Finding Your Path As An Entrepreneur

When I was growing up, I saw that owning a business was a very normal thing for the people around me. Almost every member of my dad’s family (his siblings) owned their own business, and I thought that it was how the world of business worked. No one had huge business, yet everyone was financially comfortable. They all had (for the most part) different types of businesses too, so I had exposure to many industries, including running a brick and mortar toy store, creating and bottling a soda, and real estate. My family is very entrepreneurial inclined, and I knew that when I got to be an adult I would want to own my own business.

After I graduated college, I wanted to see the contrast of working for a large corporation, so I did a stint in corporate. Realizing I had zero interest in being a number nor did I want to listen to someone else’s bad ideas, I dropped out of the corporate circuit when I felt like I was ready for my own thing. To start a business never crossed my mind as being anything but normal, so that fear factor wasn’t there when I went out on my own. Sometimes ignorance truly is bliss, and in this case, I would completely agree with this sentiment.You don’t know what you don’t know, and that has taught me more than I bargained for as I’ve gone through my entrepreneurial journey.

Fellow Entrepreneur and Business Owner

I’m going to speak to you on my scale of entrepreneurship, which is a small scale. Through my years as one, I’ve realized my interests, desires, limitations, and tolerances. Because I’m very aware of who I am as a person, I’ve kept my business small and manageable for me. Entrepreneurs usually are wired a bit differently, so I do believe you have to have je ne sais quoi, making you a little different than the average person. Maybe the term is crazy? I’m only slightly serious, or kidding.

Successful entrepreneurs have a list of qualities that help them be successful, like higher emotional intelligence, the ability to adapt to situations, self-motivation and self-discipline, resilience and persistence, and the tolerance of risk. This makes what we do less painful to us, though many people would not be able to tolerate a day in our shoes. Both are ok, but if you’re wondering what it’s like to be a true entrepreneur, it’s like riding the biggest, steepest, fastest roller coaster that you’re not inclined to get off of because the ride is so wildly enjoyable. Your day to day looks different, despite your efforts to schedule and plan. Things go well and things fall apart, and all of it is part of the gig. Entrepreneurship is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done, and I wouldn’t trade it for a single thing on earth.

Filling a Gap in the Market with My Notecard Sets

Coming up with a business idea typically comes with experience. You frequently have to be doing something (the opposite of nothing) to figure out what business idea you want to pursue. For me, as a real estate broker, I saw a gap in the market of community after helping out of town clients move to New Orleans. The way I solved their problem is by hosting events at my house so these fellow “expats” could meet each other and form friendships and connections. What I did for them then created trust and goodwill, and I continue to get referrals and repeat business from them. I came up with my business idea while working in the business already. Sometimes action is the best way to get to new ideas and results. So take some action - get stepping! Let’s go over some other ways to come up with viable business ideas. I can’t guarantee success, but ideas beget ideas, so we must start somewhere.

Gap in the Market

Just like I described above, there is a gap in the market of community building in the real estate community. When I started my blog, I noticed that there weren’t a lot of “normal looking” 40-somethings who wrote about topics for women in that age range. My blog started out as a travel space, but I quickly realized that writing about topics like self-confidence and social awkwardness were well received, and it’s what I continue to do. Find the gap and then fill it with your idea.

Get Passionate

How do you know what your passion is? You do things. Try things. Figure things out about yourself. Get to the root of who you are and start doing things that promote yourself to the world. I had no idea the passion I had for writing until I started to do it more. In school I was told I was a poor writer, as I couldn’t follow the directions that the English professor gave me. As it turns out, college was wrong and my writing style was right, at least for you reading it and for me writing it. I’m a huge fan of starting anything you think you might enjoy and stopping if you don’t actually enjoy it. There are dozens of hobbies I’ve picked up and put down, and I continue to discover my passion and turn them into businesses.

It’s Just Business

Perhaps you want to just make money. You’re totally fine with a boring idea, like owning a laundromat. When a client and friend of mine told me she was buying an old, run down laundromat, I was curious about this endeavor. I had no idea what a booming business it was, especially when you install state of the art equipment and all kinds of add-ons, like soap for purchase. What a fascinating idea, this laundromat business. She saw some trends in this particular market and jumped on this idea, and I really couldn’t be more impressed with this business acumen she has. When I was listening to a podcast one day that was interviewing a badass business woman, she specifically stated that a laundromat was a fantastically lucrative and boring business, and one that she is proud to be part of. Maybe your idea is just that practical. And really smart.

Poll People

I have the privilege of knowing a lot of people who own all kinds of businesses. Their ideas come from various resources, and one of them is simply asking people what they need and then fulfilling said need. One business type that comes to mind is assisted living facilities. So many adults are unable to care for aging parents, as they continue to live longer and longer. One of my friends and clients started and runs one, and I never would’ve guessed that would be his business. Ask around to people who you know and see if what you’re thinking is a good idea. Be sure to filter the answers, because some of the most opinionated people are the ones you want to stay the furthest from taking advice. You know what they say about opinions and a**holes….

Steal the Deal

Ok, don’t steal an idea. But you can take someone’s idea and expound on it to make it even better. Let’s take ice cream shops as an example because I am an ice cream fanatic. Ice cream is pretty simple. It’s made up of ingredients that are not difficult to source or find, but not all ice cream is the same. There’s an ice cream shop where I live that is one of two in the city that gets my business. Why? Because they took the idea of simple ice cream and made it the best. Their ice cream is worth driving out of my way and paying more money than store bought ice cream. An idea that has been around for a very long time was improved upon by some folks, and now they’re reaping the benefits. What industry do you see that needs improvement? Do you have the capability to make it better? 

Thinking up Business Ideas

What I did for this question was type it into ChatGPT. My personal ideas come from my own unique head, and I wanted to have a broader range of ideas to share with you. The good thing is that you can also type this question into a search and see if anything sparks your interest. Our ability to find out things is only getting easier. While I don’t have AI write for me, I do prompt it for ideas and questions like this to see what it comes up with and to see if we’re on the same page. Sometimes we are, sometimes we’re not. Keep digging if you don’t see what you like below. Brainstorming is a skill and an art, and it requires practice and persistence. As I watch my own success rise in the writing industry, it came with a lot of years of figuring out what worked. The long term gain is worth the hours you put in, so don’t be afraid to stick with the processes of coming up with and executing new ideas. It’s fun and it’s exciting, and hopefully lucrative. I mean, we have a lot of European vacations to go on so we need to make that money.

• Be a content creator (like me!)
• Consult on social media. Create or edit videos for people who don’t know how to (like me!)
• Be a travel agent
• Virtual assistant - for those who are organized
• Come up with a product and sell it online
• Refinish furniture and sell it
• Sew/crochet baby blankets
• Rehabilitate homes and sell them
• Real estate agent (like me!)
• Become a health instructor (Pilates, yoga, etc)
• Walk dogs or pet sit (big business here!)
• Babysit children
• Tutor - adults or children (I have a French tutor)
• Event plan for parties or weddings or baby showers (or anything!)

Go Get 'Em!

I hope this article helped you on your path to becoming the entrepreneur you want to be. One of the ways I’ve been able to be so successful is by not worrying about the outcomes of things. Failing is an opportunity to learn, not something to take personally. Everything you do is data, and the more you collect, the faster you get to where you want to be. (This applies to all aspects of life, by the way.) I’ve had a lot of space to suss this stuff out (one of the advantages of being single). However, even when I was married, I was able to carve out the time and energy I needed to grow. No matter where you are or what familial situation you’re in, I encourage you to find that inner entrepreneur if that’s what you want to do. You’ll never regret it, and you never know - you might just be the next Sara Blakely.

If you liked this article, you might also like the one I wrote about the advantages and disadvantages of being an entrepreneur.

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