Are You An Entrepreneur Or a 'Wantrepreneur?'

It seems like everyone is calling themselves an
entrepreneur these days, chasing the glory and status of
being the next big success story.
The truth of the matter is, there are hundreds and
thousands of aspiring entrepreneurs who think they have
a winning idea but never manage to put it into action and
go on to growing a successful business. I call these
people "wantrepreneurs"
There are many key characteristics that separate
entrepreneurs from wantrepreneurs, but over the years
I’ve realized these are the three most common traits:
1. Passionate about business
You hear so many entrepreneurs say you need to be
passionate about the business you’re in but rarely do
you hear them say be passionate about business as a
whole.
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Related: The 6 Scary Truths About Becoming
an Entrepreneur
A slight shift in language but a huge difference to how
you play the game of business. Those who have
achieved success rarely are passionate about one
particular industry as much as they are passionate
about business.
To grow an idea from conception to a successful,
thriving business, you will need to convince investors,
customers, partners and employees to believe in you and
your vision. If you are not 100 percent convinced and
passionate about your product or service, why should
anyone else be?
Let me ask you a question: If you had all the money and
time in the world would you still be dedicated and driven
to grow your business? If the answer to this question is
no, then call it quits right now. You will save yourself a
lot of time, money and stress.
In my opinion all real entrepreneurs are driven by their
passion and love for business, wantrepreneurs are
driven by the idea of being an entrepreneur.
2. Take massive action
When it comes down to it, taking action is what really
counts. Entrepreneurs take the leap of faith even when
their website, prototype or product is not complete.
Related: 15 Signs You're an Entrepreneur
Don’t worry if you think you’re not ready, you’ll learn
more by just doing than what you will ever read in a
book. That textbook can’t prepare you for every scenario
nor is it catered to your exact goals and vision of what
you want.
Real entrepreneurs do what they say they’re going to do;
wantrepreneurs talk about it but never really get started.
Don’t let yourself become paralyzed by information, take
massive action.
3. Sacrifice
Wantrepreneurs have this idealistic vision of what it is
like to be an entrepreneur. They might see it as the
quickest way to get rich or the ability to set their own
hours and be their own boss and not have to answer to
anyone.
But not answering to anyone means you will need to be
extremely disciplined and harder on yourself than any
boss you’ve ever had in the past. Setting your own hours
only means you’ll be pouring in more in the beginning,
because you’ll be overflowing with ideas, tasks and
projects that need to get done.
On the other hand, successful entrepreneurs use profit
as a measuring scale of their own success, know the
long hours they need to work to make it happen and
understand that the only time you see the word shortcut
before success is in the dictionary.
It’s ridiculous the roller coaster of emotions you have to
go through in order to start, grow and eventually exit
your own business.
You’ll have moments of total despair and frustration
where you wonder if you were crazy to even attempt
this, but you’ll also have insane highs where you feel like
you’re on top of the world.