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Entrepreneur = Bending the Rules, Carefully

This is going to be a tough post to write, because unless you're an entrepreneur, you're probably going to take what I have to say the wrong way.

Being an entrepreneur means bending the rules... carefully.  (It does not mean breaking the rules).  Here's an example - a litmus test, if you will - about what the mentality of being an entrepreneur is all about:

If you are male, and you are in a Starbucks, say, or any location that has a "women's" and "men's" bathroom, and the men's bathroom is occupied, would you use the women's bathroom?  Let's assume that it's just 1 person per bathroom, meaning if you were to use the women's bathroom, you could lock the door and know that no other women would come in.

Now, as an entrepreneur, my mentality is that both bathrooms are, generally speaking, exactly the same.  One just has a sign that says "women" and one has a sign that says "men".  To me, I would be bending the rules by using the women's bathroom.  Of course, I would be extra courteous when in the women's bathroom (think: "don't sprinkle when you tinkle"), but I would have no problem using the women's bathroom, because the signage is meant more as a guide than an absolute.  This is the mind of an entrepreneur in action, folks!  Some people would steadfastly argue that the bathrooms are not interchangeable.  If that's your mentality, then you probably wouldn't make a very good entrepreneur.  I'd love to hear your comments on this perspective.

UPDATE:

Make yourself uncomfortable and earn $20

Buy three (or more) flight pass codes for $6.50 each, and sell them for more to passengers on the flight.

I like little exercises like this (like when I hacked a Vegas cab line), because being a salesperson is uncomfortable.  Creating value can be a scary, anxiety ridden process.  You have to talk to people you don't know, who aren't expecting to talk to you, and often whose first reaction isn't welcoming.  You have to overcome all these obstacles and get them to see the value you're bringing.

That's why while making $20 off a couple of passes isn't a material amount of money, it's very material in the skills you need to use and hone to sell other, more expensive services or goods.

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