Curve that enthusiasm!

Enthusiasm, it can be your biggest allie or your arch enemy. It can be one of your best sources of motivation, it can encourage you to learn and try new things. Conversely it can create unrealistic expectations and goals leading to disappointment and ultimate failure.

Undoubtedly all aspiring entrepreneurs need enthusiasm without it motivation is likely to dwindle very quickly. The trick is to learn to control this enthusiam and to use it to your advantage. This, unfortunately can be easier said than done. As an aspiring entrepreneur you are likely to have a lot of believe and enthusiasm about your idea otherwise you wouldn't be pursuing your entrepreneurial venture. This will make you passionate and more determined to succeed. However if you are a completely new entrepreneur it may also lead to false hopes developing. You may think your idea is that good it deserves overnight success. Don't let your enthusiasm make you fall into this trap. Whatever your entreprenurial idea or venture is, to succeed, you are likely going to have to invest both time and effort. This can be a slow and long process. Additionally you may make mistakes along the way. When this happens use your enthusiasm to learn where you went wrong. When you have the right amount of enthusiasm an entrepreneur can even take good points from mistakes. Often experience can be the best way to learn. Having said this some mistakes can be avoided through managing your enthusiasm.


As a new entrepreneur you are likely to have lots of different ideas about your venture and lots of different directions you can go in to develop your business idea further and further. As with most things, don't let your enthusiasm for your idea lead you to try running before you can walk. Even the most experienced entrepreneurs would struggle to make a number of different ideas all successful at the same time. If you persue too many ideas all at once it is most likely they will all fail. You need to learn to focus your enthusiasm on one direction or one idea at a time. Therefore it is important that you write down all of your ideas. A notebook that you use just for your business ideas could be useful. Don't feel that just becasue you can't pursue them at the moment you won't be able to in the future. Writing these ideas down may also enable you to prioritise these ideas and gain an idea of which ones to pursue first.

Now you have all your ideas written down you can use your enthusiasm to your advantage and focus on one idea at a time. Here are some important things to remember about the risks of being over enthusiastic:

• Don't let enthusiasm cloud your judgement and make unwise decisions.

• Don't become a spammer because of enthusiasm. As a new entrepreneur you will want to tell as many people as you can about your venture. However you need to do this in a responsible manner. Trying to sell (particularly on forums) straight away could damage your reputation.

• Don't badger and oversell your idea. Most people can smell a sales pitch from a mile away and switch off as soon as one starts. If your service or product is that good then it will sell itself once you have established it.

• Don't let your enthusiasm spoil relationships with potential customers. Take time to develop a relationship before trying to sell. If you want customers to keep coming back and using your service or product you will need to build a trusting relationship. This can take time but will be worth it. But remember trust is quickly broken and hard to repair.

• Don't let enthusiasm make you inpatient. Success is very rarely instant and almost never happens overnight. Keep your expectations realistic and make your goals achievable. This should help you maintain an efficient level of enthusiasm.

• Enthusiasm could do your image more harm than good if you do not learn to control it.

However do remember that if you are not enthusiastic about your idea and vision you can't expect other people to be. Enthusiasm is important for a number of reasons one big reason being it can increase productivity and focus when utilised correctly. Without enthusiasm you may find it difficult to succeed especially during challenging times. Being self aware about your enthusiasm is one way in which you can learn to manage and control it. You will need to monitor your enthusiasm to use it to its fullest.

If you would like to evaluate your ideas in an objective manner and not let your enthusiasm get the better of you when deciding whether you should run with an idea then read my post Entrepreneurs - SWOT that plan! If after this you decide the idea you had thought of is not going to work at present then read my Squidoo lens I Want to be a Entrepreneur to learn techniques for generating new entrepreneur business ideas.

To summarise enthusiasm can be both harmful or beneficial to the aspiring entrepreneur. Among other things being able to nuture and manage your enthusiasm may determine how successful you are on your quest as an aspiring entrepreneur.

Remember this blog has been designed for the aspiring entrepreneur to gather information and to gain hints and tips. It should not be used to make investment or career decisions. Always ensure you seek the appropriate professional advice before making investment or career decisions.