A Note To Wantrepreneurs: You’re not going to reinvent the wheel.
I’ve loved the idea of starting my own business for as long as I can remember.
Daydreaming of the next big thing while at my day job.Typing up random ideas as they popped into my head in my iPhone notes. Staying up all night Googling, “how to start a business” or “how to be an entrepreneur.”
I know I’m not alone.
If you’re reading this, you’ve probably felt the same uncontrollable itch as you’ve sat in your cubicle (or these days, your home office) waiting for inspiration to strike, for that lightbulb to go off.
“If only I could come up with the next big thing,” you think. “Then I’d pour my soul into it.”
But let’s face it, wantrepreneurs: you’re probably not going to be the next Steve Jobs or Elon Musk.
You’re probably not going to come up with an idea that turns the whole world on its head.
You may be thinking I’m here to discourage you, but wait!
I’m not telling you to give up on your entrepreneurial dreams, my friends.
Stop trying to reinvent the wheel.
Entrepreneurs know that the key to going from “wantrepreneur” to entrepreneur is just taking that first step.
You’re probably going to fail your first time. The odds aren’t in your favor; 60% of new businesses fail in the first three years.
But instead of thinking about the probability of failure, how about all that you’ll gain from that experience?
You’ll come out the other side with a new sense of business acumen, the knowledge of what doesn’t work, and either the gall to give it another shot or the wisdom to say you tried and maybe entrepreneurship wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be in your head.
“An entrepreneur tends to bite off a little more than he can chew hoping he’ll quickly learn how to chew it.” — Roy Ash
So, my fellow wantrepreneurs, here’s my call to action:
Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, just build a better wheel. One that your target audience will appreciate.
As Seth Godin says, “it’s impossible to create work that both matters and pleases everyone.”
