Before you can even try to come up with an idea for your business, you need to get in the right mindset and understand just how much work you are going to have to do.
This section is about the very basics, if you already are confident in your ability to succeed, move on to the next section.
The first step to starting your own business, changing careers, and generally just taking control of your life is realizing you can do it, and taking action. You need to believe in yourself 100% and be confident in what you are doing.
Confidence is a by-product of success. It’s hard to be confident unless you can look back and say “I did this before, I know how to do this.”
For me, the defining moment of my life when I realized I could run my own business and have whatever job I wanted happened when I was working in London. When I first started that job, I was very nervous. I was adjusting to a new culture, and I had very little previous experience. It was a very small company and I had the opportunity to work very closely with the CEO. At the end of my first day, he asked me if I had any suggestions. I told him my ideas, he decided to implement them, and he put me in charge of the project.
At first, I was terrified. I had no idea what I was doing. I had to wing it. Within a month, I found myself meeting with the top executives at a major UK insurance firm. I ended up helping my company form a partnership that would boost sales by almost two million dollars.
At this point, I realized two things.
- I could thrive in the business world because I had experience to fall back on.
- I had just made two million dollars for somebody else and all I got in return was a thank you. It was time for me to start my own business.
So what can you do to give yourself that confidence?
First, ignore failure. That happened in the past and it happened because you did not have enough confidence. Confidence stops failure and you can learn it.
One thing you can do is look back on your life and see if you can find a time where you proved something to yourself. Use the theory that if you succeed at that one thing you thought would be too hard, you should be able to succeed in other areas of your life.
If you are having trouble thinking of a time where you succeeded, it’s ok. You might be downplaying your success. Try this to create a situation for success.
Put yourself in an uncomfortable situation. At work, go to your boss, and ask for more responsibility. Tell him or her you are willing to learn. It’s ok to start with something small and build up to bigger things. Do something you don’t know how to do. You will be nervous at first but you have nothing to lose. If you do it, you will become confident. If you fail, you are back where you started. This is a no lose situation.
Once you have developed a little confidence and you are ready to go, you must immediately take action. Don’t wait a week, a month, or a year. The right time to start is always now. Even if the market is not ready for your business, you must lay out the groundwork so you can pounce when the time is right. Any delays will hurt your chances of success. Your motivation will be greatest at the beginning and you must take advantage of it. If you have invested time and effort into something, you are far less likely to quit if you hit a roadblock. Put in the time and effort while you have the most energy and motivation.
Now you have confidence and you are motivated to start down a new path that is going to change your life, but you have bills to pay and you need a place to live.
How do you give yourself the opportunity?
