By Ailén Denise Rodríguez

Time changes and costumes pass by. The era of stable lifetime jobs for business professionals within a single company is gone. Companies are rightsized quickly now as markets change rapidly, and business professionals are quick to jump on new opportunities for growth and survival, with no ties to special benefits or pension plans. Thus smart business professionals are rapidly becoming the new entrepreneurs. Of course, entrepreneurs delivering services have existed for some time, including business consultant, independent contractor, and freelancer titles.

Many language professionals wonder how they can become entrepreneurs and if it is better for them to have an independent work.
People should know that they don’t need to invent an innovative product or technology to be a real entrepreneur. The cost of entry as services professional is at an all-time low, with powerful free tools to create your own website, cheap incorporation of yourself as a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) via the Internet, and community colleges offering courses for anyone in the new technologies.

First of all, what defines an entrepreneur and molds his/her skills slowly is a combination of experiential and traditional learning. An entrepreneur is always looking for a way to take my education and experience and use it to create a thriving business that would make a real difference, one that they could grow into a powerhouse.
It is an excellent option to attend several courses. Most colleges and universities offer basic and advanced business courses designed to teach general, traditional concepts. However, even though these courses are necessary to learn foundational business principles, they don’t teach people how to be an entrepreneur. They only provide a roadmap. Everyone must also learn specific skills and knowledge in a very non-traditional way if they seek to excel as entrepreneurs.

People can attend to universities’ classes to gain the background or refresher knowledge needed to maintain or perfect their skills. These institutions, coupled with dozens of certificate programs and seminars, were used to gain knowledge and provide with tools to creatively solve problems.

However, even a certification program is not an assurance of success as an entrepreneur. It takes time, dedication and work.

So, do people need to go to so many institutions of higher learning to be a Professional Entrepreneur? The answer is no. You can gain knowledge almost anywhere if you are open to learning.

Furthermore, do people need to speak and present to be a Professional Entrepreneur? Well, it definitely helps a whole lot. When relating to others you gain a lot of knowledge. 
It is essential to get to know people. Speak to people at conferences, get some business cards made, and follow up leads, no matter how small. Language professionals should learn to just ask, in order to generate new job opportunities that eventually will enable them to specialize maybe in writing digital material or gaining new skills.
Furthermore, online networking is very useful for becoming a freelance. People should learn how to take advantages of technology. For instances, an English professional may found that English language teaching-related websites such as Dave’s ESL Café or translation-related websites as Proz Freelance Translators and Translators Companies are really helpful when they first started teaching or translating, particularly the forums to ask for advice. Besides, people can look for links with other fields and industries. The skills they develop when working in English language translation or teaching relate to so much more than just private language schools or global publishers. It is an excellent advice to think about how social networking can strength people’s brand.

However, online networking doesn’t have to be separate from face-to-face networking. The blogs also allow people to engage with other professionals and therefore gain new skills. Also, this may help them to recognize their weaknesses and strive to shore them up by learning from experts, mentors, professors and other professionals.
Finally, before taking a decision about someone’s professional future, he/she may wonder if being an entrepreneur gives him/her more benefits than working for a company. Well, it actually depends on how everyone sees it. But in my opinion, being freelance, despite the occasional frustration and unpaid holidays, really is about being free; people are free to make their own choices and steer their own path. Entrepreneurship is a positive in uncoupling them from a dependency on a single company or boss, but the downside is that they have to suddenly manage all facets of a business, including finances, strategy, and savings for the future.
So, if someone has some resources, some skills, and some confidence in his/herself, maybe it’s time for his/her to jump on the entrepreneurial bandwagon. There is no longer any excuse for a professional businessperson or be stuck in a position they don’t enjoy and can’t control. The entrepreneur lifestyle is much more satisfying and has unlimited potential.

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