4 Ways Being an Entrepreneur Has Changed Me. I wrote a list for Entrepreneur a few years back on the reasons why you should start your own business. Which, truth be told, was probably necessary for me to make it through these past three years. There are always people looking to take advantage of that trust. All of a sudden my desire wasn’t for more of the usual business stuff. Growth requires a lot of you, and it’s reluctant to give it back when you ask for it. I’ve started wondering why we do it. Things that used to energize you become a chore. I still hate networking events, but I’ve embraced a lot of the stuff I had started to dread. If I could impart just one insight from my journey the past few years, it would be to find out what that deeply personal purpose is, and then chase it with everything you have.
I wrote a list for Entrepreneur a few years back on the reasons why you should start your own business. It ended up being the most popular post I’ve ever written. Now I wonder, what was I thinking?
When I wrote that article my company was just taking off. I was excited, heading into the future with blinders on and a grin on my face. Which, truth be told, was probably necessary for me to make it through these past three years.
I have survived a massive growth trajectory and a hundred disasters and successes, yet I’m still a neophyte. There are a thousand more mistakes and triumphs for me to experience, but now I’m not walking into those with the blinders and the grin. Now I peer around every corner. The grin is oftentimes forced.
Here are a few ways being an entrepreneur has changed me during the process of taking my company from two people working at one desk in a leased room to more than 60 team members and hundreds of clients.
1. I’m careful who I trust.
As entrepreneurs, we have a naturally optimistic view of the world. We’re a trusting bunch. There are always people looking to take advantage of that trust. Whether it’s a partner, an employee, a client or an another organization, you always have to balance your willingness to trust with an understanding of your vulnerabilities if things go south.
Time and time again, I’ve been betrayed, lied to, taken advantage of and swindled. Each time left a scar and each scar made me a little less trusting. Some people in the office laugh at how cagey I am sometimes with new relationships. That’s just who I am now. Being an entrepreneur has fundamentally altered how I approach new relationships.
2. I’ve stopped wanting more.
When I got started, I couldn’t wait to move into our next office, hire our next employee or onboard our next client. I wanted more revenue, more awards, more desks, more ping pong tables — I just wanted more.
Some call this greed but it wasn’t resulting in immediate cash in my pocket — growth is not cheap. It didn’t feel like greed but, looking back, it was a type of greed. It was a desire for the energy,…
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