Entrepreneurs. Self-bossers. The Self-employed. Whatever you call us, we’re willing to work like dogs to make our dreams and goals a reality. When other people are vegging out watching other people’s lives unfold on tv, gossiping, and “wishing” things could be different, we’re hustling. We work longer hours than most. We take more responsibility. We take more chances. We get knocked down more than most, and get up every single time. We shake off our failures and disappointments with no time to nurse them… and keep fighting when we’d rather fold. We do all of this… not because we’re greedy. We do it for the following 4 freedoms.
Money freedom is definitely part of it. But, let’s face it, there are a LOT of jobs that could make us a bunch of money. And — seriously — if it were ALL about money, chances are we would have quit this “insanity” about 4 months in, right? Money freedom is the least important freedom for which we fight. (Don’t agree? Keep reading.)
Time freedom is also a part of it. But, “time freedom” means something different to each entrepreneur… and is different at each phase of business growth. We laugh at people who want to leave a J-O-B and start a business because they want to “work less.” Because we know better. We sharing knowing glances with each other when listening to a “civilian” (Lee Milteer’s term for someone with a job.) complain about 55 hour weeks.
Still, while we may work more than we ever imagined, we have two benefits we value: We have control over WHEN we work. And we tend to enjoy our work. I guess that equates to time freedom.. in the beginning. By the third and final stage of your business (Stage: Freedom) your work and expertise is leveraged to where you can TRULY work less… It takes a LOT of work to get there, but completely worth it.
Freedom to Work With WHO We Want.
Freedom to Work HOW We Want, According to our Own Preferences.
These are critical freedoms for us. Not only do we get to hire who we want… we get to choose who our clients and customers are. Sure, we can choose to work with a total jerk (I hope you gave him the “A-hole fee.”) but we don’t HAVE to. We can turn down clients, fire trouble clients and create a business environment of our choosing. We can set our own hours, determine our own rates, decide how clients have access to us and when and where. We get to script how our days go, what we give, what we charge for, and more. Our businesses are our own creation. Yet…
The biggest disappointment about these particular freedoms — the most important, in my opinion — is that far too few business owners truly embrace them… despite their true desire for it. They think they’ll have it “one day.” They think they MUST do this and that… FIRST. They have these freedoms at their fingertips, and make excuses not to pick them up. Maybe they blame their industry, their competitors, their market. Either way, they’re staring at — but refusing to embrace — what they really want.
A pitiful irony exists here. Those business owners NOT embracing the last two freedom frontiers think they can’t because they’ll cut their own throats, profit-wise, by doing so. YET, I can personally introduce you to a real estate agent who never has weekend open houses, a mortgage loan officer who doesn’t work at night or on weekends, a doctor who sees patients only 2 days a month, a consultant who refuses to use email or internet, a MLM’er who doesn’t do home parties, and more. The irony? EACH of these examples earns FAR MORE than the average in their industry… earning far more “working their own way” than all those others doing what they think they “have to do.”
There’s a lesson here. Actually there are a few lessons. But the TOP one is this:
FREEDOM is what we want, right? Why compromise the last three freedoms for the first one? Why acquiesce to the ‘standard’ expected way of doing things.. all for a buck? You can get a job earning tons of money and do things according to how someone else says you should. If you’re gonna do things your own way, go all out. CHOREOGRAPH freedom into your business… starting today. If you dare, post a comment below and let me know what ONE change you’ll make today in order to have more of ONE of these freedoms.
