Much of the conventional wisdom about self-employment actually qualifies as Urban Myths (and we know how those can circulate). Sadly, many people who think about becoming Joyfully Jobless are stopped from doing so because of these commonly held, but unfounded, beliefs. Let\u2019s take a look at five biggies.<\/p>\n
Only extroverts can be entrepreneurs.<\/strong> A recent study found that almost all kindergartners exhibited entrepreneurial traits. By the fourth grade, however, innovative thinking was on the decline. Being an introvert or extrovert isn\u2019t nearly as important as caring about people and wanting to solve problems.<\/p>\n You need the security of a job.<\/strong> What a Twentieth Century concept. Even as jobs are disappearing all over the place, people still cling to that outmoded\u00a0 notion about security. Successful self-bossers know that you can only have as much security as you produce for yourself. Or as Helen Keller pointed out, “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do children as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. “<\/p>\n Starting a business is risky.<\/strong> So is driving, eating and sex. It\u2019s a matter of how you do it. In fact, self-bossers who have done their homework, visualized their business and are committed to laying a strong foundation don\u2019t\u00a0 consider what they\u2019re doing to be risky. Preparation makes a huge difference, of course, as does a willingness to ask for help, experimentation, and flexibility.<\/p>\n You need a lot of money to start a business. <\/strong>Another outmoded belief. While it\u2019s true that some businesses require heavy capitalization, that\u2019s not the only option. More and more modern entrepreneurs are mastering the art of the shoestring start-up, learning to generate cashflow and build slow and strong.<\/p>\n Most small businesses fail in the first five years<\/strong>. Even the Small Business Administration likes to tout failure rates, but these statistics are skewed and based on heavily capitalized, conventional undertakings. The success rate for lean enterprises is actually high.<\/p>\n If you want to succeed as an entrepreneur, be committed to taking advice from informed sources. In starting a business, that means learning from those who have successfully done so…not the fearmongers and dreambashers.<\/p>\n Innovation is what you get when you get up from behind your desk and go and see where ideas and people lead you. ~ Richard Branson<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Much of the conventional wisdom about self-employment actually qualifies as Urban Myths (and we know how those can circulate). Sadly, many people who think about becoming Joyfully Jobless are stopped from doing so because of these commonly held, but unfounded, beliefs. Let\u2019s take a look at five biggies. Only extroverts can be entrepreneurs. A recent…<\/p>\n