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If only most business owners thought more like an entrepreneur and not an employee. You see most business owners work too hard, for too many hours, for far too little money …

In most cases it's because they never build their business into anything more than a job for themselves and a few others. And, as a one person business, they've got the world's most demanding boss and an employee who never seems to want to work.

Put simply, most small business owners live either a see-saw life or a life running in circles …

The See-Saw is the ultimate in pain for the greatly skilled employee who starts their own business selling what they did before. They quickly learn that half their time is spent chasing work and the other half doing the work. Its sell, do, sell, do, sell, do …

No matter what you do it seems you're stuck. You're the best at what you do, so everyone wants you, but you're still trading time for money … Unfortunately, most people in this situation end up going back to get a job in another company. Yet some take the next step …

So then, what happens to these business owners? Some step up and go on to employing others and even though they are now an employer, they unfortunately still seem to think like an employee. They think that hard work will solve all ills

Now instead of see-sawing, they're running in circles, chasing their tail, cleaning up after others, working longer hours, putting out fires, making less than some of their employees and still having to do much of the work they did before. They thought they'd have people working for them, when in reality they're working for their people.

When most business owners get into this mess, they think, "I should just sack the lot of them and go back to when it was just me".

Either way, see-saw or circles, still thinking like a hard working employee has you doomed to a life of small business drudgery, even as the business owner …

So, how do you make the shift?

Below are the 7 most important things you need to do to make the shift to a business owner, that is, someone who treats their business as an investment, rather than a job … someone who works only a few hours a week and lives off of the profits their business makes.

1. Learn as much as you can about how to run a business. Learn about accounting, sales, marketing, stock ordering, recruitment, team building, systems building, entrepreneurship and everything you can. Read, attend seminars, listen to tapes and watch videos.

2. Start with the end in mind. Be clear on the fact that you're building a business that will run without you, not a job that will chain you to the wheel forever.

3. Build systems and not just people. Don't just hire the best people, hire great people and give them great systems. Document everything you do so you can easily teach new people how to do it.

4. Build a Great Team. To do that of course you've got to become a great leader and learn what it takes to build a team to run the business when you're not there.

5. Change your Identity. Stop thinking of yourself as a carpenter, solicitor, poodle clipper, or whatever the profession of your business is and think of yourself as an entrepreneur who is currently building a carpentry etc etc.

6. Make a Decision. First comes the dream and then the most important step, the decision that you are 100% committed to making the dream a reality.

7. Get a Coach or Mentor. If you want to get great results get someone to show you how to do it and push you like a great coach would.

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