Why Not You?: An Accidental Entrepreneur's Guide To Success

Why Not You?

An Accidental Entrepreneur’s Guide to Success

Amanda McKinney

new degree press

copyright © 2023 Amanda McKinney

All rights reserved.

Why Not You?

An Accidental Entrepreneur’s Guide to Success

ISBN

979-8-88926-918-2 Paperback

979-8-88926-961-8 Ebook

For you, the Accidental Entrepreneur with the courage to build a business on your terms. Every word is written for you.

Contents

Introduction

PART 1

Why You Want to Be an Entrepreneur

CHAPTER 1

Your Y.O.U. Promise

CHAPTER 2

Your Deep-Down-Honest Why

PART 2

Opportunity to Define Your Values & Success

CHAPTER 3

Claim True-to-You Values

CHAPTER 4

Define Success on Your Terms

PART 3

Unapologetically Use What Works for You

CHAPTER 5

Identify Your Boundaries

CHAPTER 6

Find Your People

CHAPTER 7

Tap into Your Strengths

CHAPTER 8

Find Financial Confidence

CHAPTER 9

Set Realistic Goals

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

Appendix

Introduction

The first time I ever visited New York City, I went with three girlfriends, and even though we were on the tightest college budget possible, we were rich in excitement on that trip and created many memories. But it actually wasn’t the girl-time that made a lasting impression; it was the city. I fell in love with New York City on that first trip, like many people do.

As I was preparing to travel, I remember people telling me, Don’t look up, you’ll look like a tourist. I’m sure these were words meant to keep me safe as a female going into the big city, but to me it meant don’t look like you don’t belong.

This small-town girl from Florida did not want to look like the small-town girl from Florida. I wanted to look like I belonged, like I had been there forever, like it wasn’t new and exciting. I wanted to fit in and already know everything.

Well, guess what? This small-town girl looked up so fast I could have been wearing a flashing neon sign with the words Hey—I’m not from here! And you know what, I’m glad I did because had I succeeded in fast-forwarding past the tourist part, I would have missed out on that memory and so many more.

I likely wouldn’t have gone to Radio City Music Hall to take a picture of its iconic sign or snapped pics of the Statue of Liberty or wandered around Central Park watching others go about their day and making up stories about what their lives were like. I likely wouldn’t have looked up to see the incredible skyscrapers that were so tall I couldn’t believe my eyes.

Sure, I would have fit in more, but I would have missed that moment completely. And all the moments that followed during that trip.

And just like I wanted to fast-forward to not looking like a tourist, I bet you’re trying to fast-forward through something right now too. You’re likely testing business ideas, feeling all the feelings, and wishing more than anything else that you could be five years down the road.

I know this because not only was I in this exact place several years ago when I started my business, but any time I talk to new entrepreneurs, they all have something in common… they want to be further down the road in their journey. This is because most of us have discomfort when it comes to being a beginner.

For most of us, the beginner stage is something to be gone through as quickly as possible, like a socially awkward skin condition. But even if we’re only passing through, we should pay particular attention to this moment. For once it goes, it’s hard to get back (Vanderbilt 2021).

I challenge you to be fully present during your entrepreneurship journey. Instead of running as fast as you can to get further down the path, I would like to suggest that you stop and look up, just like I did at the skyscrapers in New York City.

Be in awe of where you are today.

In a few years, you will wish you had paused in this moment, no matter what moment this is for you. You can’t ever go back, so take it in while you can because it’s a beautiful place to be. And the good news is that you won’t be in this moment too long, so take in the sights, enjoy them, and then move forward with intention.

Congrats, You’re an Accidental Entrepreneur!

If you and I were chatting over coffee (or tea, or wine, pick your fave; I like them all), and I asked you what title you would give yourself, you might not choose entrepreneur. You might consider yourself a hobbyist turned I think I could make money with this or a stay-at-home parent looking to create cash flow for the family, or maybe everyone keeps telling you, You could charge for this. Regardless, you’re in the right place, and I’m talking to you in this book.

While you ultimately get to pick the title that resonates with you (CEO, founder, badass boss, etc.), for the purpose of this book, I’ve got a new title for you… Accidental Entrepreneur.

Here’s my definition:

An Accidental Entrepreneur is anyone who stumbles into starting a business by following a passion or hobby. They are generally unsure that they qualify to run a business because they didn’t go to business school and tend to want more education and training so they can earn the title. Accidental describes how they arrived at entrepreneurship but not how they will navigate through it because they want to intentionally create a business that integrates into their life instead of taking it over.

Hey there, Accidental Entrepreneur!

(Because I know you just said, Yep! That’s me!)

The cool part about adding the word accidental is that it automatically takes some of the pressure off. When something is accidental, it means that something occurred unexpectedly, and when this happens everyone knows being a little thrown off for a bit is okay, so you get a grace period.

You trip by accident; you have time to get up and get your footing.

You take a wrong turn by accident; you pause to let the GPS recalibrate.

So now that you have this new title of Accidental Entrepreneur, you can give yourself some grace and time to find your footing, and that’s exactly what we’re going to explore in this book:

Creating a Strong Foundation, so You Can Unapologetically Chase Your Definition of Success

This book is filled with examples to inspire you as I know the benefit of reading actual examples. Specific sections to help you take action are also included in each chapter because inspiration is great, but action is what leads to more confidence as an Accidental Entrepreneur. Here’s what you can expect in each chapter:

•Additional resources—shaded boxes are included within the text when there are references to checklists, timelines, podcast episodes, and other resources to help you with that topic.

•Key takeaways—a bulleted list to reiterate the main points of the chapter.

•Recommended actions—a numbered list of steps I recommend you take before moving on to the next chapter.

The other main component included is encouragement. My clients tell me often that I have a gift for helping people believe in themselves, and I’m honored to be able to encourage you through my words in this book. One way I want to do this is by letting you know that you’re not alone in this bumpy road of entrepreneurship.

You’re Not Alone

Now that you’ve slipped on the entrepreneur party hat, it’s time to know who you’re partying with. There are 528 million entrepreneurs in the world (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2023). And in 2022 alone, 5 million businesses were started (Commerce Institute 2023).

The pandemic certainly influenced the increase in businesses created as many people began thinking outside their traditional career options. In addition, there were new needs that had to be met, and that is the perfect opportunity for new entrepreneurs to emerge even if it wasn’t their goal, hence the term Accidental Entrepreneur.

Whenever an influx like this comes about, it also comes with an influx of advice. On one hand this is a great thing because there’s information at our fingertips, but on the other hand, we are met with a lot of advice that might not fit our needs.

Just like when you tell friends and family that you’re going to visit a new place, if they have been there (or seen something on TV) they will share recommendations with you. Recommendations can lead you into the best restaurant in the city, but if someone recommends an Italian restaurant and you don’t like Italian food, that’s not going to be best for you.

To find your footing as an Accidental Entrepreneur, you have to do one thing that will make all the difference in the world, and it’s to look inward, which is possibly the last thing your brain will be telling you to do. If you’re anything like me, you will look everywhere else first. You’ll read the books (thank you!), you’ll listen to the podcasts, you’ll buy digital courses and templates, but the best thing you can do is to look inward and ask questions.

Sure, there will be some questions you can’t answer by going inward like how to fix this dang internet issue, but to set a strong foundation for your business, you already have the answers inside you. All we must do is uncover them, and you’ll do this step by step by taking the actions in each chapter.

When