Working a 9 to 5 job while slowly and steadily climbing up the corporate ladder used to be the established employment order for generations of people.
But many are now bucking that trend, with young entrepreneurs especially increasing in numbers.
Yet, while immensely rewarding, entrepreneurship isn’t a walk in the park. And it’s necessary to consider several important factors before deciding to become your own boss.
Here are five that can help put you on the path to a fulfilling future:
1. Define your purpose
Among the main appeals of self-employment, especially in direct selling, are the flexibility and financial freedom it affords.
But everyone has a different “why” to becoming an entrepreneur. Hence the necessity to determine yours straightaway.
Entrepreneurship means being called on to make various decisions for you and your business. And being cognisant of the reason you took the plunge in the first place will help you navigate both the good times and bad.
A clear purpose and vision can help motivate and inspire those around you, including clients and downlines, to give their best.
2. Set your goals
As important as defining and articulating your purpose is setting your goals and determining the processes to be taken to help you achieve them.
Will this business be a side hustle or a full-time job? How many hours a day are you prepared to devote to meeting prospects and customers and closing deals? What are your short-, medium- and long-term goals?
Remember, no two entrepreneurs — even superstar business owners — are alike or have the same aims. Thus, resolving your targets at the outset and how you’ll get there is necessary.
3. Know your business
Young entrepreneurs getting into direct selling, especially those who’ve taken up the QNET business opportunity, have an advantage in that they can start their businesses without having to worry about capital outlay, overheads or other such things.
Yet, they should still seek to familiarise themselves with the business, all the dos and don’ts, the company’s founding philosophy and all products and services.
To be a successful business owner, know your enterprise inside and out. So, ask questions, review the literature, attend training sessions and learn everything possible.
4. Be prepared to learn
Speaking of learning, entrepreneurship, including direct selling, is inclusive and open to anyone, regardless of educational background, experience and/or prior knowledge.
But while this fact means that one doesn’t need a fancy degree to own and run a business, what’s also true is that business ownership is a journey of lifelong education. And the best and most successful people in business are those who consistently seek to learn and improve themselves.
Note, however, that entrepreneurial education encompasses many aspects. This means knowledge doesn’t have to be gleaned from books alone and can be just as easily acquired from upskilling and training programmes, dedicated entrepreneur-focussed courses like the ones you can take through qLearn, and even hurdles and failure.
5. Instant success is a myth
Becoming a business owner means being responsible for your financial freedom. However, it’s not a get-rich-quick, sure-fire path to success. Indeed, triumph only comes to those willing to do the work and are patient.
We often expect things to move quickly and progress to follow a linear path. But business doesn’t work that way, especially if one is focused on ensuring stable, long-term and sustainable success.
The ticket, however, is not to quit. Stick with it, and when in doubt, always go back to the first point on this list — your purpose.
A rewarding career
Indeed, few things are more fulfilling than being in control of your life and earnings. But to paraphrase the oft-quoted adage, for best results, it’s necessary to look before you leap.
