Why You—Yes, You!—Should Be an Entrepreneur

3 Reasons Why So Many Are Going for It

Back in early 2007, I faced an interesting choice. By just about all accounts, I was doing great as an international sales director for a stable infomercial company. I had a family, a house, a car, and all the boxes that we check. But something felt off.

I had the energy for something I couldn’t quite define, and any attempts I made to channel that energy at work to improve things were immediately squashed by my boss. As I saw it, I had two choices: I could take the hint, do my job, and not try to grow professionally. Or I could quit, thereby jeopardizing my family’s security and my future career prospects.

Slowly but surely, the tension became unbearable. The decision point came after I spent a whole month overseas with my boss. I ended up resigning via email during the flight back home. You can imagine how pleased my wife was to greet Odysseus at the door, long absent and freshly unemployed.

It was time to step up. In March 2008, I launched the Live2Sell Group with a small team of six employees. It was a call center based in my then-hometown of Cebu, in the Philippines. It allowed me to leverage every professional skill I already had and channel the energy that I now realize, in hindsight, was entrepreneurial spirit.

Stop suppressing yourself

I’ll tell you more about that little company in just a minute, but let’s pause. Does any of my story resonate with you? Since you’re reading Michael Hyatt Magazine, I’m guessing it does.

So many of us suppress our entrepreneurial spirit and instincts in order to keep our jobs or our sense of security. We do so at the expense of our own happiness, success, and fulfillment. Today, security in a traditional company is wishful thinking. That makes this the perfect time to consider entrepreneurship.

It’s not easy to quit a job, and it’s not easy to be your own boss, but here are three reasons why you—yes, you!—should be an entrepreneur. They’ve been true at each juncture of my last 10 years on this path, and they’re the touchpoints I’ve used to encourage my coaching students as well.

1. You will call your own shots

It turns out that many entrepreneurs have this trait in common: We need ownership over our own careers and lives. When we have it, we wake up each morning feeling energized and motivated for the day ahead. When we don’t have it, we feel suppressed, directionless, and insignificant.

It’s not that we can’t take direction, or that we think we’re invincible. We’re not, and I’ve certainly made my fair share of bad decisions as my own boss. But being right or wrong isn’t the point, and it’s not what motivates us. We’re best when we’re charting our own course and inspiring those around us to do the same.

2. You will be empowered to serve

Inspiring those around us is the absolute best feeling for an entrepreneur. Since 2013, I’ve been coaching entrepreneurs in every imaginable niche, and what’s true across the board is that entrepreneurship empowers you to affect stratospheric change.

Affecting change is definitely possible in traditional employment, but the opportunities are scaled down in proportion to your position. Just like I was suppressed from improving things in my last role, so too are countless would-be entrepreneurs searching RIGHT NOW for an outlet for their service-driven spirit and energy. Becoming an entrepreneur throws that door wide open.

Let’s say you become a health coach. You can literally add years to the lives of your clients. Motivational speakers can motivate people to kick bad habits and achieve their goals. Successful authors can touch millions around the world, simply by sharing insights you have gleaned as an industry expert.

3. You will be future-proof

I have just emphasized a certain kind of entrepreneur for a reason. It is good to build companies and learn from that process but there are also next-level entrepreneurs that I call Youpreneurs™. Making the step up from ordinary entrepreneur to Youpreneur can help to insulate you from the whims of an ever-changing marketplace.

Youpreneurs™ build a platform and a community that’s interested in them as people and leaders even more than in the product or service they sell. That means that if you launch your company doing one thing, and then pivot to another, that’s OK because your audience is there for you. You’ll find that your loyal audience turns to you for solutions and guidance in areas that extend beyond any traditionally defined niche. And as you grow, learn, and share more, so does your audience.

I’d argue that Michael Hyatt himself is a good example of a Youpreneur. Many people first got to know him as the blogging CEO of Thomas Nelson, and today they continue to trust his counsel on topics ranging from entrepreneurship to health to relationships, and beyond.

I believe so strongly in the growing strength of Youpreneurs that my second book, Rise of the Youpreneur, is dedicated entirely to them. I want every entrepreneur to know what’s possible in the new landscape of 21st century business.

The future is you

I promised you an update on my first business, and here it is: That team in Cebu has grown from 6 to over 400, and we just celebrated 10 years in business. We serve clients from all over the world, and we’re the largest call center in focusing on outbound calling and lead generation in the city.

I continue to own the business as CEO, but have very little to do with the day-to-day running of it. Instead, I’ve also stepped up into the role of Youpreneur™ so I can better serve the thousands of people who’ve asked for my advice about business and entrepreneurship over the years.

In fact, I hosted the first Youpreneur Summit in London Last fall. Over 350 of us from around the world gathered to finally meet in person. Building this brand, inspiring this community, and learning from the brilliant minds who gather together is my focus for the foreseeable future. One could say that the business of you is booming.