Want To Be a Successful Entrepreneur? Don’t Make This Mistake

If you feel burnt out, your business is probably out of alignment with your personality type

A few years ago (okay, more than a few), I was walking home from elementary school with my report card in hand. I was one of those kids that got good grades, so I wasn’t afraid to hand my report card over to my parents. I was excited because it generally meant I got a reward, like a chocolate bar or some other treat that translated into a “Very Exciting Event” for a child.

My Mum finished reading my report card and looked up at me with a puzzled look on her face.

“This is great, Car, but your teacher commented that you never raise your hand in class, even though he can tell you know the answer. Why don’t you want to share?”

This is an excellent time to tell you I’m an introvert, and even as a kid, I understood the power of quiet. I figured fifteen other people were dying to prove they knew the answer, pick one of them and leave me alone. Wasn’t it enough that I knew the answer? Why did I have to scream about it too?

Fast forward to today, and perhaps it’s no surprise that I chose copywriting as a career. After all, Google good careers for introverts and “writer” appears twice on the list!

But I didn’t know anything about matching your personality to your business when I was trying to decide what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Instead, I wrote out a list of how I wanted my day to look, then backtracked and found a career that would fit it, which just happened to turn into a business. I wrote things like work from home in my pajamas, not have to talk to people all day, set my hours, be able to travel, etc. Then I stumbled into copywriting, and voila, a perfect fit!

But a lot of business owners don’t consider their personality type in their business model. Instead, they forge ahead with the misguided notion that “the customer is always right.” Mentors have told them that they have to bend over backward to give the customer what they want — often at the expense of their own happiness. So they create offers and services that are out of alignment with who they are and the lifestyle they want to live.

If you’re dissatisfied or unhappy in your business right now, you’re likely making this mistake and have created a business that doesn’t match your personality type. Don’t despair — you can still fix this! Here are some considerations to determine if your professional lifestyle matches your personality type.

Consideration #1: How do you recharge your batteries?

Does spending time around other people deplete your energy? Do you feel reenergized after you’ve had time alone — sometimes days? That’s me, but some people are the opposite: Spending time alone drains them, and they need to be around other people to charge their batteries.

What scenario energizes you — alone or with others? Does your career or business allow you ample time to recharge? For example, if you’re a coach who feels depleted around large groups of people, do you schedule days alone to recharge after big speaking events? Your professional lifestyle needs to match your personality type; otherwise, burnout will creep up on you (if you aren’t already feeling it.)

“The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed.” — Chinese proverb

Consideration #2: What makes you feel fulfilled?

Do you love teaching people how to do stuff, or would you rather do it yourself? Do you enjoy coaching someone through a stuck point, or do you constantly have to bite your tongue and stop yourself from giving advice? Does getting up and speaking in front of 1,000 strangers excite you or make you sweat through your shirt? Now consider in-person events versus online ones — do you have the same aversion or propensity for both?

This is different than #1, recharging your batteries. This is about what acts of service bring you joy and excitement. For example, spending time in groups of people might drain you, but you could also love the sense of satisfaction you feel after successfully facilitating a group coaching session. That’s totally okay, and it gives you insight into how to structure your business. You can offer group coaching as a service, but be sure to schedule “off” days just for you after each session.

“The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” — Michelangelo

Consideration #3: What’s your love language?

Even your love language can influence your satisfaction with your business. I know, it sounds crazy. I didn’t think of this one on my own; it came from Denise Duffield Thomas in her book Chillpreneur. (Read it!!)

Denise says you can use your love language to help you feel more comfortable in your business. I found this out for myself the other day. The Marketing Director for my main client praised my funnel copywriting skills at our daily standup meeting. He said how well I had done in front of 20 people on a Zoom call, and I hated it. I wanted to feign internet issues and “drop off” the call. Instead, I typed “Thank you” in the chat and left it at that.

Why did I hate it? I have a physical aversion to affirmations; that’s how much they aren’t my love language. Acts of service and quality time are 1,000% my love languages. This also explains why I feel let down when my client doesn’t deliver a bonus for excellent work, just verbal praise.

Now think about your love languages. (If you don’t know what they are, you can do a free online quiz.) Is your business set up in such a way that supports them?

In Chillpreneur, Denise said she asked her team to stop reading her gushing emails from customers. (Like me, affirmations aren’t her cup of tea.) Once she did, she felt way more comfortable in her business! What tiny changes can you make in your business to ensure you feel loved by it and not put off?

“My love language is when people’s words match their actions.” — Unknown

Your next steps

A lot of small businesses don’t make it past their first year. Could this be in part because the business doesn’t match the owner’s personality type? I think so. After digging deeper into this topic, I’m planning on making serious changes in my own business in 2021 (more on that to come.)

If you want to apply what you learned in this article and take it beyond an interesting read, I challenge you to do two things:

1. Take a personality test. This Myers-Briggs profile test is free. The Enneagram Test is also a popular option, but you have to pay for it.
2. Once you have your personality type results, seriously consider how you can tweak your business to better align with your personality and strengths, so you feel more fulfilled and content in your professional life.