Kept telling me you love lists like this. So; sitting on my duff, staring at a blank screen, started typing away.
The result? “21 Reasons You Became an Entrepreneur.”
Or maybe it should be 21 reasons “I” became an entrepreneur? Oh, it doesn’t matter. You and I are cut from the same stone.
So, without further delay, I present to you my list of 21 Reasons You (and I) Became an Entrepreneur:
1.) To be liked – If your company is successful, people will like you. No, actually… they’ll LOVE you! And if you’re super successful, you may even get marriage proposals from strangers. Does this ever happen to you Donald?
2.) To be appreciated – Build your business, hire team members and take good care of them. You’ll be appreciated. Especially on pay day; and when you tell them they’re doing a great job; and when you give them a raise… (hint, hint).
3.) To be right – You want to prove you’re not a nut case, right? Your friends called you crazy, your boss thought you were whacked and even your mom said no way is that gonna work. But hey, you did it. You were RIGHT! And now you can dance around with your hands on your hips, nose in the air, singing “I’m an entrepreneur…. I’m an entrepreneur….”
4.) To feel important – You definitely feel the warm fuzziness of importance walking in a room full of people who recognize you. And you feel even more important when Oprah calls personally to ask if you’ll be on her show. (Oh, but wait, Oprah doesn’t do that talk show thing on the couch anymore. Oh well, nice to dream for a minute… )
5.) To make money – Um, maybe I should have put this one on top? Yes, generally speaking a successful entrepreneur makes money. And lots of it. Yay, can’t wait to get there someday. Are you making any yet?
6.) To save money – How does becoming an entrepreneur save you money? Oh, let me think… Okay, got it. You make so much money, you can’t spend it or give it all away, so you have to what? Yes — save some of it. So see, being a successful entrepreneur helps you save money.
7.) To save time – No faster way to the American dream than being a successful entrepreneur. And once you’ve arrived in the promised land, you get to goof off like Tim Ferris and only work 4 hours per week. Cool, that’s saving time. (Sorry Tim. Love ya.)
8.) To make work easier – Yep, you’re in charge. So, you get to decide what work to do, and what work to dump on someone else. That makes life a breeze as an entrepreneur, right? Um… yeah, right.
9.) To be secure – Nothing more secure than knowing you have your destiny in your own hands. Seriously, I would rather be in control of my own fate, than stick it in the hands of some schmuck who is aiming to run their business into the ground. Oops, wait a minute — am I one of those schmucks?
10.) To be attractive – You can hardly wait to snag that Ferrari, pull up to that Miami Beach mansion, sipping your champagne. Wow, looks attractive on TV, doesn’t it? Right up to the moment you spill that drink all down your fancy self and onto the leather seats of your Ferrari.
11.) To be sexy – Even saying the word “entrepreneur” is sexy, don’t you think? Yep, heads will turn at a cocktail party when you tell everyone what you do.
12.) To be comfortable – Sitting in the lap of luxury on that big mondo couch. Now that’s comfy. Except it costs two thousand dollars just to clean it ‘cause it’s hand-made Peruvian Silk Spun with Golden Inlays. (Yes, I made that up.)
13.) To be distinctive – How many people living on your street can call themselves “entrepreneurs”? (Okay, Bill Gates, you’re not allowed to answer this question.) See? You’re special. You’re set apart. You’re distinctive. Just you and Bill.
14.) To be happy – Oh the joy of owning your own business. Freedom, control, money, Ferrari and a boat to boot. How can you not be happy? Well, you probably are if you’ve got the right perspective of those things. And hey, someone to share them with.
15.) To have fun – What could be more fun than driving your Ferrari down the road? Okay, enough with the Ferrari already. Geez. Had one — and yes it was fun to drive. But then it needed an oil change. … and no, it wasn’t 39 bucks at Jiffy Lube.
16.) To gain knowledge – Whether this is one of the reasons you set out to be an entrepreneur or not, your tank is now full of knowledge. One thing I’ve learned though: It’s much better to have wisdom than knowledge. Trust me kemosabe.
17.) To be healthy – Being a successful business owner means you can fly all over kingdom come searching for the Zen-zone you’re looking for. Nips, tucks and lots of bandages I suppose. Well, at least you can eat your vegetables and pick up an exercise bike from Costco now that you’re an entrepreneur.
18.) To gratify curiosity – Yes, this is a good one. Am I good enough to succeed on my own? Is my idea worth a million bucks? Do I have what it takes? Can I hang out with Richard Branson now? See, you’re more curious already.
19.) For convenience – It can definitely be convenient running your own show. You get to choose your hours of work. And where you work from. And whether you’re wearing your jammies when you do the work. Like me right now. Sitting in my room; typing away on my daughter’s lap-top (she doesn’t know I borrowed it) and yes, wearing my PJs.
20.) Out of fear – Layoffs, cut backs, can’t find a job anywhere. Those scary things will drive you right into entrepreneurship — whether you like it or not. But hey, see #19. At least you get to wear your jammies AND make money at the same time now.
21.) Out of greed – Oh, the insatiable fire of greed. Wanting more. Coveting the reality stars on TV and their millions. And yes, this one is probably close to being true for me. But not for those reasons mentioned. The desire for a better life. Call it greed, call it whatever you want, but its there. And you know what? That’s why I do it. Desire for a better life. Who doesn’t want that? A-greed? 🙂
There you have it. 21 reasons you became an entrepreneur. Which one tickles your fancy? Be sure to let me know below… 🙂
One more thing: Are you and I connected yet?
If you don’t know me, I’m Eric.
Husband, father & life-long entrepreneur…
If you’re an entrepreneur, let’s hook up. Seriously. Here’s a killer formula:
Your Wisdom + My Wisdom = More Success
My email is: eric at mightywisemedia dot com. Shoot me yours right here and let’s connect, okay? Together we can really nail this thing. 🙂
(You can find me hanging out at Mighty Wise Media or on Twitter @MightyWiseMedia.)