In my previous article entitled “Why you do not want to be an entrepreneur”, I focused on some of the aspects one might miss
when making the move from a corporate environment to an entrepreneurial lifestyle of starting and owning your own business. As promised there is a very positive flip side to that conversation. In this article, the second in the series, I am going to focus on three positive aspects of being an entrepreneur. I call these “The three C’s of entrepreneurialism”. These are Consuming, Creating and Crafting.
I feel that it is these three factors that draw people into becoming an entrepreneur. It’s not about not having a boss. We always have a boss of some kind, or someone to answer to, even if it’s the bank. It’s not about having your own time. When you are not working on the business in the early stages, it is not progressing. It’s not about the money. Most entrepreneurs struggle a great deal to get to the stage of being financially secure and making enough to retire. It is about the three C’s. Consuming, Creating and Crafting.
Consuming
Entrepreneurs are people of passion. They are typically drawn to a business idea like no other individual. The idea hatches in their mind like a small little bird. This little bird grows up very quickly until it consumes the individual so much, that they see no other route other than moving it from an idea to a business. Entrepreneurs will defend their business till the last, putting in all their resources to ensure it’s survival. They can spend hours on end telling you why their business is essential and the best thing since sliced cheese (sliced bread is so passé). The business idea consumes them. Not only their conversations, but also their time and their mind. The entrepreneur is constantly looking for ways to advance the business or areas to promote it. There is no doubt that a true entrepreneur is consumed by the notion of growing their business.
Creating
The process of starting a business has been compared to giving birth to a child. In the beginning, it needs total attention. You cannot leave it alone for a moment. You need to feed it money. Ensure that it grows. Teach it things so that it matures and grows into a responsible adult that can fend for itself. It is this process of creating that can be so fulfilling for any entrepreneur. A tremendous feeling of satisfaction overcomes one when you look back and see what has grown from something that was once an idea is now a fully functioning business. If you have done things correctly, you are even proud of the systems and the processes in place. You have created something from nothing. You were the artist, and indeed the process is as satisfying as creating a work of art.
Crafting
Very few businesses end up looking exactly like the vision you had of them in the beginning. The crafting process is about making refinements along the way. Taking the advice from what the market is telling you and fine-tuning your offering into the awesome product or service that people are crying out for. We are the crafters in this process like a blacksmith beats a piece of iron into a sword, we mold the business into its evolving form. We also craft the business with our personality. In businesses with co-founders the business is crafted using the inputs and personalities of both of the individuals, in much the same way that a child hold genes from both parents. It’s the ultimate nature – nurture combination, where the idea or concept forms the nature and the individuals nurture it into the final product.
The Three C’s of entrepreneurship can be extremely fulfilling. It’s these concepts that draw people in and keep them consumed in their work, creating and crafting as the process continues. If you feel that these are concepts that you identify with, then being an entrepreneur may be the route for you. So be bold, take the leap, and define your future. Create your life.