It’s all in how you frame your value

I spent the first decade of my career running my own publishing business.

And upon deciding to transition into the corporate world, one of my biggest fears was that being an entrepreneur had made me unemployable.

Because what company in their right mind would hire some dreamer who was always one step away from embarking on his next creative, world changing venture?

Do organizations really need another person on the team who won’t care about the success or failure of any business he isn’t actively running?

There’s no way. Most organizations are growth dinosaurs anyway. They’re not interested in hiring creative visionaries that belong out in the wild. They’d rather preserve the status quo.

But to my surprise and delight, having an entrepreneurial background was less of a curse and more of a blessing. It’s all in how you frame the value.

When I did job interviews and could feel the hiring manager getting that skeptical sparkle in their eye, here’s what I’d tell them:

Entrepreneurs show a higher orientation for autonomy, problem solving and risk taking. We have an owner’s mindset, thinking and acting as if the company is our own business. We’ve unflinchingly faced a host of business cataclysms that would wilt most other employees. And we perceive finite resources like time and money and energy differently than people who have only worked for others. That’s the kind of person you want on your team. As long as the company doesn’t suffocate the entrepreneur with process, and incentivizes them according to their core value of freedom, then it’s a smart hire.

I’m reminded of a piece of advice my mentor gave me when I first started my business out of college. When you build a company from scratch, he said, one of the first lessons you learn is, this business is your responsibility and things must be done to keep it alive. No one else is going to do it.

Bill’s words scared me initially. Knowing that I would have to bear the weight of myself on my shoulders was an intimidating prospect.

But that experience ultimately made me a better person. It gave me perspective and wisdom and humility. Painting myself into that entrepreneurial corner was a positive predicament that became the forcing function for growth.

Which doesn’t mean there weren’t mistakes, failures, regrets and the occasional class action lawsuits along the way. Nobody’s perfect.

But don’t assume that you’re too big, too small, too old, too entrepreneurial, too whatever, and companies won’t hire you because of that.

Anyone can turn their weaknesses into assets and tactical advantages.

Anyone can prove themselves wrong about their perceived limitations.

It’s all in how you frame your value.

How are you increase awareness of your own downside?