Have you ever wondered why some people own a business and others just work for one? Maybe you’ve thought about owning a business of your own for some time, but you’re not sure if it’s the right step to take.
What kind of an individual is cut out to be an EMPLOYER? Usually, it is someone who sees an opportunity and has the commitment and courage to go for what he/she wants. That opportunity may come with obstacles, but the employer will look around the obstacles to reach the goal. They know there will be challenges and even welcomes them. Why? Because they love a challenge and understand that the difficulties in life separate the doers from the dreamers, the EMPLOYERS from the EMPLOYEES.
An employer is not someone who shies away from hard work. But is willing to put in whatever time is necessary to create this ideal opportunity. But the hard work always has a “carrot dangling” at the end in the form of success. With this success comes financial security and personal flexibility. An employer understands that over time, as they become more comfortable with employees assuming more of the daily operations, they will be able to step away from the business to some degree while having a valuable asset working for them.
Someone cut out to be an employer has envisioned the end results from the beginning and worked tirelessly toward establishing that result. Challenges are met, problems are smoothed over, and eventually, the employees provide the employer with a nice and comfortable living.
Finally, someone with an EMPLOYER personality has passion. They will put their heart into a project and honestly believe not only in what they’re doing but also in their ability to obtain the desired results.
What kind of an individual is the EMPLOYEE? An employee is not comfortable with risks and sees challenges not as opportunities but as insurmountable obstacles. They have thought about business ownership but lacks the desire to step outside of their comfort zone. Comfort is foremost on the list of desirable job qualities and would find working long hours while establishing a business distasteful.
The employee maintains their status quo and wonders why they are not getting ahead. They punch their timecard every day while the employer makes money from their efforts. They imagine taking the step to business ownership if only the right opportunity comes along and wonders why the stars have never been perfectly aligned for them to realize their dream. They don’t understand that the stars don’t align and have never been perfectly aligned for anyone, including their employer.
There are lots of examples of people who’ve overcome obstacles through perseverance. It took Thomas Edison ten years to develop a practical alkaline battery, conducting over 28,000 tests. Further, he didn’t let lack of education stop him. He had three months of formal education and after that was home-schooled by his mother. But he had a passion for invention and believed in himself.
Before creating Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. He managed to sell the cartoons through a distributor only to find that the distributor had gone behind his back and signed up most of his animators, hoping to make the Oswald cartoons in his own studio for less money. Disney also lost the rights to the character he created – talk about significant career obstacles! Of course, you know this part of the story: Disney went on to create a new character, a loveable mouse whose name has been a household name for half a century. As for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit – Oswald who?
Ray Kroc was just a milkshake maker salesman when he discovered a hamburger stand in California that was using eight of his mixers at a time. When he visited the restaurant, he was amazed to see so many customers served so quickly. He convinced the restaurant owners, Dick and Mac McDonald, to open more of their restaurants and then proposed he’d be the one to manage them. Today McDonald’s has more than 30,000 restaurants in 119 countries and adds about 100 franchisees a year. Ray may not have envisioned everything that McDonald’s has become, but he was able to see the value of a quick-service restaurant to the public and is often credited with making the franchise model an America staple.
What about you? Where do you fit? Are you content to let life happen around you or do you want to be the person making things happen? Business owners see beyond the barriers of entry into the business and focus on the carrot dangling at the end of the stick. Employees dwell on the barriers.
If you are ready to make a transition from employee to employer, becoming a franchisee is a great vehicle. The franchisor provides the business model and the training, the brand and the operating system. You provide the necessary capital, sweat equity, and your passion. Without visionaries, there would be no alkaline battery or Disney World or Big Mac. If being a business owner is your dream, believe in yourself and go for it!
