Blog Post

How to Verify Your Reasons to Become an Entrepreneur

Sep 26, 2018
How to verify your reasons to become an entrepreneur

When people feel frustrated in their job, they often find many reasons to become an entrepreneur.

For instance, my client David (not his real name) had a good, stable job but kept wondering if it was really what he wanted. As we kept on exploring his life goals, he eventually revealed that he would love to become a self-employed consultant.

Of course, he had a lot of questions about how he could make that transition to self-employment. As we talked about the steps he would have to take, I felt the need to slow David down.

David’s situation brought up an experience I had:

“Are you interested in adopting a bearded dragon?”

“Am I what? Why?” My friend’s question came out of the left field. Of, course my curiosity was sparked as I hadn’t heard about this mysterious creature before. “What’s a bearded dragon, anyway?”

My friend proceeded to explain that his sister needed to find a new caretaker for her bearded dragon and showed me a picture.

And my heart… well, it melted.

Not only was this animal a bit dragon-like indeed, but Mr. Dragon (I believe it was a male) also looked incredibly cute. 😍

That is when I knew we were meant to be. Within a few minutes, I started thinking about our future together (me and the bearded dragon, that is, not me and my friend).

How wonderful would it be to get to hang out with a… mini-dragon? My inner child was jubilant.

After a few minutes, my brain came back online and I found myself sheepishly asking my friend: “Erm, so how exactly do you care for them?”

My friend rattled off some pointers that he remembered. Warmth. Lots and lots of warmth (which requires special lamps and a lot of electricity.) Also, I would have to feed him live insects.

My face dropped as I realized this would be a lot more complicated than I had anticipated. And, as I researched further, people who had a lot of experience with taking care of bearded dragons confirmed that.

What to consider before making decisions:

Here is something that is true, regardless of whether you are considering a career change or adopting a mini-dragon:

Expectations are not the same as reality.
Expectations are not the same as reality.
Expectations are not the same as reality.

That is why decisions based on unchecked expectations can be really, really bad and disappointing. And, a lot of people have expectations about what being an entrepreneur would be like for them that don’t necessarily align with reality.

Entrepreneurship is a bit like taking care of bearded dragons — it is a great fit for some and a bad one for others.

Some people love having a business (or a mini-dragon), and others find themselves struggling a lot with the challenges that come with it.

And, you need to know where you fall on the spectrum, ideally before making any definitive life changes.


Sometime later, when my friend asked me to let him know if I wanted to adopt Mr. Dragon, I flicked back and forth between the cute picture of the mini-dragon and the extensive list of instructions for his care.

Eventually, with a heavy heart, I decided that it wouldn’t be fair to adopt Mr. Dragon — neither for him nor for me. And, I found myself hoping that he would find a new home with someone who could do a great job with a cute, high-maintenance mini-dragon. 🐉

Discovering if entrepreneurship is right for you:

In my client’s case, I wanted to help him find out whether entrepreneurship might be a good fit for him or not —  before he made any irrevocable life changes such as quitting his job. This included scrutinizing his reasons to become an entrepreneur.

While it's true that a business can be a great way to get paid doing what you love, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's the best path for you.

Here is a short process that can help you get clear if entrepreneurship is right for you.

STEP 1

Make a list of 3 people you know (friends, family or close acquaintances) who have their own business.

Example:

“Hmm, okay. So, of course, there’s uncle Tony. He’s always been an entrepreneur so he’s going on the list. Then, my friend Lisa, I believe she’s been self-employed for a year now. And, oh right, I just remembered that Mel from undergrad also started her own business a few years ago. So my list is Tony, Lisa, and Mel.”

STEP 2

Pick one person from the list to contact.


Example:

“I’ll start with Lisa as she’s the closest to my situation. If she doesn’t have time, I can always reach out to uncle Tony instead. I haven’t spoken with Mel in a long time, so I’d prefer to reach out to someone else.”

STEP 3

Send an email to the person, asking if they could be available for a 15-minute call to ask them some questions about entrepreneurship.

Example:

“Okay, let’s write this. How about: ‘Hi Lisa, How are you? I was wondering if you’d have time for a short call this week? I’d love to ask you a few questions about what it’s like for you to be an entrepreneur. Thanks!”

STEP 4

Jot down the top 3 questions that come to your mind and that you want to ask your contact person about the reality of entrepreneurship.


Example:

“Hmm, what do I want to know? There are so many questions, I’m not sure I can narrow them down to just 3. But that’s fine, I can always have a longer list of questions. So, maybe I’ll ask her what she likes most about being an entrepreneur. And what she finds the most challenging about having her own business. And I also want to ask her if she has any advice for me as I’m considering whether I want to start a business.”

The idea

Before deciding to become an entrepreneur (or the caretaker of a mini-dragon), you need to make sure that your expectations are based on reality.

Just because something looks good from the outside doesn’t mean it is necessarily the best choice for you. After all, there are likely some challenges connected with creating a business (or tending to a bearded dragon) that you might not be fully aware of right now.

That is why it is so important to do proper research before making definitive life choices.

One easy way to find out more about the reality of entrepreneurship is by asking people who have their own business about their experiences — the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Want to learn how to get paid for doing what you love? Click on the video below to get my 3-part signature video series (a 30 USD value) for FREE:

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