Entrepreneur Mania

Give up your day job, escape the 9 to 5, become your own boss whilst working from an exotic location of your choice, Bali being one of the most popular among the new age entrepreneurs.

You have no doubt been bombarded by these pop up facebook ads whilst scrolling through your feed on your typical daily lunch break. Normally these ads feature relatively young looking people who have that just stepped off the beach look sporting a pair of  Havaianas and a super charged green juice in hand. Makes your day job seem pretty mundane and it may have you contemplating packing in your job as you watch the remaining 5 minutes of your lunch break tick by on your watch.

Don’t be fooled by all of this hype being spat out by this new movement of self-claimed “entrepreneurs”, many of whom are generating their income by selling a dream to desperate people buying into their questionable claims. The main theme of the ad is to tell you repeatedly how they make millions of dollars, then proceed to tell you that you too can have financial freedom if you purchase their made up magical course which is always in the thousands of dollars’ range.

There seems to be a whole new industry of online courses that are not regulated in any shape or form on how to make gross amounts of money with little or no effort. It is almost like a new trend to become part of the “entrepreneur gang”, most of whom are only entrepreneurs by their status on their Instagram bio. Not to mention the tribe that are part of a pyramid scheme proclaiming they are entrepreneurs, strategically hiding the multimillion corporation they are working for and promoting their products and desperately trying to recruit fresh blood to meet their commission quota.

The hard work, determination and sacrifice that normally goes with being an entrepreneur or business owner is being hijacked by people who only seek the status of entrepreneurship and lack the fundamental knowledge of being a business owner. Social media has of course played a huge role in providing people with a platform to promote themselves and their products, which is both good and bad. With millions of users and a huge rise in the new age entrepreneur community, it makes it very hard to spot the real from the fake.  

Also with the sudden rise of life coaches and motivational speakers who constantly plague your social media feed with ads; that make you question your whole existence and give you the urge to jump ship move to a mountain in Peru and live in solitude until you discover your life’s purpose.  The daily dose of how to transform your life videos appearing across your social media channels by supposed motivational gurus, can leave people feeling like they are leading a mediocre worthless lives, and can at times be overwhelming for the viewer.

Don’t get me wrong I am all for entrepreneurship, self-growth, transformation, living your best life and reaching your true potential. However whither you are looking to start your own business or change career, it cannot be done with the expectation of instant success and quick results. So before exiting that boring job that is currently keeping you afloat, take time to reflect, research and make a concrete plan which will enable you to start executing your goals and desires. There is no overnight success or fast track road to financial freedom, the truth is it takes time and many very successful individuals will tell you it can take a lot longer than you anticipate.

The reality is that in our modern age society many people refuse to accept that the majority of business and life goals require patience, a trait that rarely exists nowadays as everything has to happen instantly. Old school entrepreneurs will proudly tell you stories of how they struggled for many years sacrificing even the basics to get to where they are now, bear in mind nowhere in their road to success story featured a fancy sports car or house by the beach. Building an empire requires another level of hustle and serious dedication it is not some luxurious lifestyle being portrayed by the social media entrepreneur brigade.

 It is good to bear in mind that just because someone has “entrepreneur” on their social media bio does not necessarily mean they are an entrepreneur. As mentioned before social media helps people create false perceptions, terms such as “real estate developer” more than likely mean they have their spare room rented out on Air bnb.

So the next time you are scrolling through your feed on your half an hour lunch break do not be consumed by the misleading posts of so-called entrepreneurs encouraging you to quit your job and start that business you have always dreamed about. Without question do not give up on your dream of starting your own business, plan accordingly then start making the moves you need to make to execute and build. Definitely do not quit your job, if anything it serves as a source of income and stability until your business is off the ground and making substantial profit which at least meets the same threshold as your current source of income. 

 A good note to remember is never underestimate your current position even if it is not your preferred career choice, there are endless skills and insights to be gained in any job role and line of work. A real entrepreneur is always absorbing knowledge and networking no matter what the job role is or business situation. Then when the time is right and finances allow them to execute their plan they create outstanding results and long-term success, which is achieved by hard work alone and absolutely no quick rich overnight success story involved!