8 Signs You're An Entrepreneur

8 Signs You’re An Entrepreneur

Like most people, I didn’t plan to be an entrepreneur, instead, I fell into it after experiencing the corporate world.

I’m not saying there is anything wrong with having a great job because there’s not. I’ve had many amazing opportunities to learn, evolve and grow. The question is whether or not you are itching to cross the barrier into entrepreneur-land?

I’ve compiled 8 signs to help you know if you’re really an entrepreneur at heart:

YOUR WAY OR THE HIGHWAY

I just never liked being told what to do and THAT my friend is because I always thought my ideas were better anyway. Can you relate? Do you like to do things your way too? If you are a free spirit who likes to carve your own path, then that’s a good sign that being an entrepreneur is a good fit.

DON’T TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER…EVER.

I guess that’s why I hold the record for spankings as a child. If they said no, I just went ahead and did it to see what happened. As an adult, this has led me to accomplish WAY more than people think is humanly possible. Give up? Never. Not in the vocabulary of the entrepreneur. They will figure out a way to fit a square peg in a round hole or die trying.

PASSION IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT

An entrepreneur has to have passion – the kind that is unwavering. Otherwise, you’ll quit at the first sign of trouble or worse, months without a paycheck. (Yes, I’ve been there.)

When there is a passion for what you do, it doesn’t feel like work and for an entrepreneur when starting your business, you may work round the clock in the beginning, on weekends and more than the average person for a while. However, if you love what you do, it doesn’t qualify as work.

[ctt_hbox link=”f7Itw” via=”no” ]Passion will keep you going when there is no money, no support and no belief in your idea. Without passion, success will elude you.[/ctt_hbox]

SELF-STARTER

Most entrepreneurs I know are on it, like white on rice. No one needs to tell them what has to be done, because they are already knee deep in it or have figured out a new way to accomplish their goal before the rest of us rolled out of bed.

Dedication to figuring things out is paramount for the entrepreneur. Many times you are the ONLY employee in the beginning so if something needs to be done, you’re the one doing it. These are people who are up at the crack of dawn or working late instead of watching Netflix. Just like me right now, writing at 11 pm instead of sleeping. 🙂

QUITTING IS FOR THE BIRDS

Entrepreneurs are people who conquer projects as they come up and always finish them. They don’t have a manager looking over their shoulder or someone keeping them on task. If they don’t get it done, they don’t have a paycheck or worse, can’t pay their staff. Keeping the lights on creates the kind of motivation you’ve never seen before which makes quitting impossible.

This kind of dedication to the finish line is hard to find in the workplace. No one will be more dedicated or passionate about the growth of your company than you are.

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

[ctt_hbox link=”2GRm1″ via=”no” ]For an entrepreneur, you must be a creative thinker. This sometimes means being a thrill seeker because, if you want to change the world, you HAVE to think outside the box. By having fresh eyes and creative ideas @lauralaire https://ctt.ec/2GRm1+[/ctt_hbox] you can literally change an industry or become the world’s second richest man like the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos.

“What we need to do is always lean into the future; when the world changes around you and when it changes against you – what used to be a tail wind is now a headwind – you have to lean into that and figure out what to do because complaining isn’t a strategy.” -Jeff Bezos

UNPREDICTABLE

As the winds change, so does the mind of the entrepreneur. Always learning, always researching, always innovating. Being unpredictable is the hallmark of the visionary. That’s not to say all ideas materialize but what’s important is the amount of energy always dedicated to innovation.

Most entrepreneurs change by the minute because this is something you have to do in a fast-changing world to keep up with technology, social media, and your competitors.

COMPETITIVE BY NATURE

Most entrepreneurs are extremely competitive by nature. They will keep one eye on their competitors at all times and routinely try to “one-up” what everyone else is doing. Entrepreneurs don’t like to lose plus a little rivalry doesn’t just make you better, it can make you the best!

People start companies because they believe they can do it better. Look at Google. Search engines already existed but they knew they could improve it enough to dominate through competitive ranking and I’m pretty sure they did wouldn’t you agree?

[ctt_hbox link=”mb3d1″ via=”no” ]Being an Entrepreneur is neither a part-time or a full-time job. It’s a lifestyle. [/ctt_hbox]

If you don’t love it, don’t do it and that goes for jobs too. If you really want to dive in and figure out if entrepreneurship is right for you, you have to look at it from all different angles. Check out this quiz I have for you below to find out if entrepreneurship is right for you.

1. Personality:

Do others turn to you for help in making decisions?
Are you persistent and self-disciplined?
Do you plan ahead?
Can you recognize an opportunity?
Are you a risk taker?
Can you multi-task?
Do you get overwhelmed by stress?
Do you want clear instructions or do you take initiative?

2. Mindset:

Are you motivated by the independence of being your own boss?
Do you have a success mindset
Do you examine mistakes and learn from them?
Are you aware that running your own business may require working 12-16 hours a day, six days a week, and maybe even Sundays and holidays?
Do you have the physical and emotional strength to handle the workload and schedule?

3. Habits:

Do you have a focus?
Can you shift priorities?
Are you willing to break your bad habits and dedicate yourself to the good ones?
Financially smart – if you’re a big spender or not. Are you prepared to use your savings if necessary?
Are you prepared, if needed, to temporarily lower your standard of living until your business is firmly established?

The truth is, if you say yes to even 5 of these questions, it’s a tell-tale sign you’re meant to be an entrepreneur.

Benefits of Being An Entrepreneur:

Dress how you like to. Yoga pants, no problem. Gym clothes, who cares. Work it your way, babe.
You control how your company or brand is represented.
It’s never too late. If you start at 60, no problem. Ideas at 18, go for it. There is no age barrier to starting and running your own business.
Work where you are. With the Internet and mobile technology, you can travel and still run your business.
Boredom? Never. You are in charge of everything in your business. You will be using your creative brain 24/7 unless you set strict work hours. As an entrepreneur, it is challenging to turn it off and not work all the time especially if you love what you do.
Time Freedom – you do have the ability to choose your schedule, which means you can work around important family events and children.
Give Back – we started the PACE initiative as my clever husband named it. We decided to give to a different charity every quarter to give back and care for people, animals, communities, and the environment.
A Challenge you will love. Being your own boss doesn’t come without challenges. These are typically welcome obstacles when you are leading a company you believe in.
No Cap on income or growth. Leave it up to your imagination to create a company that doesn’t have ceilings for you or your team.

[ctt_hbox link=”505eC” via=”no” ]You win the prizes and you pay the price. [/ctt_hbox]

You don’t have to be lucky. Hard work, overcoming negative influences, and never quitting on your dream is what success is made of, it’s not luck.

Now I want to know your thoughts on being an entrepreneur. If you already are one, can you relate and if not do you think you’d like to be in the future? Leave a comment below and get in the conversation.

Warmly,

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