That marked the turning point when I decided from that moment on I would learn everything I could about marketing my business.  I hired a coach, took seminars, read books and subscribed to newsletters written by marketing experts.  I pushed past my comfort zone and started asking for business directly.  It wasn’t easy.  I’d have a pit in my stomach and lose sleep worrying about where I’d find my next client.  I decided I needed a wider audience so I started doing more and more motivational talks.  How did I get the speaking engagements?  I picked up the phone, asked a variety of organizations if they needed a speaker, and then offered my services.  It was simple but not easy.

Overall, there are four key lessons I learned over the past seven years that helped me go from despondent corporate employee to fulfilled and happy business owner.

1. You don’t have to be a born entrepreneur to succeed.  I certainly was not one.  If I was, things might have been easier but that didn’t stop me from thriving eventually.  What you absolutely must have is a strong desire to grow a successful business, a willingness to stretch past your comfort zone and a commitment to do whatever it takes to make that happen.  That’s what I had then and continue to have now.  Desire, willingness, and commitment are the necessary ingredients when your entrepreneurial spirit appears to be a no-show.

2. Market, market, market and then market some more.  Do whatever you need to do in order to come up with a marketing plan.  Hire an expert, take seminars, and read read read.  When you are first starting out, you should put more energy into marketing the business than anything else.  I didn’t know this when I started.  Put a system in place so that you are actively engaged in marketing activities (i.e. doing something that will lead to income!) each and every single day you are working.

3. Act as though your business is a solid going concern before it is.  I used this technique from the beginning.  Even when I had only one client, I made sure to provide a welcome packet complete with a set of policies and procedures which I required my clients to sign.  I would keep asking myself, “If I already had the client base and cash flow I desired, what would I do next?”  Without fail, the answer was a step that stretched me and my business in the right direction.

4. It helps to have a business support network.  If you’re working for a company you have a built in community-the people that you sit and work with day in and day out.  When you work for yourself, you often don’t have this and it can be isolating.  You can create it by getting to know some of the people you’ve connected with at various business events.  Get to know other business owners, meet regularly, help them out when you can, and build a community that you can relate to and rely on.  This was essential for me especially during those times when I wondered whether running my own business was the right choice.  It helped to be able to talk to others who experienced similar ups and downs on the road to financial independence.

So even if you weren’t born an entrepreneur you can still have the business of your dreams.  You simply need to let your passion fuel you as you learn what you need to do to make your business take off.