Do You Dream the Impossible Dream?
I do. Well, not really impossible, but challenging. I love a good challenge, and my dreams are usually based around circumstances that are difficult at best. It’s where I thrive. Lots of my friends think I’m crazy, but as long as it makes me happy, I always say that my craziness is cheaper than a shrink.
I’m very much in alignment with business guru Robert Kiyosaki, who says this about dreams: “People who dream small dreams continue to live lives as small people.” I’m a firm believer that the desire for achievement is what keeps the lifeblood pumping in us from day to day. After all, if you don’t have a reason to get up in the morning - a good challenge to sink your teeth into - why bother to get up?
The Five Kinds of Dreamers
Robert Kiyosaki, in his book “The Business School for People Who Love Helping People,” lists five kinds of dreamers. I’m impressed with this list because it shows five very distinct ways in which people can go about living their lives. I know people in all five categories. Check out this list and see if you recognize people in your life who fit into these categories.
1. Dreamers who dream in the past.
These people don’t have any dreams to look forward to. All they have are past glories and memories that they relive over and over. Often, these people achieved the peak of their greatness in high school or college.
2. Dreamers who dream only small dreams.
These people have dreams, only they are tiny. It’s a matter of confidence. People with small dreams keep them small so they can feel confident of achieving them. The problem is that people who dream tiny dreams usually don’t bother to achieve even these small goals.
3. Dreamers who have achieved their dreams and have not set a new dream.
These are the people who dreamed of being doctors, lawyers, or fashion models in high school, and then went on to achieve those dreams. Once they have achieved their dreams, they sit on their laurels. They tend to be bored with their lives, but don’t have enough juice to start a new adventure.
4. Dreamers who dream big dreams but don’t have a plan on how to achieve them, so they end up achieving nothing.
We see tons of people like this in our MLM business. These people have great dreams and aspirations, but don’t have the right training or support network to help them reach their dreams. They are always saying things like, “This time will be different. I’m really going to make it,” but they never do. They live on dreams and very little else. According to Kiyosaki, these people should stay with their big dreams AND “find a plan, and find a team that will help them make their dreams come true.”
5. Dreamers who dream big, achieve those dreams, and go on to dream bigger dreams.
This is, of course, the ideal kind of dreamer. Most people want to dream big dreams and then achieve those dreams. The people who are in this category not only know how to dream big, but they know where to connect with the people and resources to help them achieve those dreams. Kiyosaki says he sees a large percentage of these people in successful network marketing companies (note: the word “successful” here is key!).
Which kind of dreamer are you? What kinds of dreams do you have for you, your small business, and your lifestyle?
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Photo credit: `169 | High..
Tags: five kinds of dreamers, impossible dream, Robert Kiyosaki
Posted by Stephanie Valentine on May 20, 2009 in
Small Business Management 
How many employees does it take to screw in a light bulb in a small business?
None.
The owner does it!
OK, that’s not strictly true for all small businesses, but if you look at the businesses that a lot of people call a “small business,” what you actually see is someone who is self-employed rather than a small business owner.
Self-Employment versus Small Business Ownership
From the outside, the self-employed person and the small business owner both look the same. They both own their businesses and they both sell something. In the startup phase, both will probably work long hours, and start to look a little worn-out.
That’s where the similarities end, and the differences start to show up. Business guru Robert Kiyosaki defines the difference like this:
The self-employed business owner wants to be the best in his or her field. The small business wants to work with the best in his or her field.
In other words, the values are different. The self-employed person wants to BE the best, so they spend all their time doing everything for their business so that they can be the best. The small business owners doesn’t want to do everything themselves. They want to develop a business that generates income and eventually runs itself. So instead of trying to be the best, they hire the best people. Why? So that they can eventually stop working in the business and have it still produce a passive stream of income.
Self-Employment Burnout
One way you can distinguish a self-employed person from a small business owner is that the self-employed person will experience burnout. Why? Because they have been doing everything for their business, day in and day out, for years. The small business owner long ago hired a competent staff and moved onto a different business (or went on vacation).
One person who has really recognized the need for self-employed people to get help for their burnout is bestselling author Tim Ferriss. One of the “homework assignments” that he gives business owners is to practice outsourcing tasks. That is, he strongly recommends that you hire a virtual assistant and delegate a certain percentage of your work to this assistant. Virtual assistants usually don’t live in the same town as you, and often work in a completely different country. Making use of a virtual assistant, who works for say $15-$20 per hour, frees you up for more important tasks, like strategizing business growth or developing marketing tactics. Getting help in the form of a virtual assistant also helps you avoid burnout. You learn to do only the tasks that only can do.
If you feel uncomfortable hiring someone to help you out, consider this: as a self-employed person, how much are you really earning per hour? Take the salary you pay yourself monthly and divide that by the number of hours you actually work each month. Be sure to include all the time you spend on lowly tasks like filing, restocking, documentation, and responding to routine inquiries. All of that goes on top of the time you spend actually practicing in your area of expertise, like accounting, marketing, or consulting.
When you honestly add up all the hours you work, and then divide that amount into your salary, chances are that you are not getting paid very much. You might actually make more money flipping burgers at your local burger joint. True, you would have to wear a really dorky uniform and work with junk food all day, but your paycheck might be bigger.
Hmm, gives you food for thought, doesn’t it? If you’re headed for a self-employment burnout, now might be the time to check out Tim Ferriss’ book and find yourself a virtual assistant. Check out Elance and other similar services where these assistants abound. Most of all, learn to enjoy letting go!
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Photo credit: absentminded
Tags: burnout, Robert Kiyosaki, self-employment, small business owner
