We have all heard the expressions “he has a head for business” or “she is a born businesswoman”. Is there such a thing? Are business people born to be business people or do they learn?
Maybe some people are born with entrepreneurial tendencies but in my observation over many years of consulting and coaching business people I believe the skills need to be learned. Even people who loved to sell when they were kids, and are what would seem “born entrepreneurs” can lack other necessary skills in running a business.
Where does this leave the large number of people who are opting out of the 9 – 5 world to become home based business owners? I believe that they need to be taught to be Business Owners. This starts with the right mindset. You can read my post on Business Mindset here. Mindset is fundamental and without it you will never have a successful business.
The Network Marketing model is an interesting one as people from all walks of life join this business. They often come straight from being employees with no prior business experience. They may have been recruited by someone who also has no business experience and no understanding of the mindset necessary. There needs to be good training in place to deal with this.
If you are an employee thinking of joining a Network Marketing Company make sure you join a group that has good training and work with someone who will guide you to develop the mindset you will need to have.
I have been a traditional business owner for most of my life and I have found it difficult to transition to home based business. My main adjustment and leaning has been around having to do it all myself. I have had employees to delegate to for most of my life. Now I look around and realize “I am it”. (My dog won’t do much!). Even though I have owned reasonable sized businesses and believe I do have a business head, I can be lulled into not treating my home based business as seriously as I should.
It takes considerable self discipline to be a home based business owner. We need to remember if we are serious about building residual income and having a wonderful lifestyle we need to treat our business with respect from the beginning.
Please leave me your comments below. If you are a home based business owner let me know how your transition into the role has been.
Oliver Tausend says
Hi Sue,
the advice you offer to employees joining a network marketing business is crucial: Join a group with good training to develop the right mindset.
I think most people – especially folks from the E and S quadrant – have a problem with the concept of delayed gratification. They did the work, and they want to be paid for it now.
In MLM Network Marketing it’s pretty much different, you work for free in order to educate yourself and build your network.
Thanks for sharing.
Take care
Oliver
Sue says
Hey Oliver
You have really “hit the nail on the head” so to speak. I agree with your comments on E and S quadrant people. Robert Kiyosaki always talks about delayed gratification being critical in our thinking to become wealthy. Many people do not get that.
I think on the plus sign of MLM is the fact the outlay to get into the business is so small that we need to put in the “sweat equity”.
Sue
Linda G. Cox says
Sue~
You’re right, we need to really research the details about being a home-based business owner. We must learn and decide if this is a good fit for us. If we choose an MLM to start, we must choose a business with adequate training. Being well taught and having the necessary self descipline, will direct us toward success.
~Linda
Sue says
Thanks Linda. I am blessed to be a downline with great training. It makes a difference. Working from home was a challenge for me for a while as for me it meant a different level of discipline.
Sue
Don Enck says
Sue,
What I have found interesting is that being in business for your self in the home based environment is so different than the traditional businesses. as you pointed out, the dog won’t do much and it wouldn’t change if you threatened to fire him or take his bone away.
The great thing about so many of the network marketing companies out there is they got this part right. They have fabulous training programs. Almost all profess that to succeed you have to not only work your business but work on you. Personal development is crucial and should be an ongoing process. Plugging in to a good solid company with the right tools and trainings makes all the difference when you’re working from home.
Sue says
Hey Don
I laughed at your comment the dog wouldn’t change if I threatened to fire him or take his bone away. My dog is an almost 15 year old beagle, She sleeps in our office all day and then whimpers when she wants her food. If we ignore her she barks – and i give in! I think she is boss.
I agree most MLMs have good training. I think it is a great way for people to get into business and learn how to do business while they do all the necessary personal development as you say.
Sue
Darlene Davis says
Sue,
Can I enroll in one of your classes? Having spent my life in corporate America, I now have the pleasure of learning how to be an entrepreneur.
Luckily I work with a company that has daily accountability calls and other training seminars. It is quite the mind shift—where I’m only accountable to myself.
Thanks for the excellent business mindset articles. I’m taking it all to heart:)
Sue says
Darlene I think having a daily accountability call is excellent to keep on track. I know I need something or I can so easily go off on tangents.
I am loving writing about business mindset as I learn more when I teach a subject.
I think it is wonderful to be all still learning and growing.
Sue
Jym says
Hi Sue,
I don’t come from a conventional business background, and I’ve also realized the need to build and learn the right mindset for MLM.
There’s another really inspiring layer in your statement that “the skills need to be learned”. And that is that they CAN be learned. Which is really important to know when you’re new to MLM and coming from a different mindset and attitude.
Thanks for this article.
Sue says
Hi Jym
Thanks for your comment. I think there are many things that are learned. Management and Leadership for example. I made the assumption when I started in MLM that because I had a strong business background it would be the same. It is not and in fact quite different.
I just had a read of your about you on your blog. You sound like you have had an awesome life so far! Do you like Australia?
Sue
Belinda Cunningham says
Sue
Sounds like you need a new dog. Mine is very helpful in my business!!! I am glad to hear that even having run successful businesses in the past you still needed to make adjustments. I know going from an employee mindset to one of building an asset in the form of a business is hard and has assumed it would be a breeze for some one who has already run a business.
Belinda
Sue says
Hey Belinda
And what does your dog do? 🙂
I assumed it would be a breeze having run businesses too, but home based is very different.
Cheers
Sue
Louise Steiner says
Sue, you have hit the nail on the head with this article. MLM is so easy to get into and offers promises of riches and wealth, but few really appreciate the change in mindset and hard work that will be required to succeed, until they after they have signed up. I know I didn’t. I had no idea I was embarking on a journey of personal development when I signed up, but for me this is the icing on the cake and just as enjoyable as the business itself. Finding a company with good training and possibly more importantly, a team that will provide help and support is crucial to anyone’s success when joining an MLM. And having started down the entrepreneurial road, I don’t think I could ever go back again.
Thanks for sharing Sue.
Louise
Sue says
Louise I totally agree with you. I do not think many people would know the changes they will need to make when they get into a MLM. I have been doing personal development for years but this is still a new learning curve. One thing I know for sure is that personal development and our development as beings is ongoing.
Sue
Adam Robinson says
It’s takes an enormous amount of self-discipline and courage before one can go into entrepreneurship full time. I think this is why people tend to stick to their 9 to 5 jobs, because it’s more secure, it’s easier, and it involves lesser risk. Going for entrepreneurship full time does require an entirely different mindset.
Sue says
Thanks for the words of wisdom Adam. I totally agree with you – a totally different mindset!
Sue