Do you consider yourself an entrepreneur? Even if you don't, you may, in fact, be one and not even realize it.
I’m about to enter my ninth season as a professional player, and last October I launched my own business, Techne Futbol. Becoming an entrepreneur has been a very interesting process for me, especially once I realized I've always been one! The truth is, as a professional athlete -- and my entire life beforehand when I was aspiring to be one -- I've always been an entrepreneur. My “business” has been my personal athletic development. Now that I've launched another, more traditional business, I draw so many parallels between my two jobs.
Establishing Your Vision
In the broadest sense, in being an athlete, the owner of a startup, or trying to be your best in any field, you begin with a long-term vision. As an athlete, it's the player I wanted/want to be. These are the characteristics of that player: reads the game well, is strong, makes smart decisions, is clean on the ball, dictates the flow of the game, etc.
It's no different for my new business, Techne Futbol -- forge a community, offer quality technical sessions, create competitive leaderboards, make it fun and engaging, etc.
This vision is our proverbial GPS; it guides everything we do daily. Without the vision, we can work and work, but a body of work is most effective when it can be applied to a specific vision, which gives it direction and purpose.
Self-Assessment
For any vision, at each moment along the path, it's vital to be able to honestly assess where we stand. I know where I am and where I think I can be. Armed with that knowledge, I break down what I need to do today, this week, month, and year to get to my goal.
One of the most dangerous mistakes we can make as entrepreneurs is not to be honest or realistic in this assessment. If we think we are much further from our ultimate vision than we really are, we will lack confidence. It may even drain our motivation to push on. If we perceive ourselves to be much closer to our ultimate vision than we are, that can be even more dangerous. We may miss out on important steps we need to take or deny ourselves the learning experiences necessary for improvement.
Working On Your Edge
Once you have a vision and a clear assessment of where you stand in relation to that vision, it’s important to do the proper work to move forward at an appropriate pace. In sports, the best example is training load and fitness. Getting fitter is very much about properly ascertaining what you're able to do, and then working right on the edge of what's uncomfortable. But, it should still be possible to do without pushing too far (which could mean you can't complete the full workout, or even cause injury if you aren't careful). Assessing this balance in the workload is a process of fine-tuning. If you do too little, you sell yourself short. If you do too much, it's risky or dangerous.
Business is very much like fitness training (sometimes even just as painful!). I’ve had to work to the edge of what I know I can accomplish that both pushes me far beyond my comfort zone, but also where I don't run the risk of setting out on a mission I can't complete. It's a constant game of trial and evaluation, and then adjusting the bar. Literally every day the standard must be reset to the appropriate level to maximize progress, but not risk collapse. (I have, in fact, literally collapsed doing fitness, but not yet from business. So I figure I'm doing ok still).
The Takeaway
The bottom line is that whatever "business" you're in—whether traditional or not—you are most likely an entrepreneur in many ways. Being a "life entrepreneur" is something I've come to embrace and enjoy, especially when I started to realize how many ways I can apply the concept to all things I do.
I’d love to hear about your entrepreneurial endeavors! Please take a minute to comment below and share the way(s) in which you consider yourself an entrepreneur.