4 tips to start thinking like an entrepreneur if you want to take the plunge

While many of us are happy working for the boss and like having the security of a steady monthly income, a growing population of millennials differ. Being your own boss comes with several pressures to deal with alongside the advantages but one of the main characteristics of being an entrepreneur is how you face these challenges. Therefore, it is extremely important to push yourself and start thinking like an entrepreneur.




Here’s 4 thought shifts that might help you get started if you’re considering the plunge to starting you own venture:

Filter money out of your goals

If you listen to any worthwhile entrepreneur, their goal was never to make tons of cash, at least not specially. Most people think that starting a business is simply to make more money however that is not true. Entrepreneurship is about adding value, your startup should be able to fix an existing gap that is prevalent is society. Lay out modest short term targets that accumulate into larger long term pay offs.

Replace dreams with targets

People talk about chasing their dreams, however, you need to be chasing targets. Set goals that are reasonably do-able within a pre-fixed time frame and work towards achieving them. Dream hasing could often leave you feeling let down once you are faced with obstacles. However, obstacles that stand in the way when you have a set target only pushes you more to overcome them – it could even become the reason for excitement. Being an entrepreneur is full of challenges so it’s best to learn to love the grind.

Get smart

Who doesn’t want to work in a flashy office with the best equipment and all the perks that you see in Google and Facebook offices? But achieving all of that takes time and it’s better to learn early on that while it is tempting to go big it is only sensible to go smart. Unlike your corporate job, there isn’t a steady flow of cash coming in and the amount of work you put in has a more direct relation to the money you earn. Therefore, most entrepreneurs leave behind the ‘flash’ and invest back in to their businesses.

Networking tips

You can’t expect to just call up a VC and pitch to him for 15 minutes as and when you want, hence, you need to find other routes to get his/her attention. Once you start realizing the power of networking, your interactions with people change. However, there is just one age-old tip to get to know people – you could ask them what they do and listen keenly. In addition to their appreciation for allowing them to speak, you could even frame ideas of how you could be of value to them and vice-versa.