Can Someone Really Learn to be a Business Owner?
I was having coffee the other day with a fellow business owner (imagine, coffee!). After catching up, we ended up talking about business owners and how some “just don’t get it.” Some owners are still stuck being an employee versus an owner. They can’t go on vacation for a week or two without taking their laptop or phone with them to avert disaster back at the office or business.
This discussion sparked a debate on whether or not people are “born” with an owner mindset or if it can be learned. My coffee partner made the statement that “you either have it or you don’t!” I took a different tack. I contended then, as I do now, that it can be learned! (Imagine that, as a business coach!)
‘Absorbing’ An Owner Mindset
Unless you’re a born owner, you’ve got to acquire the mindset. And, in many cases, that can mean being around and learning from savvy owners—“absorbing” their knowledge about the best owner traits and practices. I had very little perspective growing up of what a business owner was or is. I had no immediate relatives that owned businesses. But I was paying attention to those that did along the way.
I did not learn the ownership mindset until I had been on my own for several years—after leaving the comfortable corporate life that I knew. However, I did surround myself with other owners who did get it, and I acquired the necessary tools over time. One advantage of my corporate background was that I knew how to grow teams and processes out of nothing—in some cases the proverbial napkin sketch. So, for me, acquiring an owner mindset came naturally.
The Value of Processes and Delegation
Why is this important? Because it taught me how to create business machines that had inputs and outputs to achieve certain goals and objectives, and didn’t need me all the time to make it work. I formed leadership teams. I developed processes. I delegated. Was I born with this skill? I don’t think so! But I learned it. And I now apply those same skills to my own business (and to others) every day.
Do you believe you “have it” or that you don’t? If you have it, count yourself blessed and treat this mindset knowledge as a gift to be given to other people around you. If you don’t think you “have it,” all is not lost. Not even close. Will it take some work to “get the employee out of you?” Yes! Is that impossible? Of course not!
Strangely enough, maybe by God’s grace and serendipity, I bought a Growth Coach business coaching franchise in 2019 after being on my own for many years. And guess what its basic mantra is? You guessed it – Strategic Business Mindset! Yes, we coach it. Whether one-on-one or in a group setting, we have this mindset at our core. It touches every interaction with clients across the US and abroad. So, no matter what your business is, where you came from, who you are, a business mindset can be learned. It may be a journey of a few years or a few months, but it can happen. I’ve seen it. I’ve learned it. And so can you.
Daily Grind or Life Balance?
You can learn how to build a business that is not dependent on you being there. In fact, if your business depends on your being there every day, you’re still an employee, not an owner. It’s a tough fact and pill to swallow. But if you’re working 60+ hours per week, people have to ask you for answers daily, your phone is ringing off the hook to take calls from your team, or you’re literally still doing your own bookkeeping and administrative tasks (all still important by the way), you’re an employee—not an owner. But you can get there. We’ll teach you how.
Want to learn more? Reach out and let’s chat.
