Do You Still Think Like an Employee?

“A Waiter is a waiter, because he thinks like a waiter, not an owner”. How true. I heard this on a CD by Brian Klemmer. Employees focus on problems, while owners focus on solutions. Employees watch the clock while owners watch the bottom line. Employees think in terms of what they don’t have, while owners think in terms of what they can have. Scarcity or abundance, half full or half empty… Do you focus on the limitations or the opportunities? Do you take responsibility for your future or do you blame your low income on your employer or the economy?

Imagine a waiter that thought like an owner. He would innovate, add value, work longer hours, create change, and eventually open his own restaurant. Now imagine an owner that thought like a waiter! He will blame, hide, work too little, and go bankrupt as many do. He would make excuses. Your mindset will determine your choices and your results. When I teach people to broker Joint Ventures, I always say, “You can own the tollbooth, or you can work in a tollbooth- your choice!” I see 50 year-old waiters and I know they have no ambition to own a business. They’re happy to be employees, and that’s fine. But it’s not because they CAN’T own a restaurant! We choose our futures and then we create them.

Any entrepreneur who still thinks like an employee is doomed to failure. That’s why 87% of new businesses fail in the first five years. It’s fine if you buy a franchise, because that’s basically buying a job. Franchisors don’t want free thinkers, strong personalities, or entrepreneurs; they want robots, clones, and employees. Napoleon Hill told us, “Whatever the mind of man can believe and conceive it can achieve”. Your thoughts, expectations, and beliefs create your choices and your future. It all starts in your head.

Let’s think like millionaire entrepreneurs. Want to know what thoughts they think? Read their books and listen to their teachings. If you think their thoughts, you’ll get their results. What you think about comes about. What you focus on grows bigger. Your outlook is your bankbook and your netWORK determines your netWORTH. So mix with owners and you’ll become like them. Mix with losers and don’t be surprised when you realize one day, with a shock, that you’re a loser, too. You’re in control, so today you can decide: “Do I want to be a waiter, serving rich people who deign to throw me a few crumbs, or do I want to be waited on? Do I want to clean the boat or own it?” Your only limitations are in your head.

Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com www.JVWisdom.com