Whilst entrepreneurship has become sexy in these social media times, it is important to note that it is really difficult. For the most part, entrepreneurs share their successes and not so much their failures and losses. It is therefore not always clear quite how difficult it is. As I support a broad and diverse range of entrepreneurs, all who are seeking business growth, I know first hand that many business owners struggle. Many struggle because, as I already said, it is difficult to grow a business. However, others struggle because they are simply not cut out for entrepreneurship and refuse to be honest with themselves.
Being in business is an admirable and worthwhile undertaking. But, it is important to recognise that it is not for everyone. Entrepreneurship comes with many challenges, however sometimes the challenges arise because of the Founders lack of suitability for entrepreneurship. It may be harsh, but it is true.
So the question I ask of you, is are you really cut out for entrepreneurship? Here are a few questions to ask yourself.
Are you disciplined?
Being disciplined is about getting the work done, when it needs to be done and even when you don’t want to do it. Especially when you don’t want to do it! Do you make excuses about why you aren’t working on your business? Do you spend too much time watching TV, scrolling on Instagram and then complaining when the business isn’t making progress? Be honest. Or do you get your head down each day and work on your goals? Do you still get your work done even when you aren’t in the mood, because you know that it is essential to move you and your business forward?
Being disciplined also means being consistent. If you are trying to build a business, you will often have to do certain tasks repeatedly for an extended period of time. If you do things sporadically and don’t commit to seeing things through to the end, you may never gain traction in your business. There are a variety of areas which require consistency even when you aren’t in the mood.
Entrepreneurship requires discipline. Do you have it?
Are you confident in your abilities?
A certain level of confidence is essential if you are trying to build a successful entrepreneurial career. It is also key if you are trying to grow your business. Mindset is probably one of the biggest contributors to growing a successful business. Having a confident mindset and believing in yourself can be incredibly impactful to how far you make it in entrepreneurship.
Those who believe they are capable of being a successful entrepreneur, are much more likely to pursue activities that will enable them to achieve success. If they don’t have the skills required, they will acquire them. Those who believe they are incapable of being successful, will often become a self-fulfilling prophecy. They will tell themselves that they aren’t smart enough or skilled enough and avoid opportunities Which one are you? Do you know that you possess everything required to be a great entrepreneur and what you don’t possess, you can learn? Or do you feed yourself negative messaging about why you aren’t enough? Do you play small because you are scared that you aren’t good enough?
Entrepreneurship requires confidence. Do you have it?
Are you resilient?
Entrepreneurship is full of ups and downs, wins and fails, successes and challenges. You will regular face obstacles and be knocked off track. It is pretty much guaranteed that not everything you pursue will work and you will therefore have to face failure on more than one occasion. It is part and parcel of the journey. Successful entrepreneurs are those who are resilient. They accept that even the bad things which happen are part of the journey. They see failure, challenges and obstacles as opportunities for learning. Even though they may be painful and may even make you feel dejected in the moment, you don’t quit. Your ability to bounce back will hold you in good stead as an entrepreneur. However, if you are someone who prefers to wallow, who hates failure and refuses to take responsibility or recognise lessons learnt, then you are probably finding entrepreneurship incredibly difficult. Can you accept failure or are you easily deflated?
Entrepreneurship requires resilience. Do you have it?
Are you organised?
Being an entrepreneur requires you to manage varying moving parts. Those who are organised, will utilise tools and techniques to ensure that they stay on top of their activities. They will create plans and organise themselves and their teams to implement and execute. However, this isn’t easy for everyone. Disorganised individuals are unable to handle lots of different responsibilities at once. They get quickly overwhelmed leading to errors and unnecessary stress. This has a negative impact on the business in a number of ways including customer service.
Entrepreneurship requires organisational skills. Do you have them?
Are you committed to continued self-improvement?
Business is ever changing and ever evolving. There is always something new to learn and understand. It is therefore imperative that as an entrepreneur you commit to continuous self-improvement. Entrepreneurs who do not read, take courses or listen to podcasts, will almost certainly get left behind.
Entrepreneurship requires personal development. Are you committed to constantly learning and developing?
Are you risk averse?
In order to get ahead in business, identifying and pursuing opportunities is key. Sometimes, this will require taking risks and leaps of faith. If you are risk averse, you will struggle to advance and your business will likely remain stagnant. If you are risk averse it is also likely that you won’t seek out opportunities for fear of failure. This will also negatively impact your business. If you dislike uncertainty and prefer stability and regularity, you will find entrepreneurship incredibly difficult.
Entrepreneurship requires risk taking. Are you willing to take risks?
So are you cut out for entrepreneurship? Maybe you answered all of the questions correctly and feel secure in your suitability. Or do you feel that maybe you aren’t? Maybe several of the questions made you question whether the problem is you rather than your business? That may be true, but maybe you just need a little bit of help to become a better entrepreneur or business owner. If this is the case, then maybe She’s the Boss can help you! Book a free exploration call to find out how: Book a call