Follow Your Passion and Start Your Own Business

I believe entrepreneurship has to do with finding something your are passionate about and taking action to make the idea or concept a reality. Along with becoming an entrepreneur come many benefits including freedom, flexibility, and the ability to follow your passion and do what you enjoy. Many people working for others might not have as much freedom as they'd like or may not be very passionate about what they do for a living. It seems like everyday I meet other people who are not as happy with life as they should be. A big part of their lack of satisfaction seems to be due to a 9-5 job they go to day after day. These people feel like they are stuck in a rut, but might not know the best way to get out. If this is the case, starting your own business just might dig you out of the rut and get you onto the right track. Your business can be anything you want it to be, there are plenty of things that you could start up. For example, you could check out something like this pet franchise opportunity to give you an idea of what business you could start up. But it's up to you though, you want to do something that you love.

Working for someone else is tough to do for the entrepreneurial minded person. I have to admit that I've never been great at working for other people, and don't find I am that passionate about going to work day after day to make someone else more money. When working for someone else, I'd go to the office everyday, but after 5:00 I could care less about my job until the next morning. When I was at work, I'd always be thinking about how I could improve my life by owning my own business that I truly believed in.

Over a year and a half ago I decided to quit my job and take the leap into owning my own business. Prior to giving my 2 weeks notice, I made sure to create a plan and to map out how I would go about building my business. For example, one thing that I planned to use would be something like a VPS – powerful and scalable, as a friend told me they are helpful if you want to run a custom web server software. The day I was finally a full time entrepreneur, I felt so happy, free, and in control of my life. Yes, I was somewhat nervous for how things would go, but I had some money saved up to get me by while the business started. The steady paycheck and job security were no longer there, which made me extremely motivated to work hard and figure out a way to be successful. Now that I was own boss, I couldn't wait to get up and start my day. I learned some tips on how to get up early to make the most of each day.

Becoming an entrepreneur doesn't mean you'll work less than you did when you were a 9 to 5 employee. In fact, you'll often work many more hours, including nights and weekends. Working hard initially and putting in the time is key to building any business. Hard work will pay off in the long run. Throughout your entrepreneurial journey, you will also have your share of ups and downs. You may ask yourself, “Why on earth did I quit my job and start my own business? What was I thinking?” There will be other days when you have record sales and are on top of the world. I think if you set goals, believe in yourself, and are passionate about your business you will overcome many obstacles and become successful. I often read motivational quotes to keep me inspired and motivated. Here is a list I created in a separate post.

In my mind, freedom and flexibility are important in life. Owning your own business allows you to create your own schedule and to control each and every day. There is so much to learn when you start your business, for example, reading information on CEO fraud and scams as well as finding a USP to make you stand out. You will work more hours than at your previous job, but your schedule is up to you. You have the ability to take a Friday morning off to golf with a client, the time to take an extra long lunch, and the scheduling power to take a last minute vacation to visit a friend. With the freedom and flexibility, you'll have be be determined and self disciplined. Your success will depend on your drive, motivation, and perseverance. Check out my post on perseverance and how important it is to put in the time to build your business. You will want to make sure you still are able to balance your work life with family, friends, and exercise. Running a business can be time consuming and stressful. Here are a few tips on how exercise and running has helped reduce my stress levels.

Being passionate about your idea or business is key to finding success. More businesses fail than succeed because the owner or owners are not passionate or lose their passion for the product or service they offer. This is why it is so important to brainstorm business ideas that don't just put a dollar sign in your mind. Dollar signs are good, but if you are not passionate about the idea you will eventually get burned out and will most likely become a statistic in the failed business column in another textbook.

Starting a business will build your self esteem and give you the ability to try new things outside your normal comfort zone. You'll learn much more about how businesses work then you ever will working from 9-5. An entrepreneur's income potential is limited only by yourself and how much hard work you choose to put into the business to enable it to become a success.

So what are you waiting for? Go out there, take action, and make your dreams a reality!

FOLLOW YOUR PASSION….

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ~Mark Twain

If you need a little extra motivation check out the motivational signs Think Entrepreneurship's sister company makes. Click here.

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Please post below about your experiences with following your passion or your leap from a 9-5 job to owning your own business.