Do you have a fever to start your own business? Are you a little bit crazy? No matter what your idea is, there are some fundamentals you need to cover to call yourself an entrepreneur. We talked to Fred Cary, CEO of IdeaPros about what it takes to succeed in business and become a real entrepreneur.
1. Are You Cut Out For Entrepreneurship?
We all have dreams and ideas that haunt us. Although it seems tough, deciding to act on them is the easy part of the entrepreneurial journey.
“If you are not prepared for the pain, the humiliation and frustrations entrepreneurship brings, maybe this is not the thing for you.” – Fred Cary
There is lots of pivoting, going backward, and redoing things over and over again. Some of the best entrepreneurs in the world have gone through this process because there is no clear road.
You are creating something that didn’t exist before together with your path. Opportunities for failure await at every corner, and only a real entrepreneur will work their way through. Also, the entrepreneurial journey can take a long time. If you don’t have the wherewithal to stomach it and go through all ups and downs and disappointments, you are not going to make it to the finish line and getting to the finish line is only the starting point. To become successful, you first have to fail a thousand times.
2. Can You Take Ownership?
Taking ownership as an entrepreneur is the most critical element you can have. When creating something new, you will work with engineers, research report writers, design firms, naming and logo experts, web designers, advertising people, launch partners, crowdfunding experts, and marketing organizations. That’s a lot of people you can blame when things go wrong. But, that is not what real entrepreneurs do. Real entrepreneurs take responsibility and ownership for every single thing that happens.
“Entrepreneurship is about solving problems. You can’t solve problems when you blame others.” – Fred Cary
Ask yourself what you need to do better. Maybe you didn’t explain things well enough to your colleagues and they didn’t get your vision. Instead of blaming them, sit with them, and tell them, you didn’t express yourself well enough and discuss what you want to change. When you have this kind of relationship with the people that work for you, you will get things done. Look at obstacles as opportunities, not problems.
3. Are You Prepared For An Endless Journey
If you look at any company in the world, even the most successful ones, you will see that they are always trying to find a way to grow, maintain momentum, and increase their market share.
“No matter how successful you get, you can’t sit on your laurels. It’s a continual process.” – Fred Cary
The creative process as an entrepreneur doesn’t stop. When you sell your first product, you go on and on. Because your journey doesn’t end after your first triumph. The simple fact of selling something doesn’t make you an entrepreneur. You need to prepare yourself for all the elements of this endless journey that will hopefully continue throughout your lifetime. So, the next time you wake up with a great product or app idea, ask yourself if this is something you are willing to continue doing for the rest of your life. If it is then you are an entrepreneur.
The “Idea Pros” at IdeaPros have the resources, experience, and tools to help you at this step or any step in the entrepreneurial journey.
We partner with entrepreneurs at any stage and who are ready to invest their ideas. Apply for an interview and let’s explore partnering together.
Want to see the products we have launched? Check out the IdeaPros Launchpad!