Becoming an Entrepreneur.

I worked for a boss until 1983 when I went on my own. To create my own destiny!! Mostly it is fear that holds us back from reaching our full potential in this lifetime. Fear of failure, fear of ridicule, fear of what our friends and or family will say? Etc. etc. At school we are taught to only succeed. IT IS REWARDED. Failure is PUNISHED and frowned upon?? (SICK) In life and magazines we are told to avoid mental pain….. Only too seek pleasure….. In other words, THE GOOD TIMES?

But we all come onto this planet to make mistakes. Too fail. Because that is the only way we learn as humans. Making mistakes. It is only the slow learners that make the same mistake twice. And that is also OK? But some people need to make a mistake a few times before they learn. Sometimes the universe only gives a person one chance to learn a mistake and then remove them off the planet completely via death. If you fly aircraft for instance you will know what I mean here. Also, we can only have real happiness when we experience and learn to manage mental pain. They go hand in hand as well. Once one can handle failure and one can feel and work through pain and come out on the other side standing on a daily basis on the path of growth, one has a recipe for success. Two books you must read: Failing forward – by John C. Maxwell Make a life (Not just a living) - by Dr. Ron Jenson Remember… no matter where you work, you are and will, always be working for and on, YOURSELF. When I was working for a boss, I did everything in my power to learn, learn computers, learn invoicing, learn to sell products, I would even clean out the entire office with my own vacuum cleaner, because I happened to like working in a clean environment. Clean and wipe down my own desk once a week. Go out on deliveries, etc. I tried and was willing to try everything and anything. My colleagues thought I was crazy, had lost my marbles. But every day I was learning something new whilst they were stagnating. Funny thing is management kept on noticing me and promoting me to new challenges. In other words……… “I was climbing the corporate ladder of success” And so my colleagues did what came natural to them. Became jealous, some thought I was just “lucky” Others thought I was born with a golden spoon in my mouth, others envied me. Others disliked me immensely. Some tied to sink me with lies and slander. My boss at that moment (if he did not believe in himself, was not secure in himself or was not seeing the bigger picture for the company would feel very threatened) I often have a quiet moment when I reflect on my life so far and wonder where all the people are that I have crossed paths with in life already. And how much they have grown as HUMAN - BEINGS and not HUMAN - DOINGS. The funny thing is that I learned everything for free. I got a MBA for free (That my employers taught me) I somehow, somewhere use this knowledge in my own business and in life today, to enrich myself. I thank my past teachers on a daily basis.!! Throughout my entire life and even now with my current clients (Who are actually every one individually…. “MY BOSS” – because they pay my salary and thus I, by working for myself have been waking up every morning “unemployed” since 1983) I have a philosophy that I always give an extra 10%. I have had lots of clients that do not even appreciate it, yet alone pay me on time, or in rare instances not at all. And I bless them with my entire heart, but in the end it is somehow as if the universe makes sure that one is rewarded for the effort. THE UNIVERSE APPLAUDS ACTION!!

The only way a business can work is if one has the right people and the right processes in place. Those are the only two criteria to build an empire. I have a philosophy of “Hire and fire – hire and fire” until I find the right person, then I hold on to them by offering them the right kind of money for the job. More than the market place offers for the same kind of job. ALWAYS EMPLOY ATTITUDE FIRST…….. SKILLS YOU CAN TEACH LATER!! Finding niche markets, and only dealing with people that share similar energy as oneself. In the beginning I raped, killed and sold myself short to “Get business” any business, but now I hand pick my clients, only the ones that appreciate me and that share the same value systems that I cherish. And the funny thing is…… they don’t mind paying, because: 1. I solve their problems. 2. I arrive on time. 3. I under promise and over deliver. 4. Go the extra mile. 5. Never bullshit them. 6. I am always predictable. Also - one must never burn one’s bridges on the way to the top as one is going to need them on the way down. So even with your current or maybe future boss. If he happens to (maybe) not be the right kind of boss to work for or maybe has a bad attitude. LEARN FROM HIM/HER, When you “finally” do walk or move away from that department, do so with good energy and no bad feelings in your heart. Even if they are wrong. Thank them for the lessons learned. What does it matter?!. How important is the EGO? TRUE POWER IS KNOWING THAT YOU CAN….. BUT YOU DON’T! You never know……. Maybe one day you might have to knock on their door again. Maybe it is not the company as such but only your boss at that moment that has the wrong attitude or is frightened of your energy?. Try to move to another department. Offer to drop in salary…. YES, DROP IN SALARY!!

If you know who you are you can soon make it up again under another boss who will appreciate your extra 10% you always give……. That different energy that makes you stand out in the crowd of people who only want. - The takers - The “nobody’s” - The mediocrity! If you decide to work for yourself….. Find a niche in the market…. Be it a product that nobody has or a service or problem you can solve that nobody else can. Then you can charge what you want and people will buy!! Don’t give away your life by waiting for somebody else to create your destiny. The “they” will then only give you what “they” consider you to be worth to “them.” We can learn from nature. The lions and or predators will always hunt the weakest for a meal. We have enough “Nobody’s” in this country and the world; we need lots more “Somebody’s” People that can make a difference, people that are not just here to steal oxygen. People that can stop the plundering of the planet for their own idea of survival. When is enough – enough?? (Another topic all together) I wish you well.

Someone once told me that if you don't enjoy what you're doing, it eventually becomes torture.