Copyright Nicholas A. Bibby, all rights reserved
According to one Gallop poll, at least
one half of Americans consider self-employment
as a career option. Now, that's not only
interesting news, but it also represents an enormous
number of people, and at first the size of that
population took me by surprise. However, the more
I thought, it began to make perfect sense. Let
me show you how I made the connection between
entrepreneurship and consideration of it by at
least 70 million Americans.
First, it might shock you to learn that nearly
three-quarters of our adult population is unhappy
at work. That's what the literature tells us,
and it applies across the spectrum of career paths
from blue collar to highly degreed professionals.
As a counselor to adults I see many people who
are unhappy with their careers, and in turn, quite
unhappy with their lives. If you were staring
at the clock wondering what else you might be
doing with your life, wouldn't self-employment
be on your list of options? Yes, I think so
too. So... entrepreneurship is consequently a
natural alternative work solution.
“If
you were staring at the clock wondering
what else you might be doing with your life,
wouldn't self-employment be on your list
of options?” |
Second,
after years of experience, observation and
thought, I've come to understand that entrepreneurship
is not just a job or career it is a "lifestyle."
In fact, business ownership is no different
than any other committed relationship, and
if you work for yourself it is nearly impossible
to separate your personal life from your professional
life. It is not the notion of owning |
a small business that attracts us, as much as it is the aura of "creating an
entrepreneur’s lifestyle." That, I
think, is the true charm and the magnetic core
of entrepreneurship. Here's another rough statistic.
In this country, nearly about 700,000 new businesses
are launched every year, which means that only
about one in one hundred (or 1%) ever get past
the dreaming stage and actually become self-employed.
And, of the 700,000 or so new businesses started
each year, very few are franchise businesses.
Why is that? Very simply, franchising may be a
great way of getting started in business, but
it isn't for everyone. Far more "independent" ventures are started than franchised businesses
for a number reasons, and if you are thinking
about self-employment, you need to look at the
pros and cons of different options. So, what are
they?
Options begin with the realization that entrepreneurship
is a very broad umbrella under which many types
of entrepreneurs can be found.
After careful analysis I have identified at least
five types of entrepreneurs and each is in need
of specific environments and conditions in order
to maximize their potential and happiness. Only
one of those entrepreneurial "types"
is real long-term franchise material. The other
"types" demonstrate a greater of lesser
degree of "independence," and therefore
are happier in non-franchised settings.
The true franchise personality wants
a small business with the lifeline of a supportive
and helpful franchisor. A deep down sentiment
of "Help me, but otherwise leave me alone"
is true
of most contented franchisees.
This is a very cursory look at self-employment
and insight into a novel way of thinking through
the subject of personal entrepreneurship. For
more on discovering your entrepreneurial SELF
see our
“Focus Program”.
Copyright Nicholas
A. Bibby, all rights reserved.
Franchise articles 
