Six Genuine Reasons People Become an Entrepreneur

Hey guys, good morning! Val Campbell here, welcome to my Tuesday edition. I’m gonna be talking about (or continuing to talk about) entrepreneurship, and I want to cover today six genuine reasons why people become entrepreneurs.

I think it’s an interesting topic—it’s certainly one I’m invested in, for sure. But you know, there are many reasons why individuals choose to become entrepreneurs over, you know, going the more traditional route: having a job, getting a career, that type of thing. And you know, only you can decide if it’s right for you. But there’s, you know, a certain amount of uncertainty with entrepreneurship—risk, even—but there also comes with it a tremendous amount of freedom and accountability.

So, let’s talk about this just real quick—six points:

One: Their creativity doesn’t fit the corporate environment.

And guys, I’ll just say upfront—that’s kind of me. I feel like a square peg in a round hole. I’ve never been a real corporate person; I’m just not into the politics and all that that comes with it. But you know, you might find that you simply don’t fit in, and sometimes that can feel frustrating.

You know, if you learn to embrace not fitting into a corporate culture the way many friends and family do, you can discover something beautiful. And I like what Steve Jobs said here—he kind of summed up this idea best when he said:

"When you grow up, you tend to get told the world is the way it is... but life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that are no smarter than you. And you can change it. You can influence it. And once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again."

And I like what he said there. See, your creativity just might not be cut out for the limitations of the corporate life. Again, that was kind of my situation here.

Two: You want a lifestyle that’s not bound by the nine-to-five.

Right? You know, if you’re in a job, you kind of have to show up when they want you to, take lunch at a certain time, maybe get off when they say, you get X number of vacations—you’re kind of bound by the structure of the corporation.

But you know, there’s a lot of hype about the flexible lifestyle here as an entrepreneur. But the truth in entrepreneurship is that you’re gonna work really hard and really long. So don’t think you choose this lifestyle as a shortcut—it’s not. I like this phrase (I’ve repeated it several times): "The price of success is hard work." And it is. You don’t get something for nothing, right?

But that being said, there is more flexibility to the entrepreneurial lifestyle than you’ll find in a traditional nine-to-five job with, you know, the two, three, or four weeks of vacation that come with it. So think about that one.

Three: They’re passionate about learning.

I’m passionate about learning—I’ve been passionate about it pretty much my whole life. Learning is really big. You know, learning should never stop.

Many people, I think, equate age, status, or certain achievements with the end of education. And sadly, a lot of people—once they get out of high school—that’s the last book or books they’ve ever read (or will ever read). And that’s sad because life should be a learning process. Be alive.

You know, entrepreneurs are never satisfied with the knowledge that they have. And part of this is personal development—you can’t develop personally without learning, without reading, and all the things associated with that. So we’re always seeking more.

So, if you’re passionate about learning, maybe you are cut out to be an entrepreneur. You know, Michael Gerber, who is a very successful entrepreneur, said:

"The entrepreneur in us sees opportunities everywhere we look, but many people see only problems everywhere they look. The entrepreneur in us is more concerned with discriminating between opportunities than we are with failing to see the opportunities."

Four: Their ideas are unconventional.

You know, entrepreneurship certainly takes imagination—maybe even a dash of insanity. You might wonder why you’re even doing what you’re doing.

You know, entrepreneurs are the ones who change the world. Think about guys like the Wright Brothers, Steve Jobs with Apple Computer (up here in my neck of the woods), Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg. You know, they pursued ideas that others may have deemed crazy—and look where it’s led. Look at the innovation that’s taken place, the change. How many people have benefited from that?

Rob Sperry said something in his book:

"Most millionaires and successful people (and I would add entrepreneurs to this) can be defined as innovative."

And he said that by this, "Innovation doesn’t mean that they’re creative. Innovation is taking initiative—taking new ideas and turning them into reality."

Five: They want to do things.

Guy Kawasaki said:

"The best reason to start an organization, company, or team is to make meaning—to create a product or service to make the world a better place."

Think about how many of those entrepreneurs I listed have made the world a better place. And how about this? One of my passions is empowering people economically throughout the world. By empowering, I mean helping them take control of their finances and their financial situation—and helping them improve that.

Six: They want to change the world.

We don’t just want to change our lives (that’s probably going to happen by what we do), but we’ve got a bigger vision than that. You know, we want to change the world.

And Mark Twain explained the lure of entrepreneurship in kind of a humorous way:

"Twenty years from now, you’ll be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So don’t live a life of regret. Pursue your dreams. Go after your goals. Make something of your life."

If this message interested you and you want to know a little bit more about what we’re doing, please feel free to reach out—message me, let’s have a chat. Certainly, feel free to hit the upvote button as well, and you can always connect with me on social media at the links provided.

Thanks so much for joining me today, guys. Have an awesome Tuesday! Bye-bye!