Yes to Me

(Photo by Kaptain Krispy Kream)

I think there is a new surge of interest in entrepreneurship.

So many people are interested in starting their own business these days. One reason is that we are so disillusioned with the corporate world. The slow economy has contributed to this disappointment and is encouraging the new entrepreneurs in an unexpected way. We realize the corporate jobs are not safe after all. You may be let go any time no matter what your position is. I have seen people lose their long-time jobs, and this includes jobs from president to engineers and admins. And when it happens to someone age 56, that’s really sad.

Moreover, we want so much from life. A lot of people are waking up with the realization that we, each one of us, has a purpose in life. Just making our ends meet is not enough. We want to thrive and live fully, and starting a business that utilizes our unique strengths is very appealing.

Is business knowledge all that takes to succeed as entrepreneur?

When you are standing at the verge of your career, contemplating the possibilities of starting your own business, you naturally wonder what it takes to succeed in your new venture as entrepreneur. What are the requirements? Say you have sufficient business knowledge and professional skills – is this enough?

I think the answer is NO. This is what I have learned the hard way, and in a sense what I am constantly reminded of: Business knowledge and skills are important, but knowledge and skills alone don’t lead to success as entrepreneur. There is mental and emotional requirements in addition to intellectual requirements. You need to shift from the paycheck mentality to the entrepreneur mentality if you are to become a successful entrepreneur. You need to think, feel, and of course act as a successful entrepreneur. Then, you can learn the necessary knowledge effectively – which is an ongoing process.

But how can you learn the entrepreneur mentality?

Do schools teach it? No. Teachers are not entrepreneurs, and no one can teach what they don’t know themselves. So teachers teach what they know – to memorize what is written in books, to give the “right” answers when asked, and to choose the safe route the majority of people follow. They don’t really believe in thinking outside the box – if they think outside the box, they get into trouble with the administrators. Plus there is not much reward for thinking independently and following your unique ideas when you are a government worker. So teachers don’t venture into the new and unknown no matter how much lip service they pay to people like Thomas Edison. I even heard that many teachers choose to become teachers because they cannot get corporate jobs. . .

If your parents are non-entrepreneurs, they can’t teach you the entrepreneur mentality, either. Again, they simply don’t know. They may wish they had their own business and be their own boss, but that is just a wishful thinking. They have not stepped forward, so they don’t know what it is like. You grow up looking at your parents and may wish to choose a different way of life because your parents’ way just doesn’t look so attractive. But what do you really need to do? How can you step into entrepreneurship?

As I wrote in If You Want To Become An Entrepreneur, Be With Entrepreneurs, it is critical to know entrepreneurs closely and learn the entrepreneur mentality from them. Only those who has been there can tell you what it is, the fun and the troubles, the risks and their payoffs.

I am happy to release my first e-workbook for aspiring entrepreneurs!

As you talk with entrepreneurs and learn the way they think and act as entrepreneurs, please use this workbook, 7 Check Points For Aspiring Entrepreneurs, to examine your preparedness. The workbook consists of the following seven sections:

1. Motivation
2. Your Strengths and Weaknesses
3. Your Market
4. Vision
5. Team Building
6. Risk Management
7. The Money

The 16 page workbook is brief and to-the-point with critical questions you need to answer as a new entrepreneur, whether your business is based online or offline. I asked my friends, many of them entrepreneurs themselves, to check the manuscript, and they agree these are important questions you need to clarify before making the leap. Aaron Potts at Today is that Day says,

“(The workbook has) a lot of great questions that someone needs to answer honestly as they are getting ready to get involved in any type of business venture.”

Please read this page regarding how to download the e-workbook.

Becoming an entrepreneur is both challenging and rewarding.

I hope this little workbook can help you start off well. Good start makes all the difference. And please let me know if you find some questions hard to tackle by yourself – I’d be happy to help.

What’s stopping you from starting your business? Click here for the sidekick.