Why Entrepreneurism?

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!