The question of how to become an entrepreneur is an interesting one, and one I get asked surprisingly often.
And I'm not sure there's an easy answer...
because it's different for all of us.
Strictly speaking, an entrepreneur is "a person who organises and manages any enterprise, especially a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk", although this is not the more subtle meaning we usually understand.
So...
How to Become an Entrepreneur I think it's important to understand the differences between an ordinary business owner and an entrepreneur.
There's nothing wrong with being an ordinary business owner at all, but if you have entrepreneurial ideas, you have a subtly different mindset.
The Entrepreneurial Difference Revealed A guy owning a local shop who's happy to make a comfortable living but has no real desire, ambition or urge to do more with it than perhaps pass it on to his children is not an entrepreneur.
He's a shopkeeper, or business owner.
If that suits him, great.
But if you have a certain drive, and a burning ambition to achieve a stretching goal, then that's not what you are.
You, my friend are a budding entrepreneur.
And that question, how to become an entrepreneur? Usually it starts with a dream, a burning desire.
See, this is why I say there's not an easy answer.
Because I think entrepreneurs are born not made.
And the "how" is really about "how do I realise my dreams?" It's important for you to realise I'm not making any value-judgement here.
You'll know which category you're in and it's your business, and your business alone.
Eight Secrets To Realising Your Entrepreneurial Dream Bear in mind there are no rules, no set paths by which you can realise your dreams.
Look around at all the different successful entrepreneurs, and they all did it their own way.
That itself is one of the hallmarks - how to become an entrepreneur is a very personal and sometimes very private answer.
But what I can share with you are some simple fundamentals that won't steer you far wrong.
Remember, though: if something works for you, then it works, and that makes it the right thing to do.
1.
Choose a Great Idea You're Passionate About.
If you don't love the idea, if it's not "yours", then you probably have the desire to keep going when it gets tough (and it always does).
No business is all plain sailing and there are always challenges.
Many of us look around and see others' businesses and wish ours could be easy and on autopilot like theirs are.
In learning how to become an entrepreneur, you need to lose this notion.
See, it's like a swan gliding across the flat surface of a millpond: you can't see the mad churning beneath the surface to achieve that effortless grace.
Don't be put off by this, though.
Challenges are normal and part of the entrepreneurial experience.
If you really think you can't handle it, then stay in your day job.
2.
Make a Plan.
Don't just jump into things without thinking them through.
While it's great you love your idea, if no one else does...
you might just struggle to find customers and clients.
This isn't to say you can't invent a whole new product or service and create a market for it.
It's been done before, and it'll no doubt be done again.
My point is, it's harder than the other way.
You want to know how to become an entrepreneur? Then learn the value of doing your research.
I know it's hard work and risks early disappointment, but if you don't do it and your idea is a lemon, then you'll get the disappointment anyway.
And it'll be 10 times as costly to overcome (a rule of thumb is errors cost 10 times as much to fix as to prevent at each stage of the design and manufacturing process).
3.
Get Good at Marketing! No matter what "thing" your entrepreneurial idea is, your business will be the marketing of that thing (assuming you hope to make some money).
Marketing is the lifeblood of any business.
Oh, I know.
You don't want to do all that stuff, do you? You want to do all that exciting entrepreneurial stuff.
Tough.
It's not optional.
Don't ask how to become an entrepreneur unless you're prepared to become an all-rounder.
Many things you can delegate, but your marketing should never be one of them.
One of the things I insist on with my clients is they remain in control of their marketing, even when they're acting on my advice.
4.
Choose Your Advisors Carefully.
This is always a tricky one, especially if you're young and just starting out.
No you can't do it all on your own, at least not usually.
And even if you can, you're just making it hard on yourself.
You need advice and help.
Don't ask your spouse, parents, friends, colleagues or neighbours for advice on how to become an entrepreneur unless they're qualified to give it.
Be willing to pay well for professional guidance.
It's an investment in your time and your future.
There's no point in reinventing the wheel, to use a much overused phrase.
5.
Think Long Term.
Entrepreneurial success almost always takes longer than we think it's going to.
Behind every "overnight success" there are years of slow, slow grind.
Discovering what works for you in answering that how to be an entrepreneur question is one place you'll find this is true.
Tasks and projects always take longer and cost more than you think.
You should double any timsescales you have and probably double budgets, too.
Then halve your expected profits for the first 5 years.
Yes, you might be wrong, but then you'll have only nice surprises.
6.
Hang Around with Other Entrepreneurs.
You're going to find you undergo a personality change, not entirely unlike the changes people who join cults undergo.
And a serious warning: there are some nasty "business cults" out there, so be careful.
But that warning aside, you'll find other people tend to be interested in things you can no longer stand.
The trivia of soap operas, the latest celebrity gossip, and moaning and whining about their jobs.
It's irritating.
If you're married or have a significant other and you want to keep them, involve them.
From their point of view it's scary, especially if they're dependents.
Share your thoughts, fears, hopes and dreams with them.
But don't ask their advice on things they're not qualified to talk about.
One part of the answer to how to be an entrepreneur is "get used to being lonely".
Learning by your mistakes is good; learning by others' mistakes is even better.
Seek out and join a "MasterMind" group of likeminded people.
It's good (and necessary) therapy.
7.
Get Yourself a Mentor.
Unless you've experienced the power of mentoring, it might be hard for you to understand how important it is.
Best way to learn how to become an entrepreneur is ask someone who's done it before.
And don't necessarily pick one mentor.
I'm great at communicating and taking an objective view of things, but don't ask me to mentor you about how to deal with bereavement, because I don't know how to do that.
Remember: just because someone is an expert in one field doesn't make him or her an expert in another.
I get people asking me to help them with the most amazing and personal things...
and I don't have a clue.
Men in particular need mentors, because we don't have the same social support structures as women.
And laugh if you like, but we need them.
Men need older men as mentors.
I recommend Passages in Men's Lives by Gail Sheehy.
8.
The Most Important Rule of All The eighth rule is simple to understand but often the hardest to live by.
And it's simply this: live your life as an entrepreneur on your own terms.
In my experience with my clients, many of them are unpopular - because they're driven, ambitious and successful.
Learning how to become an entrepreneur means also learning how to stand alone when everyone else is against you.
Many people find that a threatening quality.
If you can stand alone, it means you can't be coerced or bullied.
It means you can take unpopular decisions.
Not only that, but they don't like having their (usually unqualified) opinions ignored.
But you can't avoid it.
Your entrepreneurial endeavour is not a democracy.
There is only one vote, and you have it.