Entrepreneurship is a Choice, Not a Personality Type
I used to believe there were entrepreneurial-minded people, and then there were the rest of us.
Even after I began working for myself, I did not consider myself an entrepreneur. And although I fit the textbook definition (maybe,) I don’t really think I was.
I transitioned into the work I do now for a variety of reasons. I actually spent a year and a good amount of $ from which I created a physical blue sheet of desired things I wanted in my work (and life.) I don’t think I’ve shared this fully before:
Skills I want to use:
Designing
Creating and producing something in a physical sense
Recognizing opportunity
Taking on a challenge
Other things I wanted:
To not manage clients (mind, this is different when working account-side at an ad agency vs. running your own shop)
To contribute to something useful/connect to something worthwhile
To be able to focus on one project or task, at times
To be a subject matter expert in something I’m inspired by
To not be part of a corporate culture
To have someone to collaborate with or bounce ideas off of
An element of ownership/to be an owner
To keep trying new things/evolve
To make a minimum of $62K rock bottom for up to 2 years (living in NYC at the time)
To make $215K to live comfortably (NYC dollars, net)
To be willing to sacrifice for a 2-3 year period of time to achieve financial success and independence
To maintain multiple means of income
To have 6-8 weeks for vacation and time outside of work for leisure and other priorities
Desire for external validation (in the form of acknowledgement by others, PR, praise by a mentor or respected figure, and in others’ desire to buy or invest)
To work with people who are smart, have a strong work ethic, a positive attitude, accountability, a good sense of humor
These have shifted somewhat since I wrote them just over 4 years ago. But overall, I’d say I hit it mostly out of the park. However nowhere in here did I have:
Ability to deal in ambiguity
Ability to swim in the unknown
Love of risk
Ability to embrace failure
Ability to embrace discomfort
Ability to let go of the outcome
Innate resilience
Let alone to use skills of selling, prioritization, discipline, structure, and on.
These are not words I would (have used) in describing myself. Even my mom, two days ago, when I was talking about this topic and said, “I never thought I was of an entrepreneur-mindset,” says, “I know! I never thought so either, this little girl who would be completely paralyzed in making the smallest decision.”
Thanks, Mom.
But she’s right! I used to define myself as being extremely indecisive. Not necessarily the greatest trait for a boss lady.
The extremely important point I am making here, is ANYTHING can be learned.
If you have the desire, and are willing to put in the time, you can learn to get better at:
Drawing
Singing
Leadership
Memorizing
Running
Having a refined palate
Managing finances
Taking on risks
Dealing with uncertainty
Learning from “failure”
And on. I don’t care if you say, “I’m a terrible artist.” Have you actually put real time and investment into working with an instructor and getting better? Don’t tell me, “I have a terrible memory.” Have you tried improving it? There are courses you can take. There’s one run by someone who used to have a terrible memory brought on by a brain injury.
Can you get better at everything? Well, I’m not one for limits, so you can go ahead and try. I’d personally start with one thing you’ve thought of doing, but have held back or talked yourself out of it because you’re not already good at it, or feel you don’t have certain qualities necessary for that thing.
Whatever those qualities are. You can learn them.
Want to work for yourself but aren’t comfortable with risk? It’s a learned skill. I’m still learning it right now. Probably will be for life. I’ll tell you I’m a hell of a lot better than I used to be.
What do you wish you were better at? Distinguishing great wines? Remembering names? Speaking up? Socializing? Feeling like less of an imposter at work? Trying new things? Feeling more confident?
How bad do you want to change that thing?
You don’t have to. Just know it’s a choice. What you already know and are good at is not your life sentence. It’s just what you’ve learned so far.