Most people live in the world where they have two choices in career – a job or an entrepreneurial venture but there is a third option that works great in multiple ways i.e. a job that lets you kindle your entrepreneurial spirit, lets you create, innovate and do new things. Entrepreneurship is about creation, your ability to innovate and to adapt in any possible situation while a job is already designed to integrate teamwork and to focus on the deadlines that must be adhered to and be met at all costs.
Working full-time at a corporate job while developing ideas for your personal development and growth can be a little overwhelming and at times, exhausting but there are ways to help fuel your entrepreneurial journey and keep the flame ignited till you make your personal and professional dreams come true. In an interview with HT Lifestyle, inspirational speaker, author, radio host and Founder of the Sexy Brilliant Non-Profit Foundation, revealed some tips to keep your entrepreneurial spirit alive in a job:
1. Know and understand your passion
Sometimes, people confuse their hobbies and interests with passion and decide to pursue them in future. While it would be wrong to assume that hobbies can’t be transformed into your passion, there’s a fine line separating the two and it’s important to realise and understand your passion before you decide to dive deeper into the ocean.
2. Accept and face the challenges
While pursuing your personal development and working full-time, there will be challenges in your way that may seem insurmountable at the moment. You will feel swamped and devastated at times and the voice which tells you to quit will ring louder and louder in your ears. To overcome this and achieve your dreams, it’s important to embrace those challenges and face them head-on without letting your faith waiver in you. Accept the challenges as a fellow companion of your journey and instead of letting them terrify you, decide to shake hands and move forward.
3. Release the fear
Chasing your dream induces fear in you. There comes a time when one has to choose between the safety of a job and the risk of setting foot towards other new beginnings. The fear of failing and crushing dreams is fairly intimidating but you can only know your worth once you take chances with yourself. Start by listening to your intuition, taking small risks, baby steps in your new journey before trying to run. Slowly but steadily the fear of failing will reduce and you’ll grow more conscious of your passion and understand your self-worth and your decisions will be backed by your confidence and high spirits.
Gaurav Bhagat, Entrepreneur, Business Coach and Founder of Gaurav Bhagat Academy, opined, “If a person does really have an entrepreneurial mindset, it will not get vanished even if they work for a company. Redefining existing products and services through innovative concepts and creative deliverables can spontaneously showcase the entrepreneurial skills of an employee different from their peers in the contemplation as well as execution stage.”
He suggested, “Instead of waiting for seniors’ command or instructions in introducing novel concepts to spur positive transformation, the employee with entrepreneurial spirit takes the initiative on his own and astounds the company’s leadership. Through constantly striving to help the organisation improve its image among the stakeholders, he emerges as an entrepreneur and makes his presence felt in the organisation. In fact, the entrepreneurial spirit never dies; even if one works as an employee, it only gets reincarnated into an entrepreneur.”
According to Kapil Gupta, Founder of Solh Wellness and OMLogic, the tech explosion for the last 3 decades has made it possible in more ways than one where organisations are much more comfortable with leaders that make millions (compensation, performance, ESOP, etc) while leading missions, projects and companies for them. He revealed, “Risk is lowered and rewards are many. Businesses work more upon the availability of current resources. While it can work wonders at times, it adds many limitations that inhibit innovation and creation more often than not.”
He added, “In some industries (especially with high barriers to entry and initial investments), a job can give you more capability to become an entrepreneur than starting up on your own as your every move can be maximized to be more efficient with changes that can be implemented faster. It is also far easier to convince your superiors in jobs to take alternative routes than the risks associated with businesses. It’s a matter of choice. Some will choose to start on their own and some will choose to be an entrepreneur in a job. Both can lead to the same satisfaction (creation, innovation, money, power).”
It’s important to keep moving forward and not remain stagnant if you wish to follow your passion. Sooner or later, success will follow you.