Your Business

You have spent one hour too many in the office and have decided “No More!”  You tell yourself that there must be more to life that this. You realise that you are never going to be truly happy working for someone else. So you ask yourself “Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur?”

Transitioning from employee to entrepreneur can be extremely overwhelming. There is a myriad of skills and habits that need to be acquired and you don’t know where to start. The entrepreneurial world starts to look increasingly daunting and you start doubting that this world is for you. Stop doubting yourself right there! Remind yourself that the point of becoming an entrepreneur is to free yourself from that insulting salary cheque and dreadful working environment.  So where do you start?

Well, I firmly believe that entrepreneurs can be made and you don’t necessarily need to be born into it. You don’t have to master everything all at once before you can begin your own business. . Even Richard Branson and Bill Gates did not know everything they know today – they had to learn along the way.  If you are serious about becoming an entrepreneur there are a few pre-requisites that you need to tick off before you start on your journey, however, there is one aspect that is the most important of all – Your Mindset.

Without the correct mindset you are doomed for failure, right from the onset. Remember, Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right!”. With the right mindset and determination to succeed you can achieve anything you set out to do. So start your journey on the right foot, and know that you are going to be a success.

So now that you know you are going to succeed and you are willing to take on the world, what’s next?

Your willingness and desire to learn, stretch yourself and push boundaries is of utmost importance. If you are opposed to learning new things, you are never going to acquire the skill sets and knowledge required to be a successful entrepreneur and might as well go back to earning that insulting salary cheque. In fact, the world of the entrepreneur is well suited for women as they naturally posses the tenacity, resilience, skills and characteristics that is required to be a successful entrepreneur.

Research has shown that successful entrepreneurs possess the following characteristics (this is not an exhaustive list):
•    A strong desire to be your own boss. It is important that you can set your own goals and achieve them
•    Ability to learn from failures  
•    Self motivation and confidence. Which is determined by your mindset
•    Good bill of health and loads of energy.
•    A willingness to risk your money and the security of a regular salary cheque
•    Ability to inspire others
•    Problem solving skills
•    Hard working in an environment with little or no feedback
•    Business and personal integrity
•    A strong desire to serve people
•    A passion for what it is you are doing
•    All aspects of people skills
•    Persistence. To tolerate frustration , failure and long hours
•    Self criticism
•    To take calculated risks and indentify opportunities
•    Some financial acumen
•    Be creative- See “problems” in a new and creative light.
•    Communication skills
•    Fiercely competitive

Assess yourself against the list by identifying which are your strengths and which are your improvement areas. Don’t get upset when you feel that you have more improvement areas than strengths because with the right mindset and willingness to learn, there are no skills that you can not acquire over time.

So whether you are motivated by being your own boss, working from home, setting your own salary or wanting to make a difference in the world, you are on your journey towards reward and personal growth.
I would like to end with a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt,” You gain strength, experience and confidence by every experience where you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you cannot do.”

About the Author:
Gwen Kloppers is a successful entrepreneur who has started her own home based business and operates several successful businesses. She now shares her experiences and her passion by helping other women to start their own businesses.