Are you still stuck in neutral, assessing and reassessing every imaginable risk?
It began with an idea. Maybe the idea was yours alone, or maybe it came to you during a conversation with someone else. Maybe you saw an existing product or service that could benefit from a few strategic improvements. In any case, the idea for your startup business came first. Then you crunched a few numbers and discovered that your idea might actually be sustainable and profitable. Then you started assembling the pieces in your mind, and as you did so, you began to realize that your dream could very well become a living, breathing reality. You took a closer look at the potential obstacles and didn?t see a single one that couldn?t be knocked down by a little hard work and strategy.
Your start-up business plan should have gone into motion by now. But?here you are. You?re still stuck in neutral, still assessing and reassessing every imaginable risk. You should be filling out forms, visiting the bank to discuss loan options and applying for a business license. But you?re not. There?s a little voice in your head won?t let you take the first step. It?s the little voice that won?t ever let you fail, even if it means you never act.
So what’s next? How can you silence that voice and move forward, taking on risks as they arise instead of letting them ground you before you even begin? Here are a few tips:
1. First, remember this: people like you start small businesses every day. Some of them fail, but obviously not all of them. You aren?t landing on a new planet. As long as you stay tuned in and benefit from the experience of others, your possibility of success is very real.
2. Second, it?s often (though of course not always) true that banks don?t make ill-advised loans. Nobody loses money on purpose. If your bank believes you can do it, and has enough faith to invest in you and expect a return, you can do it. The same applies to your other investors, be they family, friends or strangers.
3. Finally, just as you?re not the first person to take this step, you aren?t alone as you take it. In this age of rapid communication, you don?t have to go blind into any important business decision. Surround yourself with information, mentors and competitors you can study as role models. These resources are all around you. But the best resource?even though you can?t see it right now?is within you.
If you?ve successfully overcome your self-doubt and launched a business, what advice can you share with beginning entrepreneurs? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
