Do You Have What It Takes To Be An Entrepreneur?
It was the first day of chemistry and my college professor said, “Look to your left, now look to your right. Half of you will be gone before the semester ends.” I thought to myself confidently, “Nah, that won’t be me!” Six weeks later, I dropped the class and changed my major. Eh…things happen. I was working full-time and registered for 16 semester hours. I was overwhelmed and couldn’t keep up with everything. Dropping this class was such a relief!
The truth is I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I jumped into that semester. I was in such a hurry to graduate that I pushed myself to the limits. And eventually, something had to give. The biggest take away for me from this experience was “don’t bite off more than you can chew!” This is a survival skill that I had to learn again with entrepreneurship.
As I have stated in my previous blog articles, being an entrepreneur is a lifestyle that many people dream of and only a few ever really master. While the whole “idea of entrepreneurship” might seem glitzy and glamorous to some, there is actually a lot of sweat, effort, and tears that happen behind the scenes. I have seen many people get very excited about the idea of starting a business until they see the steps involved in accomplishing that goal. Then they become quickly overwhelmed and their dreams of becoming an entrepreneur deflate.
Entrepreneurship is a lot like becoming a first-time parent. You never really know what you are getting into until you are actually in it. And no amount of books or advice can ever fully prepare you for the road ahead. At least, that’s my opinion anyways. And just like a child, a business needs lots of attention, even when you are tired and just want to sleep. Oh, one more comparison to parenting, while entrepreneurial efforts can be so rewarding, it can sometimes be a thankless job with little pay (especially in the beginning).
So what exactly does it take to be a great entrepreneur? Here are a few tips that I have learned that are crucial to an entrepreneur’s survival:
- Get Some Thick Skin: You have to have some thick skin to make it in the business world, but you are still allowed to cry when nobody is looking (been there, done that). It’s like the saying goes “if it were easy, everybody would be doing it.”
- Get Educated on the Business Process: Many entrepreneurs are great at creating their product, but selling it is not so easy for them. Learn the tools of the trade (and there are a lot of tools to know). Keep learning and keep up with your competitors
- Get in Touch With Yourself: Entrepreneurship is a self-discovery process. It’s like an episode of Survivor, can you make it out alive! Journal, meditate, or do whatever it takes for you to discover who you are, what you want, and how to get there. I have several journal pages and meditations in bee happi store to help you with this!
- Get a Mastermind Group: The one thing that has helped me as an entrepreneur is to surround myself with people that are going through the same things I am going through. Also, it’s a great place to share ideas, collaborate, and grow!
- Get a Realistic Attitude: Although getting rich quick it rare, it is not impossible. Of course, this is not a common result for most of the entrepreneurs that I have met, still, it could happen. I wouldn’t say it that it never happens, because I’m sure it does, but it isn’t wise to go into entrepreneurship thinking that things will happen quick because you might be disappointed. Hence the discipline, consistency, and patience traits come into play from my previous blog.
- Get Inspired: There will be days that are rough or just plain suck as an entrepreneur. You will want to have some inspiration to stay motivated and on track. It is what most successful people do. As Steven Covey would say in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, “begin with the end in mind.” Even on the worst day, remember why you started and where you want to be will help you keep going!
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