This is a guest submission by JK from HustlersNotebook.com

I’m an entrepreneur. Looking in from the outside, my current method of work may not display that of a traditional entrepreneur – but I am one. My business is me (my unique skill set and experience) and my client is my employer.

Unlike some, my experience in corporate America has been great. I’ve been on the recipient end of a number of promotions (I’ve never applied for a promotion) and averaged salary increases of 10-25% each year and I’ve accomplished these things while mostly working under my own schedule (freedom).

It’s been a great ride!

This isn’t by chance…it’s been by design. I’m an entrepreneur. If you’re one as well, you know that it’s commonplace for us to make the best out of even the most unfavorable situations (like having a job that we don’t like). Personally, I appreciate that my job provides a means to make a good living, but I aim to be self-sufficient…to be self-employed – so my days in corporate are numbered. And as the months count down, I become more and more aware of the value in preparing for my crossover.

Briefing

I graduated from college in 2003 and entered the workforce immediately. I disliked my job. I performed well but I felt like I was underpaid and unappreciated for all that I brought to the table. So in late 2004, instead of being a complainer and not doing anything about it (like 90% of my co-workers), I made a move. I started my own business in the real estate industry, which I went on to run in a successful manner for a little over two years.

In mid-2007 I started to see the signs of what would later become a collapsed market. Against what my mind wanted to do, my heart advised that it was time to go back into the corporate world in order to keep my family above water.

A New Breed of Employee: The Entrepreneur

When I re-entered the work space I did so as an entrepreneur. The mentality is very different from one who works for themselves, compared to one who works for someone else. When working for yourself, you are 100% accountable for your results.

So that was my approach…to work for myself. I continued to carry the heart and mind of an entrepreneur in the corporate arena…not just being a businessman, but a business.

Working in this fashion is comparable to taking the hard route to success…the only route to success. And as you may imagine, the results that come with it are great. Most complainers, average Joe’s and Jane’s seek the easy route, and only fall deeper into a slump because they fail to realize that their results mirror their output, They’re simply not willing to hustle hard enough to get the results they want. Those who perform at a high level, consistently, are the ones who manufacture the results that they want.

The Best Lab In The Land Is Right Within The Cubicles

One of the most important ways that I’ve made being an employed entrepreneur work for me is by taking advantage of the on-the-job trainings that comes free in the corporate environment. While I’ve attended dozens of high priced training seminars on the coin of my employer, the type of training I’m speaking about is from on-the-job experience, not in a conference room.

Instead of simply reading books and trying to learn how to become a successful entrepreneur by pure theoretical study, I’ve leveraged the security and low risk environment of my corporate job to experiment with different strategies, concepts and methodologies that I’ve learned from my entrepreneurial studies.

The Reality of Entrepreneurship

It has been about four years since I’ve been back on the corporate grind and the reality is very clear…entrepreneurship isn’t just about business start-up, owning a business or even being a risk taker. At its core, it’s a mindset of accountability and ownership. It’s a mentality that allows one who has the chops to make a bad situation into an opportune situation.

Everyone has what it takes to be an entrepreneur within them, but most people don’t have the will to live it through. If you’re sitting around and complaining, rather than performing at your max to make the best of your situation – you may find that when you do make the move to self-employment that you don’t have what it takes to succeed.

I’ve seen a number of colleagues leave the confines of the corporate space to start their own business over the years. There’s a vivid trend: top performers, in most cases, go on to be successful self-employed entrepreneurs. The complainers and poor performers, however, had to keep their resumes fresh, because they would need them within 6 months’ time.

Your Reality Check

Do you have the chops for entrepreneurship? Are you a high performer or do you just sit back and bask in your sorrow? If you’re not a high performer, I challenge you change your approach and become one.

Not only can you turn a possible unfavorable situation (job you hate) into a better one; by getting promotions, salary increases, recognition, more creative control and freedom, but more importantly – you’ll be preparing and conditioning yourself for the work ethic requirement of running your own operation.

Every time I speak about how I’ve made my corporate job work in my favor, there are a few who despise the message. I get it! I understand that there’s a population of people that don’t like hearing the truths of hard work, or the reality that poor results are the effects of poor performance.

They like to believe that they are simply down on their luck and hoping that a swing of good luck comes to save the day. Until it’s understood that there’s no easy route to success, those who are infected by the displeasure of their situation, but not doing a thing about it – will never change their reality. Also, they will most likely experience the same results as self-employed entrepreneurs as they did while employed.

Are you preparing for the crossover by being an entrepreneur even as an employee? And if you’re already there (solely self-employed), do you find any validity of this action and accountability based ideology?

Jk Allen (@JKtheHustler) is the heart and mind behind HustlersNotebook.com, a personal development blog that focuses on personal accountability, working hard and being a hustler.

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