Hi,
I feel that the challenge for most people to make the transition from employee to business owner is that they are used to making money by showing up to work and getting a paycheck. That is how they have been preconditioned to make money so any other form of creating income to them just doesn't make sense to even bother with.
Some people would point out that there are many more people working,than are in business so why not just join the masses.
Business owners think very differently from employees. Business owners are in business for more than just money
This is probably one of the things most people fail to understand about business owners and entrepreneurs.
Money has never been the biggest motivator. Money pays the bills, puts food on the table, sends kids to school, and pays the mortgage, but it will not be a source of fulfilment and never will. Business owners end up going into business for themselves for a variety of different reasons. The most common ones are security, control of their time, lifestyle, efficiency and tax benefits.
For the very successful business owners their motivation is usually something that is emotional to them. It could be a dream or a goal they have for their life or maybe a vision for where they could see themselves ten or twenty years down the road.
Business owners are not scared of failure; they embrace it. They understand that failing is often the only way to learn in business especially if you have no mentor or coaching along the way.
Thomas Edison when first attempting to invent the light bulb stated about his failed attempts that he had not failed, but just found 10,000 ways that didn't work. That's ownership mentality. They understand the opposite of success is not failure, it's quitting.
Business owners are mentally tough and understand delayed gratification. This can be linked to the previous point about embracing failure as a friend. Business owners are in business for the long haul which is why the reward is even sweeter. The nature of any business is that profit is not something you should expect in the first two to five years. They do understand that if they can make it through the initial hump of failure then success is right around the corner. This once again goes back to the strong desire they have for getting into business.
Most people with a job mentality are very well-educated and as a result think that everything including making money should be complicated too. The truth is, however, that success in life is very simple. Anything you are consistent at long enough you will be successful at. Think about this for a second. We all know how to get six pack abs. If you don't, here's the formula: eat less and do sit-ups! The problem is none of us (well, most of us) never show up to the gym and stay away from fast food long enough to see the results we want.
It takes commitment to do the work!
So the challenge wasn't in the knowledge but in the work ethic and consistency involved to get the result. The same goes for business. Business owners can go without getting paid a check for years just to get their business off the ground. Most employees couldn't handle that stress which is why they show up every day to work with the hope that they can get paid for their time put in.
Business owners are also very careful who or what they let into their heads. This is not to say that they are arrogant, but they understand their mind is the most important thing they have. Charlie "Tremendous" Jones is quoted as saying that "Who you will be in the next five years will be a culmination of two things: the people you associate with and the books you read". Most of us if we have a reading habit can control that half of the equation, but people are a little tougher. And usually, family and friends have the biggest influence on the way we think.
Most employees if you take a look at their family probably have parents that are also still working, their grandparents worked, their great-grandparents worked, their cousins, siblings, aunts, pets, EVERYBODY had or has a job. No wonder they think the way they do about creating income.
Business owners however, understand that when it comes to making money, you cannot learn anything from someone who does not have what you want. If you are driven by financial independence and security, then taking advice from someone who is driven by benefits is not going to help you. Be careful who you listen to. As a rule of thumb take a look and see if they are in life where you want to be in the future. If the answer is no, then run!
I hope this helps.
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