Entrepreneur... First or Second?

Bill Gates is interviewed in my latest read; The Millionaire Zone: Seven Winning Steps to a Seven-Figure Fortune by Jennifer Openshaw.

When embarking on his career he realized the importance of making the distinction of being a software developer FIRST and an entrepreneur SECOND.

He determined that he would become the best software developer he could possibly be and this had to be his solitary focus.

When I read this, I stopped, thought about it, and reread it several more times. I know exactly what he's talking about! And what an important mental distinction to make.

With so much emphasis in the media -- and all around us -- on entrepreneurship, the benefits being your own boss, the challenges of running your own company, etc. it's easy to focus in on the business part without remembering that first you are in business to shine as the best (insert the name of your driving passion here) you can be... not the best entrepreneur you can be.

Think about it; how do you respond when someone asks what you do for a living? "I'm an entrepreneur, " OR "I teach women how to sky-rocket sales by increasing the effectiveness of their marketing materials."

Entrepreneurship is a very broad description of your business setup. It speaks more to the structure of your endeavor. It doesn't indicate what you do.

If you first think of yourself as an entrepreneur, your attempts at success are broad instead of laser focused.

In contrast, if you first (and always) think of yourself as a marketing wizard (as an example) and aim to be the best marketing genius who ever existed, your daily actions and goals are subtly, but vastly, different.

Being an entrepreneur is not your goal. You're already that. You want to stand out as the very best -- and the only option -- when potentials seek your unique product or service. The more specific you are in your thought process about being the best, the closer to the target you'll be when you actually hit your goals.

Give it some thought. Maybe a minor switch in thinking is all you need to hone in on what you really want to accomplish in business... and that is to be the best darn (insert the name of your driving passion here) you can be!