Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Only About Money?
Many people hold the view that becoming an entrepreneur is all about making money and that this is not of interest to them. However, there are many entrepreneurs who are also inventors and others who are committed to doing good works or charitable works. Being an entrepreneur is about the full range of opportunities that are possible in a persons life; including relationships, health and well-being and business life. And in the relationships area, many entrepreneurs are very interested in broader relationships with the community apart from their close personal relationship. In this arena, entrepreneurs might be doing any number of community works.
Recently for example, I was in Hawaii with a group of entrepreneurs who raised $300,000 dollars for the Make a Wish Foundation in Hawaii. I am also aware of a well known Cairns entrepreneur who has set up and sponsors a number of Foundations, some in support of young people. Doing good works is part of being an entrepreneur, however they are not necessarily out there telling everyone that they are doing good things. Often it is about the quiet achiever.
Becoming an entrepreneur is about much more than making money.
Is Entrepreneurship For You?
It appears that entrepreneurship is big business!! Our Universities are selling their Entrepreneurship programs like crazy, with the University of Sydney holding a symposium on the subject earlier this year. Governments all over the world are hard at work fostering entrepreneurship and the explosion of information regarding it is available through magazines, e-zines and prolific blogging. What could possibly have caused this interest? Well, entrepreneurs have led the United States out of every recession for the last 100 years and it appears that this will occur again. On the site Entrepreneurship.org, Barack Obama has been quoted as saying “The answer is not heavy-handed regulations that crush the entrepreneurial spirit and risk-taking of American capitalism– that’s what’s made our economy great– but it is to restore a sense of balance.”
Recently, speaking at a Telstra breakfast, Andrew Griffiths, Small Business and Entrepreneurialism Expert, provided a number of ways that you can bullet proof your business and he also said that after every recession/downturn there is an equal or greater upturn and the smart entrepreneur is watching for the wave and gets onto it early. In May this year, Andrew said that the upturn is coming and to get onto that wave now. Wow – are you ready for the wave?
Is entrepreneurship for you or will you just let that wave slide right by? There are a number of ways that you can be sure to be on that wave, starting with having passion and enthusiasm for something. You know there are great stories of success right now, even with the apparent world wide financial slump. For example, the combination of sport, fantasy, passion and enthusiasm has created a niche that appears to be recession proof. Same for personal development programs which have created a 19 billion worldwide market over the last year, in spite of the economy of the time. Want to know more about that opportunity?
In essence, what I am saying is that coming out of an economic downturn is prime time for those with a bit of entrepreneurship. You may want to explore entrepreneurship – it might be for you. You could join the legions of others who have found prosperity by being on the crest of the wave. And remember, many of the most successful businesses started out as home businesses – start from where you are at.
Be Inspired by an Entrepreneur
The very best thing about entrepreneurs is that they show the rest of us that anything is possible. Take Richard Branson, for instance, who started out producing a small paper, went on to start an Airline, nearly lost it and went on to start up the same airline in Australia. First with two aircraft and now with a fleet. Inspiring. So one way to tap into that inspiration is to find out more about who the entrepreneurs are, how they found success and apply those lessons to your own life.
Some of the things that I have discovered about entrepreneurs is that they have the following traits:-
- they are operating new business ventures
- take responsibility for the risks that they take
- have deep belief in the product or service
- have a burning desire to succeed
- are prepared to work hard and do whatever it takes
- are optimistic
- hold a realistic view
- show leadership, especially during adversity.
Entrepreneurs can see a great reward, they set their sights in it and will take great risks in order to achieve the reward. Incidentally, entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes, ages, nationalities and both genders. Oh, and while no one said so, I just bet that entrepreneurs associate with other entrepreneurs and successful people. And I also just bet that they seek out optimistic and positive people to be around. There is no doubt that the people that you associate with can either help or hinder your progress.
For example, if you are associating with people who are not entrepreneurs but who work long hours for little reward, then chances are that is what you will do. On the other hand, if you associate with millionaires then you will know what it is that they do to earn money and achieve success. Now I hear the arguments that success is not always about money and that is true, however money gives you a degree of freedom to achieve other things in life and often that is what people are looking for. The freedom to make their own decisions and do their own thing when they want to.
In the words of Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop and entrepreneur, “success to me is not about money or status or fame, its about finding a livelihood that brings me joy and self-sufficiency and a sense of contributing to the world”. I’ll let the entrepreneur have the last word.
Make Money Helping Other’s
While it is common in our society for those who help others to be paid quite lowly, I am here to tell you that it does not have to be that way. Seriously, those workers who are helping people on the streets to gain accommodation and those who are ensuring that others children are taken care of really do earn quite a low income when compared with actors or sports players. Why is this? Is it because as a society we believe that helping should be done from the heart and not for money? We are prepared to pay highly for entertainment but not for taking care of others. Well that is the theory that most of us live with.
I am grateful to have found a home business that allows me to help others every day at the same time as earning a serious income. How can this be? It is quite simple really, it just involves being open to a new idea instead of always functioning with the old ideas. The first step for me was to accept that it is actually ok to earn good money while helping others. This did not happen easily, it took quite a bit of self development, working with my limiting beliefs for me to reach the point where I can now accept that that is what I am doing now in my life. Earning good money for helping people and I move in a circle of people who earn exceptional money for helping people.
Want to know how? Well, you might have to do something different because if you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always had. Take a look at something different.
Be Motivated and Make Money
Why is it that in this world the people who do the most helping often earn the least money? Compare a teachers salary with that of a prominent actor. Compare the salary of an ambulance officer with that of a professional footballer. Compare the salary of a child care worker with the salary of a pilot. How is it that this state of affairs exists? Should it not be that those carers and helpers earn at least as much money as our entertainers or pilots? They all have our lives in their hands.
I believe that this happens because society believes that doing good should be done for the sake of it and not for money. In fact at times the people who are doing the most good, taking care of others and seeing that those in need have food and shelter, might earn very little more than being regarded as saintly. There seems to be a view that making money is for the fatcats; the greedy ones who take care only of themselves.There is another way to consider money and what it stands for. Deepak Chopra writes about this in his book Creating Affluence:-
“M stands for making money for others and helping others make money. Helping others make money and helping other people to fulfill their desires is a sure way to ensure that you’ll make money for yourself as well as more easily fulfill your own dreams.
“M” also stands for motivate. The best way to motivate other people to help you fulfill your goals is to help them fulfill their goals”.
I am delighted to be involved with a personal development home business that places me perfectly to do exactly that; make money for the purpose of helping others, help others to make money, fulfill their desires and achieve their dreams. Can you believe that such a business exists?
Little wonder that I feel so happy.
