What I have learnt from being an entrepreneur

I have been an entrepreneur for as long as I can remember.

In fact, I think that goes all the way back to my childhood when I was reselling stationery my parents bought for me to my classmates…(haha)

When I got older, I started experimenting with various business ventures, magnetic eyelashes, vegan leather handbags, green supplements and many other things.

Entrepreneurship has been the best self-development program I have ever signed up for.

So far, it has changed my mindset more than my net worth and interestingly enough, because of that, I experienced success and fulfilment in other aspects of my life.

If you are ready for an entrepreneurial quest, here are some things you can do to kickstart your lifestyle:

1. Find Something You are Passionate About and Pursue It

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

To start living an entrepreneur’s lifestyle, you need to find something you are passionate about and work on it.

Take a deeper look within yourself to determine what makes you feel great, what you cannot imagine life without, and what invigorates you.

After the soul-searching and reflecting, write down that very thing that comes to mind.

I need to add this — if you don’t know what you are passionate about, look for something that gives you pain and start from there.

For example, I struggle with money B.S. for a good part of my life and I know how it has negatively affected my self-worth and net worth.

Reframing my money mindset has helped me connect to money in a more positive way.

That’s why I talk about money on this page a lot and I also coach my clients on a better way of thinking about and handling money.

Upon arming yourself with an idea of what you are most passionate about, you have to think about which activities are in line with it so that you can make that money.

Passion is basically your fuel here.

In fact, Steve Jobs once said in a speech,

People say you have to have a lot of passion for what you’re doing and it’s totally true, and the reason is, because it’s so hard, and if you don’t, any rational person would give up. It’s really hard, you have to do it over a sustained period of time.

I can so attest to that.

Entrepreneurship has its fair share of ups and downs, and only passion will make you stay in the game.

I have started businesses for the money and on sh*t days, and there were a lot, I couldn’t even make myself check my emails, and of course, eventually those businesses failed.

2. Enjoy the Journey

Photo by Ronda Dorsey on Unsplash

A lot of people hesitate to be an entrepreneur because of the time and money required.

That’s totally understandable.

However, I believe that in order to find success in your business (and all the other things), you need to enjoy the process (and vibrate that positive energy).

I always remind myself to live in the moment and not to calculate too much about the returns on my investments.

Also because after all, most of the growth happens inside of me and cannot be measured.

Of course, that doesn’t mean being reckless in making my decisions.

I always research my options before deciding to invest in a new business venture or idea.

After that, it is all about taking a leap of faith and making things happen even though it’s scary.

3. Do Everything You Can to Save Your Mind Space

Living as an entrepreneur means taking responsibility for your business.

It requires you to be creative in making your decisions because you are no longer that employee who waits for instructions.

It means you should be on top of your decision-making process.

The last thing you want to do is waste precious time overanalyzing stuff, as this could cost you many opportunities, and worse, your precious mind space.

Credit: David Allen Company

I practice the “2-minute rule” coined by David Allen in Getting Things Done, which states that,

If an action will take less than two minutes, it should be done at the moment it’s defined.

I apply this rule to replying to emails, making that call, doing my housework, and many other things.

If I could not finish the task in 2 minutes, I quickly brain dump those ideas into my journal.

By making these decisions easy and fast for you, your mental energy can be used for important decisions in your business.

And this ultimately leads to more creativity and business success.

Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, wears the same T-shirt every day to avoid spending time and energy on things that don’t matter.

Are there any decisions that can be made simpler and faster?

Find them and start saving your mind space today.

4. Say “No”

Every time you say yes to one thing, you are implicitly saying no to something else, and you only have that much time and energy.

Weigh the costs and benefits of any opportunity before taking it on.

Most opportunities are enticing, but what are they going to take away from you?

A hard lesson for me has been that “you can have anything, but not everything”.

When I was in my 20s, I liked to think that I had unlimited energy and could just power through with better systems.

But life and failures have taught me that, even if I am good at powering through, my energy would be more wisely invested if I focus on projects and people that really matter to me.

Give yourself the freedom and space to focus on what matters most, by saying no to what doesn’t.

5. Own Your Sh*t

If you wait to be ready or good enough to start that business (or anything else), you will never get started.

You will forever be in the research and consumption zone, where you keep on consuming content you think you need to be “good enough”, and you will never start creating.

I have a piece of good news for you.

YOU ARE ENOUGH!

and

YOU HAVE EVERYTHING WITHIN YOU ALREADY.

You don’t need to be perfect to start that business or anything, although first of all, I don’t know what being “perfect” even means.

I do know that in order to succeed in life, you need that confidence to be yourself.

It means owning your sh*t and being honest with yourself that you are not perfect (or are indeed perfect) and that’s ok.

It’s about reclaiming that power and using it on things that matter.

The world doesn’t need you to be perfect, it needs you to be YOU.

Own your power and start being the CEO/Queen/King of your life.