Entrepreneur Mindset Development Tool
About The Entrepreneur Mindset Development Tool
Running your own business? Working as a freelancer? Thinking of leaving the corporate rat race and setting up on your own? Take the EMDT and find out your strengths and weaknesses for entrepreneurship, if you need a little help our accredited coaches can help!
About the EMDT Team
Aime used some of the profits from her other ventures to beta test the EMDT and then get it coded, then she ran out of money. The traditional models of funding would have been to borrow the money, find a financial backer, or wait to earn enough money in other ways to pay for the final development. But Aime being Aime (she does have a tendency to find unusual solutions to problems!) she decided to do something else entirely.
Through her other businesses she had met lots of interesting people, and with her HR background she was used to doing executive resourcing and development. So she picked 3 entrepreneur’s that she knew had complementary and useful skills, and that could work well together. She then sold the intellectual property (IP) to a new company for £1. That new company (Shevolution Ltd) then has 4 equal owners and business partners (Kelly, Kelly and Clare). Each of us is working for free to build a company that we can then all benefit from.
What’s your superpower?
Passion is my superpower. I tend to do things full on and all in! Whilst I’m at constant risk of burnout and overwhelm, running a business with a team helps me to manage this as I can ask for help and take time out when I need to. My passion means I keep going till the job is done, and care deeply about me team, colleagues and our customers. I love nothing more than spending days researching, planning, and thinking about our next project!
Why did you decide to run your own business?
I grew up with a strong public service ethos (my parents are teachers, my sister is a police officer and my brother is a firefighter). Having run large HR departments in the NHS and local government I got increasingly frustrated with the red tape. Running a business allows me to support people in a much more creative way with far fewer restrictions!
What’s the best piece of advice you were given on your own entrepreneur journey?
Understand the problem your customer wants you to solve. HR and the public sector are often about delivering something someone thinks the public should need. Switching my mindset to ask what customers want and need has been key in designing products and services that delight customers and keep them coming back!
Share your journey/experience to today:
My entrepreneurial journey had been a rollercoaster. There had been so much to learn, but I’ve thrown myself in and just kept adapting to feedback. I’ve had to learn about social media, marketing, sales, networking and VAT. I’ve met some amazing people, scaled a business to an annual turnover of £1.4 million, won an award and ended up as a head judge at the Niche Awards. It’s been crazy, but it is the best thing I’ve ever done!
Favourite way to spend a day off?
Eating and drinking with friends in the sunshine preferably near water.
EMDT RESULTS
Locus of Control: 39
Risk Tolerance: 40
Ambiguity Tolerance: 43
Optimism: 48
Curiosity: 48
Self Efficacy: 44
Growth Mindset: 38
What’s your superpower?
Creativity HAHA! I also highly rate my skills of patience and seeing the bigger picture (comes in handy for a marketing strategy and life … usually only other peoples tho)
Why did you decide to run your own business?
I was working REALLY hard for a corporate and the rewards were great but as I was given more responsibility, I ended up doing less and less design, which is my actual joy spot, zone of genius, call it what you like, I was missing it. And getting frustrated with corporate BS. It was time to take a leap of faith.
What’s the best piece of advice you were given on your own entrepreneur journey?
A few really, here’s some that have stuck:
If you don’t know your numbers, your business is just a hobby.
Persistent consistency equals results.
Good enough and out the door is better than nearly perfect and still in the drawer (a tough one to follow for a perfectionist designer!!)
It’s not selling, it’s a conversation that may lead to you helping another business.
Share your journey/experience to today:
Graphic designer since I trained at college, left corporate life as Creative Director. 20 years running my own business. Love learning so have broadened my skills into web design, social media, marketing and book publishing. My passion is being a part of my clients business success.
Favourite way to spend a day off?
Can include any or as many of these components:
Friends and/or Family with;
beach or spa day + cocktails + laughs + hugs = happy Clare
EMDT RESULTS
Locus of Control: 42
Risk Tolerance: 34
Ambiguity Tolerance: 36
Optimism: 41
Curiosity: 40
Self Efficacy: 36
Growth Mindset: 33
Kelly Allen
The Organised One
What’s your superpower?
Being naturally organised and efficient. I have always been a well organised person, even as a child my homework was done on the day it was handed out, not at the last minute like most of my classmates.
As I went into the working world, I found out that being organised and efficient does not come naturally to most people, so I worked on these skills to fill a gap in the market. After 10 years in corporate jobs, I started my own business offering administration support to small businesses and have never looked back.
Why did you decide to run your own business?
I was not a great fit for the corporate world… I march to the beat of my own drum, I do not suffer fools gladly, I speak my mind, and I do not look like the expected administrator at a large corporate company. Then one day my employer faked my resignation… that’s right, they lied to get rid of me. The next day I sat down with my CV and a highlighter pen… and Admin Assassin Ltd was born.
What’s the best piece of advice you were given on your own entrepreneur journey?
Believe in yourself, and don’t worry. Life is too short to worry about the what ifs. If you are passionate, and confident in your business others will be too. With anything in life, just be your authentic self and the world is yours.
Share your journey/experience to today:
I was very lucky to have a lot of support when I started my business, most of my family are self-employed. But I hit a bump in the road about 1 year in when I escaped a very abusive relationship, I nearly lost everything, and I had to put my big girl knickers on and build everything up again!
Now… I am happily married to the man of my dreams, and he works along side me in the business. I am also Vice Chair of our local Pride committee and love supporting our local Queer community.
I love my business, I love my husband, and I love my life.
Favourite way to spend a day off?
My husband and I are historical re-enactors, and we spend our summer weekends doing historical displays around the country. So, on our day off we are usually taking part in a Viking battle or a WW2 skirmish.
EMDT RESULTS
Locus of Control: 45
Risk Tolerance: 36
Ambiguity Tolerance: 19
Optimism: 43
Curiosity: 29
Self Efficacy: 46
Growth Mindset: 31
Kelly Mayne
The Techie One
What’s your superpower?
My enjoyment of learning and research! I am a self-taught web developer and if I didn’t love learning this would be a horrible job! A lot of tech is learning new stuff and you do that by researching!
I am the one everyone comes to if they want to get a good deal when online shopping! I am also very partial to a bargain and try very hard to never pay full price – there is always a coupon code out there.
Why did you decide to run your own business?
I have a medical condition that makes it difficult to be employed. I figured I couldn’t fire myself! (Well I could …)
I had two choices, as I wasn’t able to work a regular job, I could have claimed benefits (which is a totally valid life choice – no hate to anyone that claims, it just wasn’t for me) or start a business. Apart from my family and friends, my business is the best thing in my life and something I am extremely proud of. I am so glad I went for it, it’s not always been easy, but it has always been mine. My hard work and my success!
What’s the best piece of advice you were given on your own entrepreneur journey?
Just keep going, be consistent and stick it out. Its not sexy or glamorous, there is no quick easy way. When you want to give up or be distracted by the latest shinny object (my issue) dig in deep and just keep going. “Just keep swimming” – Dorie.
Share your journey/experience to today:
Due to a medical condition I decided to start a business. I tried several things, a market stall (selling things I loved, but nobody else wanted to buy!). A computer building business that mostly went well apart from melting a motherboard! (Sorry hubby!) and then I got “Web design For Dummies” out of the library and never looked back! I have been running my web design business for 14 years am now and still geek out just as much now about coding as I did all those years ago!
I am also married to a wonderful chap who also runs his own business, and have two amazing children (5 months and 4 years).
Favourite way to spend a day off?
A sunny summers day at home / garden with two content children and a happy husband. Maybe going for a family walk in the woods down the road.
EMDT RESULTS
Locus of Control: 44
Risk Tolerance: 39
Ambiguity Tolerance: 34
Optimism: 38
Curiosity: 41
Self Efficacy: 41
Growth Mindset: 46
Why Be A Collaborative Entrepreneur?
Some might consider this a little unusual, and maybe even a little risky. Why give away the potential to make lots of money? Why give away control? We asked Aime this and her response was…
“100% of £0 is still nothing, and 25% of lots is still lots. And if we do make lots of money, I’d much rather be sitting on the beach drinking cocktails celebrating with 3 fabulous business partners than on my own. What fun would that be?”
And that kind of sums up Aime (who calls herself a collaborative entrepreneur), and all of us. Yes, we need to make enough money to pay the bills, and yes, we’d like to make enough money to buy a few fun things (Kelly has already picked out her Gothic Mansion), but fundamentally we aren’t driven by money or traditional measures of success. We like working with people, helping them to thrive, having a little fun along the way, and being able to decide when and where to work. There will no doubt be bumps along the way, but life tends to be bumpy anyway, at least we will get to ride this rollercoaster with like minded friends!
