Newsflash: Everyone was not born to be an entrepreneur.
It’s true, some people (this could include you) were born to help entrepreneurs live their dreams.
And, you should know that being a successful entrepreneur means that you’re going to have to work at it. You’re going to have to get out of your comfort zone and potentially even trade some of your comforts for un-comfortabilities.
On my own journey, I had to trade in my Mercedes Benz, wrap up in more blankets because I couldn’t afford to turn the heat up beyond my budgeted amount and eats lots of peanut butter and jelly. And that wasn’t what I expected, but it was a necessary to position myself for the life I live today.
And, I’d do it all again. That is why I couldn’t wait to shed some light on what it takes to be an entrepreneur when I got Janeese’s question, which I am featuring in this week’s episode of Incredible Factor TV:
“Hi Darnyelle I REALLY want to be an entrepreneur but I know that entrepreneurs have to sacrifice and delay gratification and that scares me. The thought of downsizing my lifestyle to start my own business doesn’t make me feel warm and fuzzy. What advice do you have for me to help me realize my dream and salvage as much of my lifestyle as possible?”
See my response to Janeese’s question here:
As I share in the episode, if you’re unwilling to sacrifice your “lifestyle” to position yourself to up-level your life beyond more than you can ever experience sitting behind someone else’s desk, you should keep your job.
The truth is, when you start your own anything there is an amount of sacrifice that goes into it to get it up and running. Whether it’s a relationship or a business, there are some things you must compromise on in order to yield the fruit you’re desiring.
But, I also caution you to check yourself. Anything worth having is worth the sacrifice and if you’re unwilling to shift your lifestyle even temporarily, entrepreneurship may not be for you.
Here are 5 quick tips to help you decide if you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur when your current lifestyle makes you second guess moving toward purpose-driven work:
1. You have at least 18 months of living expenses. If you have less, you’ll need to make sure that you position yourself to generate real revenue quickly. And, that doesn’t have to be hard. My clients, on average are making six figures (or more) in 6 months or less from hiring me and working my proven system. Accessing a proven coach, consultant or mentor while you are considering making the shift will increase your success once you are operating the business.
2. You have a clear plan that includes taking consistent action and getting out of your comfort zone and placing you in a position to excel quickly. Strategy without implementation is just information. So, be sure that your plan has action built in. But not just any action, consistent action.
3. You solve a real problem, one that others are willing to pay for a solution to. I always like to highlight the Universal Law of Business – if you aren’t solving a problem for a group of people who are ready right now to pay for a solution, you might as well stop. Ensuring that you aren’t pursuing entrepreneurship just for show will make a difference and trust me, if you want to become employable, you need to solve a real problem for people with real money.
4. Your network is filled with entrepreneurs, money makers and true game changers that are doing what you want to do…and do it well. You become like the five people you spend the majority of your time with. Are those five people making it happen and making real money? Is their lifestyle one that you want to experience at some point? (psst: I’m not talking just about material things, I’m talking about the freedoms that come with entrepreneurship as you grow your business.)
5. You’re willing to make a short-term sacrifice for a long-term reward. When I gave up my Mercedes, I knew it was temporary thing. I knew that by learning how to build my business the right way, I would once again get to enjoy my 6-figure lifestyle. And the next time, I would have the freedom to earn as much or as little as I chose. It was well worth the sacrifice.
Bonus: You possess the following characteristics and character traits. You are: independent, confident, optimistic, charismatic, flexible, perceptive, determined, driven, personable, creative, focused and energetic.
Now I want to hear from you, what’s your two cents?: What am I missing on this list? What do those thinking about maybe becoming an entrepreneur need to consider/possess in order to give it a real go?
©2015 by Darnyelle A. Jervey. All Rights Reserved. Darnyelle A. Jervey, MBA, The Incredible Factor Business Optimization Coach and Mentor, is the founder of Incredible One Enterprises®, Incredible Factor University® and the Leverage Your Incredible Factor System®, a proven step-by-step program so you experience financial and spiritual abundance in your life because of your business. For more information and a FREE audio CD “7 Critical Mistakes Even Smart Entrepreneurs Must Avoid for Clients, Connection and Cash Flow!” just fill out the form below.
