Entrepreneurs are different in many ways. They see the world
differently. Most people leave school, college or university and get a job.
They focus on developing a career working for someone else. They might get
further up the ladder and some may eventually make a good income.
Entrepreneurs don’t do that. They may already be developing
several business ideas before they even leave school. And you can be certain
most if not all of them will be advised to get a ‘proper job’ at some stage,
probably by more than one person. A proper job is, of course, a ‘safe’ job
working for someone else.
I have always questioned that logic. It comes from the
familiarity most people have with the life they know. This is a life in which
you leave full-time education, get a job, get married, have kids and buy a
house. Most people follow that path and that life, and don’t even consider why
they might do anything else. That’s fine for many people, but entrepreneurs
don’t fit into that mould.
Many entrepreneurs struggle in the early stages. They may
not make money. They may have to get another job to support themselves. Make no
mistake though: It will be a job, not a career. The focus will still be on what
they really want to achieve.
The advice to get a proper job is usually given in good
faith and with the fledgling entrepreneur’s best interests at heart. No one
wants to see them fail (at least, not very often. Most people are generally
good-hearted). However, we are not all made the same way. For an entrepreneur,
the worst thing they could do would be to work for someone else. And let’s face
it, this is hardly the safest route you could take to a secure income today
anyway. Jobs for life are rare and few jobs are safe.
An entrepreneur can, and arguably should, ignore the advice
to take the ‘safe’ route. They should continue to plug away at their dreams.
When you persevere it is surprising just how much you can achieve. Many
entrepreneurs look back to where they started and they are quite surprised at
how things have panned out. Not everything will work, but their perseverance
and determination will bring them to a point where they can achieve far more
than they ever dreamed of.
You can see then that ignoring the advice of others is a
great idea when that advice comes from those who have taken the ‘safe’ route
through life. Only other entrepreneurs are qualified to give advice to people
who are just starting out on that same route. So be careful who you listen to.
Listen, of course, and be polite, but don’t let anyone deter you from the dream
you have to create one or more of your own businesses. That’s not a great thing
to look back on.
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