More Than Start-Ups: Why Everyone Needs an Entrepreneurial Mindset

If your first thoughts when you read “entrepreneurial mindset” was startups or building companies – it’s not. It is more than launching businesses, it’s a way of thinking - a mindset that is built on resilience, adaptability and “powering through”. It encompasses building brands, careers and more importantly building value.

Breaking it down ..

Have you heard about the Effectuation Theory? Sara Sarasvathy, introduced a brilliant theory, that highlights how entrepreneurs create their opportunities, with “what they have and what they can control” versus trying to predict the future and waiting for things to happen for them.

If we had all the details displayed before us, taking decisions could be simple, but if we don’t – well, we can try to shape the future through our action! That's the heart & soul of the entrepreneurial mindset.

How do I build this mindset?

One thing I’ve learnt, is that you can train your brain on anything. You just need to set up consistent habits and rituals that allow you to cultivate the changes you desire, and if you have to stick with it long enough to make it part of your being.

If you want to start being more entrepreneurial in your thoughts, I’d start with this road map:

Leverage what you have: stop of waiting for the perfect situation, job, opportunity – leverage your existing skills, network and resources to create value. As Oprah Winfrey always says – ask yourself what is the next right move?

Uncertainty does not have to be your enemy, it could be your energy: you see, I don’t know anyone (and I mean anyone) who is 100% certain about their choices or future, or their big life decisions. But I know people, who calculate the risk, consider their maximum downside that they can afford to lose - and take risks they can afford.

Solve problems: If your initial reaction to a problem is panic or disdain, you might want to establish a routine of analysis, reflection, and then problem solving. Your mental strength is dependent on your ability to resolve situations, to pick up some lessons and to re-build again. The most powerful leaders are not the ones who never faced problems, they are the ones that found a way to solve, redirect and fix.

Practice resilience: Allow yourself the space to fail and persist on getting back up. You see, once you establish that failure is a guaranteed part of the process, you’ll look at it as a detour versus a showstopper.

Bottom line is, I reckon there are a lot of things we must work on to be better, stronger more resilient human beings. But for me, what starts from home lasts the longest – start with the mindset if you will.

Engage with people who have failed and rebuilt – this mindset changed lives, and you know what – there’s plenty waiting for us, on the other side of fear and uncertainty.

Thank you for reading, hope you found this helpful.

Love,

Noorhan

#mindset #entrepreneurial #resilience #growth #Effectuation #Theory

References and Additional Reads:

Effectuation Theory: https://effectuation.org/the-five-principles-of-effectuation

Entrepreneurial Mindset: https://kariekaufmann.com/entrepreneurial-mindset/

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