How To Succeed As An Entrepreneur

When you hear the word “entrepreneurship,” you may think of white collar professions at large corporations or tech companies. If so, you’re missing more than half the equation. The boundaries of entrepreneurship do not exist, and blue collar entrepreneurship can be quite lucrative.

Blue collar entrepreneurship can certainly take the form of creating new machines that make industrial or home improvement processes easier. It frequently takes the form of a plumber or carpenter creating his own company. In fact, entrepreneurs can gain tremendous rewards by creating a self-owned business around their blue collar skills. The pathway is generally safer than in other types of entrepreneurship, too, because there is always demand for trade skills. For instance, finding business as a plumber is more realistic than finding buyers for a new app!

Becoming An Entrepreneur

Most of us have never started our own company, so this prospect can be daunting. After all, there’s a lot that can go wrong, but it’s worth a shot. The benefits way outweigh the risks. Many years ago, someone told me an inspiring life lesson that can help people achieve just about anything. And this includes things you may have never attempted prior. I cover it in detail in my book Blue Collar Cash. This lesson is called How to Build a Skyscraper, and it has helped me overcome the many challenges I’ve encountered in life.

Fake It ‘Til You Make It.

Ask yourself this crucial question: “I’ve never built a skyscraper, but if I DID, the first thing I would do is __________.”  By doing so, you can approach any task as if you have done it before. There is some truth in the phrase “fake it ‘til you make it,” and it goes double for blue collar entrepreneurs. Approach it as if you had done it before, and even though you haven’t, you’ll gain the confidence to approach any project you may encounter in life with boldness. 

While you may have anxiety about starting your own blue collar business, knowing that you can handle any challenge can offer you tremendous relief. So be aware that you can accomplish any task if you are confident and willing to learn anything that you don’t already know.  We all possess the entrepreneurial spirit, and this process will help awaken it in you.

Plan for The Journey Ahead.

Before you begin building a skyscraper, you need to pause and consider what your end goal is. Begin with the end in mind and think backwards. By asking yourself the right questions along the way, you’ve considered and planned for every step in advance. As many of us know, ample preparation is the key to success.

That being said, acknowledge early on that you don’t have all the answers. You don’t need to be an expert in every field, so free yourself of this pressure. Instead, find the people who do have the answers and collaborate with those who can help you. Mentors who have already achieved the task at hand can offer helpful advice based on their past experiences.

Keep Moving Forward. 

Finally, you’re going to need a lot of commitment, resilience, and perseverance. You must also have a willingness to work hard. I’m going to be honest, building your own “skyscraper” takes an incredible amount of determination and stamina. So, if you make mistakes along the way (and you will), forgive yourself and keep on going. You should expect things to break down or not go as planned. You can read about several similar perseverance stories in Blue Collar Cash. Rather than beating yourself up, learn from your mistakes to avoid making the same ones again in the future. Keep your eyes focused on the end game or the vision.

Most of what we do in life or in business doesn’t come with an instruction manual, so by learning how to build your version of a skyscraper, you can achieve any obstacle in life. As long as you stay present, focused, and keep at the task at hand, you can keep your blue collar cool. People do it every day. It will be one of the most rewarding things you ever try. And I want you to know that you can do it, too.