There are 3 types of entrepreneur. Which one are you?
It’s important to know, because it will save you a lot of frustration.
According to John Warrillow, podcaster of Built to Sell, each type has a unique perspective.
Mountain Climber: You’re a serial entrepreneur. You care primarily about revenue, profit and numbers. You see your businesses as separate from yourself. You’re willing to take investment, and are risk tolerant. You’ve learned how to delegate and evaluate results without emotion, and you make decisions quickly. You coach the leaders who work on your businesses.
Freedom Fighter: You identify as a business owner, rather than someone who owns a business. You value independence and freedom above all else and started your company to do it your way. You don’t like being told what to do and you make most of the decisions. You want to feel significant. You’re reluctant to share equity. You work on scaling your business.
Craftsman: Your business is who you are, an expression of your identity. You value excellence and mastery in your chosen field. You have few employees and prefer to do the work itself, rather than operations or marketing functions. But you’ll do it all because you want it done right. You tend to be risk averse. You work in the business doing custom or billable work and many clients ask for you by name.
No one type is better than another. However, there are common frustrations to overcome in each.
If you’re a craftsman and frustrated that your business is growing slowly, it’ll be because of your emphasis on the craft, rather than systematizing the business.
If you’re a freedom fighter and are frustrated because you don’t have a good team, it’s likely that your leadership style prevents people from contributing at their highest capacity.
If you’re a mountain climber and frustrated with the pace, it’s because you’re still adjusting to the 80/20 rule. 80% of your results typically come from 20% of your activities. Allow yourself to let go of many of the things you used to believe were important without guilt if you want to continue to grow without burnout.
The most important thing of all is to enjoy the journey. After all, this is your life.
