A while back, the Today Show did a series on Being Your Own Boss.

The first episode opened with an inspiring story about a young man who had opened a boxing gym using his creative ideas, not capital. He found a landlord who was willing to barter three months rent in exchange for cleaning up the space.

The first month, he had six clients; a couple of years later that number had grown to 800. It was a great story of pluck and determination.

After it ran, Ann Curry did an interview with the editor of Entrepreneur magazine.

Curry had facts and figures-from the Small Business Administration, of course-about the high failure rate for small businesses.

I wondered why they'd run a series about being self-employed and begin by saying, in effect, don't bother trying this.

What's more troubling is that most people who hear the failure statistics don't know that they're based on traditional, highly capitalized enterprises.

Small, lean, creative businesses aren't even factored in.

Every time I encounter these kinds of stories in the media, I wonder how the other side of the story can be told. I'd love to have a reporter ask me how you can create a business that stays around as long as you want it to. Frankly, I think I'm the perfect person to ask about that.

Although I've certainly had my share of failure, it seems to me that one of my biggest accomplishments is business longevity.

Besides publishing a newsletter that's going into its twenty-second year, I have created a number of things which have substantial shelf life.

MAKING A LIVING WITHOUT A JOB has gone into its eighteenth printing and continues to sell. My seminar of the same name is one of the longest-running programs on the national adult ed circuit.

What do I know for sure about creating longevity? For starters, it's more apt to happen if your business is born from genuine passion.

Equally important, it has to be fluid enough to grow and change as you do.

If an undertaking is going to have staying power, it also has to have a built-in challenge that engages the person running it.

I have been willing at every step of the way for my business to morph into something completely different if that's what it wanted to do.

I'm also willing to bet that many businesses close, not for financial reasons as is commonly thought, but because the founder gets bored.

Entrepreneurs, by their very nature, are curious souls and if they make the mistake of thinking that running a business is solely a moneymaking operation, but doesn't offer new challenges and growth, the true entrepreneur moves on to something else.

So while many people resist the call to work on their own, citing potential dangers and fears, the savvy entrepreneur sets out with great clarity about the potential REWARDS.

Here are two little exercises that can really put your entrepreneurial efforts on track and keep them there.

First of all, give your year a theme. It could be a single word or phrase that becomes your motto. Either way, it will help you gain clarity and focus.

When planning your time or trying to make a decision, a quick check will reveal if you choice adds or detracts from the theme you've chosen.

The second exercise is to make a list and post it in a visible place of the rewards and benefits of succeeding on your own.

Include all the possibilities, big and small, tangible and intangible. One of my biggest rewards, one I didn't even consider at the beginning, is that I get to meet the most fascinating, creative, inspiring people around.

It's a boon and a blessing to have a life filled with people who fill you up and help you grow.

And, of course, keep fanning your own creative spirit in every possible way. Read. Go to seminars. Organize an Idea Party. Make friends with more self-bossers.

Know that you and your ideas are a good investment.

Practice creative cross-training and try new activities. Don't be boring.

~ ~ ~

This article is from her newsletter "Joyfully Jobless News."

See her site www.barbarawinter.com - "living the Joyfully Jobless Life"

Also see more articles by Barbara Winter.

Image from book The Passion Test [from Healthy Wealthy nWise magazine.]

 

~ ~ ~