Being an entrepreneur: taking a leap into the 'known'By Nazir Daud of CityLocal: Entrepreneurialism can sound like a frightening word (and that's not just getting the spelling right!).

Unfortunately, many people assume that entrepreneurs are relentlessly successful go-getters flush with money, and the Midas touch that turns ideas into gold overnight.

The truth is very different. Ask any entrepreneur and they'll gladly put you right, and assure you that nothing could be further from the truth.

Ordinary people

Many people hold numerous misconceptions about independent business owners or sole traders, often generated from the media's obsession with the most successful entrepreneurs and the American Dream.

Let's look at what being an entrepreneur really means, and who these people really are.

Most entrepreneurs are ordinary people like you or me. They are very rarely high-flying successes who began life in the City; in fact, those who already have a successful career in gleaming Canary Wharf are the least likely to step away from the security of their desk, and brave the world alone.

Generally those who do take the initiative are those either fed up with the monotony or sheer frustration of many modern jobs, or who have a dream they have a burning desire to pursue.

We all have dreams, hopes and ambitions; entrepreneurs are, in the main, simply those people who have got up from their comfortable office chair with lumbar support and arm rests and stepped outside to do something about it. They are, largely speaking, passionate people, with self-belief and determination.

But let's consider the next assumption that tends to arise from such a discussion: risk. Most people – at least most people who have never tried it themselves – will happily tell you that starting out on your own is incredibly risky, will cost you a fortune, that you'll see very little income for years – and even that is assuming you survive long enough to earn anything.

Scaremongering

Most of this scaremongering is meant well, but generally comes from those who could never become entrepreneurs because they don’t have the self-belief or courage, and have locked away their dreams and ambition into a filing cabinet in the basement of the office block in which they have willingly becoming imprisoned, until released back into society when they retire.

Risk exists in anything, as we can readily see today, with businesses crashing and unemployment rising. There is no longer such a thing as job security, or a job for life – in any business.

If anything, entrepreneurialism is a way of protecting yourself, to a certain degree, as you can take greater control over your finances, job and future.

You become the boss, informed of all aspects of your business and having full control over its direction, And, of course, nobody can sack you!

Who can honestly say that as an employee they are kept fully informed of everything which could jeopardize their job or the company as a whole?

Entrepreneurialism is not risk free – but the risks are known and manageable. You're in control, and that alone can make a world of difference to your peace of mind. Much stress in life is attributable to not feeling in control.

If you have a business idea, a hobby you'd like to turn into a home business, a work-from-home opportunity you'd like to pursue, or a groundbreaking product or service you'd like to launch, then running your own business may well be for you, giving you the opportunity to follow your dreams, lower stress, feel in control and be positive about your future.

All you need is a plan, a dream and, of course, self-belief. 

The writer is the founder of CityLocal, the franchise opportunity for people who want to work from home and be their own boss