I have worked with many entrepreneurs and no single one of them likes an insensitive employee –someone who works in the company but lacks an understanding of the challenges at hand. No business owner wants staff who makes outrageous requests oblivious of the realities on the ground.

One such example is what a restaurant owner confided in me about one of his top management staff, who is privy of the challenges the business was going through but went ahead to ask for a salary increment. Really!

For emphasis: imagine an employee going to the business owner to ask for a salary increment when the business is struggling to pay bills like rent, utilities, tax, and junior employees this fact is clearly known?

I could go on and on. A good staff thinks like a business owner. Within a short time, such a staff is given higher responsibilities to work closely with the business owner. Once you demonstrate the maturity to have a seat at the high table, you soon get it.

Imagine a situation where all the junior employees in the company are asking for an overtime allowance, and you happen to be the lone voice trying to explain how the company may not afford it at the time since the focus is on improve the company’s product quality! Or getting it known to the staff that before they ask for overtime allowance, they need to invest and sacrifice for the business to make it more stable?

If the business owner hears that will already bring you close to the high table. They will know you have passion, understanding and business acumen. That is what separates average employees from business partners.

All business owners have told me that they run the business to live a good life and that soon they will retire. Their biggest challenge is finding business partners who can continue running the business when they are retired. And what a pleasure it would be identifying a business partner from one of the staff.

You don’t have to resign your job and start your own company to become an entrepreneur. Just demonstrate your entrepreneurship acumen and thinking at your current job. If you work with an entrepreneur, you are already close to becoming one. The same company you work in will take you on as one of the partners. And before you know it, you will be a business owner.

It is important to note that the issue of admitting anyone as a shareholder is tough since people grow ‘ego’ once they change the status from employee to shareholder. So, only someone that has been consistently outstanding and doing things in the interests of the business is considered for such an opportunity.

Copyright 2019. Mustapha B Mugisa, All rights reserved.