So You’re Not an Entrepreneur (But You Want to Be)

Once again, it’s controversial opinion time with your host, Bedros Keuilian!

Here it is: I believe that entrepreneurs are made, not born.Entrepreneur Name Tag Business Owner Self Employed Your Own Boss

Some of the biggest entrepreneurs in the world like to chalk up their success (and the success of their buddies) to DNA. They say they were born with it, and they want all the posers to clear out of the way.

I have a lot of respect for those guys…but I know that they’re wrong. And in fact, I think that their attitudes are potentially dissuading people who could do a lot of good in the world (people like YOU), so that’s why I want to set the record straight.

I don’t just want to get into some pie-in-the-sky debate, though. I want to PROVE them wrong with ACTIONS.

SO TO ANY FITNESS PROFESSIONAL OUT THERE WHO’S WORKING FOR SOMEONE ELSE BUT STILL WANTS TO BECOME AN ENTREPRENEUR, LISTEN VERY CLOSELY!

Because I believe that you CAN still change your destiny, especially when you’re armed with the right mindset and the right tactical knowledge.

So let’s make it happen! Right here, right now…

You Have 2 Options

 

Neither of those options is “give up and keep working for someone else.”

Instead, you have two options for how you’re going to become an entrepreneur.

Option #1: Quit your job today and open your own business.

That may sound crazy…and to be honest it kind of is, but it’s the choice that all entrepreneurs have to make at some point.

If you have an especially daring personality, or you know that you work best by making big decisions all in one go, then this might be the right path for you.

Also, this is a good idea if you already have entrepreneurial tendencies. If you used to go around selling things as a kid, or if you ever tried to convince your buddies to start a business with you back in high school, then you’ve got some natural entrepreneurial force in you already. Listen to it.

There are certain personality types that can only learn things through experience. They have zero patience for theory, they tend to be extremely stubborn, and they have a higher than average tolerance for risk.

Biochemistry research testThe thing is, those personality types are what most people are talking about when they say that entrepreneurs are “born with it” …

…but I see it differently.

I think if you have that fiery personality I just described, then you certainly do have an advantage when it comes to entrepreneurship. And to be honest, you’ll probably stop reading this blog post and go get started right about…now.

However, that still leaves a lot of you readers wanting to become entrepreneurs but who aren’t ready to make the immediate leap.

Folks, you and I are going to take a deep dive on Option #2…

Option #2: Start building entrepreneurial habits now. 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if you are working for someone else, you are not an entrepreneur.

However…

You can and should build entrepreneurial habits while you have a day job. You should build those habits both on your “off” hours and on your “on” hours.

Honestly, this is a good idea even for people don’t mind being employees until they retire. These are just good habits, and they are ESPECIALLY important for anyone who wants to become an entrepreneur one day.

Build Your Entrepreneurial Muscle

 

Now I’m about to give you an enormous helping of advice, and so I want to strategically frame this stuff for you to help maximize your success.

Whatever advice you take from me here; I want to you to IMMEDIATELY implement it.

I’m dead serious about this. If you have to literally have to stand up, leave your laptop on, leave your dinner half-eaten, and drive directly back to your office, or go directly to your daily planner to take some notes, DO IT NOW!

And if you have to just take one tiny piece of my advice at a time because you struggle with information overload, pick just one thing and DO IT NOW!king crown flat icon

And if you think I’m a blowhard who’s wrong about 99% of everything and you’re just gonna steal the 1% I’m right about, DO IT NOW!

Why?

Because speed of implementation is king.

Speed of implementation is the only thing that will bring you the freedom, abundance, and happiness you deserve within your mortal lifetime. It is also the only thing that will sort out the good advice you receive in life from the bad.

Make sense?

Good. Now here is a tip you can start following immediately:

Take responsibility for everything that happens in the business.

This one is important for a couple of reasons. First off, when you’re the founder and CEO of a business, you literally don’t have anyone you can shift the blame to. It’s all on you, so when problems come along you just need to dig in and solve them.

However, this idea can help you grow exponentially even when you are working for someone else’s business.

Now you might be tempted to say, “Hang on, doesn’t that mean I’ll end up cleaning up other people’s messes? Won’t that be stressful?”

That’s one way of looking at it…but here’s something I’ve noticed in my life and in other people’s: whoever solves the most problems, in the long run, wins.

Notice that I’m not saying whose problems there…I’m just saying that winners solve problems. In fact, true winners solve other people’s problems, which creates value in the world and gives them the leverage they need to ask for help when they need it.

Taking responsibility forces you to be a problem solver, which builds more creative muscle in your brain, and gives you a reputation as a valuable person. 

Ah, but there is a little bit of a twist here…

See, taking responsibility for every problem you come across does not necessarily mean solving it with your own two hands.

What I’m saying is that you need to DELEGATE.

THIS IS CRUCIALLY IMPORTANT IF YOU CURRENTLY HAVE A BOSS, BECAUSE IT’S HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT YOU ARE DOING THIS!

Navigation signs. Black hands silhouettes - pointing finger, stop hand and thumb up

If you see something that needs to be done, but you know you aren’t good at doing it or you know that someone else can do it way better, hand it off to that other person.

You are not weak if you delegate. You are making a responsible decision that will benefit everyone involved.

The key to greatness in entrepreneurship (and also many other fields) is to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. Delegation is your tactical, ground-level way of acting on that idea.

And the most beautiful part of it: the people around you will LOVE you for delegating correctly. When you do, it means they get to do more of the work they like and they are picking up on the fact that you respect their talents. It’s win-win.

Now let’s get REALLY tactical…

MONEY

 

If you thought I was letting you off the hook with all that mindset stuff, think again. I put that stuff first because it’s important to lay it down as a foundation, but now we’re going to talk about cold, hard cash.

Specifically, I want to tear down one of the most common excuses I hear from people who never start their own businesses even thought they claim they want to.

“I can’t start my own business because I don’t have enough money for it.”

This is just flat-out wrong. I was flat broke when I set out to create my own business. I mean living in my car broke.

And I didn’t just strike gold and instantly get cash either. Before I really found my footing and realized the core drive behind all my businesses, a lot of my experiments pushed me even deeper into debt.

Of course, things did work out in the end. I now enjoy the income of multiple 7 figure businesses, but ONLY BECAUSE I was willing and able to go through that scary lean period at the beginning of my career.

So next time you find yourself saying you “don’t have enough money,” try saying this instead:

“I can’t start my own business and follow my dream because I’m not willing to give up my comfortable lifestyle in the short term.” 

Does that sting a little bit? It should. That’s the point.

Because the truth is, as long as you really do have a great product to sell (your training, your knowledge, etc.) and you put in the honest hard work to sell it, YOU WILL WIN the long game.

And the earnings from that long game will overshadow any sacrifices you have to make in the short term.

So start saving your money like a madman. Starting now, don’t waste a single extra penny on eating out, buying flashy clothes, living in too big an apartment, or buying an expensive car.

barattolo, latta, vuoto, vuota, scatola, lattinaEven if you’ve never had to live broke in your life, I recommend you try it, even if just for a week. Eat rice and beans for dinner, take the bus around town, and wear only your crappiest t-shirt and jeans.

This brilliant little technique (which I’ll admit I’m borrowing from Tim Ferriss) is called “practicing poverty”. The idea behind it is to act out your worst fears of failure in business to prove to yourself that being broke is not really that bad.

Look, being broke sucks, and I KNOW how bad it sucks, but it really isn’t the worst thing that can happen to you. And to be an entrepreneur, you gotta be able to take the sort of earth-shaking risks that might leave you broke.

So practice that now! Build up your mental toughness! Do it now while the stakes aren’t quite so high. From where you stand right now, you really don’t have a lot to lose but you have EVERYTHING to gain. Embrace that.

Oh and by the way, when you’re storing your money away consider investing it. There’s a ton of guided investment services popping up right now, so it’s easier than ever to make your money work for you. Look into it.

NOW GO IMPLEMENT SOMETHING! SPEED OF IMPLEMENTATION IS KING!

Committed to your success,

Bedros