The Age of the Entrepreneur - 1

The Age of the Entrepreneur - 1

Happy Valentine everyone!

A new series called “The Age of the Entrepreneur” starts today.

The information age gave birth to a new age, the entrepreneurial age. Like any other economic age, the age of the entrepreneur will give birth to another economic age. When we ignore a new economic age, wealth will ignore us.

Many people today are caught in the rat race. There is a problem with the rat race. No matter who you are, you still are a rat.  I don’t like rats. Years ago I wrote down these two phrases that still guide me today. “The future belongs to those who can see and pursue opportunities before they are obvious” and “Those that take swift action will leave those that don’t breathing the dust.” After traveling around the world for two decades, I had a hunch that a new world order was coming, so I left the rat race to become an entrepreneur 7 years ago. Now I find myself in the eye of a storm, in the sweet spot, where trends converge, filled with opportunities. I feel like a kid in a candy store. I love candy, especially right after waking up from a nap. Entrepreneurs have the same number of hours in a day as everyone else, but they have more ingenuity, energy, passion, enthusiasm, conviction, commitment, and persistence in their hours. It is in the cracks of time that entrepreneurs come alive and change the world as we now today.

The age of the entrepreneur is here. Those that don’t think and act as an entrepreneur will have a difficult time succeeding in the future. The information age open the gate for millions of people around the world to harness the power of entrepreneurship. It takes a higher level of thinking to succeed in this new age. Most people’s problems are just perceptions, viewed with distorted lenses, not their real problems. Their problems are the way they think about their problems. Entrepreneurs have a special way to go about defining problems and finding the right solutions for pressing problems. Become an entrepreneur and the world will be better because of you. Here are a few things that are necessary to become entrepreneur, to play the game, and eventually, change the rules of the game of business and life. What does it take to become an entrepreneur?

1.      Look for problems that need solutions. There are many problems today begging for solutions. I see them everywhere, do you?

2.      See solutions where everyone is looking but can’t see them. I see solutions to many existing problems, do you?

3.      Never run out of problems to solve. I have a long list of problems to solve, do you?

4.      Recognize problems that others don’t see as problems. I clearly see problems everywhere I go, do you?

5.      Come alive while others are resting, camping, or just plain being comfortable. I get up every day thinking what problem am I going to tackle today, do you?

6.      Finding solutions hidden in plain sight. I am finding creative solutions for all the problems I am solving, are you?

7.      Make competitor's products obsolete. I am not improving the products I have, I am working diligently to launch products that make the competitor’s products obsolete, are you?

Entrepreneurs have a crystal clear vision where they are going, do you?

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets. Share them with others.   

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy