PPB March 2016

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10 You can’t stand
the heat. Before
you jump into self-
employment, make sure you’re
very comfortable being uncom-
fortable. Every day you’ll need
to try something new for the first
time. You have to be
ready to put yourself
out there and do things
you’ve never done
before—all with less
financial security.
9 You have profes-
sional ADD. If you get
bored and frustrated eas-
ily, or you’re the type of person
who likes to go in a new direc-
tion every 60 days, business
ownership may not be for you.
Being an entrepreneur requires
unwavering laser focus.
Achieving business goals takes
time and persistence.
8 You get stage fright. As
a business owner, you are
the primary spokesperson
for your company. You need to
be ready and willing to take cen-
ter stage and spread the word
whenever possible. If you’re
uncomfortable in the spotlight or
you don’t like public speaking,
you better master these compe-
tencies before you launch.
7 You hate roller coast-
ers. As a business owner,
you never know what’s
around the corner—it could be a
really steep hill or gut-wrenching
free fall. There will be countless
ups and downs, and
you need to be pre-
pared to hang on and
enjoy the ride.
6 You think
complexity
is cool.
Complexity may be cool, but it’s
hard to create, market and sell.
The truth is the simplest solu-
tions are the most successful. As
a business owner, you need the
ability to distill concepts to
their simplest forms so
they can be easily com-
municated and imple-
mented.
5 You can’t
explain the
steps of shoe-tying.
Tying a shoelace is a complicat-
ed. So is running a business. You
have to be able to delegate
tasks and direct others. This
means you need the ability to
break big ideas into easy,
actionable steps for implementa-
tion. Big ideas are a dime a
dozen. Knowing how to imple-
ment them is the game changer.
4 You don’t believe in
marketing. Marketing
makes the business world
go round. If you don’t believe it
and embrace it, you’ll never suc-
ceed. Be ready to dedicate effort
and a decent budget to the task
of marketing your company. And
give your marketing time to work
using a variety of mediums.
There’s no silver bullet.
3 You’re easily winded.
Once you get
past the adrena-
line rush of starting your
own business, you’ll
encounter a portion of the
journey called the “middle
mile.” Frankly, the middle mile is
where you face challenge and
drudgery. Your feet will
hurt and your breath-
ing will be labored.
Despite these inconven-
iences, you must place
one foot in front of the
other and press on.
2 You’re a problem
passer. In business, there
are problems that must
be decisively resolved by the
owner. Sometimes customers
and employees will be unhappy
with your decisions and that’s
okay. Successful entrepreneurs
never postpone difficult choices.
1 You’re on the quest for
quick cash. Profit is the
result of productive busi-
ness. It is not why you are in busi-
ness. You are in business to solve
problems and to serve others. If
you find a way to deliver a better
solution or service than your
competitors, you will make plenty
of money. But it doesn’t happen
overnight. If you want to make
quick cash, business ownership
may not be the right
gig for you.
As these pit-
falls exemplify,
starting a business isn’t easy,
and it certainly isn’t glamorous.
But, it can be extraordinarily
worthwhile and satisfying. If any
of the 10 warning signs above
don’t give you pause, you just
may be a good entrepreneurial
candidate.
Daniel C. Steenerson imparts his
success wisdom, principles and
philosophies through his propri-
etary “Science of Visioneering”
approach to help companies,
entrepreneurs, executives and
other professionals realize busi-
ness greatness. Reach him at
—an
online community where business
owners, executives and other
career achievement-minded pro-
fessionals go for no-nonsense,
tell-it-like-it-is success advice.
Wannapreneur Warning!10 SIGNS YOU’RE NOT CUT OUT TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR
By Daniel C. Steenerson
MARCH 2016 • PPB • 73