You’re excited. You have finally came
up with an idea that you know will crush it in its industry. The
problem is, you’ve been here before.
More than once in fact. Ideas are not the problem for you. Where you
struggle is taking the next step of turning that new idea into a viable
business.
Does that sound familiar? If so, you may be what many in the
entrepreneur space call a wantrepreneur. What’s a wantrepreneur? A
wantrepreneur is simply a person who is going to start a business, but
for some reason (or a list of reasons) never does, yet keeps talking
about it.
If the definition of wantrepreneur matches what you have done in the
past, don’t despair! There have been many people that have been able to
make the move from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur. All you need is a
little help to get you on the right track.
Here are 5 tips to help you make the move from wantrepreneur to an entrepreneur:
1. Don’t tell anyone about your ideas
You’re excited about your new attempt at creating a business. You
want to tell the world what you’re going to do. Don’t. Chances are,
people have heard all about your past ideas. You never took the steps to
implement those ideas.
There will be plenty of time to talk about what you’re doing when you
start finishing projects that move you closer to the goal of creating
or improving your business. People will be impressed and excited about
what you have accomplished and not what you discussed.
“I made a conscious decision not to tell anyone in my life. Now I tell people – don’t tell anyone your idea until you have invested enough of yourself in it that you are not going to turn back. When a person has an idea at that conception moment it is the most vulnerable – one negative comment could knock you off course.” – Sara Blakely
2. Get a written plan
You have all of your plans and ideas in your head. That’s not going to work if you are serious about starting a business.
Why isn’t it going to work? As the cliché goes “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”
Not taking the time to commit to a plan shows you are truly not
invested in moving forward and are just interested in telling everyone
what your plans are.
If you’re serious about starting and running a profitable business
what is your plan to get there? Sit down and make a basic plan of what
you need to accomplish. It doesn’t need to be a fifty-page manifesto
with every detail decided. You should have the big goals written down
and then how you think you are going to get it done.
3. Throw out that list of excuses
I don’t have the time. I’m still
working for “the man”. I need capital to start. If you find yourself
saying these types of things, but are not working in the search for
solutions, then you should stop now. Why?
Because issues will continue to arise while running your business.
So, if you are going to let time management, another job, or lack of
capital stop you, then you don’t want it bad enough. If you wish to be
an entrepreneur, then figure out solutions to your issues and then carry
out those solutions to keep moving forward.
4. Do the work
Your business is not going to build itself. Now is the time to
overcome the excuses and obstacles that are in your way and put your
plan into action and do the work. There isn’t anything else that will
make your ideas a reality.
“I put my heart and my soul into my work, and have lost my mind in the process.” – Vincent Van Gogh
5. Finish what you started
Ultimately being an entrepreneur is
about creating a business while taking on the risks associated with
starting and building that business. For you to become an entrepreneur, you need to finish and build that business you thought about, planned, and silenced the excuses.
As you can see, the actions you take and complete are what move you
forward when building a business thus making you an entrepreneur.
Consider these five tips and put them into action. They will move you in
the right direction!
