Conclusion
Hopefully this book has helped you understand what it means to have the entrepreneurial mindset and learn how to HUNT. Most people tell me when they apply the HUNT principles to their careers they have a light-bulb moment of "Of course!" Succeeding financially isn't an either/or proposition. We're not living with two black-and-white choices: Business founders who strike it rich with money-making companies or peons who work for the business owners. If we consciously work at it, we can have the best of both worlds by leveraging our talents and choosing our employers well. However, sometimes we get so caught up in our responsibilities and failures that we forget that we do have control.
There's a direct relationship between control and worry; people who feel in control of their destiny don't have as many worries as those who feel like victims. Having an attitude of ownership at any size company—large or small—gives you the control. Control equals freedom, and freedom equals time, and time equals choice. So take the 18 lessons in this book, put as many of them into action as possible, and enjoy a life with less worry. It's not enough to make more money; what's the point of more money if you're hopped up all the time and worried sick. Remember, you have more control over your career than you think—you can have more of whatever you want, whether that's more time or more freedom—while worrying less.
Before you turn the last page of this book, I want to reiterate the importance of living within your means and staying out of debt. There is a lot of advice about how to do this, but it mainly comes down to paying out less than you bring in. Even though the goal of this book is to help you bring in more cash, be careful that you don't keep expanding your lifestyle with every bonus and every raise. If you're in debt now, use your raises and bonuses to get out of debt and stay there. When you reach that point, consider it your baseline lifestyle, and use that new income to invest in the future or stash it away for a rainy day.
That way, you can take the risk on a new job or career—and if it doesn't work out you won't be bankrupt 2 weeks after you lose your job. You'll sleep a lot better at night if you have a financial cushion. If you're in debt, go without new things—for a little while—until you get that reserve built up.
Don't get me wrong: I think scrimping and saving are overrated. Most people could use a little scrimping, but they could also stand to increase their income. All the coupon-clipping in the world isn't going to give you a raise. Go ahead and watch your expenses, but then go out and leverage your talents, and increase your income. If you do that, you will build wealth.
After all, watching expenses and increasing income are what business owners do. You can do it too. We all want the combination of money, freedom, and corporate security that the entrepreneurial mindset offers.
Right now, as you set out to actively manage your career, imagine where you want to be at certain ages in the future. You can do this at any age: It works if you're in your 20s or 50s or beyond. Picture what you want and when you want it. Age-based goal setting is a great way to keep ourselves on task.
The HUNT isn't about coming up with a great idea; it's about the execution of great ideas. The word entrepreneur comes from the French for "to undertake." You can undertake the management of your career. And you do this by executing ideas—not coming up with them. How many people are going to come up with delivery pizza? Or new software? But we can all leverage our talents to help execute the great ideas behind all those companies out there. All it takes is using your skills and interests and optimistically and energetically applying yourself to execute those great ideas. It's simple, but it's not easy. You can use the entrepreneurial mindset to move forward—starting with today.