Although I am self-employed, I’ve never really thought of myself as an entrepreneur.
And yet when I look back over my life, it seems the signs were always there.
I’ve been doing some research for a client about what it means to be an entrepreneur, and was surprised to find how much of what I was reading really resonated with me.
I’m no Bill Gates or Anita Ruddick, Richard Branson or Lorna Jane Clarkson – but it seems I possess many of the qualities and characteristics found in the typical entrepreneur!
Signs of an Entrepreneurial Streak
- I started out young
At the tender age of 12, I submitted my first ever article to a magazine (The Australian Women’s Weekly!). Not surprisingly it wasn’t published, but this was a sign of things to come.
The very next year, my best friend and I started a monthly newsletter for penpals.
In those days I had a portable typewriter, dozens of penpals, and absolutely no money. My friend and I begged donations to put together a hamper, and sold raffle tickets to make the money to cover our photocopying and postage costs.
We produced an edition each month for nine whole months – which is a long time when you’re only a kid!
- If I saw a gap in the market that I could fill – I did something about it
This is how my next publication – a quarterly magazine for Australian Christian women, called Footprints – came to be. I couldn’t find the type of magazine that *I* wanted to read so I made my own!
According to Business News Daily, an entrepreneur “identifies a need and starts a business to fill that void“. Footprints wasn’t a business, it was a labour of love, and I didn’t earn one cent from it. Which is another sign of the entrepreneur …
- Entrepreneurs are prepared to make sacrifices
Instead of publishing Footprints for 15 years, I probably could have used the thousands of hours to complete a university degree, or climbed the career ladder.
But I was prepared to sacrifice income or prestige, because …
- I’m driven by passion and purpose
From Footprints to Front Page SEO, I love what I do! Let’s face it, I would write even if I didn’t get paid for it, and nobody read it (how else would I have fallen into blogging, LOL).
I find it incredibly rewarding to be able to use my skills and talents to encourage, entertain, inform and inspire others.
- I love learning
I have an insatiable curiosity! By constantly taking advantage of opportunities such as online courses, podcasts, webinars, apps, and meetups, I love feeding my mind and learning new ideas that enhance both my professional and personal growth.
- I’m creative
For a long time I didn’t think of myself as a creative person. I’m not very good at drawing, painting, playing music, dancing, sewing, or making things, and I don’t “get” art (check out my non-arty person’s guide to the National Gallery in Canberra!).
But being a creative isn’t about your output – it’s about your mind, and a creative person has a mind that is constantly bubbling with ideas.
Listen to this from the Poised and Professional blog: “Do you love thinking big? Do you sometimes have trouble falling asleep because you have so many ideas running through your head of things that you want to do, build or create? If you are constantly running on idea-mode, then you may be well-suited to become an entrepreneur!”.
I’ve also found that some of the creative ideas which excite me, can be a bit too much for others (which brings me to my next point …)
- I’m weird
Just ask my family and friends! I was tickled to find that entrepreneurs are often considered to be a bit weird. This one definitely applies to me! You should have seen people’s faces when I blithely announced that I was going to::
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- start my own magazine (Footprints),
- write and publish my own book
- start my own business.
- I’m disciplined
A lot of people tell me that if they worked from home, they would find it hard to knuckle down and actually “do” the thing – when there’s TV to watch, beautiful weather outside, friends to catch up with, shopping and even housework to be done … not me! I literally spend 8 hours at my desk most days, regardless of whether it’s billed work or working on my business.
- I’m determined
Persistence, tenacity, dedication, stick-to-it-ive-ness – whatever you want to call it, when I set out to achieve something, I am dogged in my determination (to the point where sometimes I don’t know when to let go, but that’s a whole ‘nother story …).
- I’m resilient
I’ve had my highs …
but I’ve also had my lows.
I know what it’s like to have tough weeks, to lose clients, receive knockbacks and criticism. Yes, I may shed a few tears or rant for a day or two, or just hide under my duvet. But then I dust myself off, wipe away those tears, get up and get back into it.
People think success is straight forward, like a climb up a steep mountain. Instead, it’s more about climbing over all different sorts of terrain – getting bogged down at times, jumping up on some rocks at others, and often, just plodding along a plateau … but over time, you find yourself on a level that’s considerably higher than when you started.
The Accidental Entrepreneur?!
I may never have thought of myself as an entrepreneur – but that doesn’t mean that I wasn’t one.
Upon reflection, I think I made the mistake of confusing “entrepreneur” with an inventor or innovator, or even a “serial entrepreneur” – somebody who is continually starting new businesses (and often selling them before moving on to the next idea).
Why was I so blind to my own entrepreneurial streak?
I think it comes down to the one typical entrepreneurial quality which doesn’t seem to apply to me.
- Risk-taking
I’m not a risk-taker by nature. I’m very much the opposite – I like security, stability, and the familiar. But perhaps my aversion to risk developed when I experienced abuse as a child at the hands of my mum.
It’s only now as I have healing, love and support, as a safety net, that I have been able to take the occasional leap of faith. And even then, I have to be pushed!
Because let’s face it – even though I long dreamed of starting my own business based around writing, if I hadn’t been made redundant – it would probably never have happened.
Which of the qualities of an entrepreneur most resonates with you?!
