STEP TWO
Learn How to Think Like an Entrpreneur
You will get all you want in life if you help
enough other people to get what they want.
- ZIG ZIGLAR
Now you know how to create with your thinking and your vision of a bright future. The next key to success is also simple.
Start thinking like an entrepreneur.
Entrepreneurs understand how to take control of their lives. They know that the money you need to make your dreams come true will come to you from other people. In The Science of Getting Rich, Wallace Wattles made an obvious point: as powerful and supportive as the universe may be, it cannot bring riches to you in any other way.
To start to think like an entrepreneur, ask yourself these questions:
These are the kinds of questions entrepreneurs ask. They know that they have to provide something of value to other people. According to motivational speaker Zig Ziglar,
“You will get all you want in life if you help
enough other people get what they want.”
Entrepreneurs also know they have to be involved in business. You probably know that if you are an employee, you don’t have control of your life. In most cases, employees are working to create another person’s dream. This means you are trading most of your productive time for an income that will never make you wealthy or provide more free time.
The main draw of a job is the lack of other options, and this is about to change for you. In the past, people sought jobs for stability, health insurance, and a secure retirement. Now, after trading 40 years or more of your life for the promise of a secure retirement, it's generally not there. It is even questionable whether social security is going to be there for many adults. And if it is, retiring on social security is bleak.
The Transition from Employee to Entrepreneur
When they realize that being an employee is not the solution, most people face a new dilemma. What are the options? A small percentage of specially skilled entrepreneurs may pursue careers in lucrative businesses like real estate or investing in the stock market, but this is not a practical solution for most people.
The next possibility is to start your own small business. This is a great idea, if you know a system that will take you where you want to go.
Most people think of going into business for themselves with these kinds of goals in mind:
In fact, the main reason people start their own businesses is to have freedom. They dream of taking control of their time and doing something meaningful with their lives. This is what we wanted and we are happy now to have both.
These people are looking for opportunities and as life and business management expert Dr. Tom Barrett said in his book Dare to Dream and Work to Win, "Entrepreneurs can see things sooner, more clearly, and more fully than others." When opportunity knocks, they are ready to open the door.
What many new entrepreneurs don't realize is that starting your own business is very risky. Statistically, most small businesses fail in the first year. And most of those who manage to stay in business don’t find freedom. Instead, their businesses own them and absorb all of their time and energy, maybe even more than their previous job.
A business that owns us isn’t what we wanted and we doubt that you want it either. We want to show you a vehicle that can provide freedom, where you can choose your own hours, where you can’t get fired, and where there is no ceiling on your potential income. It has systems in place that work, and it is creating more millionaires than any other business.
The Business of the 21st Century
According to best-selling Rich Dad, Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki, the best opportunities for creating wealth and financial stability are in big business. This is where his concept of “the business of the 21st century” lies.
With the desire to reduce risk and increase your potential for success in mind, the question becomes how you can tap into this wealth and stability AND the freedom to live on your own terms? How can you combine the potential freedom of a small business, where you can decide when you want to work and where you want to work, with the power of big business?
Many people look into franchising, but it's is very expensive, often requiring hundreds of thousands of dollars just to get started. This is not possible for most people. And for those who take this route, when the business is up and running, it still controls their life.
There is another way and you will see how Kiyosaki's model for the Business of the 21st Century works in the next chapter.