Entrepreneurship lessons I learned the hard way so you don't have to

Can I share with you something I learned about entrepreneurship the hard way - even though I'd seen plenty of real estate investors and criminals do it before me?

The first mistake:

Not respecting my unique gifts & temperament early enough and not seeking out business models that rewarded those things about me.

I first saw other people making the same mistake in the real estate investing market. I used to shake my head at people who were clearly not a good fit for what they were doing.

As a defense attorney, I also saw criminals whose crimes of choice didn't align with their gifts. I used to tell them so. More on this in a minute!

But, then I moved into online business (the hardest thing I've EVER done) and immediately started doing the exact same thing!

​

Example #1:

There are a thousand ways to get involved in real estate transactions...

You could be a real estate agent, an architect, a mortgage broker, a private lender, an environmental (Phase 1) inspector, a home inspector, a landlord, a landscaper, a contractor (general or sub-), a house-flipper - or buy & hold, a REIT investor, a property manager, any number of tradesmen - and the list goes on.

I constantly saw people in the wrong position for their temperaments - like landlords who don't like people, contractors who aren't detail-oriented, mortgage brokers who aren't good file managers, landscapers who don't like bugs, private lenders who can't handle their money being away from them, DIY'ers who can't DIY - people like that.

When your work and your gifts or temperament are out of alignment, it feels like torture, and being misaligned can bankrupt you!

​

Example #2:

When I was a defense attorney, I used to see criminals all the time who, if I couldn't convince them to change their lifestyles, should have chosen different crimes - ones they actually had some advantage in. Some talent or something.

I once had a deaf-mute, stick-up kid with a limp. This story is true. Every time he tried to stick someone up, they'd yell back at him, "What??!!" They couldn't make out his words and, therefore, didn't know to hand over their wallets. Then he really couldn't get away fast enough. It was all wrong. Would I have been wrong to offer him a list of 7 better options? Maybe computer crimes.

I also had defendants with over 100 retail theft arrests. I'd say, "Man, this is NOT your hustle! Find a new one." Clearly, they lacked the finesse required for retail theft. But, in fairness, one such lady told me that I didn't know how many she'd actually gotten away with. I mean, I guess.

And, don't get me started on the criminals who lack the gift of keeping secrets. They ran me off to business law...and that whole cast of characters.

​

Example #3: Me!

So, what did I do when I started this business? You guessed it: the same things!

I ignored the fact that I am extremely introverted and copied my guru's outgoing business strategies.

I committed to program formats & deliverables that felt like hell to deliver.

I did video offers when I should have been writing or speaking live.

I scheduled things in my low-energy time slots.

I did deadline-based work when I hate deadlines.

​

So, I'll leave you with this self-assessment question:

If you were one of the stars of your favorite heist movie, which person in the crew would you be?

The safe-cracker? The money guy bankrolling the whole thing? The decoy/distraction? The mastermind? The explosives guy? The tech wiz? The driver?

Ask yourself the same thing in your business and just be THAT.

​

​

By the way, if you're interested, here's a link to a fun list of members of a heist crew. The descriptions give GREAT examples of how different our gifts are.

Keep that in mind when considering your next project or offer.

Big Love!