I talk with a lot of people who want to start a business “someday.” And as a result, I often think about the factors that determine which “someday” entrepreneurs will actually become business owners, and which will continue to say “I wish” for years to come.
Surprisingly, the ability to take
the plunge has a lot less to do with people’s personalities, and a lot more to
do with how accessible and familiar the experience of entrepreneurship is to
them. Those who can picture themselves running a business often do. And those
who continue to think of entrepreneurship as a big, scary
thing that other people (perhaps more gregarious, sales-oriented, or
risk-tolerant people) do tend to never move forward.
So, if you, too, dream of someday
being your own boss, an important first step is just getting acquainted with
the nature of the beast. Here are four things that will help you do just that.
1.
Make New Friends
One of the best ways to learn what
entrepreneurship is really like is by getting to know some entrepreneurs. Not
necessarily the fancy, media darling types, but just normal, low-key people who
work for themselves. To start, connect with entrepreneurs who match your own demographic—it
helps you to start thinking “hey, if they can do it, so can I!” But be sure to
branch out from there, and also to meet people in a wide variety of industries.
There are lots of styles of entrepreneurship, so the more diversity you can
experience, the better!
If you don’t know any entrepreneurs,
just start asking people to make some introductions. Or, join groups on LinkedIn
or Facebook and start paying
attention to the discussions that are happening. Ask someone you find
interesting to have coffee and take it from there. Pick their brain about
useful resources, groups, or meetings, and see if they can introduce you to
even more entrepreneurs.
2.
Pick Some New Role Models
In addition to making some new pals,
it’s important to identify role models who are a little more
established in the business world. You might not be able to take
them to coffee, but you can learn a lot by observing them and their companies
from afar.
Select three brands or companies
that you like and admire. Find as many ways to follow their leaders as
possible—be it their blogs, articles, or Facebook profiles. Read their books if
they have them. Read their press and interviews that they’ve done. Think about
how their personalities and leadership styles have shaped the
brands and the companies they run. Stay abreast of their company
news, and take note of what they share about their own experience.
3.
Fall in Love with Small Business as a Customer
There’s a certain romance to small
business. As a customer, there’s always something more special about the
experience. Sometimes it’s witnessing changes over the years, other times it’s
the connection to the owner, others it’s the attention to detail that’s given
to the product or service.
And there’s a lot to learn from
that! So, in addition to making friends with entrepreneurs themselves, it’s
important to also make relationships with some actual businesses. Think about
the small businesses that you currently patronize, or the new start-ups
whose products you love. What do you know about their owners or
story? What are their goals and where are they going? What do they do that’s memorable,
distinct, or unique? What do they do particularly well? Thinking
about your own experiences as a customer will give you tons of insight into
running your own show.
4.
Demystify “Business” Speak
Most would-be entrepreneurs get
scared off by the “business” side of things. They overestimate the skills and
knowledge that are needed to run a business and assume that there are huge mountains
to be climbed and learning curves to overcome before even getting started.
But it’s important to confront the
monster under the bed—it’s not as hard as you might think, and you certainly
don’t have to have an MBA to do it. Pick
a small business magazine like Inc. or Fast Company and invest
$15 to get a subscription. Peruse it each month, but feel free to read only
what’s interesting to you. You’ll soon see how un-mysterious business can be.
From behind-the-scenes
business profiles to questions about how to handle particular
challenges, you’ll begin to learn a lot about the experience of
entrepreneurship.
As you start talking to people,
expanding your reading list, and thinking more and more about the what it’s
like to be an entrepreneur, you’ll soon see that it’s not as big and scary as
you might think. And that “someday” will inch a little bit closer to today.
