Motivation – Get Rid Of The Employee Mindset – Part 2

If you’re serious about starting a business, you really have to get rid of the employee mindset.

If you’re used to having a boss tell you what to do every hour of the day (and then checking your work to ensure that it meets certain standards), you could find it extremely difficult to be in the position where the success of your business relies on your decisions and your work ethic. Are you able to put forth the effort required to get your business off the ground?

One of the biggest mistakes new business owners make is that they underestimate the commitment and dedication their fledgling enterprise will require. Even though they might be very keen in the beginning, it is generally not enough as long as they maintain the employee mindset.

Most successful business owners make it look easy. Quite often, all we see is the result of all the hard work they’ve put into it. We see the nice home, the fast car, and the luxurious lifestyle that a successful business can provide. We usually don’t hear about the 16 hour days and all the personal hardship the owner has had to endure. I personally know of a few people that have sacrificed it all in order to ensure that their business succeeded.

One friend, in particular,owns a successful take-out restaurant, and looking at how he dresses and the type of car he drives, one could assume that he’s been very lucky. The reality is that luck has very little to do with it. I can tell you for a fact that this person has sacrificed everything to get to where he is today. Five years ago, he was on the verge of bankruptcy despite putting in 18 hour days. Everyone, including his family, lost faith in what he was trying to achieve.

In fact, I challenge anyone to show me a self-made, successful businessman that has not paid his dues and then some.

If you are an employee content with putting in a mediocre effort, working only eight hours a day, and then coming home and being able to shut everything off until the next morning, then perhaps business ownership is not for you. There’s nothing wrong with that – not everyone is ready for that level of commitment.

On the other hand, if you are determined, hard-working, and tenacious, then perhaps you have what it takes to start and run a profitable business.

One last thing: There is a difference between keeping your job and running a part-time venture, and running a full-time business where your well-being depends entirely on how successfully you can manage your company. Starting off part-time takes a lot of the edge off, and is not so much of a do or die situation. Using your job as a crutch and running the business part-time can be a very smart way to approach business ownership. That way you’re covered no matter what happens.