Every Entrepreneur Should Be Breaking the Rules

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash

Do you follow the rules? Did you go to college, get a good job, get married, then have 2 1/2 kids? If you are an entrepreneur, chances are this isn’t you. Chances are you are one of those people that never followed the rules. You pushed the boundaries, you experimented with different jobs, you saw things a different way, you dreamed of working to your own schedule and to your own rules.

As a new entrepreneur, you want your business to succeed so you incorporate knowledge learned from others and use that knowledge to build the best business possible. Yet, you are overwhelmed with advice. You read every business book, attend every conference and follow all the guidelines from the experts. You wonder if you are doing the right things.

Every expert seems to have their own opinion. They follow “recipes” that they swear are the best. It is easy to get wrapped up following all the advice to the letter. This doesn’t leave a lot of room for creativity.

You may feel overwhelmed with the tips you are inundated with on a day to day basis. It can make the most fearless entrepreneur afraid to try something new. As you progress further and further into your business, you may feel that you have lost the rule breaking mentality that you used to embrace.

You want to be able to do what you want and you want to succeed. Advice, while often well-intended, can create confusion because all circumstances are different. Additionally, there are also a few “showoffs” who like to throw out endless amounts of advice but only when it is somehow tied to how awesome they are. Their glorified (and often embellished) achievements can often lead to insecurity for the new business owner.

You can succeed and keep your soul intact. You can thrive and play the game your own way.

The following tidbits are generally very favorable for your business yet don’t require a set method for accomplishing them. You will be able to use the rule breaking mentality that you so cherish and stay on the path to having a successful business.

1.  Understand the rules so you know how to break them.

If you do the same thing that everyone else is doing (most people follow the “rules”) then how can you stand out? Be bold and fearless. Knowing the rules doesn’t mean you must follow them. However, it makes you very aware of what is going on around you.

Find ways to do things that are unique to you. People have the tendency to follow the path that has already been navigated. Yet, this doesn’t allow for a lot of creativity. No one finds anything new on this path.

Take one process that you do on a day to day basis and change one aspect to something that will match your personality. You will be amazed at how natural it feels to you.

2. If you aren’t uncomfortable, you aren’t doing it right.

This doesn’t mean uncomfortable from an ethics standpoint, this means that you are doing something you don’t have a lot of experience or skill doing, yet you are going after it. It should bring you excited, nervous energy. You are scared but know that you are following an idea, desire or thought that means something to you.

The path forward may seem unobtainable but you should create a plan and put your best foot forward. If you look back at your biggest successes, you will see that most of them have this in common. You were afraid to do it but you did it anyway.

3. Always be doing something for others.

This doesn’t mean you must be handing out money but you should always show your value. Selling your services just doesn’t work anymore. You need to think like your customer and show them how you can solve their biggest problems. Put out the intention of being a problem solver.

4. Learn what to filter out.

This is very hard for most entrepreneurs. You can’t do everything. You can say “no”. If you don’t like to say no, find a creative way to do it.

5. Follow your gut.

You got this far by following our gut. Don’t ditch it now just because it seems other people disagree with you. Remember, when you first started your business how many people thought you were crazy. Thankfully, you didn’t listen to them. You listened to your gut. Keep going with that.

Finally, never regret your failures. Whether you follow all the best advice or none of it, you will have failures. Don’t be afraid of them. Embrace them. They will be the best thing you can do for yourself and your business. Don’t lose the thing that made you an entrepreneur, the willingness to step outside of the box and break the rules.