There are many reasons people decide to go into business for themselves after a long career working as an employee in someone else’s company.

Sometimes, a reason is that your career as an employee just fell short in some way.

Maybe you were great at your job, but circumstances that were out of your control worked against you.

What if you were passed up for promotions, didn’t get along with your team, worked too many thankless hours for too little money, or could just never seem to get ahead?

Overthinking this can really weigh you down, and you might start thinking that you actually weren’t that great at your job, after all.

This is when Imposter Syndrome often rears its ugly head.

Imposter Syndrome is that nagging voice inside of us that says we’re not who we are pretending to be.

In other words, it’s the voice that’s telling you, “What makes you think you’ve got what it takes to run a business? You were a mediocre employee, at best.”

Now, it’s important not to delude ourselves here, but if you’ve objectively looked at why your career never took off and have addressed some of these problems where appropriate, there are some other things to consider as well.

Furthermore, it is often these factors that – while they can be detrimental to your career as an employee – can be used as leverage should you decide to become an entrepreneur.

That’s right – sometimes the things that made you a mediocre employee are the very same things that will make you a superstar at running your own business.

Being an employee – especially for a long time – often trains us to hold back, just so we can fit in the “employee box” and keep our heads above water in the corporate world.

But what if we’re meant for more? What if, instead of working for someone else, we were meant to run our own business? Many great entrepreneurs don’t do well working for others, and it is only until they’ve climbed out of the “employee box” and realize that their gifts are better off serving elsewhere, that they truly thrive.

In other words, don’t be too hard on yourself. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that having a lacklustre career as an employee means that becoming an entrepreneur is out of your league.

In fact, the very opposite might be true.

Here are 3 reasons why mediocre employees make great business owners…

Entrepreneurs have too much ambition.

When you work for someone else’s company, you are part of a larger machine.

You play a part – everyone has to have clearly defined roles that they fill, otherwise the company doesn’t run effectively.

If someone doesn’t fill their role, or if someone steps out of their role, there can be chaos and misunderstanding.

People with an entrepreneurial spirit like to try new things and wear different hats within an organization. They like to see the big picture and have a real effect on how things work.

But often times, especially within larger companies, it works best for the company if you wear just one specific hat.

This can leave an employee with a business owner’s mentality feeling limited, depressed, and unmotivated.

It also makes them easily replaceable – which works great for the company but not for the employee.

If you felt unchallenged and bored with your limited role within a business, and this held you back in your career, you might have the inclination to become a great entrepreneur.

Others are threatened by entrepreneurial spirit.

When employees with leadership capabilities step out of their role, sometimes they are met with resistance.

Instead of being nurtured and accommodated for their vision and aspirations, they are forced back into the confines of their role.

Often, this is for the benefit of the company, and sometimes this is because there are not systems in place that give leeway to this kind of thinking.

But sometimes, it is because someone has a problem with you, is jealous of you, or wants to use you and take credit for your hard work.

Office drama.

Either way, the employee with the entrepreneurial spirit is forced back into their box, left unmotivated.

When running your own business, this box no longer exists.

The ability to try new things, take leadership, consider new opportunities are intrinsic – no detrimental – to the survival of the business.

And, there’s no one around to stop you.

Entrepreneurs are disruptors.

Want to start a business? Then you must become a disruptor.

You must challenge the status quo and be unafraid to try new things.

A lot of times, you will have to take risks, and often times these calculated risks will pay off, but many times, they will fail and you will fall flat on your face.

You must get up and try again – resilience is the thing that makes or breaks new businesses.

To an outsider, being a disruptor will seem reckless. Irresponsible. Self-sabotaging.

But to an entrepreneur, this is the very thing that sets them apart from the 9-5 crowd.

Being a visionary makes the vast majority of people uncomfortable. And, it doesn’t play well within the confines of working for someone else’s company.

`To be fair, no one is going to want to let you take risks with their company. It’s their baby, after all – not yours.

However, if it’s your own company, you will finally have this freedom to step out into the unknown and challenge new horizons.

If you had a less than sensational career working for someone else, as an employee, don’t let that hold you back from making the jump to entrepreneurship. Many times, the very characteristics that make us mediocre employees are the very same traits that make us excellent entrepreneurs. Successful business owners tend to have a lot of ambition and want to try different roles within an organization, and often times, this is looked upon unfavorably when you work for someone else. Sadly, people with leadership skills are often held back – even punished – when they work for a business that doesn’t have a company culture that makes it a point to nurture leadership. Also, entrepreneurs are disruptive by nature, which can be an asset when you run your own business, but can be seen as reckless when you work for someone else.