What is a wantrapreneur? How I stopped being one (and how you can too)

What is a wantrapreneur?

A wantrapreneur is someone who wants to be an entrepreneur but never takes the action that would make them one.

The word is a mix of want and entrepreneur. It's not an insult. Almost every entrepreneur I know was one at some point, me included.

The difference between a wantrapreneur and an entrepreneur isn't knowledge, money or talent. It's shipping. An entrepreneur puts something out into the world and lets real people react to it. A wantrapreneur keeps getting ready.

Signs you might be a wantrapreneur

Be honest with yourself here. I had most of these:

• You have a new business idea every month, and you haven't launched any of them.
• You've bought more courses than you've finished.
• You spend more time learning about business than doing business.
• You're waiting for the right time, the right idea or the right amount of money.
• You worry about what people will think when you finally share it.
• You've made $0 from your idea, even though you've been working on it for months.

If 3 or more sound like you, you're not lazy. You're stuck in preparation. That's fixable.

The new wantrapreneur trap: AI

AI has made it easier than ever to start a business. It's also made it easier than ever to stay a wantrapreneur.

Today you can spend a week testing AI tools, saving prompts, building a logo and asking ChatGPT for business plans, and still have nothing a customer can buy.

It feels like progress. It isn't.

The test is simple: at the end of the week, did a real person see what you made? If not, you were preparing, even if AI did the work.

Used the right way, AI removes the old excuses. You can build a landing page, write a sales email and draft a first product in an afternoon. So the only question left is whether you'll put it out there.

My story: from wanting to doing

2010 to 2012: the wantrapreneur years

After 4 years of law school in Stockholm, I was frustrated and bored. Around 2010, I started my personal development journey.

I read Think and Grow Rich and How to Win Friends and Influence People. I went to more and more meetups. I traveled to London for seminars. I got the bug to start a lifestyle business and become a digital nomad.

In 2012 I took a part-time bank job to pay the bills, and hired my first mentor. It was the first time I ever invested in myself, and we're still good friends today.

But I jumped from one idea to another with no clear direction. I procrastinated a lot, to say the least. I was still a law student, on paper at least. I wasn't going to class much, if at all.

Think and Grow Rich

N

by Napoleon Hill

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill lays out 13 steps for turning a definite desire into money, from faith and persistence to the Master Mind.

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How to Win Friends and Influence People

D

by Dale Carnegie

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie teaches timeless principles for building strong relationships, improving communication.

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2013: the turning point

In early 2013, I finally had a plan: a fitness website to go with my dedication to a healthy, fit lifestyle. I was on the verge of launching it.

Then, on 4 April 2013, my mom called. My younger brother Simon had suddenly passed away. He was only 22.

It was the worst thing that has ever happened to me. At his funeral, I committed myself to creating an extraordinary life, no matter how long it took. The doubters didn't matter anymore.

In May, I dropped the fitness website and decided to document my entrepreneurial journey on a blog instead. I had no experience and no connections in my industry. I joined my first online course, and met Jan Koch and many other entrepreneurs who became part of my network.

In June 2013, my blog went live. My first post was an interview with Pat Flynn.

In July, I made my first sale online: an affiliate commission of $65.

It was a tiny number. But it was real, and it proved this could work.

2014: the first breakthrough

That fall I wrote 45,000 words in less than a month in Natalie Sisson's 30-day blog challenge. I learned that if I wanted to get better at something, I just had to do more of it.

In 2014, I read The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan, and I refocused on my one thing: hosting a virtual summit.

In November 2014, I launched The Branding Summit. After a moment of self-doubt, the first sale came in. Then the second, then the third, until I ended up with over $20,000 in sales and close to 3,000 attendees.

On 28 November 2014, I quit my part-time job. The same day, I made over $5,000 from the summit's all-access pass.

The following month I decided to leave Sweden. I've lived in 18+ countries since. You can see every step on my entrepreneurial timeline.

The ONE Thing

G

by Gary Keller

The One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan explains how focusing on just one priority at a time leads to massive success.

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How to stop being a wantrapreneur

These are the 6 moves that got me out. None of them needs money or a perfect idea.

1. Pick one thing

I didn't get anywhere while I had 5 ideas. Things only moved when I dropped the fitness website, and later when I made one summit my one thing.

Write down the one business you're going to pursue for the next 90 days. Cross off everything else.

2. Ship something small in public

My first real step wasn't a business. It was a blog post, an interview with Pat Flynn.

Put one small thing out this week: a post, a video, a free guide, a landing page. Something a stranger can see.

3. Get your first dollar

My first $65 did more for my belief than any course I'd bought. Make it your goal to earn your first dollar, not your first $10,000.

An affiliate sale, one client, one pre-sale. Anything that proves someone will pay.

4. Do more of it than feels normal

45,000 words in a month made me a writer. Volume is how you get good, and getting good is how you get confident.

Pick your one output and do it every day for 30 days.

5. Invest in yourself when it forces action

My first mentor and my first course were the first money I ever invested in myself, and both pushed me to act.

Before you buy the next course, ask yourself one question: will this make me ship, or will it give me more to learn?

6. Set a date and tell people

A summit has a date. Speakers, attendees and emails all depend on it, so there's no room to keep getting ready.

Give your launch a date, tell 3 people, and put it in your calendar. If you want a launch that builds your list at the same time, start with how to host a virtual summit.

Final thoughts on going from wantrapreneur to entrepreneur

It took me 3 years of wanting before I started.

What finally changed wasn't a new idea or more knowledge. It was a decision to stop preparing and start doing, one small public step at a time.

You don't need a tragedy to make that decision. You can make it today.

What's the one thing you're going to ship this week? DM me on X or Instagram and tell me. I'll hold you to it.