Have you ever thought
about it? Have you ever asked yourself this question, whether because it’s an
idea that’s beginning to make a comeback, or because you heard there might be
better ways to try and make a living? Many are curious these days, others are asking
it simply out of hunger for a debate… “Why entrepreneurism?”
Allow me to share my humble
thoughts as to why this word is a word that should become an everyday-er in
your personal vocabulary. Hopefully I’ll be able to sensibly tie it in with my
blog’s theme, leadership, as well.
For starters, in answer to
the question “Why become entrepreneurial?” I ask a question in return: “Why
NOT??” Has anyone else noticed that the old way isn’t working for much of
anyone anymore? Have you ever taken serious note of how that success formula
many of us were taught growing up (ya know, the one that goes “go to school +
get good grades + attend a nice college and get a degree + find the right
company where you can climb their corporate ladder + earn benefits = retire at
65 or so and go live comfortably in Florida where you and your bingo buddies
can wear funny shorts and play golf) ISN’T working? The statistics are
staggering on just how many fields are vanishing, leaving fresh graduates with
nowhere to go; or how the standard of living has caught up with us all when
raises or ceilings on career earnings can’t keep up with inflation. The
American dollar is being massively devalued. The truth about just how bad our
national debt is continues to be covered up. (And just how long do we expect
China to keep accepting “I Owe You’s”?) Unemployment rates – no matter what
the evening news tells you – continue to be alarming. Older folks who have had
to cut their losses can’t afford to get off the conveyor belt into retirement
(or they do, but go and work in Home Depot or as a greeter at Walmart) are
stacking up and congesting the job market, making it harder and harder for
younger generations to find openings. The list goes on and on. I won’t even try
and tell you actual statistics to persuade you. We all know it and feel it.
Conduct a social experiment for yourself and just go talk to people out there.
Poll the mall-goers, ask the people you’re interacting with who work the stores
and gas stations you frequent. Students, ask your professors about their
careers. Some will keep their answers sugarcoated out of fear of injured pride.
But build some relationships with some folks, and you find out quick that there
aren’t too many “making it” the good ol’ fashioned way anymore.
Well the short explanation
to that, quickly, is that we’re in a new age. Pssst….didja get the memo? It’s
the Information Age now. There are new rules that many economists and business
owners have been trying to get the masses to hear and learn about for the last
10 to 15 years now.
So why entrepreneurism?
Because, whenever a country’s economy has struggled, this is the way people
have been able to continue to thrive and survive. Contrary to popular knowledge
about the Great Depression, during that era, there were about 1/3 of people
whose lives became disasters. Another third had somehow managed to get
themselves somewhere that they struggled but didn’t lose it all. But another
30% actually thrived by doing things entrepreneurially and became giants of
business for the next stage when America collectively got back on its feet. I’m
of the opinion that those who think you can never be safe from catastrophe no
matter your wealth live out two profound truths: 1) They’ve never experienced
wealth (which, by the way, is best defined as abundance of riches and
freedom of time to engage in one’s passions and personal pursuits), and 2)
They’ve only worked in what Robert Kiyosaki calls the E (“Employee”) or S
(“Self-employed”) quadrants. They only know what a paycheck looks like that
they labored for with their own limited blood, sweat, and brains. But security is
truly far more obtainable for those who seek to be in “B” type business,
who are truly entrepreneurs. The difference between an entrepreneur and someone
who simply owns their own business is all about leverage and duplication. How
dispensable are you at what you do? If your own efforts are handcuffed, or your
position is taken away from you, how long can the hours you last worked get you
by? For millions in America right now, those questions bring a lump to the
throat.
So in other words,
economically, 95% of people (according to what’s revealed by most US Department
of Labor stats) really ought to consider stepping out on their own,
entrepreneurially, to build assets where they can multiply their efforts
through the use of a proven business system (see: franchising, like
McDonald’s, or big business, like Walmart, etc.) and the power of
compounding. After all, what Henry Ford said is true: “I’d rather have 1% of 100
people’s efforts, than just 100% of my own.”
But beyond that practical
reasoning, my greater desire is for my fellow Americans to consider
entrepreneurism as a great course of action because of its leadership
ramifications. Beyond the simple fact that I, myself, have little to no chance
in making more than a very modest living in the regular workforce, and thus
have decided to learn the way of the entrepreneur, the purposefulness behind it
is my greatest motivation. Let me explain.
Nowadays, many people claim
to be entrepreneurs, but aren’t. At least not in the fullest sense. As I said,
depending on the type of business system one is involved in, they may still
really be more self-employed than anything, but they’ll still think they can
label themselves “Entrepreneur” on their social media sites, simply because
they got into a business they’re doing “alone.” I don’t mean to make any
further commentary about others than that, nor do I want to say that I myself
am completely on the opposite side of the coin. But I do want to make the point
that being an entrepreneur is more than what you do; it’s who you become.
I have been blessed to fall
in with a large, and constantly growing, organization of people who are
together developing into entrepreneurs. We all share in various levels of
commitment to a home-based business pursuit that really, actually, starts out
as something that’s meant to become a “B”-type business where one’s
success can be multiplied by replacing themselves with other leaders. In the beginning
stages, though, it does require some personal hard work (in the smart ways) and
you feel a little bit like you’re a normal self-employed person. Over time you
move from calling yourself – and studying to be – an entrepreneur to truly
being one in every sense of the word, when your business asset has grown into
something you can step away from and the system leverages success for you,
creating residual, passive, streaming income.
I recommend that anyone
who’s curious about the idea of entrepreneurism try out that exact method, by
the way. Find the right opportunity, the right group of people, the right niche
in the trending markets where you can do good business and make a real impact
in people’s lives, and this entrepreneurial way of life can be an exciting way
to pave out your future financially. Along the way, you’ll make some awesome
social connections, increasing something that’s often referred to as your
“social capital,” and you’ll pile more true friendships into your life, from
the valuable experiences gained with teammates, than you’d ever dream possible.
If it’s all formed around the kind of business opportunity that actually
leverages meaningful services into others’ lives, even the most humanitarian of
us can find real fulfillment from being an entrepreneurial business person.
Excuse that tangent, but I
do wish to drive home my point about why else you could consider
entrepreneurism.
Being a Christian man, I
have been raised on a principle called stewardship. In other words, we each have
been bestowed many physical and intangible blessings and talents from God
above. It’s my belief that my best stewardship takes place when I boldly seek
to use those things to the good of my fellow man, and to glorify or
praise the God I serve. Stewardship, biblically speaking, isn’t really even
limited to money. It’s a principle that touches all portions of our lives. Even
within the monetary category, I’ve learned some new things over the past
several years that have opened my eyes to how I can personally best pursue
stewardship. I’ve come to the personal conclusion that to be an entrepreneur is
actually to practice some of the best stewardship I can, especially because of
the current economic climate.
Let me use the following
analogy or story. I’ll actually be making an adaptation on a fairly familiar
analogy.
A
man and his family watch as terrible storms and rising river conditions sweep
into his county and threaten his home. He’s heard that this was going to be
perhaps the worst flood season on record, and like everyone else he has enough
media sources to know that the rains are going to keep on coming. Soon, almost
out of nowhere, the waters surge and his town is engulfed in a flood of massive
proportions. The levies break and eventually this man has no choice but to lead
his family up onto his roof. Things are looking dire, but surely help has to be
on the way. He decides to place his trust in his Maker, to provide a way out.
His cell phone calls on the rooftop assure all his more distant family and
friends that they’ll be fine, God will provide. Along comes a boat with enough
room for him and his wife and kids to hop in, to safety. But, shockingly, he
refuses to leave the rooftop and yells to the boatman over the gale winds,
“It’s ok, I know God will provide!” With a saddened face and perplexed heart,
the boatman eventually moves on to find others needing saving. The waters
continue to rise, and soon the horrific flood sweeps the man and his family off
their home’s roof and they perish.
In
heaven the man approaches God and exasperatedly tells him, “Lord, I trusted in
you! Why didn’t you save us?” God looks at him patiently but solemnly, places a
hand on his shoulder and says, “My son, I did provide. I offered you
opportunity to survive in the form of a boat, and you couldn’t even see your
opportunity because you thought you knew what trust looked like. I hoped you’d
have the good sense to see a good thing coming, and get your wife, your kids,
and yourself to safety. But you didn’t. You squandered your chance, and your
life. You thought faith was waiting for me to do it all, and that you wouldn’t
have to lift a finger when I gave you the opportunity.”
I, personally, have decided
to pursue the lifestyle of an entrepreneur because I believe it’s stewardship –
i.e. good usage – of my time on this earth, while in charge of my family. I can
see the economic flood waters rising, and even though many logical and
well-intentioned folks I know see the waters too, I’m choosing to not just wait
for a boat to jump into…I’m building my own. Yes, it means spending a few extra
hours in the evening to make sure it’s seaworthy, and yes it requires learning
and growing some, so I can build a real boat that will weather the tides. But
it’s time and resources well invested, because that will be the means to my and
my family’s survival if and when America’s economic calamity boils over. In
other words, financially speaking, to be an entrepreneur is to “dig your well
before you’re thirsty.” Those who cling to the idea of just working a
run-of-the-mill job aren’t stupid; they aren’t unethical; they aren’t
foolish…They’re just choosing to build someone else’s well before their own.
My final point is this. If
you’re someone who cares passionately about the continued freedoms in our
country, or you’re someone who is avidly seeking a cause bigger than yourself,
I also strongly suggest entrepreneurism to you. Why? Because many experts, such
as Orrin Woodward & Oliver DeMille, who recently launched their co-written
book LeaderShift: A Call for Americans to Finally Stand Up and Lead, feel
strongly that it will be the rise of a generation of entrepreneurs – not the
government – that has any chance of directing America back from the brink our
great country is teetering on. The more I read and learn, the more I readily
agree. That’s why I am proud to be an entrepreneur. In a great CD recording of
a talk given by Larry VanBuskirk, entrepreneurs are called “sheepdogs,” much
the same as our military or the civil servants we applaud, like policemen and
fireman. Economically, entrepreneurs are able to protect the flock of sheep who
aren’t aware of the dangers (at least not enough aware to do anything about it)
in society, and they seek to live lives of standing in the gap between calamity
and their loved ones and fellow countrymen. When you choose the life of an
entrepreneur, you are bound to encounter amazing principles, learn some very
selfless and time-honored habits and values, and you’ll grow in your
understanding of history, personal finances, and other matters of life that
aren’t being given much attention in the formal education system. You’ll
contribute more actively to the betterment of your local economies through
being a part of business that actually benefits your communities than the ones
that are tied to the government by bailouts or regulations, or that are owned
by conglomerations. You’ll come to see the value of networking, gaining
positive influence with others, and serving rather than mongering. You’ll gain
meaningful experiences that can be passed on to the next generation so they’re
taught to create value for themselves, and thus preserve their way of life on
down the line, instead of just making ends meet for yourself and leaving their
destinies to high in the sky, apple pie hopes (aka, our educational system,
Obamacare, a vanishing social security fund, etc.). In short, you’ll make a
real difference, that will last long past your latest paycheck, working for The
Man.
I’m still the project. I’m
still a work in progress, with such a long journey to go. But I highly
recommend adopting the entrepreneurial approach to your future that I have,
which goes like this: “Define…..learn….do.” Decide today what you want your
future to look like, and dedicate your highest faculties and greatest energies
to seeking out those with the results you desire. Then learn from them and go
out and do it for yourself. If Christianity is a part of your foundation, then
furthermore dedicate your ways in this kind of pursuit to his blessing, seeking
humbly to serve others by your efforts, and knowing that when a heart’s
motivation is right, and you’re practicing savvy and great financial
stewardship in challenging times, you will be blessed! And who knows, you just
may leave a leadership legacy in your wake in the process. One can only hope
so. As John Maxwell says, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”
Thanks for reading. God’s
blessings. Always live intentionally for excellence!
