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Today I realized that most people are not in support of the idea of “going out on your own”.  Most people are afraid of this idea and will attempt to dissuade anyone who suggests that they would like to become an entrepreneur.  Many individuals believe that it is too risky, that it is “crazy” to leave the “security” of a “stable” job; that it’s safer to stay in a sinking ship.  I know of many people who work for a multi-million dollar corporation who, though they had many years of service, were told that their services were no longer required.

How Becoming An Entrepreneur Makes Us Different

Here are some of the analogies that come to mind when I think of how an entrepreneur feels as compared to his employee counterparts:

Going Against Traffic

Have you ever been on a busy downtown sidewalk in a large metropolitan city and needed to suddenly go the opposite direction?  To say the least, it is quite a challenge to get where you need to go!  You must remain determined or you can be swept along with the tide of humanity going in a direction that you do not desire.

Pasture vs. the Jungle

I’m sure you’ve heard the analogy of the world of the entrepreneur being a jungle where the path is uncharted and the way uncertain and the atmosphere seems fraught with danger.  Your friends, colleagues and loved ones are depicted as cows and sheep grazing lazily in the meadow, not understanding why anyone would even consider venturing into that world of uncertainty.  I may have mentioned in a previous post the sentiment of Timothy Ferriss, author of “4 Hour Work Week”: “Most people would rather be unhappy than uncertain” (paraphrased).

Trailblazing vs. staying on the well-worn path

Similarly, most people want to stay on the path that has been worn heavily by many who have gone before.  “Why get off the path?” they say.  “You could get hurt”.  They don’t understand that there may be a rare plant or hidden waterfall that can only be seen if one has the courage to just go in search of the non-traditional, the unusual, and the special.

How to Protect Your Mindset

So how can entrepreneurs protect themselves against the negative, disbelieving attitude and mindset of the majority of those who he/she comes in contact with?

Focus on the goals, not on the negative circumstances

Every day the entrepreneur will be faced with challenges that could cause doubt or fear to set in.  The solution is to focus on the goals ahead and the next steps needed to achieve those goals.  Instead of focusing on a setback specifically, focus on the possible solutions to the setback.

Choose associations wisely

Let’s face it some people are downers!  They sap your energy, your time and seek to rob you of your dreams.  These individuals should be avoided whenever possible.  Instead choose to spend time with folk who will inspire, encourage and challenge you.

 Dream Big Dreams

Setting a “large hairy goal” - as I once heard it described - has a way of energizing and redirecting your energy in a way that small “ordinary” goals cannot.  When your goal is large there is a tendency to not even notice the insignificant and trivial.  Set huge goals when you become an entrepreneur and you are less likely to get entangled with non-productive pursuits.

Happy landing,

Dino Herbert

I spent the day phoning former work associates and colleagues and pursuing other networking activities seeking to “get the word out” about my new situation as an entrepreneur, I took time this evening to go to a nearby park to spend time with my wife and two sons.  We ate food and played on the slides and jungle gym and ran…ran….ran!  I think that it is important to take time to have fun and laugh for the following reasons:

PERSPECTIVE

We’ve all heard the saying that none of us on our death beds will bemoan the fact that we didn’t spend more time at “the office”.  Even as a home-based business entrepreneur, we need to take time to get away and to realize that, more than likely, one of the main reasons we became entrepreneurs was so that we could have the freedom to spend time with our families, loved ones and friends.  If we don’t TAKE the time to do this, then we’re missing the point.  I intended the emphasis on the “taking” of time because we can’t “make” anymore time (there’s only 24 hours in a day for each of us) and we can’t “find” the time either (there isn’t any more to be found).  We have to decide that we will take the time to do what is most important.

RECHARGE

Taking time to laugh and have fun will actually give us more energy to perform the long hours that are required of entrepreneurs.  This is similar to the concept of “sharpening the saw” mentioned by Stephen Covey in his book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People”.  If we don’t take the time to sharpen or recharge, we will actually be less effective than we otherwise could be.  For example, when in college, I did what I suspect many college students have done: I pulled “all nighters” on occasion.  During one of these all night study/ project sessions it occurred to me (as I nodded off for the fourth time) that it would be better to get at least a little sleep so that I would somewhat refreshed for the exam. 

Grinding away with no time for rest and recreation does not serve us well as entrepreneurs.

POSITIVE MINDSET

Finally, having fun and laughing keeps entrepreneurs in the right frame of mind.  One of the most important characteristics that an entrepreneur can have is optimism.  Having a good time and laughing actually helps to keep us in a positive frame of mind.  One Harvard University professor, Shawn Achor, mentioned that happy people actually make better decisions (paraphrased).

As I am on this road of becoming an entrepreneur I need to make sure that I schedule the time to relax, have fun and laugh.  That reminds me…..I’ve always wanted to skydive….I think I’ll plan it some time next week!

 Until next time,

Dino

It’s been about 3 weeks since I left my corporate job in pursuit of my entrepreneurial dream and it just occurred to me that many of the individuals that I spoke with about my departure assumed that I would be looking for another job.  The comments were all similar:

“I understand that you want more time with your family.  Getting a good government job will probably be a good thing.”

“If you need me to introduce you to someone who may be looking for someone with your skill set, just let me know.”

“This is not necessarily the best economic climate to be looking for a job.”

All of these individuals do not understand - and perhaps they never will - that the job I left is the last job I will ever have as far as I’m concerned.  I suppose that some people just cannot understand how someone could leave a perfectly good job (or jump from a perfectly good airplane).  It’s like the saying goes, “If I have to explain it, you just wouldn’t understand.” 

There is so much opportunity “out there” and I intend to get my “piece of the pie”.  As this point in my life/career I consider myself to be unemployable.  The notion to become an entrepreneur has been with me for many years and I have nurtured it over the years by doing “on the side”.  But I’ve chosen to play full out and there is no turning back. 

I choose to have an attitude of “prosperity consciousness” instead of one of poverty; I choose to see the glass as half full with a huge 10 gallon pitcher next to it; I choose to walk a path that many others would not dare.  I have chosen as my mantra the words penned by one great man in his autobiography, “Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass”:

“I prefer to be true to myself even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false and incur my own abhorrence.”

Until next time,

Dino

I’ve done some reading over the last few days (years in fact, but the messages are a little different now that I’ve taken the leap) and I’ve uncovered the qualities that many entrepreneurs seem to possess.  I’ve taken another look at myself to compare whether I measure up to the standard: am I really fit to become an entrepreneur?  These are some of the qualities that I’ve found that can be summed up in the acronym LEAP OUT:

LONG-RANGE VIEW

 ”Begin with the end in mind”, as Stephen Covey says.  You have to know where you want to go before you take the first step in order to achieve the results that you want.

ENERGY

Long days, long nights, occasional disappointment, reworks, rewrites.  Dealing with consultants/suppliers, employees (eventually), accounts receivable, accounts payable, shipments, banking institutions, investors, customers, cash flow, creditors……enough said.

AMBIGUITY COMFORT

One of the reasons most people do not leave their jobs and become an entrepreneur is that they cannot reconcile the difference between the ”certainty” of a steady paycheck and the possibility of an unsteady income stream that comes with the life of an entrepreneur.   An entrepreneur must be able to accept and manage the idea, that while “pay days” may indeed be more lucrative than when with an employer, they most likely will not come on a regular schedule.

PERSEVERANCE

There will be disappointments and set backs.  There will be times when it seems as if I’ve made a mistake.  But I’m sure that this trait is one that is critical for new entrepreneurs.  There is no mindset that says, “I’ll give this a try until this date”.  I have the attitude that I will stick with my plan until….until I’m successful.

OPTIMISM

To become an entrepreneur a person must have a positive outlook on life in general and about the affairs of the business in particular.  The focus must be on the goals that have been set and NOT on any of the obstacles that may (will) occur.

UNDAUNTED BY FEAR (not necessarily unafraid)

Sure, there are risks.  Sure, there are unknowns.  But those who are able to become an entrepreneur will look at those risks, fears and unknowns, assess the situation as best they know how and yet will proceed courageously through those circumstances.

TAKE CHARGE

Anyone wanting to become an entrepreneur will need to be a leader.  The vision, inspiration and motivation must come from this person in order for investors, employees and customers to be comfortable enough to participate in the venture.

I will need to continually nurture these traits until I have succeeded.

Until next time,

Dino