Lifestyle Entrepreneurs – Statistics for Next Generation Leaders

Lifestyle Entrepreneurs are entrepreneurs who all have something in common.They believe that their lifestyle is as important as financial results. They stay motivated and focused in their business because they truly love what they are doing. They keep the balance in life and work and reap the rewards by helping others. They are becoming the next generation of leaders in a world with a growing numbers of entrepreneurs.

FAST GROWING TREND IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP
According to a recent article by P. Hise (Fortune, 2007) the U.S Small Business Administration, SBA, had found that nearly 675,000 new companies were formed in 2005. At the same time, the Bureau of Labor Statistics concluded that the first half of 2006 saw more businesses being created than the first half of 2005.Talking about a fast growing trend…

Yahoo Media Relations last year released a study in which it was found that 75% of the people interviewed wanted to start a company someday. About 50% wants to do so in the next five years. “The survey results suggest that entrepreneurial aspirations are rooted among the vast majority of the American public.” according to the report.

Small enterprises generate a staggering 60 – 80% of new jobs… This is according to data from the U.S. Census published by SBA. The Kauffman Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership has published that in 2005, about 460,000 people created small business every single month. It was also found that more than one third of highest tax paying individuals are business owners including owners of big private corporations.

To summarize: there were more businesses created than children were born per month in the year 2005 (CIA World Factbook).

Small entrepreneurs pay over 50% of the total of income taxes. This result was found by the not for profit Tax Foundation and recently quoted in an article by P. Hise (Fortune, 2007).

WHY ARE PEOPLE STARTING THEIR OWN BUSINESS
“Control of Destiny” – The level of security in a startup business is not so much lower than it is in the traditional world. Challenger Gray & Christmas has found in a recent review that convential perks and job security offered by traditional corporations are gone. It’s a sad fact that over 70,000 people are being laid off every single month which is a huge increase from the 30,000 just a couple of years ago. Even top executive positions reserved for people who have been working extremely hard to finally get there are no longer secure. Even a multi million-dollar parachute cannot replace the damage the long years of living an imbalanced lifestyle did to their health and relationships.

Capital – A second factor has to do with the way small businesses are easy to capitalize. Money is readily available. This view is supported by a leading Venture Capitalist, National Venture Capital Association, who estimated that initial funding for new ventures nearly doubled in 2005, expectations are that will increase with another 100% again over 2006.

Small business really is Big Business nowadays!

WHO IS ENTREPRENEURING
Unexpectedly, based upon research concluded by Robert W. Fairlie from the University of California who studied data from the U.S. Census and related sources, the largest share of new business starters is represented by people over 45 years old: about 65%. Entrepreneneurs in age group 20-34, however, are catching up fast since 4 years. Further investigation of date provided in the same report reveals that 30% of entrepreneurs are actually people without education levels any higher than high school (2005).

It is a sad fact that about 33% of all companies fails within 2 years. This is a percentage that has been used in the investment community as a rule to work with. On the top of the list of problems: misaligned leadership and market focus.

ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP FOCUS A KEY FACTOR
1- We can see that a lot of people who are starting as an entrepreneur have plenty of working experience and seem to fall in the age category of the Babyboomers.

Just imagine all these people coming out of a job situation nowadays. If that is all they have been doning their entire life, they need help. Not only with the setup but mostly with their mindset and attitude to personal responsibility. Here is the opportunity for the leaders in this field: provide the experience and information to make them successful as well. To move from an ‘entitlement mentality’ to becoming self-reliant is the topic of a best-seller by Trump and Kiyosaki: Why we want you to be rich.

2- Secondly, many people seem to be starting a business without education. Same thing. They most likely can benefit from simple, proven, easy to learn methods to get their business up and running.

Just imagine, if you establish yourself as a leader in this field you will be able to contribute meaningfully to many people’s life as long as you live! How great is this, how rewarding, and how different from slaving away in an office cubicle until you reach your future retirement age of 70… If you believe with me that there is something greater than cash, I am convinced that this is what gets me motivated.

HOW BUSINESS BURNS
I decided to use the following analogy when training new entrepreneurs to get started:

View your businesses like small fire producing the heat to drive an engine generating revenue for you from output. A system working according to fixed rules.

There are 2 variations:

Either you provide the engine (your new business idea supported by a business plan) or you use a readily set up engine that has been proven to work for your purpose (revenue generation). In the latter case, all you do is set it up, start the fire and keep it going.

A business needs 3 primary ingredients in balance to produce revenue:

1. Cashflow (the fuel) – have enough available to keep your business going without having to scale it down too much risking the engine to stop.

2. A steady flow of fresh leads (the oxygen). Keep finding people who will benefit from the output of your business. Like oxygen, customers are everywhere.

3. The passion (the heat) – Do something that is meaningful to you and to others and be passionate. Network with like-minded people to share ideas and thoughts. Join a business forum and get plugged into training programs.

Successfull lifestyle entrepreneurs maintain a balanced focus. They pay attention to the right combinations in business and in life. They keep the fire burning naturally and enjoy the rewards, the lifestyle and the joy.

Have a great day!

http://www.lifestyle-entrepreneur.net

Don’t let Your Goals Kill You

Since I started to work from home, I found 3 things to be of major importance.

Get these right, be excited about what you do and you cannot fail.

1/ keeping a good health

2/ keeping a good wealth and cash flow

3/ never let your relationships suffer from your hard work

We all know it is rather easy to set goals relating to these 3 area’s, but how to keep focused on them?

KEEPING FOCUS CAUSES STRESS
Are you using will-power to keep yourself on track? For most people this means stress…
What if I don’t reach my goal? I really NEED to reach my goal next week. And how frustrated are they when they find out that all their anger, hard work didn’t pay off.

What are these people doing wrong?

NOT THE WAY
Did you know that there are better, almost effortless ways to keep yourself excited and focused on your goals…

A relaxed confidence in yourself, knowing that whatever you think about most will materialize in your life. The power of concentration and focus rather than hard will-power work. 

This will be exactly the topic in my blog, so watch this space.

Over the next couple of weeks, I will continue to discuss articles, books, viewpoints and experiences.

Looking forward to good discussions.

Enjoy your day!

Are Balanced Lifestyle Entrepreneurs Next Generation Leaders?

SUMMARY
There is a growing group of people who have quit the mainstream work-a-job type lifestyle. Instead of focusing on their lack and need, they focus on who they really are, do the things they do and are grateful to accept money and happiness as a logical result. Be-do-Have principle for life an business. I am discussing some real examples and principles.

THE LIFELONG PLAN
For a long time, people have believed that working harder and harder would get them where they wanted to be by the end of their lives. Tragically, many people still believe this…

They believed that the way to get results in life was to:
1/ obtain certain skills or background
2/ do all the things necessary to apply these skills
3/ become the person who you always wanted to be

Tragically, many people still believe this… How sad indeed!

Why? Because most people remain forever stuck between 1 and 2.
They work to obtain new skills and apply them again and again in job situations. Their focus is on gathering skills, information, resources in order to work harder and more to get further in life.

REAL LIVE EXAMPLES
As a result of my current business activities, I am getting on the phone with new prospects a lot. I hear stories from people that are unbelievable…

- 35 year old woman with 2 small kids working 65 hours a week sometimes saturday
- a man so tired and broken that he almost cannot speak told me about his job: every night shiftwork and in the day time he needs to take care of his kids because his spouse is working as well to make sure the mortgage can be paid
- pensioners unable to actually retire and scrambling for something they can do from home to make ends meet…

This is life… for a lot of people.

These people are so desperate, they are looking for leaders they can trust.
People who are able to show that there is indeed a better way.

This is what I am talking about, because there is indeed a better way to live your life.

Provided you can start to think outside the box again!

HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE
Progress in science, human psychology and telecommunications is currently initiating a paradigm shift in the way people think about money and possessions. Money becomes a byproduct of an inspiring lifestyle and creativity and no longer a goal in itself.

Examples are everywhere:
-people who create websites generating 1 million dollar in just 4 months (themilliondollarhomepage).
 -people trading paperclip for a house on Ebay.
-A lady from Germany who made 1 million dollar in just one year by part-time playing an internet game (second life)…

These people have 3 things in common:
1/ they decide that they already ARE that person who they always wanted to be
2/ they do the things that they do as a result of that: ultimate creativity
3/ as a simple result or by-product, they obtain money or resources

That’s right, they follow the Be-Do-Have principle to live their lives to the max. These people have balanced their lifestyle with true faith in their capabilities and cannot fail.

Napoleon Hill in his book ‘Think and Grow Rich’ has found exactly similar patterns after having studied lives of hundreds of wealthy people. Worth reading!

A generation of new leaders is shaping up. Are you ready to start living your life and become a leader? Don’t wait another 30 years, do your research, start today!

Enjoy and have fun!

http://www.balanced-lifestyle-entrepreneurs.net

http://www.wealthyfreeman.com