7 Tips To Succeed As A Day-Job Entrepreneur

This is a guest post from +Ryan Eisenhower, who is an affiliate marketer, blogger, consultant, and business owner. He built Manifest Income with his two partners, a forum for entrepreneur education and mentorship which drives success, every day. For a limited time they are providing free 30-minute ‘Hot Seat’ business reviews and 90 days in their forum at no cost to entrepreneurs.

Be a Day Job EntrepreneurDo you have what it takes to become the successful entrepreneur you know you’re meant to be?

Many people think they do have what it takes, but never pursue it, leaving untapped energy sources, full of potential.

Why is this?

In many cases, it’s simply due to “conditioned” expectations, because the world wants you to have a profession; one role for the rest of your life, or so that’s what people think…

The idea of stepping away from what most of the people in our lives do, our peers, can be both a spine-chilling and exciting experience. You’re going outside the “comfort zone.”

Even though many people live a life of indentured servitude, they remain oblivious to the lives they could be living IF only they were to start experimenting and trust themselves to follow through.

I’ve been pursuing the passive income lifestyle for many years, I’ve had great online successes and failures.

I, like most people, have bills to pay and responsibilities, but if I had never stepped outside the box, I would have never found my calling in life.

I’m here to help people, just like you, tap into their true passions, experiment, and build a business. That is my purpose on this planet, what is yours?

You don’t have to throw it all away to become an entrepreneur. There are no ultimate sacrifices to start your journey, let me share with you 7 practical tips I’ve learned to succeed as a Day-Job Entrepreneur:

1. Craft A Mission Statement (Purpose). Just like a good writer creates an outline before they write, a good entrepreneur should define their intentions. Most people get attracted to the numbers. They get so focused on the money they could make, they just start something without planning. I made this mistake when I first started and it came at a heavy cost. I didn’t set long-term goals, I tried to figure out things on the fly, which cost me a lot of time on my journey.

Do This…Take the time to write a 1-10 page mission statement of your long-term goals, (you’ll be surprised how much this will inspire you). Then take those pages, and make a one page outline of your most potent passion. This page is your purpose, and the foundation of your business.

2. Get A White Board (Organization). No… white boards shouldn’t go away when you leave school. You may have some bad memories you’ll have to overcome like pop quizzes and lengthy homework written on them, but you’ll be surprised how essential they are for organization! I used to keep all my important information and tasks list on my computer… BIG MISTAKE. Just because I spent the majority of my time online did not ensure I was going to check all those documents to prioritize my tasks and time. I actually checked them less; constantly losing text files, docs and spreadsheets in the abyss of my hard drive.

Do This…Get your whiteboard. If you have an office area and a whiteboard hanging in front of it, it’s virtually impossible to forget any assigned tasks or reminders. You’ll find that erasing tasks off your list as you knock them out is therapeutic, chicken soup for the day-job entrepreneur’s soul. I fell in love with the concept so much, I’m now the proud father of twins (two whiteboards).

3. Set Small Milestones (Goals). Most people are no stranger to goals… they are part of our everyday lives, whether we realize we are setting them or not. Working as a Day-Job Entrepreneur can be very challenging, you’re giving up precious personal time with no guarantee of a return on investment. You have to keep yourself in check, you need small victories and you need a mentor or a group of accountability partners. Do not focus too much on your long term goals, (they are stored in your full mission statement, and you are sticking to your ‘one-page purpose’ outline, GOT IT?).

Do This…Set only short-term goals and short, achievable task lists for the week; make them as essential as paying your bills. Start clocking yourself to see how fast you get certain things done, and you’ll begin defining your specializations, only action-oriented individuals will prevail!

4. Engage Your Audience (Network). You know you’re not the only person in the world… so don’t treat your venture like no one else matters. You should be engaging your audience all the time, even before you create your first website or product. Your audience is the lifeblood of your business, you can’t make a dime without another person willing to buy what you offer and why you’re doing it.

Do This…Involve your audience in every step of the process, from your concept till the end of your business. Long term engagements are long time followers and fanatical loyalists for your cause in the end…after all, you are in it together. They’ll let you know when you are doing the right thing, just keep asking questions and listen…

5. Learn To Manage Your Time (Productivity). Why are there are so many courses and books on time management? Because time is the one thing you can’t recover. Why do something in five hours that can take one, with the right strategies. There’s a million ways to work on effectively managing your time, but the most important thing you should remember is your mind has limitations. If you do something for too long, you lose productivity rapidly, and taking small breaks we’ll keep you performing at your best. Singular inspiration is perishable, follow it like a hound dog as it morphs and shifts, don’t stop, don’t ever lose the scent.

Do This…Start each day by laying out tasks, don’t go over five, this creates your obtainable ‘short list’ for the day. Keep this list easy, simple and digestible for yourself, then focus your awareness on the momentum you gain from each task, keep your focus where the tidal wave is starting, then ride it.

6. Form A Partnership Or Remain Solo (Position). Do you work best alone, or do you flourish as part of a team? No matter how long you’ve been dabbling in entrepreneurship, everyone should try both options once. Both positions have their pros and cons, but if you can get yourself on a good team, you’ve struck gold. I’ve been in my partnership for over a year, and although I’m not always on the same page as my compatriots, I consider my partners like my brothers. Our unique individuality and personalities have melded together to form an unstoppable movement. There’s nothing more forceful than a team of passionate people that have the drive to make it happen.

Do This…Write down a list of names; friends, family, colleagues, confidants, wizards, dragons and anyone or anything else that, you think, may be eligible to be your business partner. Consider your strengths and weakness alongside theirs. If you find compatibilities and see potential synergies, then reach out, form a simple agreement and match each others effort every day. Partnerships based in trust and work ethic drive success at light speed.

7. Find Mentors (Education). There’s something about having someone look over you, that gives you that warm fuzzy feeling in your heart. People are naturally drawn to guidance, whether it be religion or a personal relationship. When you’re running off the beaten path, and darting into the wild woods of entrepreneurship, it’s not a bad idea to have mentors. Mentors carve out the paths less traveled, they’ve shed blood already and experienced the challenges that lie ahead… they will save you time, and they can bring the best out of you. They are your accountability partners.

Do This…Seek out the leaders of your favorite blogs, forums, wikis and get in their Facebook. Follow their Twitter and retweet them, subscribe to their channel, comment on their blog and support their causes. After a while, send them a direct, personal email describing your purpose and passion, and just watch how they embrace you.

Life is too short to hold yourself back from anything. If you have to balance a job, that’s ok, you can still be a Day-Job Entrepreneur like me. It’s worth it… because I’m freely doing what I love, and that, I wouldn’t trade for anything.

So what have you done today to ignite your passions, and do what you love for a living?

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