In small business, the term “Entrepreneur” to me has always had a mystique about it. I envision someone on a yacht sailing the seas without a care in the world, earning an income without having to work, and living a life only the rich and famous dream of. Some describe them as entrepreneurs or people who have a vision.

I believe that anyone can become an entrepreneur. You don’t have to start Facebook or Google to be classified as an entrepreneur. If you have a desire to conquer and an energy level that knows no boundaries, you will become a successful entrepreneur. While making pizza years ago, never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would start so many businesses in industries I had no idea about and eventually write a book about my experiences. You see, this is what’s so great about small businesses. You really have no idea how far you can go. As you progress, you bring out qualities you thought you’d never have. Improvements in these qualities. You become a better negotiator, speaker, listener, salesperson, etc.

Sure, you can say you want to be a millionaire, and most people can achieve that goal. What you don’t realize is that becoming a millionaire is not the best part; is the person you become. Take away the bank balance and physically you are more or less the same person, but deep down you are confident, motivated and successful. All that fear, those sleepless nights, those lingering doubts have eroded away. Now you are a person of stature. He has responsibility, people look up to him, he puts food on people’s tables and helps employees pay their mortgages, and he’s a distinguished member of the community. Before you were just another start-up but now you’ve made it.

People often ask me at what stage I made the decision to start another business or what qualities I had that helped me spot opportunities. The honest answer is, I don’t know. It just happened. You really pick it up as you go. You see an opportunity, you look at the worst case scenario, you see if you can add value, then you just go after it because you know nothing is guaranteed. Even after all the experience you have gained, all the great network of people around you, there is no guarantee of success for your idea.

Even when you grow your business, you just discover it. I can ask my accountant for advice, but if I want to spend $30,000 on a big direct mail campaign, I can’t talk to him, my bank manager or my neighbor, I just do it. I test it out a bit, let’s say I spend $1,000 and if there’s a little response, I do it. There is no magic manual. You need to figure things out and that’s why entrepreneurs are so respected because they venture into the unknown.

On my wall I had a picture frame with the quote, “if you don’t spread your wings, how do you know how far you can fly?” This is my exact point. You just have to go through the motions. That’s why business is so exciting and stressful at the same time. Your learning curve is huge. If one day you lost everything, deep down you know that you could do it again because you have that knowledge that no one can take away from you. Your spirit, your hunger, drive, ambition, stays with you forever.

When you see people in their 70s who love their jobs, I bet most of them don’t even need to work, but they love it. The feeling of accomplishment, having a routine, interacting with other humans, business is more than money; it’s a lifestyle people choose over the security of a paycheck every week. After what happened since the GFC, a guaranteed check is no longer so guaranteed.

An entrepreneur is someone who can see things others can’t or chooses to see a glass half full. I have been told so many times that my idea would not work, but that motivates me more. You see, my theory is that any idea can work. How long will it work? That is a completely different story. So instead of looking at things negatively, an entrepreneur has the mindset of how he can sell his product or service to the masses, while the average person will think of 50 ways to fail. Also, all of his so-called friends will encourage negativity in him and destroy any chance that person had of making his idea come true.

Many small business owners really get bogged down in the details of the business, especially when they have experience in that industry. However, an entrepreneur will have the end game in mind. For example, when I entered the printing industry, my printer kept telling me how many pixels were in the artwork, why sometimes the colors never matched the proof, where the printer was made in Germany and discussions of that nature. My printer Paul was brilliant at what he did and much of my early success was attributed to his company as he gave me an opportunity that other printers wouldn’t.

While I appreciated his technical feedback and analysis, he was more bottom line, selling decals to thousands upon thousands of customers. Without being rude, I don’t care about the machine, or who made it, or how many pixels there are, or who worked on the press, I don’t care. I want SALES, SALES AND MORE SALES. That is. Let your staff have these conversations, not you and that’s why my designer Joe handled this. My ADD would kick in after 20 seconds because I’m not going to upsell talking about pixelations.

My point is that you don’t have to be a guru in all aspects of the business. A true entrepreneur sees the future and where the business is headed. He can see his product all over the world. He doesn’t care about the obstacles because, if he does, he will lose concentration at the end of the game. He knows his business, knows what happens at each stage of the production process, but don’t stop. He just sells. He be a leader and show his team where he wants them to go and he will truly be a successful business owner.

Small Businesses – Myths of the Entrepreneur