4 Things Every Entrepreneur Must Have

The life of an entrepreneur is hard.

Most people who decide to jump into the entrepreneurial world, end up walking away before they ever accomplish the dreams and goals they set out to reach in the beginning.

Why?

Well, there are probably a million reasons why, and another million books explaining how to avoid the pitfalls of failure, but having been in the entrepreneurial world for the last 13 years (most of which I didn’t want to be in but had to be to provide for my family) I have found that the books, tapes, seminars, etc. that tell you how to “make it” as an entrepreneur actually aren’t true.

I know what you are thinking, “Shawn, these books are written by hugely successful people who have “made it” in life!! Why do you think what they are saying isn’t true?”

It’s not that I think those that promote books, tapes, seminars, etc. on making it as an entrepreneur are intentionally lying. I just think they know what to say to people looking to try to get to where they are. Heck, I’ve read the books, listened to the tapes, and go to the seminars. They’re good for inspiration, encouragement, and hope.

However, what I have found is that every person is different, and each success story will be too. But if you look, there are some underlying themes and principles that all success stories have that we can apply to our lives as well.

I want to share them (at least the ones I have found) with you today.

4 Things Every Entrepreneur Must Have

1.) A Mentor

Do you want to succeed in life as a husband, father, business or community leader? You need a mentor!! Someone whom you can trust that will speak into your life and tell you what you need to hear, not just want you want to hear.

A mentor is someone you willingly allow to impart wisdom and truth into your life. Someone you can be open, raw, and honest with.

Why do you need that?

Because when we surround ourselves with “Yes men” we end up going off corse because the “Yes men” are too afraid to tell you what you need to hear.

A word of warning:

Don’t just let anyone in your life be your mentor. You must have someone who is moving in a similar direction, someone who has similar values, dreams, and goals. Also, your mentor can’t be someone who lords their role over you. You are not aiming to please them, you are aiming on dreams and goals you have. Their role is to help instruct, warn, guide, give advice, and be an example.

Someone who lords over you isn’t a mentor. They are a boss or someone on a power trip. Get those people out of your life.

Just so you know:

1.) You can have many mentors!! I have different mentors in different areas of my life, be that spiritual, business, as a husband and dad, etc. It’s ok to have more than one mentor. There is no certain magic number.

2.) Mentors can come from many places.

One of my biggest mentors right now is John Lee Dumas from Entrepreneur on Fire. As someone who is launching a media/podcast/entertainment company, I have really connected with John, his style, and his different products.

Guess what.

I’ve never met John.

Nope. I just listen to his podcast, subscribe to his email, and go through his different courses. He is mentoring me that way.

In that regards I have many mentors. Men and women who speak to me through their books, videos, emails, and seminars.

You can do that too.

If there is someone you really like or comment with and they help you to see clearer, understand better, and accomplish more, they are mentoring you. Keep working with them.

2.) A Hobby.

You need a hobby. Something that allows you to get away and recharge. This is a MUST HAVE!! If you want to succeed as an entrepreneur you must know when you are in need of rest or a reboot.

Having a hobby will help that.

I HIGHLY recommend your hobby being something non work related. Even if you love what you do, you need to disengage at times to get perspective. Personally, as someone who writes a lot, is engaged in a lot of media, and spends a lot of time on computers, my hobby is reading.

However, it’s easy to make my hobby about work, so when I read it is completely off topic to things I am working on.

Probably my favorite author for that is Stephen King. I get so wrapped up in his books that I can get lost in the story and lose track of time. This is good for me. Reading helps me to be creative and think through the stories I am reading. It engages my mind away from work and into pleasure and fun.

I’m also a big fan of Netflix.

I enjoy getting into series and following the different characters and stories.

One of my favorite shows to binge watch is CSI: Miami. I could literally watch that show everyday.

Comic books are another hobby of mind though I haven’t really had the time to invest in them like I have in the past. Specificity Marvel comics.

3.) A Dream or Goal that fills you with passion and energy.

There is something to be said about dreams and goals that fill you with passion and energy. I know it’s become cliché to tell others to “follow your passions” but there is a lot of truth in it.

When I first started blogging in MySpace (yeah old school), I loved it. I loved being able to express my thoughts and ideas on topics and have instant feedback. The only problem in the beginning was that I wasn’t good at it. My paragraphs weren’t spaced right, I didn’t use proper punctuation (I still don’t do this one well), and my thoughts were all over the place.

But guess what?

I kept trying.

Sure, I spent some money to learn more, but in the end what really clicked for me was finding something I loved to talk about and just talking about it. That led me to creating The Bayou Insider, a website dedicated to celebrating all things Louisiana. As it stands right now my site is gaining lots of traction, a podcast is in the works, along with video educational content and more.

Why?

I just found something I loved and started talking about it. The more I worked on it the more passion and energy I had for it, and the more I wrote ideas down, connected with others, and developed the site the more I found myself being filled with passion, creativity, and opportunity.

Find something that makes you burn inside, something that causes your mind and heart to explode with passion, ideas, and creativity. You do that and you will never really work a day in your life. You’ll do what you love.

4.) A Journal.

Have a place to write down your thoughts, dreams, and ideas!!!

It doesn’t have to be a journal chronicling everyday of your life, but a place that you can jot down ideas, thoughts, inspirations, etc. to remember. Personally I have several of theses. In them I write victories I have, ideas for what I am working on, thoughts on what I am dealing with, and more.

Being able to look back on them really helps me when I am discouraged or frustrated with progress……..or lack thereof.

Being an entrepreneur is hard, but having these 4 things will make the journey a little easier and a lot more enjoyable.

What are something you have as an entrepreneur that are “MUST HAVES?” Share them in the comments below.

Until next time.

Much love,

Shawn