Entrepreneurship is not the same thing as business and vice versa. It is more than just starting a business; it is a mindset, a way of thinking and acting.
Entrepreneurship involves thinking of new ways to solve problems and create value. Entrepreneurship is the spirit of productivity (positivity and creativity, vision and innovation). A business may make a fortune perpetually, but an entrepreneur is a potential fortune! There is nothing that beats the entrepreneurial mindset, not even skill sets, tool sets or assets. The richest place in the world is the entrepreneur’s mind. It is full of ideas and knowledge, creativity and vision.
There are huge benefits in entrepreneurship; in exploring possibilities and exploiting opportunities. The two benefits are as follows:
IT SEPARATES YOU FROM THE REST; STAY WITHIN YOUR ‘CONSTITUENCY’ – CREATIVITY
Mindset separates the best from the rest. Being an entrepreneur requires a certain kind of thinking which some people perceive as ‘crazy’. An entrepreneur strives to adapt the world to himself by applying creative solutions to problems or opportunities, to enhance or to enrich people’s lives. He believes he can reach his goals even if the circumstances around him or her suggest it is impossible. “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” – George Bernard
The first attribute noticeable in an entrepreneur is confidence. Competence is a product of experience and expertise, but confidence is a product of the entrepreneurial spirit which is said to be characterized by creativity, innovation and risk-taking. The fear of being wrong is the killer of creativity. To an average entrepreneur, impossibility does not exist. Entrepreneurship is not for the faint-hearted. The entrepreneurial spirit is the spirit of positivity, possibilities and productivity.
Entrepreneurs are leaders in their own right and leaders become leaders in 1 of 3 ways:
1. A crisis or event pushes them into leadership.
2. Their personality leads them into it.
3. They choose to be a leader. If they choose to become a leader, they also choose the depth of their training.
You are a unique and special character, not just a species on the queue of the evolutionary ladder. You are not just made of carbon; you were born for ‘carbon’ to be made. Entrepreneurs are born to be made, and to make. All entrepreneurs are leaders but not all leaders are entrepreneurs. “You are either running with a vision, or going on a mission, or burning with a passion.” – Dr. David Oyedepo. Believing in yourself is an endless destination! Life is a beautiful journey of self-discovery. Believing you have failed is the end of your journey! Do not allow your past, pocket and people control you. Your gift is your lift. Stay lifted. Without ignition, there is no recognition. Knowledge ignites creativity while creativity leads to productivity. Stay creative.
IT GUARANTEES YOUR REST; STAY ‘WITHIN’ YOUR CONSISTENCY – INTEGRITY
Entrepreneurship offers you an opportunity to think without borders, thereby creating values that potentially increase your net worth and elevate your social class. When you solve critical problems and add relevant values, your personal value appreciates and your network becomes richer. Meaning attracts money and people. Your network is your net worth. The richer your network, the better your life, and most definitely, your future. When you intentionally and intelligently build a strong and strategic network, it is worth so much because it can take you anywhere. It increases your influence and affluence, power and status. It takes not only talents to attract quality people, personal qualities like a sound character, moral fortitude, integrity etc, are equally important for an entrepreneur to stay attractive and become an important personality in society. Start thinking entrepreneurially; create value and value strategic relationships. There is no rest without a promising future.
Investments in relationships drive connection while connection determines ‘collection’. An entrepreneur who wants to go far cannot afford not to intelligently and intentionally build and nurture strategic relationships. Relationships are currencies of life. Good or bad, all occurrences of life are products of relationships, so invest wisely in relationships. Relationships are bridges that connect people. One of my biggest mistakes in life was the day I had a misunderstanding with my investor. I went too far by telling him “I don’t need anything from you anymore”! We stopped very business conversation which halted our future business plans. I failed to realize that I was about to start scaling and I needed to keep strategic people or partners for business growth and expansion. Even if it is by pretence, an entrepreneur must know how to keep and nurture relationships. Burning bridges is foolishness. The journey of an entrepreneur does not have to begin with people though. When starting out or moving from 0 to 1, an entrepreneur does not necessarily need people, but this is not so when it comes to scaling or moving from 1-10. You can start small but you don’t have to remain small. One crucial growth factor for entrepreneurial success is investments in strategic relationships. Even nations around the world have allies who support one another in form of bilateral relationships. Stay positive.
