I stumbled on some websites the other day that made me wonder if any W2 employee loves their job. RateMyEmployer, JobSchmob, WorkRant. No one on these sites loves their job. That’s kind of sad.
Everyone should love their job, right? Isn’t that in the Constitution?
Let’s think about the mind of an entrepreneur versus a W-2. Many of us haven’t crossed over from W-2 to W-Me, and perhaps don’t realize what a different brain it requires. For those of us who have already made this passage, here’s a little reminder of where our brains and actions need to be.
What makes Entrepreneurs entrepreneurial?
Some people think the entrepreneur cannot be studied. They are created by art, not science. However, a professor named Saras Sarasvathy has actually studied entrepreneurs, and guess what? Entrepreneurs aren’t like W-2s. We love this list that Saras discovered:
- Entrepreneurs think differently. There’s something different or funny about them. Entrepreneurs are not goal-oriented, rather they use materials at hand to create opportunities. They are much more flexible on goals, often starting with their means and saying “What can I do?” It’s an opposite way of thinking about problem solving. We’re not talking about flying by the seat of the pants. There’s logic to the decision-making.
- Entrepreneurs thrive on the unpredictable nature of business. Surprises are not deviations from the path. Instead they are the norms that enable us to carve a path through the chaos. It’s the reason many ignore market research. They see it as time and money wasters.
- Entrepreneurs don’t start with existing markets and then try to go capture it. They imagine new markets and go create them…often one customer at a time. Hey, they might just try to take it out and sell it!
- Remember “Ready-fire-aim?” Well, it must have from an entrepreneur. Too much ready-aim-aim-aim-aim is a disease of Corporate America that traps a smart W-2.
- Entrepreneurs view the world as a series of successes and failures that happen at all levels. The best entrepreneurs outlive their failures and accumulate successes over time. Small failures are good. They don’t destroy the entire business :>)
The really important thing? Entrepreneurship is learnable. Even people who have spent their whole careers in Corporate America can convert their thinking. They just need to know that convert they must.
Whether you’re thinking about exiting your W-2 or you did it years ago, this great reference list highlights what we’re all striving for as entrepreneurs. Print it out and put it by your PC. When you need some inspiration, the Entrepreneurial Code will be there to inspire you.
Go forth and do great things,
Martha and Chris