Entrepreneurship is a journey of mastery. At least, that’s the basis of my own efforts.
I have found that it is much easier to stick with-it if you accept that you will never quite arrive. To be clear, achieving your goals is all together different. When I say, you will never arrive, I mean that even when you accomplish what you set out to do, you learn so much throughout the process that your needs and desires change and evolve. Succeeding in one area creates a desire for more growth, changing your trajectory to a new or more refined target.
What questions are tugging at your consciences begging to be answered?
Embodying a child’s enthusiasm for learning is one of the best things you can do to improve the outcomes of your entrepreneurial endeavors. At the same time, with so much mis-information out there, one must be discerning. A journey of mastery requires some boundaries, they help to maintain a modicum of order amidst the chaos and uncertainty that is always present.
There are three elements of the entrepreneur’s journey of mastery explored in this book. A brief explanation of them is below. Each of the chapters in the book will provide opportunities for deeper exploration of these three elements, including book recommendations for your own self-paced studies.
The Rider – Knowing Thy Self
Knowing yourself is crucial when biking and when being an entrepreneur. For example, I know that since I have exercise induced asthma I can’t just jump on a bike and expect to ride the Triple Bypass. I would have to train, a lot and really dedicate myself to that goal.
Knowing thy self is a constant process of self-discovery. And that’s ok. The important thing is that you have a practice for deepening your self-awareness. Moments of private reflection or conversations with mentors can provide glimpses into better understanding one’s self. One of the benefits of journaling is that you can literally see your progression dealing with a problem or learning something new.
What obstacles have you overcome in the past that will help you succeed in this entrepreneurial journey?
Knowing thy self isn’t about making excuses. It’s not lamenting, “it’s just the way I am, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
Knowing thy self is a great strength. It happens when you learn how to overcome your life challenges. And amplified when you leverage those lessons learned to orchestrate your future. It also requires you to be honest with yourself, and vulnerable. Luckily, anyone can develop these skills with a little bit of effort.
The Bike – Knowing Business
Not all bikes are created equal! Not every business must follow the exact same protocol to be successfull. And yet there are some things that are constant with regards to bikes and businesses. For example, most people want a bike that has wheels, a chain, pedals, a seat, handlebars and brakes.
In business there are five constants I have seen hold true across industires:
Business Model – You need to have a model for generating revenue.
People – You need customers, people who value what you are offering and will pay you for it. And you need team members that will support your efforts both in very formal and informal ways.
Value – You need to create and deliver value to your customers, without that you have no business model.
Organization & Orderliness – You need a method for gathering, managing and organizing all the information pertinent to your business like financials, customer contact information and the like.
Guiding Principles – And you need a vision for where you are taking your beloved business and why.
What kind of business do you want to build?
The rest of it is a matter of personal choice. Do you want a road bike or a mountain bike? A fixie or a cruiser? Would you prefer a basket on the front or saddle bags in the back?
The Bike Ride – Being in Constant Motion
Staying in motion is an important part of maintaining balance on your bike. The second you stop being in motion you have to put your feet on the ground or will fall. It is the same thing for an entrepreneur’s journey.
There is no room for complacency and mediocrity in the misfit entrepreneur’s journey. We don’t do things just because that is the way they have always been done. At the same time, we are keen not to throw the baby out with the bath water. Order, organization, routine and habit, all have their place in the misfit entrepreneur’s journey.
How does the impact you are creating measure up to your intentions?
A wise EntrepreNerd, Jerry Thurber, once said in a book discussion, “Consistency shouldn’t be, we do it their way all the time just because…we do it so we can evolve.”
It is a dynamic journey. One where there is never a clear right versus wrong answer. Motion just for the sake of it is self-defeating. There needs to be intentionality and consciousness in your efforts. And yet, you cannot wait until you have indisputable truth that something will work before you test an idea…that defeats the purpose of an experiment.
Join the Conversation!
Share your thoughts and reactions to these three elements in the comments below. What do you like? What do you wish was different? What’s missing?
Next, I will share Chapter 1…the Awakening…