How to Shift from Employee to Entrepreneur: Mindset Strategies for Success
Transitioning from being an employee to being an entrepreneur isn’t just about changing what you do. It’s about changing how you think.
- Yes. You’ve been working in the workforce for many years.
- Yes. You have skills.
- Yes. You have management experience.
- Yes. You know how to work as an employee.
But if you want to thrive as a business owner, you’re going to have to change how you think.
Career Transition and Business Coach Shannon Russell worked in the corporate world as a Television Producer for years before she quit to launch her own business and be more present with her kids. She grew her franchise business to success and launched her second venture with Second Act Success® where she supports women as they pivot to find their true purpose in their career/business. She has witnessed the power of the mindset shift in her career and those of her clients, and she breaks it all down for you here.
How To Shift from employee to entrepreneur: Mindset Strategies for Success
Why Does Mindest Matter?
When you work as an employee, you have a clearly outlined role. In most instances, you have a salary, you have set work hours, you have a team to work with, you know who to report to for support. The role of an employee is usually very detailed. However, when you enter into entrepreneurship, it’s a whole new ball game.
Taking on the role of an entrepreneur means you are now in charge of every layer of your business. You are the boss and you are completely running the show, for better or for worse. Think about it, when you first launch your business, you are filling the role of employee, accountant, marketer, customer service rep, human resources, product designer, and the list goes on and on. You are juggling all of the things in order to get the business off the ground. The good news is that you will quickly learn every aspect of how you want this business to run.
The bad news is that you may experience even more pressure as a business owner, than you did when you were working for someone else. As an employee, your work and schedule are probably pretty steady. You probably know what your day will look like. Yet when you are running a business, you deal with constant uncertainty. If you’ve been working in your career for any period of time, chances are that you have gotten used to that consistent paycheck, those hours, that routine, and now things are going to change quite drastically for you. Gone are the days of clocking out, closing your laptop, and not thinking about work. Entrepreneurship is a 24/7 gig. It involves risk, uncertainty, and most days are never the same.
Let’s discuss ways to make your transition from employee to entrepreneur go smoothly.
CEO Mindset
First, you must focus on your mindset and start thinking like a CEO. If you are going to be a business owner, you must start thinking like the boss. You are the one running the show, so instead of fearing risk as you build your business, you have to embrace it. There is something about that risk, that uncertainty, that fear, that scarcity mindset that can fuel you and make you push forward.
If you shift how you think about these aspects of business that scare you, you will start focusing on the hustle and it will power you through. You may want to prove to your friends that you can make this career transition be a successful one. Maybe you feel the pressure to make money for your family. These voices in your head may be based in fear, but there is also something empowering once you reap the rewards of your determination and conquer your goal. Remind yourself that you pull the strings. You control how successful your business is because you are in charge. Embrace that feeling of power and view the challenges that are ahead of you as opportunities for personal growth, for innovation, and for your own creativity.
Next, keep in mind that every day is different. When you are an entrepreneur, there are problems that arise left and right. You can create a perfectly outlined to do list, but then something unexpected happens and it throws your plan out the window. It’s important to be flexible in how move through your work day, and allow yourself to go with the flow. Being an entrepreneur often involves other people, whether it’s staff, clients, customers, or partners, so you must be nimble when dealing with others.
Brace yourself for the hiccups that happen and embrace the messy. Everything on your list will get done in time. The beauty of it is that most of the time as the boss, you dictate the deadlines. There is no reporting to someone else. At the end of the day, you control your schedule and your business.
Every successful entrepreneur has faced uncertainty along their entrepreneurial journey. Truthfully, most of these people would probably say they have emerged stronger because of the obstacles they were forced to overcome. Entrepreneur Beate Chelette struggled quite a few times as she grew her businesses and she explains her story on Episode 74 of the Second Act Success Career Podcast. Each challenge is an opportunity to learn about yourself, push past your insecurities, and grow as a person. If you are someone who is a lifelong learner or someone who thrives by improving yourself, then entrepreneurship is an excellent route for you because you will be tested and you will prevail.
As an entrepreneur, creating the right mindset will set yourself up for success. Remember, you are responsible for your successes and failures. You can only steer your ship and control your path so much, but ultimately as the business owner, you are taking responsibility for it all. That is the most rewarding part of building a business from the ground up. Whatever happens, happens. Whatever fails, fails. Your mind knows you are in charge and these are your decisions alone. Not everyone is going to get it right the first time, and that is okay. Keep in mind as you set out to start a business, that you take on a new job title. You’re embarking on your second act career.
Proactive Mindset
Create a proactive mindset that will allow you to always be looking ahead towards the coming weeks, the coming months, the coming seasons of your business. Be proactive in keeping an eye out for any potential obstacles that might be in your way.
For example, if you have a team of employees and one person is always showing up late, as the business owner, you must be proactive and keep an eye on that person before things get out of control. Being in charge is similar to that saying of “having eyes on the back of your head.” You must be looking forward, looking back, and looking around. Always be thinking about the pieces that make up your business, so that you’re keeping that open and focused mind to be the best at what it is you do so you can ultimately grow and scale.
Next is adopting a growth mindset. A growth mindset is really the belief that your abilities and your intelligence. Can be developed through your hard work. You know, you’re coming into this business and you have these transferable skills. You have this past experience, this knowledge of the field or the industry or your customer base, but now you’re building this new foundation for your business and you need to learn how to foster it and grow it. And think about all the different ways that you can do.
Growth Mindset
A growth mindset is really knowing that your dedication, your hard work is going to lead to growth. You are constantly on that trajectory to learn more because every entrepreneur starts out with zero dollars in the bank. You work and you grow that first dollar and then your first 100 dollars and so on. You’re learning as you grow. Take this example of Dr. Amanda Barrientiez who shared her story of going from food stamps to six figures on Episode 77 of the Second Act Success Career Podcast.
Be realistic with yourself and have those internal conversations to say, “I tried that, but it’s really not working. Let’s pivot and try step something else.” Being able to admit when something fails as a business owner is key to being able to pivot to something better. As you make moves, you learn, and that growth mindset will take you very, very far.
Resilient Mindset
You also want to practice creating a resilient mindset. Having resilience is going to take you very far, not only in your business, but in life in general. To know that there is no such thing as an overnight success, but that you are in a marathon as you build a business. You are in it for the long game, and by being resilient you will get over any hiccups that may occur quite a bit faster.
Being resilient means asking yourself, “What can I do to move forward past these setbacks?” Reminding yourself that you have key traits to be resilient will make you a better boss, a better leader, and it will trickle down into the people around you as well.
Vision-Oriented Minset
Adapting a vision-oriented mindset means having a holistic outlook on your business. You may have a vision of how your business is going to start from day one, and how it will grow in six months, in one year, three years, five years, and so on. This overall vision is what you see now, but keep in mind that it may change, turn, and twist along the way. With this mindset, you will begin to look at your day to day as more of a vision-oriented or a larger picture person.
As you ponder the type of business you want to create and the type of business owner you want to be, think about your mindset in the various ways discussed in this article. Making that mindset shift from employee to entrepreneur can be a challenge, but in doing so you will find it’s rewarding.
If you set out to embrace risks, take initiative, and adopt a growth mindset, you will be on your way to really dial in on what you want your business to do for you, your family, and for your customers or clients. These small mindset shifts will allow you to think bigger picture and really help prepare you for the entrepreneurial journey ahead!
For more help making this second act shift, listen to the How To Quit Your Job and Start A Business Limited Series Podcast. It consists of twenty episodes designed to walk you through the steps needed to take you from employee to entrepreneur. Listen now at https://secondactsuccess.co/listen.
To access support and coaching, book a discovery call with Shannon Russell to learn more about her services. BOOK HERE.
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