I’ve always loved fairy tales.
I still believe in them.
There’s a heart-warming story with a twist. Something bad happens and at the last minute, everything works out fine. Everyone is happy at the end. Just like real life.
This week, I had a fire alarm go off in my condominium complex and had to go outside. Of course, I took Cali (my very cute Cairn Terrier) with me.
Now, here’s a secret. Cali is a people magnet. She has so much personality that she’ll attract everyone over to her. And, that day, she attracted a very cute Boston fireman.
During our conversation, I discovered that unlike the stories I heard as a child, firehouses don’t really have Dalmatian dogs living there as their mascot.
I was heartbroken.
That reminded me how many fairy tales we’ve heard as entrepreneurs. Some are true and some aren’t.
Have you ever heard any of these?
- Your coach is responsible to you – not for you. (This is true. Or as I like to say, you can bring a horse to water, you can’t make it drink)
- If you’re really good at what you do, you won’t need to “sell” yourself. (False. You must always be marketing your business and it should be done in an authentic way.)
- Having a certification will help you get more clients. (True and false. I believe the certification can teach you a lot of good information and give you more confidence. However, it doesn’t guarantee that you will have a successful business.)
- You will work less hours as an entrepreneur than as an employee. (So false! If you love your business it will never be a 9-5 day. However, (and this is really important) as you set boundaries and hire a team, you’ll be more in control of the hours you work)
- You can figure this out on your own. (False. I have yet to meet anyone successful who has done it all by themselves. We all need mentors. Have you ever met a professional athlete who didn’t have a coach?)
- That success is easier for some and not others? (False. I’ve never met anyone that had their success just handed to them. There are many entrepreneurs who have discovered what I call the “Scarlett O’Hara method” where they depend on the kindness of strangers to grow their business. This means having others promote and host them instead of promoting themselves but they are still working for their success)
- That you can have consistent income (False. Based on my own experience -and the many 7-figure coaches I have asked – you’ll never earn exactly the same each month as if it was a paycheck. However, you can put systems in place to help bring in more reliable income, along with having the mindset to support your efforts.)
- You’ll make more money as an entrepreneur than as an employee (Yes! When you build your business correctly, this is absolutely true. Even the IRS has statistics about this.)
So, we’ve learned that firehouses don’t really have Dalmatians living there and that there are lots of stories going around about being an entrepreneur. It’s up to you what you choose to believe.
The biggest story I hope you hear is that being an entrepreneur, you can create a business and life that you absolutely love. That’s a fairy tale worth re-reading!
Be Brilliant
Kate Beeders
Mindset, Money & Marketing Expert
P.S. Join us at The Money Zone Event where you’ll be learning best practices, latest marketing strategies and empowering mindset techniques to help you quickly up-level your business.
