Entrepreneurship is a mindset more than anything else. It’s far more than just about starting and running a business. Startup success begins with YOU. How you think informs the decisions you make and the actions you take. Some people have a growth mindset that empowers them to learn, grow and expand. Others have a fixed mindset that limits their ability to see new and better perspectives, opportunities and innovative ideas.
Successful entrepreneurs share a mindset. There’s a DNA in the way entrepreneurs think about being entrepreneurial regardless of the setting that they’re in. Entrepreneurs are curious people in many ways. They don’t march to the beat of the status quo. They ask “Why?” a lot. They ponder “If this/Then what?” again and again. They are willing to put themselves out there as they galvanize those around them in their vision of what’s possible. In doing so they attract great experienced mentors and advisors who keep them positively and productively focused on the goal – no matter what.
Entrepreneurs are willing to take a beating and are determined to keep on ticking. They are willing to face rejection after rejection and see that rejection as an opportunity to grow rather than be diminished. They are able to strike a balance between being pig-headed about their passion and vision while at the same time be open to influence.
The fatal flaw of many entrepreneurs is to be so attached to their idea that they don’t open their eyes and ears to new perspectives. The great idea isn’t the hard part. Figuring out what the journey looks like to get to the destination is the hardest part. It’s not about the product; it’s about the goal, the objectives of what is behind starting the business in the first place.
Startup entrepreneurship isn’t what you do from 9am to 5pm. It’s an all-consuming, action-oriented, lifestyle. If you’re wondering whether or not you’re cut out to be an entrepreneur there’s a good chance you’re not. If you’re wondering whether or not you’re willing to sacrifice a good chunk of your life now, to do what others won’t, so that you can accomplish what other’s can’t, then you might not be focused enough to be an entrepreneur.
If you are relentlessly driven by passion and purpose, and if you are willing to stretch yourself in ways you might not think possible right now, you’re an entrepreneur at heart, mind and soul.