Questions

I'm always having ideas for businesses and products. Some of the products that I've created on paper I've seen succeed after other people idea years later. I'm a little ADHD, I suck at execution and I'm pretty good with the big picture. Both of my parents were entrepreneurs, but not very successful. I've been working at many jobs and I'm not happy, I only feel happy when I push projects that were initiated by myself and when I see some sort of "growth". Doing personal projects are core to my personality, but I always avoid moving forward because of the bad experience I've seen in my family. I've observed that successful entrepreneurs have some sort of psychopathy, so they usually don't feel pressured and they manage to get through obstacles easily because they can seduce and manipulate people (selling). My problem is that I'm a little the opposite, I care a lot about people and I get really stressed under pressure (that's why I think my parents failed). I feel happy when I see things changing (changing the world) and apparently this is one good trait of entrepreneurs, but sometimes I feel biased because in real life I see that people like Steve Jobs tend to be more successful.

I often struggled with this myself for many years but I do have an answer for these questions. If you are constantly thinking of new innovative ideas for businesses and products then you definitely have a critical characteristic of an entrepreneur. To constantly think of new ways of doing business or resolving challenges is both a gift and a curse at the same time. It is a gift because you are fortunate to have plenty ideas just come to you constantly. But it is a curse at the same time because you can have all of these "shiny objects" and it can sometimes be hard to focus on one at a time. You will always have this creative muscle and you must continue to exercise it daily. From my experience it is not so much, "If you don't use it you lose it" kind of thing. But more so, if you use it, the less difficult it is to continue coming up with these types of ideas. Your brain is constantly working on these ideas subconsciously. Being an entrepreneur is both a personality and something that is learned. It is a personality because you are born with this way of thinking. You would not be you if you weren't constantly trying to solve problems. Both of your parents being entrepreneurs definitely has an impact on you being an entrepreneur too. It is something that develops with us from an early age. You cannot help the fact to want to solve problems (big or little). Again, you were blessed with this way of thinking, but must learn more about what being an entrepreneur really means and how to control it. There is so much to learn about living the life of an entrepreneur. You cannot just come up with these ideas and never execute them. You need to be able to bring them to life. It is not easy, and that is what scares a lot of people. It involves a lot of risk and a lot of failed attempts. Trust me. Being an entrepreneur doesn't necessarily mean you need to be an expert in everything but you do need to know a little about lot. I would say the most important thing you need to understand is how to work your network to assemble a team that can help bring your vision to life. If you have an idea for an app and don't know how to write computer code, find somebody who can. If you have a product idea that you want to patent, but don't know the first thing about patents and the complex legal process, find somebody that does. There is a great book out there called, "The Power of Who" by Bob Beaudine. It is a great read and focuses on the many ways an individual can optimize their network. Own your network and find the answers you need to get over those everyday obstacles! Find a way to go around it, fly over it, dig underneath it, or plow through it. If there is a will, there is a way. That's what makes an entrepreneur an entrepreneur. Somebody willing to take risks, and will do whatever it takes to bring the idea to life. I think you need to find yourself a mentor. Somebody that you can trust and share every idea with. If there is one thing I have learned, it is that when I think of something I get really excited about it. I always feel like I need to share it with somebody right away. I have a mentor that I can bounce these ideas off and brainstorm. If I don't, I feel like I am going to explode. It is normal to get excited but my experience is that you have to act quick on these while you're excited about them. Otherwise you will forget about them, or think of something else and then start working on the new idea. You DO NOT want to get in that cycle of starting, stopping, starting, stopping. Because you won't finish anything and it becomes very frustrating having a multitude of ideas but not one brought to life. You do not need to be a psychopath. A little out there, sure. But a psychopath is a little extreme I think. Also, I want to address your comments on selling. You say, "others manage to get through obstacles because they can seduce and manipulate people." This is a common misconception of selling. I consider myself an expert in this field because it is what I do for my day job. I have been in professional sales for 7+ years. A good sales person can show value to their customer. They can show them how their product or service can benefit the business to make it more profitable or efficient. This is something many entrepreneurs may struggle with. They may have passion for their idea and are not quite sure how to sell/show it to an audience without feeling "pushy." This is when a "pitchman" can be useful to help entrepreneurs put together a presentation to really sell their idea. I have many other examples and experiences that can help with your perception on selling and also offer more advice on being an entrepreneur. If you would like to hear more, please feel free to schedule a call with me and I would be happy to discuss in further detail. Thanks!
-Ozzy


Answered 9 years ago

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