Seven Key Steps to Becoming an Entrepreneur

If you have been contemplating being an entrepreneur and starting a business for a while now, you have come to the right place. Indeed, I am going to give you 7 key steps to get you started.

So grab a pen and paper and start writing !

 

1. Change your mindset

If you already have a business idea — or several — , you can skip this step. However, if you don’t, you need to understand that in order for you to get ideas, your mind must be able to run wild. That is something it cannot do if whenever an idea pops up, you immediately — consciously or unconsciously — shut it down.

You need to allow your mind to be free — think freely. An idea that at first sight seemed stupid or foolish can turn out — if you work on it enough — to be a golden mine ! But for that to happen, you need to work on it and be willing to do so. How can you do that if you shut everything down immediately ?

An idea is sometimes like a diamond in rough. It needs to be worked on to unveil its true potential.

 

2. Believe in yourself

This step goes hand-in-hand with the previous one. You’ve got an idea ? Congratulations ! Now you need to work on it ! You have to believe that you can do it. You have to believe that you can turn that rough diamond into the most breath-taking gemstone anyone has ever seen.

You will also notice that the more you achieve, the more confident you will be. The first time is always the hardest but thankfully, it gets easier.

 

3. Research

You’ve got the idea — even one that seems silly — and you’ve convinced yourself that you can do it. Now you have to do some research on this idea, the project, what you want to build. Check out if someone has done it before — it probably is the case if not in your country somewhere else. Make sure that it could work in theory.

Think about how you could grow your business in the future. That is extremely important since for a business to prosper, it needs to grow and you NEED to be able to keep up with the growth pace every step of the way. Don’t try to slow your business down. Let it be, let it live and grow with it.

 

4. Cure your Analysis Paralysis

That is a major issue for most of us — I’m definitely included ! Yes you need to research your idea, your market, your targeted customers and you will probably keep on doing so for a long time. HOWEVER, YOU NEED TO START TAKING ACTION !

You cannot just research your idea and build your business in your head because the problem is that, for now, it’s all IN YOUR HEAD ! It is not going to do anything for you if you’re unable to get it out there.

So get out of your head and start building it !

 

5. Persist

You will probably feel like giving up at some point — maybe several times. You shouldn’t. Remember what you’ve done and accomplished so far and hang it there. You will face different levels of hardship. You will doubt yourself from time to time. You will face countless obstacles.

Every time something goes wrong or you fall, pick yourself and keep going. Many people start but quickly give up. Those who succeed have stayed persistent.

Entrepreneurship is a marathon. It doesn’t matter how fast you run, those who win are those who cross the line whether it took them 1 or 10 hours.

 

6. Stop fearing Failure

Failure is good and necessary. Failure is not the end of the world. It is an opportunity for you to learn, reassess your goals and get back on track.

You always learn by doing but the experiences you remember most vividly are those where you failed. You learn even better by failing so yes, failure is important and IT IS NOT A SHAME.

 

7. Be AND STAY your biggest cheerleader

In the end, to build a business and be an entrepreneur, you need to be your number one supporter. Believe in yourself when no one does and show these people what you’re capable of achieving !

You will be amazed by the extent of your capabilities.

 

Beliefs shape your ideas. Ideas shape your words. Words shape your actions. Actions shape your reality.

To change your reality, you need to change your beliefs and therefore, your mindset. SO if you want to be an entrepreneur, a business owner, BELIEVE that you can be one and GO FOR IT !

Shine bright like a diamond — I know, I’m cheesy and I’m singing in my head while writing this but I had to do it :).

 

You can also check out these previously written article to help you out :

7 common traits of entrepreneurs

5 tips to become organized and self-disciplined

I recently wrote a guest post on the Millennial Money Guide blog. You can check it out right here :

7 Valuable Life Skills You Will Learn In College

I am also starting a new section/series on this blog where I feature entrepreneurs, business owners who share their experience building a business — or several. You can participate and help guide others who want to become entrepreneurs, business owners by filling out this form right here.

Thanks for your support !