A staggering 98% of the population likes to stay in their comfort zone.
For some, this could look like settling for less or second best. For others, it can mean playing it small and safe or surviving instead of thriving.
Why not aim to be part of the 2% that leans into the discomfort?
You can embrace the unknown and the uncertainty. You can act in spite of your fears. You can be adaptable and explore new opportunities, ideas and alternative paths.
This, my friend, is where the mindset of a successful entrepreneur begins.
What are your real needs?
To unpack the necessary elements for developing an entrepreneurial mindset, we need to start with the foundation.
Let’s take a look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. According to the theory, in order to be confident enough to move into Self-actualisation, entrepreneurs need to have reached the state of Self-esteem.
In other words, entrepreneurs first have to possess the confidence, achievement and respect by others associated with Self-esteem.
From there, they can grow into the Self-actualisation traits of morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice and acceptance of facts that are necessary for entrepreneurial change.
However, if the overriding need is for Power, then the entrepreneur is back at level two of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
This is the basic need for Safety, where the desire is to protect oneself rather than to lead.
And how can you be an authentic leader if your focus is on power and self-protection instead of creativity and morality?
Whatever you’re thinking, think bigger
To attain the entrepreneurial mindset, you have to embrace flexibility, openness and bravery as values.
More specifically, as an entrepreneur, you need to have:
- A specific, coherent and realistic vision, so you know and are clear about your north star.
- Courage to put yourself out there. That’s how confidence is acquired because confidence only comes after the act of courage.
- Self-motivation because sometimes you need to have stamina to keep going. Difficult roads often lead to rewarding destinations but you have to have grit about you.
- A willingness to take deliberately planned risks. A smart risk taker will prepare for potential mistakes and account for them.
- An eagerness to listen and learn from others. We have two ears and one mouth for a reason. If you practice the power of pause and only talk by asking questions, you would be amazed with yourself by how much you are going to learn.
- A readiness to work hard, even when you have a fear of failure or fear of success knocking at your door. Fear is only a figment of your imagination. Even if you have experienced it, you are building your muscle of resistance.
On a mission to build an empire
If you’re ready to embark on the journey of gaining an entrepreneurial mindset, you first have to be able to verbalise and clearly state your gifts.
So, what are your natural talents?
Write a list of your innate skills, gifts, strengths or superpowers.
Then, it’s time to get strategic. It is time to do some research around some of your natural gifts and talents. The research will depend on your industry, customers and top pain points. Therefore, you need to be as specific as possible in your strategy.
Here is an example to help bring this to light.
Let’s say you are a great writer and a very creative copywriter. For you to find your loyal tribe, you will have to figure out what their most common problems are that relate to your natural superpowers.
In this case, the biggest pain point that most entrepreneurs have to face is not having a writing skill or the time to develop it.
So, if you are looking at really honing into your customers’ pain points and you can come up with solutions for them, then you are on your way to success. As long as you can clearly state their “problem” and link it back to how your services will solve it — bingo!
You will have customers lining up and knocking at your door.
For instance, you can let them know that if you take writing off their hands, they will have more time. For them, this means more time to concentrate on the things that they are naturally good at.
This way, it will allow them to focus on making more money because now they have the spare time to be more productive. Simultaneously, they will be enhancing their creativity because they are not stressed out trying to figure out how to write.
This will be leaving your customer more fulfilled, enthusiastic and under less mental stress, therefore healthier.
But what happens when you end up getting in your own way throughout this process?
To read the second piece in this two-part series on developing an entrepreneurial mindset, click here.
