The Timeline of an Entrepreneur

December 29, 2011

Have you ever wondered what the timeline of an entrepreneur actually looks like?

As I discussed with Mobestream Media CEO, Chris Fagan, many people never see the multiple failures and the years of work that goes into becoming a successful entrepreneur.  Instead, we mostly assume someone got lucky and their success came overnight.

Is there a typical path to become an entrepreneur?  Everyone's path is a little different, but based on my conversations with other entrepreneurs, there is a general timeline of an entrepreneur:

1.  You believe in yourself

2.  You're uncomfortable in your current situation and feel you can do more

3.  You have a good idea you think will work

4.  You get busy with work and set the good idea aside

5.  You're uncomfortable in your current situation and feel you can do more

6.  You have a good idea you think will work

7.  You put your idea on paper and think about a business plan

8.  You talk to some people and doubt your good idea

9.  You get busy with work and set the good idea aside

10.  You get pissed at yourself because five years have gone by and you still haven't done anything

11.  You get more realistic on your good idea because you realize you don't have $2 million to invest into it

12.  You start to work weekends on your idea

13.  You start to believe in your idea

14.  You start to work nights on your idea

15.  You finally make a few dollars on your idea

16.  You get really swamped with work and start to realize you'd rather work on your idea full time

17.  You realize you need money from your day job still

18.  You are so busy you can't even sit down

19.  You feel like your life is going to come crashing down

20.  You make a little bit more money on your idea and people start to believe in you

21.  You think you can work full time on your idea and quit work

22.  You feel like your life is going to come crashing down

23.  You make the big plunge and go full time on your idea

24.  You're broke and don't know how you're going to feed yourself next week

25.  You find some food in the cabinet, but you still don’t know how you'll feed yourself in three months!

26.  You feel like your life is going to come crashing down

27.  You make a little bit more money on your idea

28.  You realize you have multiple competitors and some are pretty far ahead of you

29.  You work non-stop on your idea

30.  Your relationships are affected and you realize who the people are that will stick with you no matter what

31.  Your idea starts to pick up more steam, and you start making money

32.  People start to see you as a successful entrepreneur

33.  Customers love your idea

34.  Everyone thinks you got lucky overnight and are amazed you built something so great

35.  People start chasing your success and some (person) moves in with you because they think you’re their meal ticket.  (this is a very specific example from one person... hopefully not true for you!!) 

Wow, did you actually make it through the whole thing?!  This was your first test to see if you can be a successful entrepreneur... those who quit won't have the perseverance to make their own business last!

Notice how steps 1-31 all begin with "you" or "your".  If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you're going to have to believe in yourself even if no one else does.  You are going to have to work your butt off and make happen.

Are you ready to make this happen?  Just so you know, I'm probably on step 15... I have a long way to go!  Will you succeed through your own timeline of an entrepreneur?

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