Blog Post: Great Job Seekers May Become Successful Entrepeneurs!

The Monday, May 11 th edition of The Wallstreet  Journal, p-R1,  had a very interesting story about 5 displaced workers who are “Starting Over-As An Entrepreneur”.  Many Career Coaches that I speak with agree that the “hot” question on people’s minds these days is, “should I pursue employment or start my own business?”.  If you are one of these people, I am pleased to let you know that you can discover your answer simply by taking an honest look at your job search process.    

You’ve probably heard time and time again, “looking for work is a full time ‘job’”.  The more I reflect on this statement the more I think that it misses the mark.  The real experience of true job seeking is more like being an Entrepreneur.  The obvious difference is that in a “job” someone provides you a job description upon which your performance is evaluated. As a Small Business Owner, you have numerous roles that you need to comfortably slip in and out of, such as Manager, Leader and Marketer and you must determine from day to day which one requires priority attention.  No one is there to reward you or tell you that you are doing well.       

In the book, The E-myth Revisited, Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About it”,   Michael Gerber explains that the common misconception people have is that they will succeed in business simply by performing well at what they do. As Technicians, these people are looking for the opportunity to work “in” a business that they call their own. However, they are often hugely disappointed when they realize that the majority of their time needs to be spent working “on” the business in marketing, lead generation, management, leadership, client fulfillment and other areas (see www.e-myth.com). Unfortunately, by the time they “get this”, it is often too late and they are in crisis.

Based on what I have said up until this point, it would be easy to conclude that I don’t recommend starting your own business. Actually, that’s not true at all. Working “on” building a business can be very enjoyable and rewarding if it is done with passion and intention.  In fact, I am very excited that, while you are on the fence about the subject of starting a business, you can breathe new life and enjoyment (yes, I said enjoyment) into your job search, by looking at it as an entrepreneurial experiment.  The way you create and execute a job search plan can reveal a lot about your character, including whether you have the inner resilience and fortitude that is needed to build a business.   

The current buzz language in career development advises you to “work on your brand” as an employee. This means that you should be prepared to sell yourself as a unique “product” able to deliver the results that employers’ desire.   I recommend that you take this one step further by thinking of your job search as a small business venture.

In your “job search business”, which department needs to step up and improve its delivery of services? Does administration need to be more organized and improve its tracking systems (try http://www.changeofcourse.com/Promo_Offer.html)?  Does the leadership team need to work on improving morale and finding new ways to infuse enthusiasm into the workers? Does the management team need to focus more on self reflection and an honest look at performance reviews, i.e. interview results?  Does the marketing team need more training and awareness about the “product’s” benefits? Does the sales team need to find new resources for job leads and do they need to listen better to what the customers, i.e. employers, are requesting?  Where are systems breaking down? What needs to change in order to ensure “the sale”?   

Of Course, when you are a sole proprietor, you are all of the departments listed above and you need to motivate yourself day in and day out to focus on them. If you find that during your job search, you are able to keep this perspective and take a big picture look at “doing the right things”, instead of narrowly focusing on “doing things right”, you may be the perfect candidate for self- employment.  Now may be the time to consult with a business expert about your ideas (try www.score.org ). In the meantime, I recommend continuing your “experiment” and perhaps finding part time employment to fund your start up.  Best Wishes for infinite success!