Someone once referred to me as a "Jack of all trades...and master of none!" when in fact I have always been an entrepreneur. On the surface they probably thought they were making an accurate assessment of my life, but the truth is that I have never been content to be a hamster on the wheel of life - I frequently jump off and go and do something else instead.
I suppose it comes down to having an entrepreneurial mentality. I think in terms of possibility and I am not afraid to follow my dreams, even if this means taking a step backwards and starting again. I am not scared to be a beginner. I thrive on it because it means that I am learning something new and that makes me happy. I am not too proud to do a part time job to pay the bills, while getting a new venture off the ground, because I know what my ultimate goals are and where I am heading. I am not too proud to work for free in order to learn a new role and create a new network of business associates.
Running a small business isn't an easy option, in any line of work, but as a writer it is difficult because there are trends, variables and lead times to take into account. That's why it's important to have as many outlets as possible - although some editors will only work with writers who don't also write for their competitors, which makes this even more challenging.
But why would you settle for doing one thing when you can do several? Why settle for one single source of income when you can generate several sources of income and have them flowing into your business? This is why entrepreneurship is so appealing to creative people. They can work from home, or in their spare time, so the business overheads are minimal; they can take their time to grow their business at a steady rate, though sometimes you will have more work coming in than you reckoned on. They can set cash aside for the lean times. It just makes sense to think of yourself as an entrepreneur and while some people might not understand it, if you hold that view of yourself you will be more likely to see new opportunities when they come along, because you will have developed the right frame of mind for success.
Finding ways to make money while you sleep is a key factor in being an entrepreneur. For writers and musicians etc, this means royalties. Royalties accumulate for work we did years ago; it is the easiest form of income for creative entrepreneurs, though you have to have published a body of work to get to that stage. For others, it might mean selling via an online shop, or offering online study courses - anything where people from different time zones can do business with you as you sleep.
Waking up to a royalty check is one of the best parts of being a writer. It means that your work is still selling; that readers are still enjoying it; that the publishers are still happy they offered you a contract! In lean times, it can be a vital means of survival, while in prosperous times it could mean a little treat, such as a writers holiday or new research books. Royalties can pay for college courses allowing you to further your knowledge or expand your business in a new direction, which in turn will generate more income.
The trick is to forget about what other people might say about you - just do what makes you happy and what gets you closer to your long term goal. If that means flipping burgers for 5 years while you finish a degree you're passionate about, then so be it. If it means reducing your hours at work so that you can actually write your screen play rather than just talk about writing it, then that is what you need to do.
Creative entrepreneurs rarely have only one job title! We diversify and acquire new skills as we go. I started out as a content provider for correspondence schools. Now I'm a content provider, author, journalist, recording artist, blogger and counsellor. Lots of different hats that require slightly different skills, but all of which fit together like a jigsaw, into the framework of my business.
Is it easy, juggling all these balls? No, not always. It can be tough and stressful at times, especially when something isn't working as quickly as I would like it to. But it means that when one area is slowing down in terms of generating income, I have other areas I can concentrate on instead. As an entrepreneur you give your time to that which is generating the best income, or to the area that needs nurturing into a new source of income.
So for me, that means continuing to write, while also building on my new role as a counsellor, which itself can be broken into two branches - counselling practice and writing psychotherapy pieces. At the moment counselling practice isn't generating income and I work for free at my placement in order to gain valuable work experience and create a network of associates. This won't always be the case and at some stage I will be getting paid for the counselling sessions I offer.
Writing about psychotherapy topics however, has already generated income and is the direction in which I am taking my writing business for the time being. This is where I focus my time and attention, because it brings in money and it moves me closer to my goal of being a psychotherapy writer, in much the same way that I have been a Mind, Body, Spirit writer for all these years.
That is the beauty of entrepreneurship - it changes and evolves with you. It doesn't limit you in any way. It isn't a rigid job description that defines you, like say for instance Nurse or Administrator. You can craft your entrepreneurship into whatever you want it to be and wear as many different hats as take your fancy - there are no limits! It doesn't define you - you define it.
This freedom was something I kept in mind when I had to think of a name for my business so I could register as self-employed years ago. I knew I wanted a business name that didn't define a single aspect of my work, but one that could be applied to all aspects of my work, in the present and in the future. I would recommend this practice to anyone who thinks that they might expand into future developments or who has several creative interests they want to make into a viable business. Choose a business name that is generic. There is little point calling yourself Lucy's Candles if further down the line you want to sell cupcakes instead!
I suppose what I am trying to say is that if you begin to see yourself as a creative entrepreneur it doesn't matter if you work part time in a fish and chip shop. That's just paying the bills, freeing your mind to focus on your creative enterprise, whatever it might be. As an entrepreneur you can be and do anything you like - take that night class, write that blog, start that You Tube channel, paint your masterpiece, open up a boutique selling sun hats for Chihuahuas...the possibilities are endless. The only limits are the ones you place upon yourself. So why wouldn't you see yourself as an entrepreneur? Yes it can be tough and financially precarious, but it's a life of endless possibility and that can only be a good thing.
Bon Chance!
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