What it Takes to be a (Successful) Entrepreneur

You know something, the word entrepreneur is a hard to spell and it should be.??Being one is even harder!?But boy it can be fun (and very lucrative).

Most folks who have become an entrepreneur tried the 9-to-5 thing and found it unfulfilling, frustrating, boring, uncreative, disappointing, unmotivating, and so many other things…some of which I can’t say without making your ears burn.

In my opinion, you really need to do the 9-to-5 first and understand what works and doesn’t (for you).?My beginning of being my own boss began when I got my real estate license.?The extra freedom was intoxicating but I was experienced enough (and very motivated) to put in, often, more hours than a “normal” job.?I did not want to go back into the classroom! Lol.

When a real estate agent (or salesman) begins with no background working a full day of 8-hours, they often fail. It was eye-opening for me when I became an owner/broker of a 34-agent real estate company, how some folks spent a day.?Some people are not cut-out to be their own boss or an entrepreneur.?Some folks need someone looking over their shoulders.

Planning your day WELL turned out to be huge.?Face it, when you work for a company, you have a pretty good idea of what will be asked of you.?When you do your own thing, not so much!?A boss at a company expects certain things.?It is spelled out.

Luckily, I was always a planner and a goal setter, so it was easy for me to make that transition.?Many of the agents in my company knew I had my little index card in my pocket.?I tried, the evening before, to write out where I would headfirst and then have it in a sequence that allowed me to check-off more of the items on my to-do-list.?No reason to have to drive back and forth and waste time. ?I planned REALLY well!

The only time I had less control was when I had a specific appointment that I could not change the time.?Certainly, in real estate, a closing or a listing appointment needed to be set-up taking in the client’s convenience.?But the great thing about real estate was you made up the rules for when you marketed or worked on something creative.?I was fortunate that I liked these things.

I made sure, that every day I must “prospect” at least 2-hours per day.?Often agents let this important task be skipped because they allowed other less important things get in the way, but it usually was because they didn’t want to do it.?Making yourself do the “dirty” work is what being an entrepreneur is all about.?Who else will do it?

An entrepreneur cannot do this.?They always need to be alert to new opportunities.?They always need to work their “plan” to have new customers.?To me, a great thing of being a real estate agent (an entrepreneur) was having varied tasks and varied days.?

So, even though I was frustrated about not being able to get the other agents to (always) plan their day in detail, it was a major reason why I was successful, and they were not.?Plan, and plan some more.?No day ever completely works out the way you hope, but I still got a “kick” out of checking things off.?I may not be using my index cards now, but whether you use technology or not, it doesn’t really matter!?

So, if you have the desire to be your own boss, there is no day like today. I’m sure, if you never try, you will look back on this moment, this day, and this year and be disappointed you didn’t give it an attempt.

Many of us get stuck into believing we are too old, too far into a career, or even we can’t picture ourselves being able to do it.?It totally changed my life and my perspective of myself.?I now KNOW I can do so much more!!?Thank God I got the opportunity.