Are you an entrepreneur or do you have an entrepreneurial mindset?

Are you an entrepreneur or do you have an entrepreneur mindset??

Tamsen Fadal (host of WPIX NY, who is a mentor of mine) posted a TikTok video yesterday calling out "pink flags" when dating. She labels one pink flag as a man or woman who is unable to have one solid job, constantly trying to convince you that they're working on becoming a better employee but "no job inspires them enough" to keep the job. That pink flag slowly morphes into a red flag when you realize you can't save someone who simply can't save themself.

This "pink flag" is common for aspiring entrepreneurs. Day after day, aspiring founders have ideas that don't come to fruition because of the fear of failing (valid) or realizing that working for yourself is too much work after starting. I agree, it's too much work! That's why I'm lucky to be a true entrepreneur and not have the entrepreneur mindset only because starting and ending over and over is annoying. You may do best working for someone else and having a side hustle if you find yourself stopping and starting over 5+ years. 5 years is nothing in the startup world, but if you haven't figured out if you want to be an entrepreneur after 5 years...you're in for a future that may be filled with struggle. By working for someone else and allowing your creativity fly after hours, you're bringing in consistent revenue while pursuing your dreams with very low stakes. Bravo!

Ask yourself these three questions if you're debating whether you're an entrepreneur or have an entrepreneurial mindset:

1. Do you constantly find yourself leaning into having a side hustle yet find yourself frustrated and ultimately moving on to a new idea after a few months?
2. Do your friends & family support your dreams of running your own biz?
3. Do you feel excited about the idea of pursuing a startup on your own at first and having some or no consistent revenue for 12+ months?

If you find yourself intrigued by the mindset of an entrepreneur/ someone who can rely on such little consistency but don't answer yes to the above questions, you may want to think twice about quitting your day job before going all in on being a founder.

Time isn't running out: you can always pursue your ideas as long as you don't expect anything but showing up for yourself. Entrepreneurship is a hard, long path that will move your life in different directions. You must be ready for every bump along the way if this lifestyle is meant for you.

Stay fearless or die trying,

Alexa