Switching our mind from an "employee" mindset to one that allows us to freely think like an entrepreneur and to actually believe we can achieve is one of the most important shifts...AND one of the hardest! Read on for some tips on shifting that mindset.
Robert Kiyosaki says "Don't let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning." I LOVE this quote! It is so very true that thinking about being your own boss, making your own hours, finally getting off being "on call" regularly, and caring for patients and physician clients with the kind of customer service you believe in sounds like an absolute DREAM. But most of the time, the inner dialogue (or outer dialogue from those around us!) can overshadow that excitement with the fear of failure. All the "what ifs" start rearing their ugly head.... Let's flip the switch:
What if is WORKS?
What if its a SUCCESS?
What if you turned all the people who didn't believe in you into BELIEVERS.
“Whatever our dreams, we deserve to chase them.”
I would say one of the NUMBER one reasons that a potential student of our program fails to start their business is fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of failure. So, let's talk about some mindset shifts to help you kickstart this journey to being your own boss.
#1: Yes, I CAN.
As corny as this sounds, having a mantra (or a few!) that you repeat to yourself on a regular basis can help SO much with our mindset. Think back to something that was a bit scary, a bit out of your comfort zone - did you do it? If you didn't likely fear of failure or not doing well is what held you back. Overcoming those inner and outer dialogues is so very important.
When we first started our business over 16 years ago, you can imagine we discussed our idea with friends and family as we were putting it together - we were excited!! If I had a dollar for everyone who told me either I was crazy, too young, too inexperienced, or questioned whether it would be successful or not, I would have a LOT of dollars! Those "what if I fail" thoughts crept in my head often - they're natural. But it's what you do with those thoughts is what is most important. You should definitely make sure you're prepared, have a plan, know as much about the process as possible but until you shift your mindset to a "can" as opposed to "can't", you're never going to have that excitement create the action required to start.
#2: Work Ethic.
Shifting that mindset from an "employee" to a "boss" when it comes to work ethic is absolutely crucial. When you first start your business, you're going to where a lot of hats - from ultrasound tech to supplies purchaser, marketing rep to the janitor...if YOU don't do it, it's not going to get done. I think this is one of the things people forget about when it comes to being a business owner. I tell our students all the time - we have the processes, step by step how-to's, the paperwork, the legal agreements, the marketing tools...but the one thing we can't give you is the work ethic to put it all in place. That's all you, my friends!
#3: Done is better than perfect.
Going back to the good ol' Nike slogan - "Just Do It".... I personally am so guilty of this and its one of the things I really have to pay attention to in my own business. I am a perfectionist, so I will meddle in something for much longer than I should to make it "perfect" in my eyes, instead of realizing it is absolutely great....perhaps not perfect, but great. And when you sit and wait on things to be "perfect", you'll miss out on so much time you could be building your business. This goes from marketing materials to doing something in your business that you perhaps don't think you're very good at.
For example, marketing can be nerve wracking when you're not a seasoned sales rep, and even though our students have all they need to know exactly what to say, how to say it, and the marketing materials to back it up, they can get nervous when that's not their area of expertise! If they're too scared to get out their and be "good" not "perfect" when they first start marketing, they'll never get their business off the ground.
#4: Surround yourself with the right people.
This is something I find hugely important. This goes from the friends and family you discuss your business with, to the professionals you'll use in assisting you along the way. If you've got a friend or family member that just can't see your vision and is always putting the idea of business ownership down, that's a person you should not be discussing your potential business with. Find those people ready and willing to lift you up through this exciting time! They'll help you turn off that meddling inner voice telling you that this isn't possible, and help you replace it with uplifting and positive thoughts that will help you throughout your journey.
We also need to realize that we don't know what we don't know! Looking at areas that make sense to add in some help is crucial in the startup phase. I am a big believer that spending a bit to have an expert assist you will save you a lot of money in the long run. The first few people we hired was an accountant and an attorney. One of the reasons we created our courses was so that our students didn't have to hire a lot out, they'd have it all in one place...we put our courses together because we wish we would have had something like this when we started!
#5: Ditch the Excuses.
This is a hard one, isn't it?! We are all guilty of this, and I think bringing it to the forefront is important. We can come up with a thousand excuses as to why we don't start - not enough time, not enough money, not enough information...
I'm here to tell you, you can MAKE time for anything that you deem important enough. Sure, there will be a season of hustle. We still go through these seasons even 15 years later when we're launching a new course, rebranding a section of our business or adding a new one in altogether, or working on adding on additional clients for our mobile ultrasound group. But, if its important enough, we can all make the time.
Starting a business can definitely be expensive - the average small business costs about $30,000 to start. This is another reason we have created our courses, because our students can cut that way down - by 70-80% actually! And spending a bit to make on average $1000 per day as opposed to a couple hundred and being your own boss is worth it.
And, there you have it - five ways to shift your mindset to help you kickstart your journey. We'd love to hear from you and learn more about where you're at in the process - come hang out with me online on our Instagram or Facebook or shoot me an email.
Til next time,
