5 Reasons Why You Would Make an Excellent Entrepreneur
To help see if you are cut out for the entrepreneurial road, here are five signs you should jump the corporate ship and go out on your own.
By Thomas Oppong •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
If you have the vision to connect the dots and ideas at your present job, chances are you would make a great entrepreneur. But often people love the idea of having a "real job" too much to even give freedom a try. To help see if you are cut out for the entrepreneurial road, here are five signs you should jump the corporate ship and go out on your own.
1. You genuinely love what you do.
In the corporate world, some people just punch the clock to pay the bills. They don't really get any fulfillment or pleasure from their responsibilities.
On the other hand, there are some employees that take a lot of pride in their jobs. They don't hesitate to go the extra mile to get tasks done. This sort of passion is one of the basic requirements for starting anything, especially a new venture.
Related: Shutting Down to Starting Up: Being Hooked on Entrepreneurship
If you are putting your mind and energy to doing an amazing job at your current position, you will love your own projects even more. Entrepreneurs who are passionate about their ideas believe they can do a better job than the people already serving that market. They change how we use everyday products and services in the process. If you think along those lines, chances are you will do better as an entrepreneur.
2. You would rather ask for forgiveness than permission.
Most people in a job setting prefer to stick to the rules and work by the books (aka the "yes" people). If you need to ask permission to execute the simplest tasks, you may struggle to get your own ideas off the ground as an entrepreneur.
Entrepreneurs don't ask, they do. If you tend to do most tasks without asking permission at your current job, you would be better off as an entrepreneur than an employee.
3. You crave innovation.
You may not be the employee of the month but if you are thinking about new ways to get business processes done faster, smarter and cheaper, you will certainly add a lot of value to your product or service if you ventured out on your own. If you crave innovation, chances are you have a list of things you want to do to make life or work easier for others. So, if you keep telling yourself: "there has to be a better way to do this," it may be a good time to become an entrepreneur.
Related: 14 Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read in '14
4. You are comfortable with change.
No business can survive without some kind of change: consumer and market demands change every year. Entrepreneurs know that. They study trends and know what to build or improve to stay in business as long as possible. So, you need to be comfortable with change and uncertainty and be willing to pivot quickly.
And if you hate to drop your current process of doing things for a smarter or even faster way, you probably shouldn't start your own business.
5. You are not afraid to fail.
Some people are just afraid of making mistakes. If you can't overcome your fear of failure, you would be better off keeping your day job.
You need to keep in mind, you are not your failure. Entrepreneurs choose to try and try again until they succeed. In business, mistakes are opportunities to learn and move on. If you see setbacks as stepping stones to your end goal, you will go a long way as an entrepreneur.
In business, mistakes are opportunities to learn and move on. If you see setbacks as stepping stones to your end goal, you will go a long way as an entrepreneur.
A life of doing will always trump a life of "doing as you are told". Choose to be an entrepreneur today.
Related: Answer These 3 Questions Before Jumping Into Entrepreneurship
