10 Signs You Should Quit Chasing Your Boss’s Dream And Realize Your Own
“Be your own boss.” All of us have heard this recommendation time and time again, and there’s a reason for that: it’s true. It’s not easy, however. The entrepreneurial life is not meant for everyone because it’s incredibly hard, anxiety ridden, and you have to be more focused and determined than ever.
If you’re trying to not only embrace the startup life, but wish to lead the entrepreneurial charge, you have to step up your game even more. Having the courage to take on a venture where you’re the boss takes guts and a fiery spirit.
Many of us dream of becoming our own boss, very few actually take the steps to do so. There’re a number of reasons for this — many of us grow complacent with our lives, and we like being told what to do so we don’t have to think for ourselves. Furthermore, we enjoy routine and don’t want to take risks with a desired outcome that’s hard to realize.
When’s the last time you took a significant career risk or just any real risk for that matter? I’m not talking about jumping out of an airplane. According to the U.S. Parachute Association, the risk of dying from skydiving is 0.0075 per 1,000 jumps. Compare this to the risk of a venture capital backed startup failing (according to research, about 75 percent), and you’ve got quite the juxtaposition.
It takes a special breed to embrace the “be your own boss” mentality. Here are ten signs you might just have what it takes to chase your own dreams and leave your boss’s behind:
1. There’s no room for growth.
You work well in a company where you’re constantly improving your skill base and taking on more responsibility. At first there may have been a significant amount of room to improve but you’ve hit a ceiling, and this ceiling is not made of glass, it’s made of steel. Anyone else might appreciate the job you have and stay there, but you like to push the limit and see just how high you can go.
2. You’ve noticed you started to become complacent.
Noticing your complacency is step one. Most people are afraid to even admit that they’ve become complacent and instead just use the word “satisfied” regarding their job position — which doesn’t sound as bad. You’re hungry, however. And this appetite for success is not going away anytime soon. You enjoyed getting to where you are, and it was nice for a little while, but as soon as you found comfort in your job, you knew it was time to start thinking of the next step.
3. You’re itching for risk.
Your boss may have given more responsibility, but that doesn’t mean added risk. He doesn’t understand your true potential and the added tasks he asks of you, you handle with ease. You need something challenging, and this might just mean taking a leap of faith for a chance to make it big.
4. You’re addicted to startup success stories.
Whenever you’re on your phone or desktop scrolling through news, you always stop to read about the companies that found investors, just launched their new product or service, or just filed for IPOs. And when you reach the end of each story your concluding thought is always, “that could be me.”
5. Your job details only reflect some of your skills.
If you’re an employee not working for a small startup, you will find yourself running into this problem. You may be great at your sales job, but you also have a keen mind for business development, are good at writing and know a little bit of coding. Having a job that only embraces one facet of your skill base makes you feel undermined and receiving pay for only one of your talents is not something anyone should be fond of. You appreciate being well rounded, and you know it’s time you have a job that recognizes that.
6. You’ve begun brainstorming for great ideas to build a company around.
You saw your job as only one part of your grand plan. You’ve been consistently taking notes of innovative ideas in your phone or a little old school sketchpad you carry around. And even though you find reasons to disregard most of the ideas after doing enough research, some remain, and one in particular stands out.
You start thinking of the bigger picture a little more whether it’s creating a well laid out business plan or finding investors. You’re standing on the edge of taking opportunity and with how fast technology moves today, it’s now or never.
7. You spend your free time researching business and marketing strategies.
Not only does researching these subjects entertain you, but you have a feeling that they keep you prepared in case the right opportunity comes along. Furthermore, you spend a great deal of time learning what it would be like to act the part of a CEO, the process of creating your innovative idea, and how to push it out to customers with an excellent marketing strategy.
8. You’ve been saving money for the right opportunity.
You’ve been saving money for a while, this doesn’t just mean an entire year but at least several. When you have money, you invest in yourself with new books and lessons which include anything from finance to coding. Not spending all your money at bars, festivals, or on lavish trips has kept your budget looking better and better for when the opportune moment comes along to make that entrepreneurial leap of faith.
9. You want to be remembered for something great.
It’s pretty simple. It’s hard to put yourself in the position to be remembered if you never chase greatness. Is what you’re currently doing worth people talking about long after you’re gone? This question has a tight grip on the way you evaluate your life.
Moreover, mediocre and average are words that don’t even resonate with you. The only words you have in place for where you’re trying to get to are ones that successful people use such as amazing, innovative, impressive, and incredible.
10. You want your life to be book-worthy.
You think the only way to know if your life has lived up to the potential you’re seeking to fulfill is if someone writes a book about you. You have to leave a great enough legacy behind to where people want to share your story with others. Ask yourself, “Is what you’re doing worth writing about?”