Entrepreneurs' vs. employees': let’s find out who you are?
Entrepreneurship is not about starting a business. It’s more of a mindset meaning some entrepreneurs are still employees and some employees are entrepreneurs but haven’t figured it out yet. So, what does it take to become an entrepreneur? It’s mostly about how you think and do things. For instance, you might find yourself spending more than your employer on lunch and wonder how it’s possible. Let’s have a look at how employees think as compared to entrepreneurs.
Employees want to work hard while entrepreneurs intend to work smart
In many cases, many employees believe that they work smart, but they actually work hard. If you don’t know that you work hard, you do if you naturally receive praise and more work on your desk. As an employee wants to impress the boss, they put in their best work leading to more work, and the cycle continues. Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, categorize work into two main categories: not urgent and urgent. Basically, entrepreneurs will try to put in 20% work to generate 80% of the results.
Employees work to improve their weaknesses while entrepreneurs ignore them
You obviously have been asked in a job interview what your weaknesses are. Employers want us to recognize our weaknesses and work on improving them. In this regard, many employees find themselves struggling to improve their weaknesses instead of focusing on their strengths. On the other hand, entrepreneurs concentrate majorly on their strengths and opportunities they can conquer using them.
Employees will dream their plans while entrepreneurs will plan their dreams
Most employees are stuck in the 9-to-5 cycle and always dream of how they can leave it. On the other hand, an entrepreneur will always plan on how to achieve their dreams. No matter how big your dreams are, if you don’t take any step or plan on reaching them, you will always dream. However, if you have a clear plan of action on how to achieve your dreams, you are more likely to succeed.
Employees believe money is everything while entrepreneurs believe the time is everything
Employees always wait to have the right amount of money to start a business while entrepreneurs start with what they have. While employees invest money into a business, entrepreneurs invest time. Employees will most likely use the safest route always, but entrepreneurs take risks. An entrepreneur can go for months without making a profit but employees want the profits rolling in right off the bat. When employees are capable of wasting time in the office, entrepreneurs are more likely to invest in a time management system such as index time clock. Entrepreneurs value time and always strive to create more of it.
Frustration is temporarily for entrepreneurs but permanent for employees
While entrepreneurs will face certain disappointments once in a while, employees are always frustrated due to the routine. As employees work for a couple of years, routine eventually catches up with them making it easy for them to lose focus. As a result, they end up being frustrated and bring out the frustration of their colleagues and family members.
For employees, smart people are a threat to them, but entrepreneurs embrace them
In the corporate world, the struggle for power is inevitable, and therefore employees always find intelligent people a threat to their journey. In this regard, they would always try to downplay them in order to avoid them from being noticed by the top management. In this regard, they do not get the chance to learn new things that the smart people bring to the office. On the other hand, entrepreneurs embrace intelligent people and actually hire them so that they can tap into the talent.
Employees will always think without starting when entrepreneurs are starting without thinking
When employees believe that they need to perfect certain skills in order for them to run their business properly, entrepreneurs start with what they know and learn along the way. Eventually, employees will get frustrated when they start doubting their abilities. The cycle continues meaning there is never a right time for them to start the business.
I hope now you can really understand where you are and what you need to do to improve or jump the fence.
Employees say yes always while entrepreneurs say no
If you want to be really successful, you need to learn to say no according to Warren buffet. He once said that the difference between the successful and the really successful is that the latter says no to virtually everything. In the office, you can easily differentiate between an employee and an entrepreneur using this simple trick. Employees will always say yes to virtually everything since they believe saying no means losing an opportunity. On the other hand, entrepreneurs want the best for themselves and therefore say no to many things so that they can only focus on what’s important.
All in all, employees tend to be followers while entrepreneurs tend to be leaders. In this regard, you will find that employees always focus on the assigned task while entrepreneurs go an extra mile and always see the bigger picture. At first, employees might seem successful as they are likely to climb the corporate ladder fast through impressing their seniors. However, tables turn with time as the chaotic-looking entrepreneur’s efforts are realized from his/her successful ventures. If you’re an entrepreneur, it’s time to fully get into it rather than spending time as an employee.