4 Things You Should Know about Entrepreneurs
Many people talk to me about being an entrepreneur. Some confess a childhood dream they have kept tucked away in a box of what-ifs and maybe-one-days. Other people ask me for advice, convinced that they’d never be able to ‘pull it off’. Then there is the batch of folks who explain all of the reasons why entrepreneurship could never work for them. I am beginning to see that most people do not realize that most entrepreneurs are not very different from them.
Dedication: This is dedicated to every aspiring and secretly-aspiring entrepreneur. I spoke to fellow travelers on the entrepreneurship path and put together four key entrepreneurial traits that I’ve noticed on this road. Hopefully, this will shed some light on this strange land:
- We’re Scared. Sure, fearlessness is imperative whenever you pursue a dream but I have yet to meet an entrepreneur- new or veteran- who doesn’t get scared sometimes that her latest idea will be a flop, that he won’t land a client or that they will regret a huge business decision. Many entrepreneurs may do a damn good job of pitching and selling but don’t forget that they are just as human as anyone else; everyone exhales deeply and wipes off some brow sweat before walking into a make-or-break meeting. Imo Udom, Chief Product and Strategy Officer at Outmatch HCM candidly explained, “Being an entrepreneur is no cake walk. Things get very scary. (When I first started out) my worst fear was to one day have to tell employees, who might have families, that they need to pack it up.” Entrepreneurs are all painfully aware of the alternative 9–5 life that could very well rid their lives of most of these daily stressors. Javier Suarez, Executive Producer of the Hispanic Choice Awards, sums it up best. “Flying without a net is exhilarating but its still flying without a net.” If fear is what you think holds you back from pursuing your passion or dream full-time, remember that it doesn’t just go away once you take the plunge; you just do it anyway.
- We Doubt Ourselves. As much confidence as it requires to dive head first into the uncertain waters of self-employment, the truth is insecurity is just as rampant in entrepreneurship as anywhere else. Jomaree Pinkard, serial entrepreneur and Hella Cocktail Co-Founder agrees, “There are always those moments of insecurity (but) after my mind rushes through all of the what-if’s and the how am I going to make rent next month moments, I smile and think to myself, I wouldn’t have it any other way!” We may be really good at fooling a boardroom or networking crowd but at the end of the day, we question it all. Doubting and insecurity is a part of being a human. If you think you have to be cool, confident and composed all the time to chase a dream, you’re wrong!
- We Make it Up as We Go. The cat is out of the bag. We were not born with some mutant superpower (although my ability to color-code a master event binder is uncanny.) Most of us take to this road way before we become experts in any field, so we do want any smart, respectable, professional in a new environment would do, we make it up! Much of our expertise is learned in the “field”. The baptism-by-fire moments when we must respond to a question that stumps us, think on shaky feet and so, we just say whatever comes to our mind. Joanne Douglas, founder of a sustainable art studio, has embraced these moments of uncertainty. “I have found that when I place myself in unfamiliar situations, I push all my boundaries. That’s when I become the most daring and creative.” Imo Udom shared how he has been faced with this reality as well. “I remember completely screwing up a sales meeting with a client and then using their feedback from that meeting to ace another one an hour later.” Entrepreneurs go with gut feelings, we Google templates, and we crowdsource. When I asked Javier Suarez whether entrepreneurs make things up, he poignantly remarks, “It’s our secret business plan.” Yes!
- We’re a Little Insane! If you have ever had a suspicion, you were right! In order to dive into the murky waters of business ownership, you don’t see the world the way others do and that’s not a bad thing! After speaking with many a fellow trailblazer, and observing my own excitement over pitch decks, obsession with strategic planning and addiction to quaint cafes with free wifi, I wondered if there was something else that drove our decision to cut the traditional labor path. Jomaree Pinkard framed it well. “We are the business bungee jumpers, skydivers, and Mount Everest climbers. The difference is that most of us have no cord that’s going to snag us and pull us back to safety . There are no crampons, no food in our parka jackets ; we’re just jumping and climbing… and we like it. We love being scared to death!”
This strange combination of thrill-seeking qualities combined with creativity and self-doubt create the perfect cocktail for remaining on this road. In order to succeed despite uncertainty, you must surrender logic, reason and what may seem sane and like the right thing to do. This road really is about running into oncoming traffic, flying without a net, and jumping without a ‘chute. Once you see that entrepreneurs, like everyone else, are scared, get insecure, and are not experts, jumping out of the plane and going after what you love is the fun part! If you have ever experienced any of the 4 traits above, you’d fit right in on this journey. Whatever you do, do NOT convince yourself that entrepreneurs are any different than you or that this whole thing is anything more than a decision. Stop thinking; do it.
Originally published on: https://entrepreneurshiproad.blogspot.com/2012/08/4-things-you-should-know-about.html
