Transitioning from being an Employee to becoming an Entrepreneur can be a bit of a learning curve. There are specific things you can do to make this transition smooth and prosper as an entrepreneur….
-Start thinking bigger – entrepreneurs are big thinkers and don’t limit their potential
-Learn from an experienced mentor – entrepreneurs are independent, however, they learn from people that can mentor them and accelerate their success (this can be a business coach, a speaker at a seminar, books, audios, etc from successful people) and also from other business owners in their field of business that can network and mastermind ideas with
-Understand that ANY business will require start up and running capital. Business owners do not take this capital out of their own pocket or “save up” until they can start a business. They understand leverage and find ways to finance their expenses to get off the ground, and to put them into a position to profit.
-Take advantage of all income streams available in the business….i.e. a fast food restaurant franchise – if you were buying one of these franchises, you would want to profit from the hamburgers, the fries, the milk shakes, the apple pie, and and other products offered. You would also understand the value of having a drive-thru. Someone buying a franchise like this would not limit themselves to just selling hamburgs and fries and send them down the street to another fast food spot to buy the milkshake and dessert. And, they would also understand the value of a drive-thru and treat it as another way to generate sales. If you are getting in the game of being a business owner, GET IN THE GAME! Don’t stand on the sideline and “wait” until you have saved enough money to put all the pieces in place. Ask yourself “What do other top successful business owners in this particular business do” and then just duplicate that exactly. For instance if all the fast food spots have a drive-thru, and this is something that is important for the success of this type of business, then YOU should also have a drive thru…it is not about whether you can “afford” a drive thru or not – If that is your thinking, you are definitely thinking like an employee. It’s time to make that transition to thinking like a business owner.
-Learn as much as you can possibly learn on an ongoing basis about your industry. Knowledge is power.
-Know who your target market is and direct your marketing efforts towards that specific group. There are so many basic, cost effective things you can do….
-Do something you are passionate about! When I started my business back in Feb/05, I had been an entrepreneur for 18 years prior…..I knew I did not want to work for someone else….I also knew all the types of businesses that I was not interested in. I couldn’t define exactly what business I wanted to start, but, I knew all the things that were important to me….so I made a list of what I was looking for:
-I wanted to have a home based business
-I wanted a business that was portable, so I could travel for 3-6 months at a time if I wanted, and still be able to run my business from anywhere in the world – preferably from a lawn chair by a pool, or on the beach
-I wanted time leverage so I could reduce the number of hours I was working
-I wanted to set my own hours and work when I decided to work
-I wanted to take as much time off to spend with my family as I choose
-I wanted to work with like minded people
-I wanted to find a business that was of great interest to me…..I only wanted something I could get excited about in terms of what it offered people
-I wanted something extremely lucrative so that I could retire my husband and we could start living a life of total freedom
When you first make the list for yourself, sometimes it can seem daunting and you may wonder if what you are looking for even exists? When I made this defined list, these were the things that were important for me to find in a business, even though I didn’t know what that business would be. But, because I was crystal clear on WHAT I wanted, when it came along, I knew I had found the perfect match! There was no “thinking or deciding” required to make my decision. I found the business that met all of this criteria and the decision was then very simple.
Being in total control of your future is what being an entrepreneur is all about. People never get that luxury by being an employee. If you are willing to get clear on what you truly want in your life, and then are willing to do what other successful entrepreneurs do, you will develop a life for yourself that people dream about. A life that employees think is just for a select few. But here is the key – YOU can be part of that select few – you simply have to stop thinking like an employee and start thinking like an entrepreneur and take the actions we take.