When you hear someone say, I am an Entrepreneur… what does it actually mean to be defined and categorised as an entrepreneur?
I’ll give you a great quote I found on this one… “Being an entrepreneur is about living a few years of your life like most people won’t, to live the rest of your life like most people can’t”
So, it’s a few intense years for a greater long term outcome for you and your family.
The decision to become an entrepreneur is not one to be taken lightly. A great number of new challenges and responsibilities comes with choosing to go it alone in business. One thing is for certain, once you make the decision, your life will never be the same.
The challenges that come with the entrepreneurial journey are not for the everyone, it takes a certain type of person to truly succeed as an entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, you will see the world in a different light. Instead of working to reach performance standards, you are working towards continuous improvement, innovation and to challenge the status quo. Being an entrepreneur requires persistence and determination to keep on going, even after failures or upsets along the journey. It requires the ability to adapt quickly to change, to challenge disbelievers and to devote a huge amount of your time and energy to turning your vision into a reality.
What drives the decision to become and entrepreneur is a good indication of the potential you have to reach business success. If you are an entrepreneur or are considering becoming an entrepreneur, and the decision to follow this path this is driven by your desire to make more money or drive a fast car, I’m going to say that you missed it. You missed what being an entrepreneur is truly about, and in most cases, entrepreneurs that are driven by a personal desire for more money or materialistic possessions will not achieve lasting success in their business.
To me, being an entrepreneur is a social responsibility, not only to your own life, but also the world around you. It’s about your impact on the planet, your family, your community, the team you employ. If as an entrepreneur, you are driven by a desire to fulfil a purpose, or ‘Why’, that is centred around making a difference to your community and the planet, then you are on the right track.
Choosing to view your entrepreneurial journey as an opportunity to help others is incredibly powerful. Some of the most exciting experiences as entrepreneur come from doing something to change someone’s life. Being able to seize these opportunities when they present themselves is one of the greatest privileges of being an entrepreneur.
So, if you want to define yourself as a true entrepreneur, what is your purpose? Have a think about what the legacy you and your business will be leaving behind? What is the impact you want your entrepreneurial journey to leave on the world? If you centre your vision here, with your ‘Why’, it will have a profound impact on how you run your business.
Entrepreneurship comes will a great number of challenges, paths and decisions that are vastly different to any other occupation you may come across, however with every choice you make on the entrepreneurial journey, you have the potential to change your life, your future and the world around you forever.
