying, "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance." Instead of dwelling upon the cost of education, think of it as an investment. The skills and ideas that you learn from books, seminars and workshops can serve you for a lifetime. Therefore it is a worthwhile investment.
In conclusion, before embarking on the exciting and challenging journey, you need to make a few adjustments to your life. You need to start doing what the majority are not doing.
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About The Author
Joe Lee (joelee@actionpreneur.com), Director of Actionpreneur Pte Ltd. The company conducts entrepreneurship courses and workshops for people of all ages.
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This article was posted on August 03, 2005
