What drove you to want to start a legal nurse consulting business? What was the reason why you became an entrepreneur? What motivated you to take this step? Only a small percentage of the population are entrepreneurs. It is not an easy choice.
Independence: is this why you became an entrepreneur?
– Was it the desire to be your own boss? To be in charge of your destiny? No longer are you dependent on the whims of others, the politics of your work place, or the schedules of others.
One of the reasons I left my last job in 1987 was the desire to escape the politics of working within a hospital. But wait – as a legal nurse consultant, you are dependent on your client’s whims, the politics of case selection, and the schedules of others. So there has to be more.
As an entrepreneur, you can set up your business according to your standards, your needs, and your preferences. You have the opportunity to succeed in a field that you love.
Wealth
– Were you motivated by the chance to make an income higher than you could earn as an employee? Wealth is a potent motivator. Your income is capped as an employee.
Your income is not capped if you own your legal nurse consulting business. You have a child in college, a retirement fund to build up, and bills to pay. You hear the hourly rates of LNCs and find them appealing. The income I earned from just one of my clients was enough to put my oldest son through an Ivy League college education.
Recognition and fame
– Were you motivated by the desire for recognition and fame? You enjoy being rewarded for what you know, for the excellence of your work product, and when you hear about your clients’ successes when they use your services. You want to be more than “just a nurse” in a job. You may have been unappreciated in your previous job. I know I was.
Contribution
– Do you want to make a contribution? You enjoy using your nursing skills in a different way to make a difference in the life of a plaintiff or a defendant. One of my happiest days took place after my first trial when I learned the nurse I was hired to help defend was found not liable by the jury. I was also happy when my client got a $17 million settlement on a case I helped her with.
These factors may change with time and assume different levels of importance in your life. The key is to keep focused on why you started your business and how it rewards you. This knowledge helps you through the rough spots that invariably come with being a business owner.
This list of factors is based on a fascinating book I read called Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain: How I Went from Gang Member to Multimillionaire Entrepreneur. Ryan Blair went from being a gang member to a multimillionaire entrepreneur. You should read it. It will make you think about why you wanted to enjoy the freedom of being an entrepreneur.
Pat Iyer MSN RN LNCC has been an entrepreneur since 1987 when she last worked as an employee.
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