5 Practical Tips To Become An Entrepreneur

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Hello you! I think you will agree with me that it is difficult to become an entrepreneur without taking the time to make a plan for your business.

The problem is that many people would like to leave the 9-5 world and start their journey into entrepreneurship but they don’t know how to become an entrepreneur.

I spent some time speaking with Fabienne Raphael who is an online business consultant, speaker and podcaster.  She helps experts transition from corporate to entrepreneur.

She does this by helping them build a thriving business and finally live their lives on their terms.  You may also want to look at becoming an ultrapreneur later on as you progress.

Why She Helps Experts

Fabienne cherishes the role that she has in changing people’s lives. Every entrepreneur goes into business with the intention of changing the lives of others in some way.

She believes that it is a privilege that she can help others in their quest to change lives positively. She gets really excited when she sees the results that her clients achieve.

So, she wakes up every day really motivated doing what she does.

What She Enjoys

She enjoys the interaction and likes working with people because she is a people person.  She is also an introvert.

When she does her work, she loves speaking with people, seeing what influence it brings to their lives and how she can help them.  Also, how she can be of service.

Being an introvert she enjoys having that time for herself as it gives her the opportunity to think, to reflect and to make sure that she is the best person when she is around people.

She does need the alone time once in a while. Indeed, she enjoys seeing the results and also the relationship that she develops with her clients helping them achieve their goals is really important to her.

How She Helps Her Clients Transition

In order for her to help anyone, the person must first feel the need to make that move from being an employee to become an entrepreneur.

Most of her clients are people who have had their dream for a while or thinking if there any other solution or any other option for them to earn more money.

The first important thing is the person needs to feel it for themselves. If they try to do it to please someone else then it will not work.

The pathway to becoming an entrepreneur is quite challenging so that person will not be motivated to achieve the necessary daily tasks that have been set to get to that end goal.

Zone of Genius

When a person feels that call to become an entrepreneur then they need to decide what they want to build in their online business or as a coach.  They need to know what they can teach people.

They need to think of what solution they can provide to people who are actively looking for what they plan to offer. It is crucial because some people are passionate about many things.

As a prospective entrepreneur, you will need to be clear about your expertise and ask yourself “What is my zone of genius?”

Ultimately, you need to be sure that you can provide a solution.  “Are people actively looking for the solution and are they ready to pay for it?”

If they are just looking for a solution and they are not ready to invest in it your idea may not be marketable.

People Without Passion

Often times I meet people who are unsure about their passion.  Fabienne suggests that these people should conduct a survey asking their family and friends to find out what they believe is this person is good at doing.

Many times this is a great way to see your skills from someone’s perspective.  It is like taking a view from the outside with someone looking at you for who you are and what you do.

It is rare that all friends and family will give a different answer. Fabienne had a similar challenge because she is good at many things herself.

Prospects Prefer Experts

When someone decides to become an entrepreneur offering many things then it is very difficult to get your first client because your prospects are confused about what you do. They are unsure about your expertise.

People are looking for experts they are not looking for generalists.  Whenever you go to see a doctor you are not sure what you have so you go see a generalist.

At a certain point when you know that your kidney is the problem, you might go and see a kidney consultant because this is the best person to help you in this area.

If after asking your friends and family to complete a survey does not yield favourable results then go with what you are most curious about.

When you are curious about something you’ll be willing to look for more information or solutions. You’ll be willing to become better at what you’re doing.

This is what people are looking for experts, specialists in a specific area.

#BestOf: Why you should wait until your 40s to become an entrepreneur, according to a new study https://t.co/81eFT1nZmX #employment pic.twitter.com/5yGeloQcp3

— World Economic Forum (@wef) 12 August 2018

Help Generalist Get Clarity

Fabienne says that one of her zones of genius is to help her clients get clear on what they are good at doing.  She gives them a step by step process on how they can zone in on their area of expertise.

There are so many online coaches out there so it is important to get clear on your area of expertise and target the right people to work with you so that you can attract the right clients to your business.

She goes through a detailed process to help them understand who their target audience is and what are their main struggles.

So that when they get to the offer stage to propose their coaching program it is right on target and the potential client feels that this entrepreneur they get them.

Become an Entrepreneur with Market Research

There is no reason to pursue a business that will not be successful.  It is a common problem that first-time entrepreneurs face because they have an idea that they truly believe in and their friends cheer them on.

They go ahead, launch and they get crickets.  This usually happens because the process for validating their idea is non-existent.  As an entrepreneur, you will feel like a failure and you will be disappointed.

Over 30 years ago when very few people purchased or used bottled water my Father wanted to become an entrepreneur he had the idea to capture spring water and bottle it at the source with a viewing to selling it on the market.

As far as I am aware he conducted the necessary market research and he even went through the process of getting permission to access the spring water and purchased a special infra-red water purifier.

He never went ahead with the idea and I am not sure as to the reason why the project was cancelled.  It could be timing.

Timing

Sometimes the timing is wrong. Fabienne remembers that she interviewed someone who wanted to record all his knowledge on cassettes at the time and sell them as a package offer.

At the time the market was not ready for it so he did not make any sales from it.  10 years later these programs are selling like crazy.

This same guy said to her that this was his idea 10 years ago but he was just too early for the market.

Role Model

As a child, it was her music teacher who was Fabienne’s role model.  She and her best friend will go speak with her music teacher during the lunchtime.

They would help her clean the classroom, play instruments and get her words of wisdom in the process.  Fabienne really admired her music teacher’s ambition and how she wanted to make a difference in their lives.

At her young age, her music teacher was able to start an orchestra in the school.  She had several instruments being played and they performed pretty well for kids.  They had a piano, a flute, xylophone, violin and cello just to name a few.

Her teacher was able to mix everyone’s talent and bring it together to make wonderful pieces.  She admired her teacher for being a genius.

What really influenced Fabienne was the passion her teacher had for music and the will that she had daily to work on several things and bring people together to accomplish something.

Best Advice

The best advice Fabienne ever received that made her become as successful as she is to date has to be when she was playing handball.

She was part of the Canadian handball team at the time.  When she started she as in college doing Physical Therapy full time.

Fabienne remembers that she was doing 30 hours a week in college and another 25 hours training and at a certain point she just wanted to let everything go especially in the area of sports.

She felt that she did not have the time and it was impossible to perform in both areas successfully.  She went to her coach in tears saying that she cannot make it, it is just too hard.

Her Coach’s Advice

Her coach stayed very calm and said to her “think about all the experience you’ll have travelling to all the countries globally, playing and representing your country,

Think about the fact that you are already doing both things successfully right now. Think about what you want to experience in your life and whose life it is.

Why do you want to let go? Do you want to let it go to please other people or to say that yeah this person was right I can’t do both?

Is it just because you’re not willing to give it a try a little bit more to see what happens with it?”

Fabienne stayed on the national team for another 8 years as a result of that advice. It was a great lesson because one of the great memories she experienced was from team handball and experimenting with sports.

She learned how to manage her time effectively and succeed in many areas of her life.  She was able to prove that she can make stuff happen if she put the effort and energy into it.

Greatest Impact In Her Life

For Fabienne, team handball has had the greatest impact on her life. She received the opportunity to play in Denmark where she lived for 2 years.

Leaving her country and moving to a new country where she did not understand the language and she did not know anyone there but she made it happen.

She was able to develop great friendships and live on the other side of the world and still do her thing.

She uncovered qualities that she never knew she had.  Upon returning back home the experience helped her to realise who her true friends were and the important people in her life were still there for her.

When it is uncomfortable it does not mean it is impossible.

[click_to_tweet tweet=”When it is uncomfortable it does not mean it is impossible” quote=”When it is uncomfortable it does not mean it is impossible” theme=”style3″]

She had to learn to speak Danish but she has lost a lot of it because it has been a while.

This experience has helped her to understand the courage it takes for an immigrant to go to a foreign country and learn the language and culture there.

Become an Entrepreneur – Take the Leap

Fabienne usually advises people to keep their jobs and start a side business as opposed to taking a leap when they want to become an entrepreneur.

This is because they don’t want to have the added pressure or burden especially the financial pressure. They want to ensure that they are comfortable with being an entrepreneur and how it progresses.

Some people never become full-time entrepreneurs they just keep it as a side hustle. Taking action is the next best steps instead of thinking about it too much to the point that it is a missed opportunity.

Once the opportunity is gone the person will keep looking back and thinking “what if” and have many regrets.

Redundant – Laid Off

Fabienne rarely has clients who have lost their jobs but when she encounters them she notices that they have the extra motivation to make it happen and become an entrepreneur because they have fewer options.

It does not change anything in her process, the step by step is the same. A large part of her online education has been in marketing.

She also assists her clients with marketing as it is the lifeblood of their business and she wants them to have consistent leads generated.

Fun Questions

If she were to switch places with someone for a day it would be with Oprah Winfrey.  The reason is that Oprah has the talent of making people confess stuff to her in front of millions of people even though that person does not know her on a personal level.

On her bucket list, Fabienne has travel to Australia and her guilty pleasure is watching a romantic movie or better yet a romantic comedy.

Final Advice

Here is a list of 5 things to do to become an entrepreneur from Fabienne.

1. Go for it. You cannot wait to be ready before you become an entrepreneur.  It is impossible to be 100% ready before starting. Hire a coach and invest in yourself.
2. Identify why you want to become an entrepreneur.  It will be easier to go through the challenges.
3. Your environment is extremely important. Upgrade your network, surround yourself with achievers.
4. Research and get feedback from people out there who are doing it.
5. Work on yourself. Entrepreneurship is the best tool for self-improvement.  When you work on yourself you can see new qualities that you didn’t realise you had.

Success is something you attract by the person you become. Jim Rohn

You can find more information about Fabienne and her services by visiting FabienneRaphael.com there you will find her free Corporate Exit Blueprint.

If the security of getting a salary every month is more appealing to you and your current situation then the intrapreneur lifestyle may suit you better. Check out the intrapreneur definition and characteristics here.

Join this FREE webinar that will give you a shortcut to getting the lifestyle you want in 12 months or less.

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