Welcome to your entrepreneurship era

Today's training call was about identifying as an entrepreneur. The topic is relevant to my recent musings about recognizing an identity shift from employee to entrepreneur/business owner. 

One key point is language. What should I say when someone asks me what I do? The recommendation is to own that I'm an entrepreneur. I can also say, "I own a distribution business," or "I'm building distribution income." And what is an entrepreneur by the way? One definition is someone who takes ownership of creating value and income and takes responsibility for the results.

Another key point is that I am the CEO of my business. The CEO sets the vision, knows the numbers, decides without waiting for permission, develops people, and protects the calendar.

You might wonder how a distribution business is different from a regular business. In a distribution business, you have low buy-in, no location to lease, no inventory to manage, no staff, global reach, and control of your schedule.

So what is the CEO of a distribution business doing on a daily basis? Well, I'm still part-time. Let's say I only have an hour a day to work on the business. Here is one schedule:

• 15 mins of personal development
• Start 3-5 new conversations
• 3 follow-ups
• 1 customer check-in
• One engagement post on social media
• Log all activities

On a weekly basis, the CEO conducts a review:

1. What did I produce?
2. What worked?
3. What didn't?
4. What's my #1 priority next week?

The main question on Shark Tank is: How will you get your products into people's hands? A great product without distribution goes nowhere. Entrepreneurs don't just sell products. They build the path products travel.

If you're an entrepreneur, your pitch should have four parts:

1. What I do
2. Who it helps
3. Why I chose it
4. A question back