2 Sticky Parts of Business That Block Entrepreneurs From "Job Freedom Status"

"Job Freedom Status" (n.) The point at which an entrepreneur can freely decide betwee
TiVo and Captain Crunch Crunch Berries cereal or going to work -- without any job-, marital- or financial-related ramifications.

It seems that all entrepreneurs want to reach a status that provides them the freedom to do the above. Though, from what I have witnessed time and time again, a significant percentage of small business owners, for whatever reason, don't want to do task x, task y and/or task z despite the clear-cut fact that X, Y, or Z will get them to Crunchberries vs. TiVo.

Here is where many small business owners fall shy of obtaining "Job Freedom Status." Knowing the following facts will put your small business ventures well ahead of those entrepreneurs never destined to have the ability to choose between carbohydrates and careers without the word "unemployed" in the mix.

• "I need to hire somebody for that. I just don't have the money."

When the entrepreneur opens a business, he or she needs to write down the tangible goals that they wish to reach within their first three months. The next step is for that individual to write down the various routes that can be taken to achieve those goals.

To many, this exercise would seem simplistic and quite achievable. However, once they add (line by line) all the administrative tasks that go along with the "Big picture," that's where the entrepreneurship part ends and the men and women are separated from the boys and girls.

A good example would be cold calling. If you start a successful business without making one or two hundred outbound calls (not emails) total either directly or indirectly soliciting business, you're a lot smarter than the most of us.

If you're waiting for a godsend cold-caller to do it for you for free, keep waiting. That godsend probably owns his or her own business by now.

• The necessary, continuous learning

I make it a point to read non-fiction, work-relevant books a few times a week. I've learned that it is the work that isn't required that separates the successful from the entrepreneur who blames the economy.

All small business owners need to be growing themselves and mentors, family members, a spouse, business contacts, etc. don't count as learning outlets.

Many entrepreneurs are afraid that they will take the time to learn a particular subject never to use it again, though those are the same ones that pay $60,000 for a professor to read it for them. All the while, they don't realize that the students who are starting to see success are the ones quietly reading subjects that are not going to be covered on the test.

• Allow for judgment, rejection and success

The small businesses that come and go are the ones that set up a website looking to penetrate an overcrowded industry, and that want to stick with the status quo. When it comes to putting yourself out there as a business owner, either fail big or don't play the game. Don't suit up just to run the ball down the middle all game.

The successful entrepreneurs are the ones who do things differently. The industry or business model does not have to be 100% cutting-edge; many entrepreneurs wrongly think that they have to put out the next Google, Facebook or iPod.

It's not what you approach the target audience with, it's how you approach them. We all love those insulated trampoline castles that little kids have at their birthday parties. How many 20- and 30-something parties do you think a hotel would see if they had rooms ½ comprised of the same material?

With thinking outside of the box comes risk, criticism, and rejection. You've got to be prepared to take all of that, and then go back for a second helping. And then you've got to be prepared to prove your critics right - by enacting good suggestions - or wrong - by showing them all how it's done.