You do realize that MLM entrepreneurs and employees have mutually exclusive mindsets, don’t you? Interestingly, some of these traits can already be seen even before an individual becomes an employee or a business owner. But it is usually when people assume roles either as entrepreneurs or employees that it becomes obvious that some individuals possess a set of personality traits best suited for specific activities.

I do not want to add to the age-long debate about whether this mindset is inborn or can be nurtured (i.e. acquired). Let’s just relax with the truth that entrepreneurs and employees have mindsets peculiar to themselves.

Meanwhile, whether or not you are going to excel as an MLM entrepreneur will depend on the set of mindsets you are bringing into your business. Some traits necessary for a successful career as an employee may not serve you well if you want to venture out on your own. This explains why some highly successful corporate executives flop spectacularly in trying to run their own business. Conversely, it also explains why some ‘lousy’ employees turn out to become good business owners!

The fact is some people come into MLM with all their employee mindset intact. You can tell who is an employee at heart from the way they make business decisions, how they handle problems, their attitude toward money, the way they treat employees and vendors, etc. Why not use the following checklist to see whether you possess an entrepreneur or an employee’s mindset? This 5-minute exercise could mean the difference between success and failure in your home business.

Employees versus entrepreneurs’ mindset: An employee wants immediate reward. Sometimes they spend benefits even before it is paid out.An entrepreneur on the hand is ready to wait for the investment to grow and for the company to become stronger. In the process he may even reap a larger reward. That’s precisely how the rich get richer-compounded investments!

An employee looks for who to blame when a problem arises in a business. An entrepreneur looks for the solution. Regardless of who caused it, he fixes the problem and moves on. An employee mindset asks: What benefit will you give me if I do this? But an entrepreneur mindset ponders: what value will that create? An employee mindset sees a downturn in the national economy as a reason to retreat. An entrepreneur mindset sees it as a great opportunity, since there’ll be less competition in the marketplace.

An employee insists on his paycheck first. But an entrepreneur knows that the only way future growth and profit can be guaranteed is to pay vendors first, employees next, and owner last. He meticulously follows this order, and the “leftover” for him is always the largest portion. An employee sees a problem as an obstacle. He waits for who will solve it. If none is forthcoming, he begins to seriously consider quitting. An entrepreneur knows that challenges are common to all companies, not just his.

He also knows that it is in solving problems or surmounting challenges that a great fortune is made. With this mindset he sets about looking for (and often finding) the solution to any challenge that his business encounters.Employees and entrepreneurs also differ in their attitude toward money. Whereas the average employee believes that being rich means having lots of cash, an entrepreneur knows that being rich or wealthy means much more than mere cash.

Network marketing is, and will remain the best choice of business for those desiring to work for themselves. But being an entrepreneur requires that you think differently from an employee. To some persons these traits come naturally. But for those who have gotten too used to corporate jobs, this mindset will need to be developed and internalized. Meanwhile unless you are able to make this shift in your mindset, your goals and dreams in MLM will never be realized.