One of the most difficult elements of being self-employed or an entrepreneur is that you have to take full responsibility for everything that happens and doesn’t happen to you. This is step #1 before anything. Honestly, this should be the case across the board whether you want to be an entrepreneur or not. I heard a quote a long time ago that stated, “we are all self-employed but only the successful will admit it.” The issue with working as an employee is that it is dangerously easy to find someone to blame; “they cut my hours”, “they don’t pay me enough per hour”, my boss doesn’t like me. You get the point. Anyhow, if you work for any company, you are employed by a company who’s owner has gotten really good at finding someone else to do the job.
However, you can be sure that during the developmental stages of his or her business before anyone knew its name, ‘they’ had to do the work themselves. They most certainly learned that no one was going to be more committed or invested than they were to accomplish the ultimate goals. If you want to be the boss, understand this as soon as possible.
The most beneficial yet potentially frustrating thing about being an entrepreneur as that you often have to learn how to do everything; whether you like to do them or not. This may not be the case so much for someone who has the resources to outsource certain elements of the business-building process. However, it is more likely the business-owner outsources tasks he knows how to do yet no longer wants to or has to do. Either way, you will pay with time, money, or both to learn the mechanisms that will make your business work.
The reality is that before money comes in with any type of consistency, there is a ton of work that needs to be done in order to create the infrastructure that brings in new and repeat business.
The most beautiful thing about entrepreneurship for me is the self-sufficiency and self-reliance. When you are so invested and involved in your business, no one knows more than you about it. You do things exactly how you want and you can be creative and monumental in the results that are created. On the contrary, the scary part that most people fear is the fact that there is no guarantee that your efforts or investments will pay off at all. Some people find solace in knowing they are getting paid for every hour on the clock. Many years ago, I learned that “the only true security lies in your ability to work for yourself”. Those who buy into the temporary security usually fall the hardest because they weren’t prepared. Personally, I don’t want to be paid for my presence, I want to get paid for the type and amount of work I put in. Entrepreneurship won’t be for everyone and usually requires appropriate timing for those who are captivated by the concept. I’ve spent thousands of dollars and years of my life working towards businesses that didn’t pay off monetarily at all; enough to make just about anyone quit on their dreams and visions. With that said, I don’t regret one day or dollar spent that brought me zero monetary return. Sometimes there are other returns on investments you receive that you can’t spend or that anyone can see.
I learned this one concept over 6 years ago in my first MLM business and that I didn’t come to full realize myself until recently; “sometimes the biggest growth in your business is the growth that only you can see.”
My ability to take ownership, be creative, be consistent and committed, invest, carry out my visions, and single-handedly create the individual elements needed to create results is DIRECTLY the result of the development of skills, personal growth and mastery, refinement of interests and strength zones, and education from years effort.
Because I wanted things done right, I fully committed to doing them myself. You won’t always have to do everything yourself but in the beginning, if you don’t do the work, you won’t get the results. It’s precisely in the times that I am learning how to do what I feel is keeping me from results that I am raising my value and refined my skill-sets and strength zones. Most people don’t know what they are good at or want to do long-term because they don’t spend enough time putting in work. Therefore, they aren’t valuable and educated in the workplace.
I’ve come to realize that I don’t want anyone to become an additional moving part in my current endeavors and I don’t want to rely on anyone to do something I can do myself because things don’t turn out as great because no one has the attention to detail, sense of urgency, or have the skill-sets I have because I’ve worked on them for years.
This is something you’ll realize about yourself if you’ve had your own businesses for a length of time even when working for an employer. Your work ethic, skill-sets, and attention to detail will transfer over and you will stand out from other employees in the eyes of the managers and supervisors. In every job I’ve had after 17 years old, when I resigned, the managers told me I was going to go far in life because I was an excellent worker.
Even though I was on the clock, my problem-solving mind wanted to do things my way; a way that I saw would make things more logical, effective, and efficient. These things can only be achieved when you are in control.
Ironically, the skills you learn while running your own businesses and doing everything yourself make you substantially valuable and much more qualified in any job.
If you want it done right, do it yourself. If it doesn’t work, it’s because of you. But if it does work, it’s because of you.
