By Sunny Simon
Morgan entered my office with a half-hearted smile and proceeded to tell me her good news, bad news scenario. The good news was, after a harrowing week at work it occurred to her she hated having a boss. Wondering how that is good news? I, too, was perplexed. Morgan held my gaze and in a hearty passionate voice stated she realized she was born to lead and not to follow, thus revealing the good news. She decided to join the ranks of successful entrepreneurs. What’s the bad news? She hadn’t a clue where to begin.
In my life and career coaching practice, I find clients often seek advice on how to reach their goals. A common dilemma is where to begin and how to move forward. I often boil my answer down to this power packed sentence: If you are going to belt one out of the ballpark, you need to prepare to run the bases.
Morgan likes to move fast. That adds up to some more good news; she possesses the motivation and is not afraid of change. Although I admire her gumption to jump in with both feet, I cautioned her on the need to have a solid plan in place. Practically speaking, you don’t quit your day job until you have a secure safety net beneath you.
After counseling Morgan on the basics, like before plunging into entrepreneurship it is wise to accumulate knowledge on how to run a successful business and reminding her about the need for a marketable product. In addition, to the two other essentials: time and money, I brought up another important factor to consider. Does she really possess the entrepreneurial chops?
Sure, we all dream about being our own boss, but not everyone is wired like a Larry Ellison or Jeff Bezos. One way for Morgan to test the theory of self employment was developed by TV Shark and real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran, in collaboration with Colombia MBA students and Green Light Partners. The team created an Entrepreneur IQ Test that will score the participant’s potential and provide a short summary of entrepreneurial strengths and weakness.
By the end of our session, my client planned to take Corcoran’s test and begin creating a strategic plan. It may be awhile before we see Morgan at the helm of her own company, but with a dose of determination and a ton of preparation, I know she’ll get there. How about you? How are you preparing to run the bases?
Sunny Simon is the owner of Raise the Bar High Life and Career Coaching and the author of the blog, www.lifeonthesunnyside.net
