I coach and consult with many small businesses about starting or buying, and then running a small business. We work together on streamlining processes, hiring staff, developing a marketing strategy to allow for increased income to pursue their dreams. But there is more to understand than the nuts and bolts of running a business.

Through working with them, I've noticed that entrepreneurs and small business owners have a different viewpoint. Many small business owners build companies in industries where they were once employees. They often have trouble leaving an employee mindset behind. Entrepreneurs take more risks and think bigger, planning the future sale of their new business in the beginning and starting multiple businesses at once.

Entrepreneurs see challenges like a recession as just another opportunity. Small business owners are often married to their business and get mired down in details. When the economy goes south, they hunker down into survival mode. Entrepreneurs are less likely to do this.

To be more entrepreneurial, small business owners need to create a real vision of what they want their business and personal life to look like. That vision needs to be very rich with detail and how their business will support their personal goals. Do you want more time to pursue scuba diving trips? Do you want money to send your children to Ivy League colleges? Do you want to be a keynote speaker? Start writing down your BIG DREAM.

Most business owners have a strong gut idea of what they really want, but practical thoughts bring them down. When detailing your life's vision in writing, skip being practical. The "how's" can what. Take time to focus on the "what" for now. Don't pressure yourself with timelines. Just getting a detailed vision down on paper can be enough to help you bring it to reality.

Professional athletes understanding mentally creating what they want to happen before they step onto the course or the field. Tiger Woods and others work with coaches on visualizing their end results and it works. Why shouldn't you do this as well? Really experiencing what living your dream FEELS like every day helps you encourage your brain to be more entrepreneurial. Remember, you are a business OWNER, not an employee.

So, are you ready to take your small business to the next success level? Are you ready to acknowledge that big vision or do you want to stay married to your business and let it own you? Start thinking BIG like entrepreneurs do.