Reality Check: 3 Cardinal RULES about becoming an Entrepreneur… (YOU WANT TO READ THIS)

Making the journey to become an entrepreneur, whatever sector you are embarking on is a heck of a job. Every time I meet a person taking this step or has done before, whether or not the business has been successful and reach their expectations, I’m always full of admiration. I know for sure the tribes and tribulations they have gone through and the hardships they would have endured. Out of the many colleagues I have met before, together with my own journey, there are 3 very common RULES I have noticed, and I believe it is essential for you to know.

Before I give it to you, you probably want to know why it is important to understand this. Well, just like any new job you want to take on, it is essential for you to prepare for it or at least get an idea of what it looks like for you to set the right expectations. The best way to do it is simply to learn from people who are already in this job, would you agree? The same will apply here. I’m in the job and so are many others and my intention here is to see as many successful entrepreneurs as possible, especially in the clean energy business and my desire is to pass on information I consider essential to win it.

So what are these RULES? Let’s discover them.

RULE !: You’re either in or you’re out

Many of us have started the journey gradually, keeping one foot in employment and another one in entrepreneurship as we thought this was the safest way to do so. We were hoping that secretly the business will grow significantly and will allow us to make a smooth transition. The reality is very different. In the majority of cases, while it helps you validating at start the potential of your idea, you invariably come to a decision point where you either decide to go all in to take the business to another level, or you don’t, and you’ll struggle to reach the growth needed for the business to sustain you. This decision is scary (more than Halloween Pumpkins ??) and depending on the person, you could literally spend years and years undecided. You may be tempted to think that you could stay like that forever not taking the decision but I know you’re clever enough to know that in itself is already a decision.

You have to jump…not once but MULTIPLE times

This particular RULE was a BIG eye-opener for me. How many motivational videos have I watched where they are all talking about making the jump. You have to jump, you have to have faith, you have to believe etc. As eluded in the paragraph above, you almost think you would have to make this decision only ONCE and that’s it. Everything else will then become easier aftrewards. What do you do then? You would spend enormous time thinking about THE DECISION, magnifying the moment and somehow you’ll find the courage of James Bond to do it and you would feel extremely proud of yourself, almost waiting for the reward to come from nowhere…only to be disappointed later. This was my case. What I didn’t know though that I discover later…is that I had to jump not once but multiple times. So many other scarier decisions you have to make where you only have your commitment and courage to guide you. Yes, the first jump is certainly a big one, but guess what? It is not necessarily the scariest moment. What you learn though is that you grow and keep growing with these challenges and you develop the skills and the character to become your superhero. ?You build up a muscle, the HUSTELE MUSCLE that will ultimately carry you through the hoops and help you to land in your destination. In-between, just enjoy the bumpy ride??.

Best known beats the Best

Another BIG revelation for me and I’m convinced it would the same for many, many of you too. Out of all the new entrepreneurs that I’ve been fortunate to meet so far, I’m confident enough to say that more 90% of them will focus their time worrying about protecting their idea, perfecting their product, and starting promotion of their business closer to the time they are ready to launch. And as they are proceeding to it, they would seriously, I mean S.E.R.I.O.U.S.L.Y underestimate the number of efforts needed to get people to notice them and the time it takes to develop a brand. And even more so, they would not understand the importance of doing so. Out of the 3 RULES I’ve mentioned so far, if there is only one thing to keep in mind, that would be the one!!Grant Cardone says it best: Money follows Attention. You want to make money, you want your business to succeed, make sure people and especially your target audience know about you and your product/service. Your success depends on it. As soon as I realised how fundamental this rule is, I committed to create an awareness programme to help businesses to get 3 things: visibility, leads and sales. I would love to tell you more. Reach out and we’ll chat about it.

Becoming an Entrepreneur is not easy at all but it could become simple once you understand and APPLY these 3 cardinal rules. Make the right choice folks!

Tony Tiyou?is the founder and CEO of?Renewables in Africa (RiA)?is a Clean Energy Company raising Awareness about Renewable Energy in Africa and across the globe. Interested in our Awareness Program? Click?HERE?to find out more or talk with us on?Clubhouse.