“The entrepreneurial vision is not about creating new products or services. It is all about creating a better way of doing something that enriches people’s lives.”

According to Forbes, there are 28 million small businesses in the U.S.
Over 22 million of those businesses are self-employed with no additional payroll or employees. They are non-employer businesses with average revenues of around $44,000 a year.

What does that mean?

Over 75% of small businesses start out as jobs.

Tech company, Manta, teamed up with Dell to interview more than 3000 small business owners (SBOs). Here is what they found:

49% of small business owners (SBOs) decided to start a business while working at their last job. (…and I can only imagine the decision came after they performed one too many of the “other duties as assigned” that appears in EVERY job description…but I digress).

The same survey found that 37% of entrepreneurs started their businesses to fulfill a life-long dream, compared to 28% who upstarted to achieve financial stability.

What images come to mind when you think about an entrepreneur? Rich. Successful. Jet-setting. You probably think of business moguls and billionaires like John D. Rockefeller, Jeff Bezos, or Jay-Z . Usually grit, glamour, and financial gain come to mind. But is it possible that society has painted a rosy picture about entrepreneurship?

Yes and No.

Entrepreneurs create value.

“An entrepreneur is not a person who starts a company, but he is a person who actually solves a problem”.

-Naveen Jain, entrepreneur

Visionary Entrepreneurs Work Well “In-Between”

Entrepreneurship comes from the Old French word entreprendre, which means “to begin something or undertake”. Richard Cantillion was the first to use the term entrepreneur in reference to self-employed people (farmers, brewers, hat makers, etc.) who “bought or made a product at a certain cost to sell at an uncertain price”. 

Dave Learner pointed out entrepreneurship comes from the Latin word meaning “between” and “prendre” meaning “to take.” It is rumored that the origin and history of this word in its original French context centers on the concept of a business person being “in between jobs”.

We can look at being “in-between jobs” in a few ways.

For example, many workers have found themselves unemployed in the wake of COVID-19. Others dropped out of the traditional labor market and into the gig economy pre-COVID. Yet, recessionary conditions have caused other unemployed folks to work for themselves, becoming small business owners by default.

In a labor market that has more job candidates than job openings, even full-time employees find themselves acting as if they are in-between jobs. This is evidenced by the constant need to prove (or essentially and continually market) themselves to their employers.

On the flip side, independent contractors and small business owners constantly seek contracts with both new and existing clients. Entrepreneurs are constantly on the hunt for job opportunities. Opportunities to exchange value by fulfilling a customer’s need. It’s the name of the game.

I have run my own non-employer small business since I was about 13. And even though I have multiple degrees, here is a piece of insight that no academic or certification program could teach me.

Visionary entrepreneurs flourish in the “in-between” times.

Visionary entrepreneurs flourish in-between their idea and the target market. In between customers and cash flow. In between their full-time job and part-time business. In between a vision for a better future and a stark reality. In between yes and no. Between starting a business and staying on their job for one more year. In between the proverbial “rock and a hard place.”

I encourage you to explore the in-between. Become comfortable with dealing with the uncertainties. Practice seeing beyond the challenges and rising above them to seize your opportunities. It may or may not come natural, but it is do-able. Visionary entrepreneurship starts with you and your business takes off on the runway of your dreams, goals and the things you want out of life.

If you have a dream to start a business in the future or want to grow your current business, a good starting point to assess where you are on that journey right now.

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy:

• Are You a Visionary Entrepreneur?
• How I Organized My Business Idea using the B-I Triangle
• I’m Building My Boss’ Business…But What About My Own?
• Your Little Black Book of Business Ideas
• Leapfrog Over Your Obstacles
• Create a Plan That Reflects Your Dreams

Sources

Clifford, Catherine. “Fewer Americans Are Launching Businesses. Here’s the Silver Lining (Infographic)”.

My Strategic Foresight professor showed me a little trick to use with Google. One that is easy to overlook. Especially if you’re just going to Google, typing in your search term, and trusting that the information that comes back to you is the best or the latest information. 

Google is a database at its most basic form. And it’s one of the biggest “Big Data” databases out there. Not many people treat it as such. 

Think about it. We think of information we want to know. We go to Google (or another search engine) and we type in what we’re thinking – our search term. Google pulls up articles that met its algorithm and its criteria. 

Here’s the million-dollar question: Did Google’s search results meet YOUR criteria?

Let’s stick with the foresight example. So, I was looking for trends in a particular industry. The catch was that none of my sources could be more than 90 days old. At this particular time, this was critical. Information greater than 90 days old would have put me in pre-COVID trend territory – which would have skewed my data. To properly scan what’s coming up on the horizon, I needed fresh information about trends. 

Google’s algorithms control the information that pops up on the first page. And who has times to scroll through thousands of pages of results. Not me. And I’m guessing that you don’t either. The good news is you have control over the information you search for. I use Google, but I’m sure other search engines offer the same filters. google has certain criteria of which articles pop up first – not always the most relevant or the latest information – or from the culture you’re looking for.

With any data collection method – you can filter your information. You can treat a search opportunity as research. 

If I were to boil this down to a slogan, it would be this (and no…I do not receive any payola for writing this) …

Google filters: Control the search for yourself.

You can view this one-minute video for more information. 

How many times have you heard the statement “a new year, a new you!”? If only it were that simple. If only you could transform your life in an instant. So you begin the year with good intentions and lots of energy for change. And then life happens. Reality sets in. And what started out as a New Year’s goal embarks on the slippery slope to the “I tried it once but it didn’t work out” discard pile. Or better yet, that resolution gets demoted to your bucket list instead of promoted your list of accomplishments.

Let’s face it. With only 8% of New Year’s goal setters actually achieving their goals, New Year’s resolutions do not have the best track record. The next four weeks will test your drive and commitment to achieving those goals.

In this post, I’d like to show 7 ways to bridge the gap between day-to-day and the goals you want to achieve.

1. Reexamine your big goals. Long-term goals contain valuable insights about you that can keep you on the track to achievement…even if you’re still working at them. Look for deeper meaning in the things that are important to you. These long range goals hold valuable info about your personal values and unique experiences. You can use these to maximize commitment to reaching your goals.

2. Stop setting goals! Stop…right…now. Don’t you dare set another resolution you’re not committed to. Yeah it sounds good that you want to hit the gym and lose 10 pounds in 2016. It’s not your goal that’s going to keep you on track. It’s your creativity when it comes to getting around the things that will derail your goals. You know. Things like vanilla ice cream and that Venti fru-fru drink at Starbucks. (Now don’t get me wrong, I love my Venti White Chocolate Mocha…but I also know that it takes me in the opposite direction of a Chippendale figure!)  Before you set your sights on that lofty ambition, figure out how you’re going to get around the temptations to give up.

3. Prepare for battle. Did you know that goal setting and strategy originate with military operations? The objective is to outwit the enemy and win the battle. If you can win the right battles, you win the war. You have to think about your achievement as a battle. You’re coming up with a plan to win against the things the come against your goal. I call them derailers because they throw my goals off track when I don’t plan for them. Let’s face it. The majority of New Years goals don’t get achieved. Heck, most of them don’t last 21 days. But if you can see what can throw you off track ahead of time, you’re in a better position once you leave the starting block. That takes keen insight, and an outside perspective usually helps too.

4. Take a long deep look inside. “I love food!” Those words came out of my client Lee’s mouth when I asked him about derailers for his exercise plan. So I asked “what does food mean to you?” He began to unpack and saw that food is tied to accomplishment. Lee works on a lot of long-term projects. At the end of the day, he wants to feel that he completed something. So we came up with alternative ways for him to accomplish small things and it has worked. Food was a symbol for accomplishment that was throwing his whole operation off track. It reflected Lee’s personal value of accomplishment. So he started a new habit that lead to healthier outcome. He picked up an old hobby of fixing things. The car window, the broken sink, and Lee even started fixing things for his neighbors. And at the end of the day, he had that sense of short-term achievement he was going for.

5. Apply the secret sauce of goal accomplishment. Shift from goal-setting to setting priority strategies. All of my clients have either attended goals setting workshops or have some experience working with goals. Goal setting is no secret. The secret is in how to turn the negatives into positives and obstacles into opportunities. That is beyond the scope of this post. You can schedule a coaching preview to start working through the secrets of turning your derailers into accelerators.

6. Get an accountability partner. Goals are more fun and less stressful to reach when you involve other people – the right people. You need someone on your side can support and challenge you as you work towards when you want .

7. Know what’s in your back pocket. We’re all busy. And you know by now that your day to day life is not going to welcome your goals with open arms. In fact current work, life and family situations will probably come into direct conflict with your resolutions. Think about when someone stresses you out and you start thinking of ways to handle it. Your goal is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. Having a contingency plan in your back pocket is a must.

Only 12 percent of employees (or 1 in 10) think so, according to a recent study.

Think about that. One in ten.

That means if you think your employer values your mental, physical, emotional and social health…there are 9 of your colleagues who don’t share your thought.

It’s impossible to accelerate achievement of your goals when your work and personal life get out of whack.

I often tell my clients the story of “Jayweezy” (he requested I called him by that name…I declined).  Jayweezy was a 4th grade student I used to work with who practically ran the local elementary school. He would walk out of class whenever he wanted, pick fights with other students and even leave school and run around the building. My job was to “shadow” him and keep him on the right path. And you know what, after a couple of months of my support, he became like a son to me. You know the child that you raise your left eyebrow to and they’ll straighten up and fly right?

I helped Jayweezy to stay on the right path (at least on some days). What I didn’t tell you was how many hours it took to debug from working with Jayweezy after i got home. The worse his behavior got, the more my job spilled over into my family and home life. My weight fluctuated. I wasn’t resting well. All until I said “enough is enough” and made a change.

You probably find yourself in similar situations. And there are all types of ways to solve this problem. To exercise some degree of control over your life. To hit the elusive target of work-life balance.

Some days you may find yourself among the 88, and other days, among the 12. In response to a growing need among my clients, I have come up with a solution. I expanded life coaching to include work-life balance. The new program is simply called work-life coaching.

Work-life coaching provides the support and encouragement you need in maintaining balance in your personal, work and family life. It works well for:

• Managing work and life expectations
• Finding and resolving new sources of work-life conflict
• Reducing stress caused by overwork
• Setting quick priorities to accommodate tight deadlines
• Increasing overall well-being and productivity
• Improving your level of life focus

This coaching subscription program provides the support you need to clear log-jams and bottlenecks that you face in pursuit of your long-term goals. My clients enjoy the freedom to choose what they want to discuss with me in each session. They set their own agenda. You can too.

For more information, download the one sheet.

Thomas E. Anderson, II is a vision development coach who enjoys motivating and equipping individuals to pursue personal, professional and organizational goals that lead to a more fulfilling life. He specializes in life focus, vision development and goal acceleration.

“You don’t need to do any more research.”

Those words are still ringing in my ears.This is what my adviser told me yesterday in a very “as-a-matter-of-fact” tone.

And you know what? I actually felt relieved to hear them.

Research is tied to being knowledgeable about a topic. Having all the bases covered. And being prepared to nail any question that comes my way.

But here’s the thing about research. It gives you all of this external information (often too much) and not enough information about you.

For example, the average career-minded professional who is interested in starting a business one day, would research how to pick a business name…print business cards…incorporate…start a website…and set prices, just to name a few. It’s simple due diligence, right?

Right.

But there’s a point where you cross over from simple due diligence into analysis paralysis or what I like to call T.M.I. (Too Much Information) Syndrome.

When you research, you look externally – outside of yourself. And if your story remotely echoes mine, you have done a phenomenal job at it. But you feel like all the research you’ve done has not spurred you to take action. If anything, it has magnified the things that you don’t know and made you uncomfortable with taking the next step in your business or career.

Here’s the best news I could ever give you about your research journey…

Everything you need to grow, or even start your business is already inside of you.

I reached out to one of my best and brightest clients last week, who engaged in life focus coaching this spring. When I asked how things were going, she responded:

“I’m good! Thanks for reaching out. I was thinking about you the other day. I rewrote my life purpose statement and personal slogan a few months ago and taped it to my kitchen wall for inspiration. I posted it in my dining area so I see it every time I walk into my kitchen. Thanks for all your help with this!”

For more information, visit www.teaiiano.com.

Thomas E. Anderson, II is a vision development coach who enjoys motivating and equipping individuals to pursue personal, professional and organizational goals that lead to a more fulfilling life. He specializes in life focus, vision development and goal acceleration.