How To Become Successfully Unemployable: True Entrepreneurship

Though I wasn't aware of the term at the time, I have been an entrepreneur since I was a young boy. Growing up very poor forced me to do whatever it took to earn money and escape the poverty I was born into. It all started when, at age 12, I negotiated with an elderly woman who lived down the street from my home. She asked me to mow her lawn and offered me $10 per week to do so, which sounded like a heck of a deal considering she was providing the mower and gas to get the job done. But, as I began to think about it, I wondered how many other folks in the neighborhood could use someone to mow their yard. $10 per week could easily be turn into $50 or $100 per week.  So, instead of taking the neighbor lady's $10 per week, I told her I would do it for nothing for the whole summer if I could use her lawnmower for other lawn jobs. She agreed to the offer and I was off to the races. I went home and made up flyers to handout to all of the neighborhood homes. Before I knew it, I had made enough money to buy my own mower and turned this yard mowing business into a full time job, that is until winter rolled around. I had to think fast so that my income wasn't interrupted so I quickly turned my summer mowing business into a snow shoveling business by winter. Because I had already established the clients, it was a easy transition without missing a beat in regards to income. While most others would have been content with the $10 per week, I was not. As a preteen I decided that I would never be able to work for anyone else besides myself. Experiencing the freedom to maximize my income ability using my own skills was so gratifying, that I realized that I would rather be poor and in charge than rich and enslaved. Here I am 25 years later and I still have yet to have a job.....I am unemployable!

Let's make one thing very clear. Just because you own a business does not make you an entrepreneur. By definition it does, but I think we can all agree that a person who gives themselves a full time job, intense stress and leaves no time for the things they enjoy most is by no means an entrepreneur. So let's talk about what a truly successful entrepreneur looks like.

A truly successful entrepreneur does not just see what's being put in front of them. They see all of the unspoken opportunities that arise out of each situation as it's presented to them. Someone may be telling me about a good idea that they have or even just telling me a story, which gets my wheels spinning and ultimately leads me to developing a great idea. It may or may not have anything to do with what they were actually talking about, but something they said just kicked it into full throttle for me. This happens in many of my conversations on a daily basis. It may also be something like a billboard or tv commercial that triggers the wheels to start spinning and the ideas to start flowing. A truly successful entrepreneur does not limit themselves to their surroundings or to just what they can see with their own eyes. They think outside of the box and look at everything from a ten thousand foot viewpoint. Entrepreneurs do not accept mediocrity. They understand that things may be discouraging, lonely & thankless along the way. They understand that they might lose sleep and make a bunch of mistakes. This is all acceptable to a truly successful entrepreneur because they know the end result even if nobody else gets it. They don't see today as the end, but as the means to an end. They don't see issues as stumbling blocks, but rather as stepping stones and learning opportunities. They have a mission and will not be stopped!

Let's look at some other essential characteristics of truly successful entrepreneurs.

1. They do what they enjoy
2. They are serious about their business
3. They plan everything
4. They manage money well
5. They value networking
6. They remember it's about the customer
7. They brand themselves well
8. Create multiple streams of income
9. Learn & apply technology
10. Are good team builders
11. Become known as an expert
12. Invest in themselves
13. Sell value
14. Get involved in community
15. Master the art of negotiation
16. Are organized
17. Take time off to enjoy life
18. Follow up & follow through
19. Are constantly learning
20. Have a cause

By Jason Rose
www.SmartStartToday.com