Owning a business is exciting!
I get to be in charge. My income is based on my efforts. I am in control of my future!
Being an employee is stifling. I must do as my employer tells me. My income is locked in an hourly rate. Someone else is in control of my future.
Makes sense, right?
Sounds good, right?
So, do you think like a business owner or an employee?
Recently, I had an online conversation (via email and Facebook) with a Virtual Assistant. She started her business about 12 months ago. She calls herself a business owner. We've met in person at various networking events, dinners and lunches. At those events she told me the type of business owner she wanted to work with. What follows is our online conversation:
Me: I know a local business owner that needs assistance approx 15 hours/month. Would like some assistance with actual physical computer (Mac) files and hard drive clean up. Estimates in person time to be about 3 hours/month.
Her: I can’t see driving that far for just a few hours/month. So I’m not interested.
Me: I can understand that. Though I can tell you that this business owner anticipates increased hours in upcoming months – the first month or so will be the ‘getting used to each other’ phase.
Her: Nah, I just can’t do it and don’t see anyone else doing it either.
Me: Really? The most interesting thing about this conversation to this point is that you haven’t asked how much she’s willing to pay.
Her: Doesn’t matter, too few hours.
She is thinking like an employee. And is undervaluing her worth by assigning an hourly rate that she thinks she is worth – therefore, this opportunity didn't make sense to her.
The back story is simple: the business owner wants someone local to try out and is willing to pay a monthly rate of $400. For approximately 15 hours of work. Because this VA thinks her rate of $15/hour applies to all projects, she just lost out on a profitable opportunity.
She also lost out on meeting another business owner in the area – someone influential to add to her network.
Which means that she is limiting her future opportunities.
A business owner thinks like this:
Here is an opportunity to meet a fellow business owner, connect, take on a project and make a profit (I'm the expert therefore my processes are in place and my costs are reduced), while learning who else this business owner knows and increasing my network through her connections.
Big difference.
Ready to think and act like a business owner?
Ready to make money like a business owner?
Start small with a blog and a team that will teach you how to make money with it.
Start a bit bigger with a system that practically does it for you!
