And One Reason Why You Should
I talk to a lot of people about starting businesses. They get excited. They have great ideas, and they talk with passion about how they can help other people, and have the freedom and lifestyle they dream of. And then, inevitably, they talk about why they can’t start a business. Here are the top reasons why people say they can’t start a business.
- I don’t have enough time.
- I don’t have enough money.
- I don’t have any ideas.
- I like my steady paycheck.
- I’m afraid I will fail.
If you really don’t want to start a business, you don’t want to be your own boss, you like working the 9 to 5 and then going home to do whatever you want, then that is OK.
But if you really want the freedom that comes with running your own business. If you have something to share that will make someone’s life better. Then stop making excuses and get to work!
Let’s take a look at these reasons excuses why people don’t start a business.
We will start with my favorite.
“I don’t have enough time.”
Please forgive me when I call Bullshit on this one. You have enough time. Time is the great equalizer. You don’t get more time because you are Steve Jobs, or Gary Vaynerchuk, or Jeff Bezos. Everyone gets the same 1440 minutes every day. The difference is how you choose to use your time.
A few years ago I did taxes. During tax season (January to April 15) All I did was taxes. My friends and family knew that if it was tax season, I wasn’t posting on Facebook, I wasn’t going on vacation, I wasn’t talking on the phone, I wasn’t watching TV, I wasn’t doing anything except tax returns. I would pull out a couple hours a day for my kids and spouse, but other than that, I will see you in April!
I did that because when it wasn’t tax season, I had lots and lots of time to play, to vacation, to read a book, to veg in front of the TV, or start another business!
If you really think you don’t have time to start a business, and you really want to start a business, try keeping a log of everything you do in the day. Do it for at least one week, maybe two. Every 15 minutes, write down what you are doing. Be honest with yourself, and try to have a normal day. And yes I mean write down everything. I know a few people who take a loooooong time in the bathroom. Because they are playing around on their phone!
After 2 weeks of logging everything that you do, take a serious look and see what you are doing, that you could stop doing, and work on a business instead. And honestly, you don’t need a lot of time to get started. Even one or two hours a day will get you on a slow road to self-employment. One or two hours is the length of a TV show, or a movie, or how much time my friend Tami plays Candy Crush each day. Want faster results? Work more hours.
I don’t have enough money!
OK, This could be legit. Maybe you don’t have enough money to start the next Tesla, but you do have enough money to start a business. Or maybe you need to start with a Pre-Business.
What I mean is that there are some businesses that you can start with no money at all. You can use the money from your Pre-Business to start your “real” business. Even if you don’t have an internet account. One of the first businesses I started was washing cars. I would knock on the neighbor’s door and ask them if they would pay me to wash their car. I would use their buckets, soap and towels! I think I was getting about $2 per car. But I was around 10 years old and this was a few years ago! I could wash 3 or 4 cars on the weekend and have more spending money than any of my friends!
So go wash some cars, mow a lawn, sell some of your old stuff in a yard sale. Just do what you need to do.
And then, when you can afford a domain and hosting, get yourself a website and then there are even more ways you can earn money. Sell on eBay, or Facebook, or Craigslist. Check out Fiverr.com. Funny thing, now you can charge more than $5 orn Fiverr.
Over time, make more money, take on bigger gigs, keep going!
I don’t have any ideas!
Picture me rolling my eyes here. Oh please! Yes you do. In fact, first take a look at this article I wrote awhile back,
You have ideas. You have ideas you don’t want to do. You have ideas you don’t think will work. You have ideas you think are too hard. You have ideas. Maybe someone else has the same idea. So what? If you can do it better, then go for it!
I like my steady paycheck.
OK, if that is the truth, then do a side gig part time, or don’t start a business. But is your steady paycheck really that steady? Because for most people, your steady paycheck is only as steady as your job. In my business, if I have 100 clients, and one of them decides they don’t want to work with me anymore, my income may go down for awhile, or not, I could replace them with a client that pays more, but either way, I still have 99 clients that are paying me money. If you have a job, and your boss decides they don’t want to work with you anymore, you have nothing!
So enjoy your steady paycheck, but don’t use that as an excuse for not starting a business.
I’m afraid I will FAIL!
Get over it! Yes you will fail. Probably every day. You will fail in small insignificant ways, you will fail in catastrophic, amazingly embarrassing ways. (Maybe someday I will write a blog post about that!) And you will fail in every way in between. But if you learn from those failures, and treat them as feedback, and not as a reason to quit, you will get better and then you will fail in different ways.
The only way not to fail, is not to try anything. Not to do anything. If you are afraid to fail, you will be afraid to try big moves, and you will not succeed in business. Every successful business owner has lots and lots of stories of failure. And surprisingly, most are willing to share their stories.
So quit being afraid of failure. Get out there and fail over and over again. Just be sure to Fail Forward.
And The One Reason Your Should Start A Business?
Because you want to!
If you want to start a business, you should start a business. You may need to be creative, you may need to take baby steps before you get to your Big Audacious Goal. But just do it, Do what you need to do and get it done. Because, at least in my not so humble opinion, there is nothing better than not having a boss!