Becoming an entrepreneur is a bold path to choose in life, because it brings its own unique challenges, sometimes even individually capable of pushing a person to their limits. What you need to succeed down that line is determination, bravery, and of course, hard work. And even if you tick all those boxes, it’s almost a given that the playing field will mostly be tilted against you.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that one in five new businesses fails inside its first year, and close to half of these fail inside the beginning five years. On top of that, Guidant Financial has found that 42% of all businesses fail for the simple reason that they overestimate the market for their wares, and 29% contend with lack of the cash flow that would have sustained them.
The odds definitely don’t favor the bold, but more people each day are choosing to set out on a path that promises rewards and riches beyond their dreams. The main benefits they seek are power, money, freedom, worldwide recognition, and flexibility.
Dennis Jenkins, Jr. is a tried-and-true—and successful—real estate professional who focuses on development and construction, and is a person who truly understands what entrepreneurship means. According to him, the dream itself results from an innate desire rather than from a whim. Jenkins, Jr. has amassed a portfolio worth $10 million, which is why the expertise he brings to the table is not to be taken lightly.
As he points out, there are plenty of people who get into entrepreneurship for the wrong reasons. The motivation that sets them on the path just won’t cut it a few years down the line, as evidenced by many entrepreneurs spending up to decades before reaching the levels of success and financial freedom that they originally aimed for. Despite his current success, he remembers the hurdles that beset him on the way, and these weren’t just at the beginning either. Jenkins, Jr. recently ventured into the commercial cleaning sphere, with a firm named Executive Commercial Cleaning (ECC). Despite his commercial cleaning and real estate being related, there are expected challenges in both. But Jenkins, Jr. says this keeps things interesting, and keeps him motivated.
“Entrepreneurship is not for people with faint hearts, and new entrepreneurs often make the mistake of setting their sights on money and fame, or what I like to call material reasons,” explains Dennis Jenkins, Jr. “But entrepreneurship needs something more than just a material end goal because the journey to the top is hard and exhausting. You need to aim for something bigger than yourself and use that to fuel your success.”
“Entrepreneurial work never stops, as there is always the next challenge to tackle. I’m always looking for something new—a new challenge. So, I think that there’s never an end goal for a true entrepreneur,” he says, adding, “A few years ago, I never would have imagined I would have started something like this. But just seeing where it’s taken me is a reward by itself. This just proves that as an entrepreneur, you should never limit your options, but keep them always open.”
