In my case I have observed how the lizard was powerful, creating moments of very intense anxiety even if my situation moving forward was pretty secure seen from an external, rational viewpoint. Leaving habits, a sense of institutional security, a life I got used to manage quite easily, is a lot to bear for the lizard who seeks to protect us constantly.
Once I had taken the decision, I was pretty hasty in throwing in my resignation from my corporate job, a bit too hasty for some people. Yet it was necessary for me. After having put in my letter, I was on bridge to my new life. And U-turn was not possible, at least just now. It might still be somewhere along the way when I’ll have ventured on the the other side for some time, but for now I could just go onward, straight to the other side.
Sometimes it is necessary to make sure we can’t U-turn for some time. For the sake of overcoming the lizard. Plan for it if you intend to change significantly your life.
In the last 3 months as I worked to prepare my company’s launch and my jump into the unknown of entrepreneurship, here are some useful learning points I wanted to share with you, or how I have started to look at myself differently:
building one's image
You learn a lot about yourself. After I resigned from my employment, there was no turning back – I needed to go for it. I found out it is more an internal struggle than an external one. A lot of things boil down to self-limiting beliefs. When you overcome them you find that the world is quite keen to hear about you and your project. So why hesitate?
People crave to jump into entrepreneurship: more than 80% of the people I talked to in my former company, after I resigned, expressed support and added something like: ‘I’d love to do this. It has been my dream forever’. And often, they actually provided support and contacts. So, what prevents you really from doing it?
Our mindset is very much geared towards security, and this impedes people to take action. Those people also added: ‘You have some balls!’. In effect, is it more secure to stay as an employee nowadays? I am not sure!
I went through some high anxiousness moments myself. They were not entirely rational for sure, because the short term future is assured by a contract that I managed to get, but the lizard repeats in your ear again and again, and louder if something happens like a rejection: ‘that will never work!’. Leaving employment to create your own company can be sometimes an uphill battle!
It is very important to benefit from the support of family and friends. In particular in these tough moments of doubts, or to find advice and resources. Support and excellent advice often come from unexpected places!
It is exciting to meet new interesting people and think in terms of what opportunities could be developed. As I try to grow my network I am meeting lots of interesting people and I attend great seminars, speeches etc. OK, I could have done that when I was employed but it gives an incentive to have to do it for your marketing! And that’s a side which I really like being an entrepreneur. I am also free to go to many new events, it’s just a choice by me how I want to spend my time, within certain reasonable bounds.
Take advantage of the cheap resources like books and blogs to know what to do and what not to do. Thanks to the Fourth Revolution, there are many resources available for close to free! As my development area at this moment is mainly in marketing, I read lots of books, in particular, ‘Book Yourself Solid‘ by Michael Port, ‘Duct Tape Marketing‘ by John Jantsch, and ‘Built to Sell‘ by John Warrillow ; I follow also many blogs or receive newsletters among which Michael Port’s, Pamela Slim’s Escape from Cubicle Nation blog and Tim Berry’s blog.
Just try and if it fails, you’ll have a direction for improvement. It is much better – faster and more secure – than thinking too long to develop the perfect thing, that might not appeal to anybody! Instead of going to a professional for branding, I have decided to give it a try. I’ll only pay a professional-looking website and branding materials when I’ll be very crystal clear about my niche and will have feedback from clients on the products. My first try at the company’s visual identity was not professional enough, and the feedback from prospective clients and esteemed relations hurt a lot. But it gave the incentive to go for a second try which is much better. In the meantime I had plowed my way through Michael Port’s workbook, had had some discussions with prospective clients and was much clearer about the identity and the tagline for the company, so the second version of the branding look is much more to the point, and much more focused.
Focus your niche as much as possible. I did not really believe in this widespread advice first, but it is very true, and it works. It helps you define your identity, gives a clear edge for all the resources and tools you develop, and helps you define very clearly what you intend to do. I have already met other entrepreneurs struggling with a too wide range of ambitions. Focus on a small niche first, it does not impede you to take other jobs, and you can grow later. In my case I started from general project management consulting, and now my tagline is “We Empower Organizations to be Reliably Successful in Executing Large, Complex Projects”. Much more focused isn’t it? Focus, Focus, Focus.
Professional associations are desperate for speakers, a good opportunity to get yourself known. It is relatively easy to get a slot to talk locally, and it is a good starting point for your marketing
In summary, I’ve learnt a lot already in these 3 months, mostly on myself. I feel like I am going on a steep learning curve and that’s what I like most. Stay tuned as I will continue to share with you my insights on my transformation into a Knowledge Exchanging Enhancing Networker!
Building on failure is another skill of the K.E.E.N. This interview of Seth Godin is a real eye-opener on the power of failure, and in general, the skills of the K.E.E.N.
Seth gives also deep insights on the new world that is awaiting us: remember – the concept of climbing the career ladder is bust !
As I am currently transforming from ‘Employee’ to ‘Self-Employed’, which is not an easy moment, I now realize there is a further wide gap between ‘Freelancer’ and ‘Entrepreneur’! That’s quite a lot to overcome!
As Seth Godin clearly defines,
“A Freelancer is someone who gets paid for working.That means, the more you work, the more you get paid.
An Entrepreneur gets paid while they sleep. They build a business bigger than themselves, and she gets paid even if she is not there”
Right. That’s clear. I want to be an Entrepreneur. So how do I avoid, in effect, to be a Freelancer?
Now the difficulty is that when you start a consulting company like me, in a more or less bootleg fashion, you effectively start as a Freelancer. I am right now preparing to start my company, discussing some potential contracts: at the beginning, people hire you because they know you and what value you can bring to their organization. They would even like to get 100% of your time and attention! Yet, I definitely want to build a real consulting company with a brand, products, scalable activity, leveraging on the different talents of people working in an organization. So, at some stage I definitely want to transform as an Entrepreneur.
what's moving in there?
I have chosen to be an Entrepreneur. Yet, I now know I will need to go through the stage of the Freelancer and resist the temptation to stay in the relative comfort of the situation to move further.
That’s not going to be easy. It will require relentlessly working on the brand and on designing scalable products. Effective scalability will ultimately be the test of entrepreneurship.
There is a gap between Employee and Freelancer. It is mainly a psychological gap; I am right now going through it and it is not fun every day (see the post “Beyond Fear“). There is still another between Freelancer and Entrepreneur. It is a scalability gap. It will also not be easy.
I have decided that instead of dealing with everything at the same time, it is probably better to tackle these two gaps one after the other. That’s what I have decided to do – so I’ll look for Freelancer-type projects in the first six months, keeping them less than full-time – keeping in mind that the ultimate goal is that of an Entrepreneur.
It does not happen too often to me, but right now I am upset that statistics are being misinterpreted.
In these times of crisis, of 99 percent movement, of demonstrations against the financial and corporate world, numerous charts are disseminated that show how the proportion of wages in percent of GDP is declining (and how the proportion of corporate profits is increasing). Here is an example from a recent post on the Daily Beast titled “the era of corporate profit”:
typical historical curves for wages and corporate profit
Now, what does that really show? Obviously, it shows that the proportion in the GDP of the wages and salary income of people employed traditionally by corporations is decreasing. Does it show that the average worker earns less? That’s quite a stretched interpretation even if most commentators just mean it!
As an avid reader of the Fourth Revolution blog, the fact that the share of salaries in the overall income should not surprise you: salaried employment by large corporations is a model of the Industrial Age, which is declining – BECAUSE THERE ARE LESS PEOPLE THAT ARE SALARIED (and not, because each of them gets less money!!). In fact, the diminution of the share of conventional salaries in the GDP is another precursor of the Fourth Revolution!
The US Bureau of Economic Analysis provides historical tables on the revenues in the USA. Here is a curve anyone can obtain with a little bit of patience:
why wages and salaries are only a small part of people's income
So what? Yes, wages and salaries have a tendency to decrease, but the income from non corporate business, sole proprietorships, and non-profits organizations increase dramatically. These are organizations which certainly create value for only a few individuals (to obtain the curve we have reclassified their profits as income for the owners)! These are the organizations of the K.E.E.Ns…
Stop the fallacy of showing decreasing salary curves as an indication of the impoverishment of the average citizen. The future lies in other forms of organizations, and their importance increases dramatically.
Welcome to the Fourth Revolution. The future and the Value is elsewhere than salaried employment. When do you jump to other forms of organization?
Why is there so much frustration and so many people that don’t really do what they long to do, what they dream to do?
Ever since I have written a book, every time I present it, I get more questions on how I managed to write and publish it, than on the book itself! So many people dream to write a book, or have written a book already!
Ever since I have announced to the world that I was leaving the comfortable corporate environment to be an entrepreneur, I get more questions on how I manage to do it than on my actual project itself! So many people dream to start their business, so many people have a truly good business idea ready for application!
The answer is obvious, of course: fear, which often hides behind busy-ness (being busy on actions with little impact, spending one’s time). All of this entertained by Industrial Age institutions, which repeat endlessly how inappropriate it is to be weird, to have initiative, and lock us into a system from which it is difficult to escape.
Of course these institutions look like they provide us with a stable, safe environment. That was maybe true in the past, but today we know that’s really overrated. No job is really safe today in any corporation. Still, we cling to that mindset for lack of another safe haven. And the Industrial Age system also cleverly provided barriers to our dreams: large mortgages that limit drastically our financial freedom; tax, professional and immigration legislation that limit our freedom of movement or of choosing our activity.
do you need a buddy for tandem jump?
There are ways to minimize risk when starting a venture. Have good advice and support from people who have gone through the transition (like you stay safe during your first free fall jump by having an experienced person jumping in tandem with you). Have a parachute already open that slows down your scary dynamics (a signed contract, savings…) and gives you more time. Have encouragement and support from your family and friends.
You know what? It is rare to find someone who has jumped out of the Industrial Age system and has really, deeply failed. Of course people go through temporary failures until they find their way; they might not seek and get those shiny things that Industrial Age ego would crave (a larger car, a larger house, etc); still, overall I find that people who jumped are more happy. And above all their contribution to the world is just tremendous.
I can barely imagine how the world will be when a significant portion of people will have jumped outside the Industrial Age, when the number of K.E.E.Ns will have increased dramatically, and when all these people will share their talents and contributions with all of us, creating a very different place to live.
Let’s go and do it. Overcome your fear. Become a real K.E.E.N.. Come on, jump!
I quit my cosy position as an executive in a large international organization to go down the path of the Fourth Revolution entrepreneur.
In my book I have described how the Fourth Revolution K.E.E.Ns (Knowledge Exchanging Enhancing Networkers) drive their career by being more of free agents than conventional Industrial Age employees of a Corporation. That they drive their career, moving from project to project, over the world.
Although I am involved on a day-to-day basis with project management, my professional life was not just quite according to this model. Now, I just did jump into it. I just completed my transformation.
Yes, that’s right, I am leaving the comfortable corporate world for the adventure of the entrepreneur. I have incorporated Fourth Revolution Private Limited as a company in Singapore. Fourth Revolution Pte Ltd will be the vehicle for my publishing, speaking and entrepreneurial activities.
My first entrepreneurial venture will be in a company setup with some partners, that we have called Project Value Delivery Pte Ltd (see Project Value Delivery Pte Ltd website here), a consulting company to support organizations in setting up and executing projects, and in particular, large infrastructure projects. I hope ultimately to help organizations become effectively the open, fluid organizations of the Collaborative Age, learn firsthand the obstacles on that road, and the solutions to overcome them. And see the organizations we will support unleash the unprecedented Fourth Revolution value, at the same time developing irresistible competitive advantage, and changing the world!
I’m both scared and excited by the prospects and the infinite potential of the future.
Follow me on my blog in the next few months as I go through this transformation from the conventional corporate executive to the Fourth Revolution entrepreneur! I’ll start this new life early 2012!
I have been asked to summarize the main practices of the successful K.E.E.N.
So, here are 10 basic practices to be successful through the Fourth Revolution, into the Collaborative Age:
Practice regular, holistic exercise (not just the body, but also the emotions/ mind exercises)
Lean into the Collaborative Age. Become literate in social networks: use them – even only at a basic level. You’ll progress soon enough;
Be open to new ideas by following some leading blogs and publications;
At the same time, make sure spare sufficient quality time every day to focus on activities that are important for you;
Practice overcoming Resistance more often by practicing dedicated Creative Work time
Establish your clear purpose – what can you do better than everybody else, and how can you contribute to the world through this talent? (on that one in particular you might need external help)
Write your purpose and 1 year goal on a paper and post it on your bathroom mirror to watch them morning and evenings
Practice and enhance your connection and giving skills
Practice being fully present, controlling your inner chatter, filters and impulses;
Be flexible – master your ego – remember the law of requisite variety: the most flexible prevails at the end.
More of it and more details in the Fourth Revolution book!
The picture was taken in Kuala Lumpur International Airport at the end of August by a colleague (I went to check a few days later as I went through the airport, it was real!).
The Fourth Revolution Book in a bookshop
WOW. The Fourth Revolution in a bookshop almost next to ‘The Black Swan’ and other well known books.
I’m waiting to see the sales, but already I know that’s a great step forward. It now really feels like the book is in the public domain. Of course, it has been already for more than two months, but seeing it like that when stepping into the bookshop gives a thrill! It is visible to all the travelers in the airport, and I look forward to see people frankly outside my network reading it.
Deep inside, I know that publishing and distributing the book is just the start, but that’s quite a noticeable step in the right direction.
Why are we so thrilled by publishing? Probably because we let unknown people discover our deep inner thoughts, sharing quality time, intimate time with them. And this reflection of ourselves is probably the most potent personal change factor.
Publishing is a great way to start influencing the world. That’s just what the K.E.E.N. needs to practice doing. Publish to the world in whatever format – blog, comments on other’s blogs, books, interactive e-books or else. Do it, change the world. And change yourself, deeply.
Today, in the Fourth Revolution, what is the value chain of human activities like?
At the bottom is manual work. That’s worth almost nothing, because anybody can do it.
Above that is intellectual work, in the sense of processing work (IQ). In the Industrial Age that was the tip of the value chain, because processing capability was scarce. Those who were very good at it were highly paid and regarded. The problem is that now, we have a lot of processing capability available in the form of computers and the like. Its value has melted away.
So what’s next?
Emotional work. Today, it is where the value lies. It is what leaders get paid to do. It is both personal internal emotional work, and exceptional inter-personal work. And that’s the basis of soft power. Power today does not lie in hard facts and logic. Power lies in the soft issues of emotions.
Scary, maybe, because our mindset is geared toward the value of intellectual work. But so real. How much emotional work do you think you are doing? Do more, that’s where the value is. That’s where the difference is. That’s what will make you successful.
Industrial Age culture was very much about considering people as replaceable production elements. Collaborative Age culture is about considering each person as a unique capability that might not be so easily replaced, in particular when it comes to team dynamics.
What do you observe in your organizations or environment? Do you see a trend toward the Collaborative Age view or do you feel the Industrial Age mindset is still very strong?
