Looking for the best career? Check out this job description:
You don’t need a certification, degree or specific experience level. You have no boss, set work hours or glass ceiling. You have unlimited earning potential and can live out your passion everyday. If you want the job, no need to interview, it’s yours.
Sound too good to be true? It’s not. It’s the position of an entrepreneur.
Statistics show others have read the job description and are ready for the challenge. In 2012, 13 percent of American adults were involved in a startup—that’s an all time high.
Why is the entrepreneurial bug spreading? One of the main reasons—it’s never been easier to start your own business. If you have an innovative product, it’s easy to open up your shop online. If you have a concept, different web forums make it simple to pitch to investors and donors. Resources and connections are at your fingertips.
If you live in Nashville, you have even more entrepreneurial advantages. With statewide initiatives like Launch Tennessee, local accelerator programs like the Entrepreneur Center and the fastest growing Entrepreneur Organization chapter in the country, EO Nashville, you have the boost you need to successfully launch your startup.
Before I give you the impression that entrepreneurialism is all rainbows and butterflies, I must clarify—yes, launching a startup has never been easier, but making it a success is the difficult part.
There are three primary traits an entrepreneur must have to reach success:
- Can-do attitude. Instead of saying “We can’t,” a successful entrepreneur asks, “How can we?” Instead of saying “I’ll try” a successful entrepreneur says, “I will.” Instead of making an excuse, a successful entrepreneur finds a solution. Think about it. Everything is impossible until somebody does it. Be the person who does it. Raise the bar.
- Independent. Entrepreneurs are the ones who pave the road less traveled. It gets lonely. You have to be willing to stand alone until the rest of the world catches up to your way of thinking. (By then though, you may already be paving a new lonely road.)
- Unflagging belief. As an entrepreneur, you push limits—that’s your job. You hear “no” a lot and you will hit roadblocks. Through all of it, you must have the strength to believe in yourself and finish what you set out to do.
- Adaptive. As Heraclitus said, “The only thing constant is change.” You may be a successful entrepreneur, but if you get complacent and become aloof to changes in the marketplace, you will not be an entrepreneur much longer. Successful entrepreneurs must continually watch the proverbial curve so they have time to adapt and stay ahead of it.
If these traits describe you, take the plunge. Launch your startup and work toward becoming a successful entrepreneur. Your community is here to help you. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me directly. Email me at Andy@petracoach.com.
Originally published in the Tennessean.
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dellphotos/8534669219/
