S.7 Ep. 04 Taking Your First Step as an Entrepreneur

Ep. 04 Taking Your First Step as an Entrepreneur

I sort of know what it’s like to face change and to step out of the comfort zone. 

Now for some, change can happen in a number of ways:

• It could be voluntary for many reasons

o Maybe you want to retire with purpose and you’ve had this idea in your head for awhile

o Maybe you’re already retired either from the military or the workforce and you want to try life 2.0 but this time doing something that makes you feel alive

• Or maybe this life change you’re going through isn’t voluntary and you’re scrambling a bit to figure some things out

o It could be because of a job loss

o It could be because of a divorce

o It could be a number of reasons

Either way, voluntary change or involuntary change, it’s still change. And that’s something that a lot of people have a hard time with. 

But if nothing changes, then everything will stay the same right? And it’s for that reason alone that you’re even thinking about stepping out of your comfort zone. Maybe you’re tired of feeling comfortable. 

And even though you used to think that you’d never really pursue that dream you’ve had to start your own business, now, with the situation you’re facing, it’s starting to look like it might not be such a bad idea after all. Am I right? Like I said, I’ve been through this scenario more than once. 

But.. you’ve got a lot of questions. And doubts. And then more questions about the answers to the first questions. I get it. There’s a lot to think about. There’s a lot to talk about. But at the same time, if you’re anything like me, overthinking can also be tying your hands behind your back. 

So, are you an overthinker? Overplanner? One thing I noticed about overthinking is that it always seems to lean toward the negative. Have you ever noticed that? We don’t overthink the positive and wonder about all the things that could go right, do we? We seem to be naturally convinced of the negative and have to have someone, or maybe a few people, who are the ultimate optimist try and break through our negative thinking and persuade us that a good or great outcome is certainly possible as well. 

In his new book ‘Soundtracks’ by Jon Acuff, he describes overthinking this way. “It’s one of the most expensive things in the world because it wastes time, creativity, and productivity. It’s an epidemic of inaction, a tsunami of stuckness…Over the years, you’ve built a soundtrack about your career. You have a soundtrack for all your relationships. You have a soundtrack you believe about your hopes, dreams, goals, and every other aspect of your life. If you listen to any thought long enough, it becomes a part of your personal playlist.”

Now I’m a big fan of planning and being prepared. But I’ve also found that that can be an excuse for never actually moving forward to the point of actually doing something meaningful. Of flipping that commitment switch in your head and calling yourself an entrepreneur. 

Because there IS an entrepreneurial switch you have to at some point, flip. It’s there. And yes, it’s all about mindset and how we view ourselves and how we view the possibilities of success, and how we view our potential. It’s thinking about how we think. 

Because our thoughts control our emotions. Ok.. so, do you want to have a successful business someday? Whether it’s something full-time or part-time? If you want to be successful, then it’ll start when you believe you’ll be successful. Don’t have a pathway yet for your dream, then make a path. You can do it. We were made to dream. I believe in you. How? I already told you. If I can do it, so can you. 

Do you want to be an entrepreneur someday? Then start calling yourself one now. Start thinking of yourself as one now. You’ll need that mindset solidified in your head first, in advance, not later when you think you’ve arrived at some stage of accomplishment. 

Are you thinking about being an entrepreneur? Then tell yourself you are one now. Think like one. Act like one. Plan like one. Live like one. Introduce yourself as an entrepreneur. It’s not being fake or phony. This is the way it starts the process of how you work through the startup phase of launching your dream. This is what needs to happen to turn that dream into a reality. A commitment. An identity. A new focus on life and how you’ll live it. 

Don’t think you have what it takes? I won’t believe that. Look, if I can do it, so can you. Now, will you make some mistakes? Of course. Everyone does. And sometimes those mistakes will help you to learn what the true path you’re supposed to be on really is. Mistakes are just life telling you to not do that again. So then when we learn by the life mistakes or the business mistakes, no matter what they are, we’re on the way to a better, more focused path. 

Now, you can certainly just take all this in and store it away with everything else you’ve learned about starting your business, but be certain of this. The more you delay, the more money it could be costing you. This isn’t a guilt trip I’m pulling on you. This is just me thinking about how much passive income I would have never earned if I didn’t start when I did. Now did I start too late? Maybe. But I can’t change that. 

Now looking back, if I didn’t start my business when I did, I would have never started the process of receiving that passive income. Translation…money lost. Money never earned. Now if I had never flipped that entrepreneurial switch in my head and just kept working that job I hated, I many thousands of passive income dollars NEVER EARNED. 

So learn from my mistakes, yes, but also learn from my successes also, OK? There’s a time for planning and waiting and there comes a time to make a commitment. 

So what’s it going to be? Will today be the day you stop letting others decide what your path will be and take control of your dreams? Will today be the day you make the leap to take your life back? 

Sometimes there’s a leap forward and sometimes there are baby steps forward. I see it as a leap in your mindset and then the baby steps for the process you’ll need to go through to launch your business. 

But this message today isn’t about process. It’s about a choice. What are you going to choose to be today? You’re listening to a small business podcast or reading my small business blog for a reason. That shows me that you’re halfway there and you’ve got your finger on the switch you need to flip but you’re not quite sure about something yet. 

If you’re going to wait until you have all the answers to your questions, then you’ll never flip the switch. There are a lot of things you’ll just have to learn as you go. And that’s ok. That’s a normal part of the process. 

So whatever reasons you have for believing something other than you being successful? Get rid of them. 

• Think you waited too long and the window of opportunity has passed? Don’t believe it. 
• Not good with technology, so you don’t think you can learn what you need? Don’t believe it. There are plenty of resources and people that will help you.  
• People might think you’re crazy so it’s holding you back. Don’t believe THEM. 
• You’ve had a business before and it didn’t work out so you’re not sure if you can be successful this time. Don’t believe it. Your chances of success are even greater now that you made some mistakes and know what not to do.

 You can do this! Again, if I can do it, so can you. If you need some help along the way, reach out to someone that’s been through the process with success.