Promises of being your own boss and no longer having to answer to “the man” make a career in network marketing and direct sales very appealing. I know, for myself, that the idea of no alarm clocks, being able to run my business in my own way, and not having to answer to anyone was part of what attracted me to this business model and I could not wait to have that kind of freedom! All I needed was info on logging into my replicated website and I figured everything else out on my own from there. No home party protocol? No problem! I had a great time trying to figure out different ways to do my in home “makeup workshops” that worked best for me. I was so in love with the idea of being my own boss that I appreciated an upline who just let me do my thing and allowed me to bounce an idea off of her when needed. I was my own CEO and the line I chose to retail was my vehicle to building my empire. The truth is if I had a leader who started telling me what to do as if I was an employee I would have immediately felt stifled and lost steam. To thrive I needed freedom and I was happy to find my upline leader respected my drive enough to let me do my thing.
With all that being said, why do so many rely on their upline leaders to take on the role of their boss in network marketing?
It is comfortable NOT being in charge.
While many of us love the idea of being our own boss, we may put our brakes on when we realize this actually takes some work to motivate ourselves. Why wouldn’t it be intimidating? We have been conditioned to do things someone else’s way for most of our lives between school and work. If you fee like this then it is okay to admit it, just make sure you recognize that this may be the case before deciding your leader is the reason you are not succeeding.
There is something convenient about working the tasks assigned to us. Following someone else’s directions means we don’t have to worry about coming up with our own ideas for our business, and while that is comfortable, it is also dangerous. If you become someone who falls into the trap of expecting someone else to tell you what to do on a daily basis you will find yourself lost when that person has to attend to life and leaves you without instruction. It is fine to take instruction until you understand the lesson behind it. The moment you start feeling comfortable with someone else telling you how to work your business, day in and day out, you have made yourself an employee all over again. The knowledge is out there for you to soak in so that you are inspired to do things your way. The lessons you learn may very well help you with your business, but what happens when you have a team join you? They will start to look to you for advice on how to become an entrepreneur and you will risk getting them into the mindset of being comfortable with being an employee as well. Before you know it, everyone will all be doing the same daily tasks and your networks will not see you as individual thriving entreprenuers, but as clones. Sure, take those daily challenges to get you out of your comfort zones but once you are more confidence in your own voice then start finding the fun in creating your own challenges. Strategies, tactics, and techniques can be duplicated but content should be always be unique and authentic to you. Break free of the cycle of being the perpetual employee and look for more opportunities to be a leader.
Fear of failing.
The is a very real fear that many of us don’t want to admit that may happen if we put the control of our business into our own hands, and that is this. We might be the only one to blame if it doesn’t work out.
Let’s face it. None of us want to really take responsibility for a failed attempt. A passionate attempt that ends up failing can knock the wind out of us. Several failed attempts can completely debilitate us. What we have to remember, above all else, is that those who are successful at what they do pushed through one failed attempt after another. It is much easier to say our upline or company is at fault if we failed at our business. I want you to change your mindset right now and realize this one thing. Failed attempts help us focus on what went wrong, but through those trials comes the lessons we learn. We can’t truly sympathize and teach others how to do something right if we haven’t been on the wrong end at one point in time. The more mistakes we make, and come through, the better leaders we become to others. Wear those failed attempts as badges of honor! When you blame your leaders lack of leadership for your business not thriving you are giving them to much credit for your future. Remember, your leaders are your partners and your equals as entrepreneurs, not your boss.
It is up to you to stop the vicious cycle and realize you are more than capable of creating the dream job you signed up for in the first place. It is okay to be inspired by a leader, but if that inspiration goes away tomorrow, will your own motivation carry you through? If the answer is “no” then I urge you to get back to the head space you were in when you decided to go down the path of starting your own business. Also, if you only do what your leader/mentor instructs you to do, guess what kind of tribe you will attract? A team of people who will look to you to provide every step for them to make a move. That is fine when you have a few people on your team, maybe even a dozen, but when you eventually grow into a team that attracts thousands of people you will not be setting your everyday business to be reliable on your every move. You will find yourself chained to the business because you have not taught others to walk on their own. This keeps you from taking time off, tending to yourself and family as you fear your business will crumble the day you can’t show up. If your business relies on you being there 24/7 then you have now become an employee to your team as well.
The key to being your own boss is having the right mindset and being stubborn enough to know you have what it takes to succeed on your own. You already proved the kind of bad ass you are when you signed up to start your own business and make your own decisions for your life. That take-charge confidence you possessed when you signed up should not stop the moment you get your starter kit. Take pride in that fierceness and be open to your mentor’s ideas, but embrace that no one else is you and be excited about making your business your own. You will start to appreciate those who inspire for what they do but you but you won’t fall prey to needing their instruction to thrive. The moment you find that balance you will have broken the cycle from being a perpetual employee to bona fide boss babe.