(Please enjoy this article I wrote as a guest post on TheRightBrianBusinessPlan.com)
Leafing through the latest issue of Entrepreneur magazine, the jargon defined on page 27 caught my eye. “Fauxtrepreneur: a person who comes up with myriad business ideas but never actually sees one out.” Could that be me? Could that be you?
This got me thinking. What does it take to see a business idea to fruition? How about this? A “Go-trepreneur: a person who comes up with myriad business ideas and discerns how to best move forward.”
It’s not easy to be a go-trepreneur. It takes paying attention to your best inner guidance to make choices, to gather info and support, to trust the timing of things, and to muster the courage and willingness to take action.
Here are a few practices that I find can help:
Practice discernment. Are you stuck and spinning your wheels, talking a good talk but not moving forward? Or, are you genuinely tuned in to the best timing of when to step out toward your business idea? Having a business plan sure helps you see what priorities have the most juice to be worth pursuing.
Practice telling on yourself to yourself. Are there some steps you need to take to add to the legitimacy of your entrepreneurial idea, dream or business? Perhaps you need to register your business name and make things official. Clean up the books, get insurance or hire legal advice. Maybe it’s time to file for copyright on that guidebook you wrote or artwork you completed. Buttoning up those business and legal details not only makes you feel more legit, it can shift your energy so that others can take you more seriously because you take your business more seriously.
Practice playing the part. We’ve heard “fake it till you make it.” That doesn’t mean you cheat on your taxes or mislead your customers, of course. But if you want to up your ‘genuine factor,’ ask yourself how you can play the part of a business person a bit more. Imagine the entrepreneur you envision yourself becoming. How does she carry herself? How does she handle the finances or learn what’s next? Do that. Even if it feels phony at first, don’t worry. Phony in this case is just a feeling because the action is new, not fake.
Let’s recap. How do you shed the “faux” and shift to “go”?
1. Plan it out. If you already have a business plan, spend some time with it. Let your plan point to what is most important.
2. Make it legit. Consult the wise one in you to sense whatever you need to do next to move your business a step in the direction of being more real.
3. Play it real. This is the paradox of tapping into the vision of your future entrepreneurial self and being her now. Don’t wait. It may feel like play acting at first, but by playing the part, you’ll not be pretending anymore.
Making way for creative action, Amy Egenberger, MEd., CPCC is a seasoned educator, life coach, artist and founder of Spirit Out! Coaching. Amy helps people find the courage and clarity to get moving on their creative path. A book, a business, a project, a change… your creative spirit gets out! Amy is one of our licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitators.
