This is for you if you fell into entrepreneurship unintentionally—you acquired a client before you were ready, or don’t really see yourself as a business owner. And because of your detachment from your role as an entrepreneur, you have yet to develop an entrepreneurial outlook.
But now you’re realizing that you actually have a viable business here that you can monetize to support your ideal lifestyle. So where do you go from here?
Shifting your mindset to “entrepreneur” requires a conscious effort. By studying these 7 components, you’ll set yourself up for success as an entrepreneur by fostering an unshakeable attitude that will serve you well for years to come.
1. Pay attention to how others see you; it might actually be true.
Being around other business owners isn’t just a way of drumming up new business; it’s also great for shifting your mindset towards that of an entrepreneur.
If you show up to networking events or client meetings feeling like an imposter, it’s time to start seeing the evidence all around you that you belong.
If other people see you as a smart, capable professional who’s making huge strides in your business every day, couldn’t that be true?
If people are always telling you you’re doing so well and that they’re proud of you, couldn’t that be based on an accurate recounting of events?
What if the great things people say about you are actually true?
Let your identity shift into who or what people already think you are (if it’s true). It’s probably just taking you a while to catch up with your own success!
A great example comes to mind from when I interviewed fellow entrepreneur, Tina Baxter for Prospology‘s Careers Academy. She said: “The first time someone called me an influencer, I had never seen myself that way before. But then I realized—it’s true!”.
2. Decide what you want, set clear boundaries, and don’t try to do everything.
It’s important to recognize that you’re more than just your profession. You must bring your whole self to your business endeavours if you want to thrive and form an unwavering entrepreneurial outlook.
This means letting your genuine passions and interests guide you on your own, unique entrepreneurial journey. Ignore what everyone else is doing and stay focused on what you want. And not only that, communicate it to others!
Clients can tell if you’re 100% aligned with what you do because you light up when you talk about your business, and that’s not something you can fake.
The most successful entrepreneurs are authentic. They let their core values guide their business activities. They aren’t afraid to say “no” to things that aren’t aligned with their vision or don’t excite them.
You could have the best business idea ever but if it doesn’t make you want to jump out of bed every morning to work on it all day, it’s unlikely to succeed.
Set expectations with clients upfront wherever possible to make everyone’s lives easier and protect your reputation at all costs. The clearer it is as to who’s doing what, how, and by when, the more likely your business will do well.
3. Open yourself up to feedback and collaboration with clients.
While it’s important to maintain healthy boundaries with clients, flexibility is key for success in business, and recognizing this can help shape your entrepreneurial outlook.
If you’re not seeing eye-to-eye on a project with a client, something’s gotta give. If you don’t want that to be your reputation, you’ll need to reflect on the approach you’re taking and adapt accordingly.
Your number one priority should be making sure the client is happy.
You can’t take feedback personally because that’s going to prevent you from learning from your mistakes, stunting your business’s growth in the process.
And you can’t get defensive about requests for change because you’re not the one paying for the services—the client is. They get to make changes because it’s all about them.
Negative client experiences spread like wildfire. And if no-one wants to hire you, what do you have? Nothing.
Be sure to schedule regular check-ins to communicate your progress. It’s well worth the time investment, especially for challenging projects.
4. Don’t limit yourself by forcing your growth to be planned out or logical.
As a first-time entrepreneur, it’s okay to not know exactly what you want to do or offer right out the gate. You don’t have to have all the steps mapped out—just an easy starting point.
When you give yourself permission to do things on the fly, as you feel inspired, your business will grow intuitively. Not only is it more enjoyable to build in this way, as you get into a flow state more often, it also works really well.
Let your experiences guide you towards new possibilities. Then, when something feels right and you have the energy, grab the bull by the horns and have at it!
Often, all we need is to know what’s possible and then we can go for it. A simple yet powerful example of this is another story that Tina shared with me. She was watching credits roll at the end of a movie and saw that a character had gone onto become the CEO of several successful companies. In that moment, Tina realized “I can have multiple businesses!” and she never looked back.
Tina gave herself permission to start something of her own and it was truly transformative. By letting your business evolve organically, you too can experience significant professional growth with ease and flow.
5. Recognize existing skills but also practice skill-building along the way.
Everything happens for a reason. While you may not realize it at the time, your experiences are all valuable and can be applied in creative ways to benefit your business and/or clients at any time. You just have to be open to the idea.
When you start where you are and build upon the existing foundations, being an entrepreneur feels a heck of a lot less overwhelming.
It’s essential, especially for your entrepreneurial outlook, to recognize that you have existing skills that are already monetizable. It’s just a case of figuring out how (as aspiring freelancers do when they enrol in The ‘Thriving & Free’ Medical Writer Program!).
First, it helps to have a basic understanding of all aspects of your business operations. This doesn’t mean you’ll always be doing the technical stuff yourself—it’s just easier to outsource things later on.
Second, develop skills of your own when it makes sense to. For instance, you don’t need to become a qualified accountant to manage your books properly, but you may want to take a couple of finance classes to keep your head in the game.
Only retain responsibilities when it’s the best use of your talents and unique skillset. Otherwise, delegate, delegate, delegate!
6. Accept that there will be natural ebbs & flows in your business.
You’re not always going to have to give it 110% in a specific aspect of your business or life. Sometimes, things come to a natural end and that’s okay.
Your ideal lifestyle, circumstances, and ever-changing priorities are allowed to dictate the direction you take your business in. In fact, they should.
It’s smart to have multiple income streams. It’s good to experiment with different offerings to see what works and what doesn’t, and what you love most.
Ad-hoc trainings are your friend when they help you reach a goal faster, but don’t get obsessed with ongoing education because it could be more of a hindrance than a help.
Be honest with yourself about your reason for doing something and if it makes sense or not (e.g. Is this a confidence thing? Is this a genuine gap I need to fill? Or is this a distraction from what really matters?).
You must build self-trust if you want to do well in business. You probably already have everything you need to succeed, just by being yourself. The only thing left to do now is allow in support, take calculated risks, and be prepared to learn and grow along the way.
7. You can’t be afraid to take risks or fail, as it’s necessary for success.
An entrepreneurial outlook requires a willingness to take risks. Speaking of calculated risks, it’s not enough to just have a great business concept—it has to actually work.
Conduct market research. Enrol beta-testers. Run tests. Conduct experiments. Analyze until the cows come home. But pay attention to what you love just as much as what generates results. Your passions are your business’s internal compass—not what others want you to do or what you think you should do.
If you try something and later realize: a) it doesn’t work, or b) you hate it, that’s completely fine. It doesn’t mean you should label yourself as a failure and give up on entrepreneurship altogether. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater!
Just because many successful leaders or business owners don’t talk about their failures doesn’t mean they didn’t happen or don’t occur on a regular basis:
- Countless companies lose millions launching products that don’t take off.
- Countless authors are rejected by publishers for future best-sellers.
- Countless CEOs had businesses preceding this one that failed epically.
Don’t let fear keep you stuck. Nothing is a setback. Get on that horse and ride!
Prioritizing intuitive, authentic evolution is the best way to grow your business and form an unshakeable entrepreneurial outlook. No-one has all the answers, nor do they have to. Show up decisively and fully, with room for flexibility and an eye for adaptation, and let the games begin!
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