The Two Types of Home-Based Entrepreneur
Don’t be fooled. Just because you have a desk and a stapler, that doesn’t make you an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs do not define themselves as they are today. They define themselves by who they will be tomorrow. They are visionaries. They are always moving toward the future.
Today is the time for you to become the visionary for your own business- to take one small, tiny step toward the company you dreamed of having when you were sitting in that cubicle working for your overbearing bosses and that soulless corporation.
The first step you need to take in order to turn around your stagnating business and become a successful entrepreneur is to figure out exactly what you want to accomplish. Your business must align with your personality. Decide now whether you want your business to remain small or if you want to grow it much larger. Writing a complete business plan is not necessary - Just try to envision the perfect business for you. What would it look like and how would it help you reach your goals?
I have found two particular and extremely different styles of successful entrepreneur, the ‘Growth Maven’ and the ‘Lifestyle Guru.’
‘Growth Mavens’ are fiercely ambitious. They do not think small. The Growth Maven starts her business in her home office to keep expenses low, but is chomping at the bit to raise the company to new heights. Her dream is to grow from a single person company to a multi-employee company and maybe even larger. She thinks someday she will be like the mega-stars who originally started their companies as home-based businesses: Bill Gates, Martha Stewart, Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, and Michael Dell. She knows there is no limit to the amount of money she can make, and she is dedicated to constantly innovating her products and services. But she has to get out of her house first.
The ‘Lifestyle Guru’ just wants to be his own boss. He was sick of the office politics, the rush hour commute, the aggravating boss and spending far too much of his life in a windowless cubicle. What he wants is the chance to do things his own way, and to take joy in doing work he’s good at and likes doing.
The Lifestyle Guru wants to work in her bathrobe and take a break in the middle of the day to play outside with her kids. She’s ok with cleaning out her inbox late at night when the rest of the family is asleep. Sometimes she’ll work on a weekend, but sometimes she won’t. Her work fits in with the rest of her life, not the other way around. She knows there’s a limit to how much money she can make, but she’s bringing in a comfortable income and has more leisure time to spend with her loved ones. When it works, her life is pretty darn good.
I’m sure you already know whether you’re more of a Growth Maven or a Lifestyle Guru, but if you want to verify your gut feeling, I have a short quiz available on the web and in my book that will help you know for sure.
