T. Harv Eker writes in his book “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind” that if you want to reach a desired level of success, you should surround yourself with people who are already where you want to be.

After reading that passage, I took a moment to reflect & think if I knew anyone personally who are at the level I wish to be. My goal was to interview them and see what they had to say about becoming a wealthy entrepreneur and how they made it to where they are; because the saying is true: “It’s not what you know, but who you know.”

Now, I’m an advocate for education so knowledge is vital, but having connections can obviously help you to get where you’re going quicker.

I discovered that I had three connections, that is, three families that I knew personally who are wealthy entrepreneurs whom I could ask. These weren’t people I only knew online; these were people I knew from church and otherwise, been in their homes or shared a meal with.

So I reached out to them individually and asked if I could pose some questions for them on how they got to the level of success they get to enjoy today. My goal for these questions was to see if there were any common suggestions from all three; because if they all have commonalities between them then those are things I should focus on for my own home business.

As suspected, there was a common theme among all three families:

Interviewing Wealthy Entrepreneurs: What do they have in common?

NOTE: For the sake of anonymity, I will not reveal their names. 

In each interview, I expressed my own vision: Being fully self-employed (currently doing this part-time) with a certain level of income so I can provide the funds to comfortably support my family; to be able to give and sponsor children; and to make a way for my real dream: my music. 

Without beating around the bush, each family I spoke with said the same thing: Take a risk.

This is something that scares most people, but it’s an inevitability for those who are passionate about making their goals a reality.

Take a risk.

One family that I know who owns oil fields here in Texas said the following (paraphrasing): 

“If there is something you feel in your heart to do – do it. No matter what, you put your head down and push through the muck and mire… You must trust your heart and instincts… You won’t know if you’re doing it right, and you’ll do lots of things the wrong way until you learn from experience… but if you have a burning desire to go do something – you do it!”

I’ve known this family for about 3 years now through my wife and this is one beautiful and God fearing family. It empowered me to receive this advice because I know how successful they are and I know that these are people whom I can trust their knowledge and experience. Their overall message to me was to just do what you desire to do, regardless of what happens.

Another family I spoke to owns a company based on an invention they created and are selling, said the following (again, paraphrasing): 

“I recommend taking a calculated risk… you want to be able to support your family, but if you have a desire, you need to be bold enough to take that risk. You won’t know the outcome until you do it, but it is something worth choosing.”

I asked him what made him realize that he wanted to pursue being self-employed instead of working for a boss at a traditional 9-5 job. His response was, “I just never thought of myself working underneath somebody.” Which I understand fully… It feels too unnatural for me.

Still, you can see the overall message here is being bold, taking a risk and being prepared for what may come. Failure may be part of that experience, but failure doesn’t mean what you’re doing won’t work out. Failure is part of the learning curve. You shouldn’t be afraid of it. You should embrace it by learning from it and moving on with that knowledge.

My Message To YOU Who Is Interested In Being Self-Employed

Bottom line: Take-A-Risk!

It’s the scariest piece of advice I could give you or receive for myself but only the risk takers achieve greatness of this caliber. I look at these people I know and I see the homes they live in (HUGE) and the vibe given off by the neighborhoods they live in… It’s something I really want. I see so much for my own life and I’m excited for the opportunity to go into self-employment full-time in the near future.

Yes, it’s scary.

But the biggest rewards only occur through the greatest risks.

All I know is I recognize who I am and I recognize my desires. I’m willing to work hard for them and I’m thankful to be near those who already have the lifestyle I’m looking to obtain.

The question comes down to you… are you willing to do the same?