Entrepreneurship
is a journey, and everyone goes through it a little bit differently to each
other. Realising that there is a rise of individuals embracing the field of
entrepreneurship, the profound thought that sparks our minds today is “what
makes a successful entrepreneur?” That said, individuals who have longstanding
passion and interest for their business idea, and are determined to connect
with like-minded entrepreneurs have better opportunities to stay ahead of the
others.
Starting
your own business requires an idea to begin with – this is when entrepreneur is
born. A business will only thrive when it is founded with a big idea that works
– something that would fulfil the needs and wants of a specific niche market,
or something that would further create business opportunity to diversify the
products or services for other target markets.
Most
people own the idea, and yet they are unsure of when and how to best execute
it. Knowing that ideas play a significantly pertinent role in business,
entrepreneurs who embark on this journey has to have the capacity to execute the
ideas and turn it into a functional, viable organisation. And if not, they are
bound to fail. For many entrepreneurs who are more of a thinker, rather than a
doer, this is a frightening notion to know after all. As such, one needs to
consistently be in action to be successful while they catch the entrepreneurial
bug.
Take
a look at the following article and case study from Harvard Business Review (HBR) by
Andy Molinsky in which he shares how can idea-oriented entrepreneurs become
doers and learn to raise money, pitch to investors, hire, and fire employees —
especially when it forces them outside their personal and professional comfort
zones?
___________________________________________
Case
study: An
owner of a software company told me about how anxious he felt making sales to
customers. He loved developing the product, and he also enjoyed speaking about
the product to potential clients, because he truly believed in it. But when it
came time to making the “ask,” he’d freeze. He’d stumble, bumble, and in many
cases, simply not even ask for the sale. The CEO of a small consulting firm I
spoke with lamented how hard it was for him to spread the word about his
company at conferences and networking events because of his introverted and shy
nature. And the CEO of a start-up internet company deeply believed in the
mission of his company, but struggled morally when pitching potential employees
on the “dream” without disclosing the full reality: they might not have enough
runway of cash to make it through the month.
The first step is to
actually recognise — and own up to — the
challenges. None of us likes to admit our weaknesses and flaws, but in
order to improve, we have to. Each of the successful entrepreneurs I spoke with
ultimately recognised the importance of these necessary but difficult tasks and
that, in many cases, they were things they had been avoiding or procrastinating
about — to the detriment of their business.
The next critical step is
to embrace your purpose and mission,
because that is going to give you the motivation and courage to actually take
the necessary leap. For example, Maran Nelson, CEO of Clara Labs, said this about the power of conviction with respect to acting outside her
comfort zone as a CEO, especially when fundraising: “The most important
thing I’ve learned about fundraising is just really fundamentally believing in
what you are doing. Knowing that it is good. You have to know what you are
doing is good and that it must exist in the world.” Conviction is the feeling,
deep down, that what you’re doing — and even struggling with — when acting
outside your comfort zone is worth it. That the pain is worth the gain. And
given the inherent challenge many tasks present to budding entrepreneurs,
having this conviction is a critical part of the puzzle.
Finally, the last piece of
advice I learned from speaking with entrepreneurs is the importance of finding your own way. Just as there is no
one-size-fits-all strategy for becoming an entrepreneur, there also is no
one-size-fits-all strategy for learning to act outside your comfort zone. For
example, if you need to pitch to investors but hate asking for money, script
out the first few sentences of your message, or bring a colleague with you who
makes you feel more confident or who can help with your pitch. Or remind yourself
of your mission before stepping into the room, so have purpose top-of-mind,
which may make it easier to pitch. Whatever it is, you can find your own way of
handling these necessary but difficult moments. The entrepreneurs I spoke with
who were successful at acting outside their comfort zones were able to find simple ways like these to be effective,
without losing themselves in the process.
In the end, most people
equate entrepreneurship with ideas. But for many, the real entrepreneurship
happens internally — with the process of stepping up, having courage, and doing
things that you never thought you’d be able to do. By flexing your behaviour
and learning to act outside your comfort zone, you’ll be well on your way
toward achieving your goals.
Image Source: startuptipsdaily.com
Chia Yi Jing | Bubbling with enthusiasm, bright ideas, and confidence, Yi Jing set foot in the PR world with Orchan Consulting, where she was offered permanent employment after a successful internship. She is determined to make her mark in the industry, and her bosses know that she will. 
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