Entrepreneur: The
Last Free American
Along the highway in San Diego there is a
billboard that simply asks in big black letters -- Had Enough? I have no idea whether the
person or company that owns the advertisement sells cruise vacations or a better brand of
Vodka, but you have to admit it gets you thinking on a long trip.
The older we get the more we hate change.
The thought of leaving something familiar through repetition to start over again can be
intimidating. There is safety in routine. Still, no one is locked into a relationship or a
job. Free will dictates that your life is yours to live. You can walk away from either
situation if it isn't working anymore, or better still drive away and watch it disappear
in your rear view mirror.
Why is throwing in the towel so painfully
resisted by human nature? Are we too embarrassed to admit another mistake? Are past
screw-ups mounting? Is it easier to put off quitting until we're fired? In my working
career I only got the boot once. But he did it with such gentleness that no blood was left
on the carpet. He was wise enough to see my lack of enthusiasm; my readiness to fly. I
thanked him as we parted.
Not all ideas are good ones. I-changed-my-mind
is perfectly acceptable. Use it for heavens sake! Humans are natural learning machines.
It's inevitable that we turn down dead-end roads. In time you begin to recognize the
outcome before it even happens.
Failures and moving on are all part of the
path of maturity. It's like trees in the Amazon designed to reach towards the sun's rays
and soak up every bit of sunlight they can get. Not all acorns grow to mighty Oaks. The
tree that captures the most sunlight, wins. It will be the tallest and the widest. No one
said it would be easy.
The entrepreneur faces an equal struggle.
If it was a snap there'd be no dilbert-cubes. Yet these free-thinkers hold a deeper
understanding of 'going to happen' vs 'hope to happen'. They are high energy people with
long term goals. And they aren't afraid to take a risk.
No better time in history offers the
entrepreneur a fighting chance thanks to the Internet. So close your eyes, hug your
computer's monitor and make a wish. It's almost that easy. If you're going to leave the
herd and seek your freedom, you have to put one foot in front of another and start
walking.
Currently 125,000 people a week go online
in search of a Home-Based Business. This alone is an amazing statistic. As an entrepreneur
you can now literally work from anywhere while seamlessly running your business. Not any
of your clients need to know you are not in some downtown high-rise.
With the bare bones of a mobile office in
place you can spend a month in Mexico or on an island in the Pacific. How about working
today from a bench in the Park, or under an umbrella at Ocean Beach or a booth in
Starbuck's coffee shop? Your office-bound clients and prospects will travel with you.
With smaller, more powerful laptops,
improved Internet connectivity worldwide, and variety of cellular and web services to
choose from -- we're no longer confined to the home office either.
Having brought a smile to your face just
putting yourself in this picture, I must add that this freedom comes with the personal
responsibility for your own taxes, social security contributions, and medical insurance.
However, when you can earn in one month
what you have been earning all year as an employee, this will not be a hardship.
Calculating your business-use-of-home income tax deductions should offset most of this
anyway. Uncle Sam loves a business owner.
For most employees, losing their job is a
fearsome and ever-present possibility. As your own CEO, you'll never again feel like
you're walking a tightrope without a net. Entrepreneurs are -- the last free Americans.
© 2005 Esther Smith
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