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Have you been wondering if you have an entrepreneur mindset? If you have what it takes to start your own business?
Don’t worry it’s perfectly natural to have doubts about whether you can do it or not?
Right now you probably have a feeling that there is something more than what you’re doing in your current job and you’re ready to start exploring your options.
Being an entrepreneur is a career path you can choose and learn, just like being an accountant, business consultant or Operations Manger.
It’s just another career path but is a lot harder work because it’s the less conventional path and you have to go all in to make it work.
And just like any career there are essential traits for success. That’s what developing an entrepreneur mindset is all about.
It’s about the way you think, act and react to the situations in your life. Being an entrepreneur in every area of your life not just your business.
There are several ways to tell if you have an entrepreneurial mindset. There are also just as many ways to develop your entrepreneur mindset and create a clear road to becoming the entrepreneur you want to be.
Having an Entrepreneur Mindset
Here are a few of the top qualities and mindset you need to have to become a successful entrepreneur.
Leadership Qualities
Are you a leader OR do you need to be lead? As an entrepreneur nobody is going to tell you what to do, so you have to be able to lead yourself and others towards the vision you create for your business. Being a leader and developing the skills of leadership is not optional.
But it’s OK if you’re not a great leader yet. As long as you know you have the drive to be a self-starter and get things done, you can build your leadership skills along the way.
“There are those who need to be shown the way and those who will show others the way. Which are you?”
Lorraine P.
Creative Thinking
What is creative thinking well according to lifehack.org “Creative thinking is our ability to look at ideas presented or a scenario, and find new alternatives that solve the problem.”
And as an entrepreneur your job is to come up with solutions to problems that involves a lot of creative thinking. So you have to hone your creative thinking skills right from the start.
Persistence
You have to be persistent and have perseverance to keep going no matter what. Learning how to not just work hard, but work smart is important to your success. You must work hard on the right things to see progress.
The path of an entrepreneur is hard, with a lot of ups and downs so being able to bounce back and hang in there is critical to long term success.
Believe in Giving Value
Do you believe that the value you provide eventually comes back to you? If not you need to develop this critical shift in mindset. Read books like the Millionaire Mindset by T. Harv Eker.
When you focus on providing as much value as you can to the world the more income you will receive. As long as you do your best to increase the amount and the quality of the value you create you will see increased success.
Invest Your Time and Money
Do you believe in and know how to invest your time an money wisely. The skill of what to spend your time on and where to invest your money can be learnt but you have to shift your thinking from spending to investing.
When you spend time and money on something it usually means you’re not getting anything in return that is greater than what you spent. When you invest on the other hand you expect to get more back for your money or time.
For instance if you invest money into a course to learn how to create better systems in your business that will help you make more money and gain back time.
Make Decisions Based On Your Reality
It’s important to know and understand the truth of your current situation. So you can make decisions that are right for you right now. Avoid making assumptions and try to keep your ego out of your decision making process. Be open and committed to understanding the reality of every situation you face and make intelligent decisions based on the facts.
Master Your Craft
As a teen I discovered I had a natural talent for songwriting and I loved it and wanted to go pro. So after studying some of the greats I discovered the term Master Your Craft. This lead me to reading every book I could find about songwriting and setting a goal of writing 100 Songs over the course of a Summer.
The first songs I wrote where bad. But the more songs I wrote the better I got. The more I learnt the better I got. I started to master the craft.
Make mastering your craft a priority. And understand that when you start anything even if you have a natural talent for it you will be sucky at first. As you learn each day to improve yourself and your approach to your business you will get better and stronger each day.
So read, take courses and implement everything you learn to get better at what you do and being a business owner.
Be a Problem Solver
You can find a solution to any obstacle. It doesn’t matter what has gone wrong. You know that you can find a way to resolve the situation.
After all, business is about providing solutions to your customers problems. So you have to know how to solve problems.
If you show any or all of these qualities, you could very well be on your way to owning your own business because you do have that entrepreneurial spirit and an entrepreneur mindset.
How to Create a Clear Path Toward Entrepreneurial Success
Going from the 9:00 to 5:00 grind to the entrepreneurial way of life may not be the easiest path, but it is something you can achieve. However, there are several steps you need to take before forging head first into business ownership.
Get Clear
Getting clear on what it is you want to achieve is an important first step. It is not as simple as coming up with an idea and writing it down. You have to write down your goals, but even more importantly, you have to break them down. Being specific is not an option; it’s mandatory. You need to have clear, specific goals when it comes to starting a new business.
Create a Plan
Once you’re clear on what your goal for your new business is, you have to create a plan for success. Write down what your goal is, how you will achieve that goal in smaller steps, and then break that list down even further.
Take Action
Next, it is time to take action steps. Action steps need more than just thinking about taking them. Declare them aloud and to everyone, exactly what your action steps are; in this way, you are accountable to your word.
Delegate
When you’re starting a new business, don’t be afraid to delegate tasks, even if you don’t have a business partner or virtual assistants yet. One day delegating will be a task you will have to learn anyway.
Allow family and friends to help take the load off with personal life stuff while you learn all you need to know about getting started in business and building your foundations.
Outsource small tasks to freelancers on platforms like Fiverr and Upwork where you can get help even on a very small budget.
Letting Go
Sometimes in order to create something new, we need to let go of something old. In order to clear the path to creating a new business, something else will have to fall by the wayside. Your home may need to be a little cluttered or less clean. You may have to let go of a favorite sport or activity for a while, but it is well worth it in the end.
Keeping your day job is important until you are secure financially in your new business endeavor. It may be a difficult road to travel, but having an entrepreneurial mindset is a gift. Once you embrace your entrepreneurial mindset and start your business, you’ll be happy that you did.
If you’re looking to get started with any of these steps, check out the Build Your Business Vault – where you’ll find templates, worksheets and checklists that will help you get started!
