Entrepreneurship for Everyone!

Success in any career position involves hard work, commitment, a goal-oriented work ethic, and an entrepreneurial mindset. However, in a contract position or in the contingency workforce in which you really are working independently, it is even more essential to cultivate and refine these traits in order to achieve goals and ongoing success. Michael Gerber, founder of “E-Myth Worldwide,” was the featured guest to discuss the traits, skills, and practices of the successful entrepreneur. Whether marketing a business or your skills for a potential job, it is essential to tap into your own creativity and imagination in order to define and achieve your entrepreneurial vision and goals.

How to be Your Own Boss

In the introductory segment of the show, we discussed career options in an economic recession, focusing on the contingency marketplace which makes a third of work options. Even while searching for a full-time position, contract positions are viable options that will help you develop your skills, entrepreneurial spirit, and ability to sell yourself to potential employers and networking contacts. Chapters two and three of Job Search: The Total System outline the traits, skills, and practices necessary for success in a contingency position. Whether searching for either a contract or full-time position, a thorough self- assessment is vital to helping you define and understand your talents and skills and what you have to offer to potential employers. In a contract position, you can continue to grow and develop your unique skills and abilities, expand your understanding of job markets, and sell yourself to prospective employers looking to fill permanent positions. Job Search: The Total System cites commitment to goals, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities, along with other traits and skills that are essential for success in a contingency position. Optimism, enthusiasm, and a belief in your own abilities, however, are absolutely essential in order for you to fully excel. A positive attitude in any position, and especially in a job search in a weakening economy, is central to an entrepreneurial spirit and goal attainment.

A Down Economy: the Best Time for the Entrepreneur

Michael Gerber, discussed his ideas and strategies for growing and developing a small business and becoming a successful entrepreneur. With the economy currently in a recession, Gerber talked about how to be a successful as an entrepreneur and grow a business even as the economy itself declines. Gerber stated that, while it may seem counterintuitive, the best time to become a successful entrepreneur is during a down economy. Just as fear of job loss and declining wages become more real, so does the need for real solutions. According to Gerber, in a weakened economy people are eager for solutions to real problems, and this inspires individuals to pursue ideas and ventures that they may not have otherwise pursued. For Gerber, it is – without a doubt – these seemingly unreasonable expectations and goals that set entrepreneurs apart. The dream, as he calls it, really defines the entrepreneurial spirit, which is the key to successful venture. So as you define your own skills and abilities and approach opportunities with optimism and a positive attitude, remember to keep setting lofty and seemingly unreasonable goals because as you pursue those goals, you will continue to challenge your skills and abilities and expand your entrepreneurial spirit and vision.

Making a conscious effort to access and awaken one’s own imagination and creativity are vital for setting and achieving entrepreneurial goals. In his book Awakening the Entrepreneur Within: How Ordinary People Can Create Extraordinary Companies, Gerber refers to the “Dreaming Room,” or a place of discovering and encountering one’s inner creativity, the essence of the entrepreneurial spirit. Gerber talks about how to overcome fears and stigmas to awaken ideas and define personal dreams. Individuals can then begin to identify a vision of how to achieve their dreams and goals, and with this purpose and vision as the primary aim, individuals then use their skills to achieve entrepreneurial endeavors and build successful companies. With a clearly defined vision, purpose and plan, and the skills to implement them, Gerber’s entrepreneurial formula for success is a sure thing.