What is a Lifestyle Entrepreneur? A lifestyle entrepreneur is one who makes a living doing what they want, where they want, with whom they want, any time they want.
The book 4-Hour Work Week touts escaping the 9-5, live anywhere, joining the new rich. When I read the book, I realized that Tim Ferriss definitely looks at problem solving differently. Different isn’t always a bad thing.
Pros
- Work anywhere with an internet connection
- No need for physical storefront
- Income only limited to your own belief and choices
- More agile than big business so your business can change directions quickly when needed
Cons
- Requires a mindset shift regarding “security” and freedom
- As you make more money, you will question your motives and spirituality
- Friends and family may look at you differently
Why people are making the jump?
As more and more corporate businesses cut costs by outsourcing jobs overseas, American workers are realizing that their education, hard work and experience cannot guarantee that they will always have a job. As the cost of doing business increases, layoffs are occurring and workers are finding raises becoming few and far between while they are being asked to do their jobs and sometimes the jobs of 2 or 3 other people as well. They are being told to just be thankful that they have a job.
Entrepreneurship is not taught as an option in American schools. Being an entrepreneur is generally seen as a “risky” endeavor. The only thing risky about being an entrepreneur is making informed decisions. Just as you would ensure that your vehicle was road worthy before making a cross country trip, you would want to do your due diligence and have backup systems (like a spare tire) in place before starting your trip. The rest is an adventure with awesome people to meet and experiences to enjoy.
What is the #1 need of a lifestyle entrepreneur?
The #1 need of any lifestyle entrepreneur is having marketable content. Without marketable content there is no reason for your customer to buy from you. The easiest way to create marketable content is to determine the top problems of your ideal client and provide content that solves those problems. The problem you solve doesn’t need to be something that no one else is doing. In fact, it’s better if it is something that someone else is doing so that you don’t have to spend so much time explaining to others why they need your service. Your ideal customers will already know that they need your service!
You do not personally need to gain the skills to do all the work. You can outsource what you do not know how to do or do not have the desire to do. For example, I own a vehicle and I know that I need to change the oil in my vehicle every 3000 miles to keep it in top running condition. I know how to change oil. It’s not that difficult and I’ve done it several times before. It does require that I get a little dirty and there is the potential that I could mess up my manicure. I choose to go to Jiffy Lube to change my oil because they can change the oil faster than I can and the cost is just slightly higher than what I pay when I do it myself. They also top off all the rest of my fluids, vacuum my car and usually do it faster than what I could do it myself. I pay for the time savings in my schedule and my peace of mind.
Do you notice in the example above that what I choose to pay for is not the service that is offered? Determining your value to a customer may require you to look beyond the product or service that you offer.
First steps of making the jump from employee to entrepreneur
- Deciding to make the jump
- Determine your niche
- Who is your ideal client?
- What are their top 3 problems?
- What make you different than others offering the same solutions?
- Determine your pricing
- Determine your marketing ability