By Liz Hamlet - Spark Succeed Coaching & Consulting
✅ Are you dreaming of starting your own business?
✅ How long have you held that dream?
✅ Are you stuck in research paralysis? - finding yourself researching incessantly, googling advice and “how to start a business” guides – but not getting any closer to taking the leap?
You’re not alone!
The key reason people fail to start a business is FEAR!
Making the shift from Employee to Entrepreneur can seem daunting. There are certainly some mindset changes to be made when stepping out of your “employee” role and into that of an entrepreneur.
By switching up your mindset to these 5 characteristics of successful entrepreneurs, you’re paving your way to successfully overcoming the fear and to launching your new business!
1. You’re the decision maker
You’re responsible for ALL the decisions – good and bad!
There’s no one to tell you what to do – fantastic! But on the flip side, there’s NO ONE to tell you what to do. With the many decisions there are to make, both at start up and beyond, it might be tempting to delay tough decisions for a while – but opportunities can be short lived and so it’s key to develop a sense of urgency. Don’t let opportunities pass you by.
2. Uncomfortable is your new comfort zone
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. You’ll be learning LOTS of new skills – things you’d never even contemplated, things you thought you wouldn’t be good at but have now discovered a geeky love for (in my case web design!).
Break some rules! And enjoy doing it.
This is YOUR new company – you’ve got the freedom to try different things. You’ll often hear the phrase “think outside of the box”. Well in this case, there is no box. The options are limitless.
Your family and friends may have scoffed about your business idea to buy toilet roll wholesale to sell on just 18 months ago – yet you’d have been racking it in during the start of lockdown!
3. Numbers don’t lie
As an employee, it was enough to know the basic ins and outs of your department budget. But as an entrepreneur, cash flow is key! Learn to love your numbers fast – live and breathe them!
4. Be a Jill of all trades
No more “that’s not my job – go to so-and-so department” – as a business owner EVERY job is your job!
Get used to wearing lots of different hats – doing things you’re not used to doing. You’re now your own IT department, marketing, sales, customer services, finance.
Get to love learning new skills!
5. Take both short & long views
Focus on the strategic view – where you’re going and how you’ll get there.
It’s important to have the big picture, but be clear on what smaller steps are needed to get you there. Think of the big picture as your North Star – guiding you in the right direction.
That’s all well and good, but how can you kickstart the shift?
Change “I can’t” into “I can” – that positive self talk really does work. Tell yourself enough times that you’re not capable, and you will start to believe it. And the opposite is also true – talking to yourself in a kind, positive way, will build your self assurance and project you forward to launching your own business.
Start now – why put off until tomorrow what can be done today? Start by taking just one step that will move you forward towards your goal. Don’t overwhelm yourself with a long list. You’ll be surprised by what can be achieved with time blocking even just 15 minutes in your day for that one activity. Imagine what can be achieved with that daily practice over a month!
Ditch those excuses – if we think hard enough, we can always come up with an excuse. Instead tell yourself “Why not?”
Surround yourself with the right people – find your cheer squad. Those who will champion you, support you and challenge you in the right way.
And finally, remember that done is better than perfect.
“If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to build theirs.” Tony Gaskin
So – what one thing can you do TODAY to switch up your mindset from employee to entrepreneur and make your business dream a reality?
About Liz Hamlet
Podcaster, Coach, Speaker. Liz is passionate about helping budding entrepreneurs get their business dream launched. She founded Spark Succeed after making the leap herself from employee to entrepreneur. When she’s not podcasting and coaching, you’ll most likely find her strolling along a sunny beach looking for a good ice cream stop.
Pssst...
Have you listened to Liz’s podcast? How to Spark Success is all about sharing (stealing! shhh) the success secrets of savvy business leaders. Listen or watch wherever you love listening to your podcasts! https://linktr.ee/howtosparksuccesspodcast
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