22/01/2018
Business Tip #1 : Are you considering starting your own business this year? If so, you’re not alone. There are many advantages to starting your own business, and I enjoy all of them myself as a business owner and consultant.
First and foremost, if your business is successful, you can spend 8 to 5 doing what you love—this is my number one reason for running my own business. This also gives you the freedom and flexibility to run the business how you see fit; to finally be your own boss.
While starting your own business has its advantages, it also has its fair share of challenges, from extreme stress and long hours to building a valuable product or finding a high-value niche for your service, just to name a few.
To be sure you’re ready, answer the three important questions below.
1. Am I a hundred percent committed? (Or at least “pretty committed”?)
I’m not a fan of the way “commitment” is depicted in the entrepreneur world. The stories we read seem to fall into one of two categories:
- You’re an overnight success.
- You work yourself to the bone and burn out before you’re even up and running.
Someone recently shared a great quote: “An overnight success is 10 years in the making.”
That’s a great reminder of two things:
- You don’t need to be an overnight success to be successful.
- You don’t need to burn yourself out to get there. There can be a happy medium.
While starting your own business does take a hundred percent commitment, that doesn’t have to mean leaving your current job or working long nights and weekends. Juggling a career and a business on the side is challenging, but not impossible. If this is the route you’ll take, do a bandwidth check and create a rough timeline to help you stay on track.
For example, your timeline might look like this:
January: Meet with five successful entrepreneurs in the industry or find a mentor.
February: Put together a Lean Plan: a quick, one-page business plan.
March: Get a website and social media set up—start posting regularly.
April: Find a freelance developer to install ecommerce software and get product listings right.
Ultimately, you’re working toward starting your business with each passing month—without driving yourself crazy in the meantime.
Leaving your job and relying solely on income from your business before you’re ready to do so may leave you struggling to make ends meet, causing unnecessary stress and anxiety. If you wait until you’re 100 percent committed (and financially ready), it will be easier to take the hiccups and roadblocks in stride.