4 Good Reasons to Start Your Own Business
This might be an unpopular opinion but we need to recognise that Millennials have quite a few things right. Yes, you are reading this correctly, they are showing us the new way. If we have learnt anything over the past 2 years, it is that there is more to life than the rat race and the 9-5 and we all want it. We want more for less. We want things not just for ourselves but for others. We want to be heard and yes we want more me time.
This has led to many considering stepping into a new path and starting their own business. As much as I encourage everyone to keep thinking about what else there is for them, starting a business is something that needs to be carefully considered.
You may want to listen to my TedX talk to get a little more insight but, before you side-track, let’s talk about 4 good reasons you would start your own business so you can reflect on where you are at.
Reason #1: You Want to Create Impact
In 2014, a fork appeared in my road that made me realise that the purpose of dreams was to make them a reality. As I listened to a 16-year-old tell me she wanted to go and help in orphanages when Ebola broke out in Africa and whilst her father said “No, that is insane!”, I thought “Why not?”.
If she can dream it, the least we can do is help her achieve it! There was some planning that took place and risks that needed to be mitigated, but at the end of the day, like in business, a solid foundation was created, a budget was set and a plan to ensure success was put in place.
That young girl was my daughter and she was shown how to create a roadmap and how to mitigate risk, stretch and steer forward.
This leads to where I am today about creating impact. Like you, I know the impact I want to make across the Globe. I know the impact I want to make in supporting:
Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Businesses who want to do things differently
Leaders who want to shape a better tomorrow and
Children in Developing nations, together with their aspiring leaders
Everyone wants to contribute and this is what I have been hearing for a decade now so I am taking action and creating the roadmap so that we can create a ripple effect together.
Knowing the impact you want to make is more than your “Why" or even your purpose. It is about gaining that ear to ear grin that comes with the clarity of knowing what you are set to achieve. You don’t need to know it all. That’s what I am here for. When you are ready, this is the journey we go on.
There will be challenging days, but once you know the impact you are making across the globe, you only see them as small bumps in the road. I know there is something bigger at play than whatever I am presented with so I focus on how I can navigate forward.
Obstacles are a way to show us that there is another path we have not yet considered, we just need to be prepared to ask ‘What else”? “What else” can I do?
Reason #2: You Have a Business Plan
If not already in place, at least in mind… You don’t? That’s ok. As long as you are ready to go on that journey, you will have a plan that you can reflect on and create a roadmap that shows you how to get there.
There is a myriad of templates out there so you can surely make a start on it but what about all the milestones in between?
Similar to how a brand-new, great-looking building gets bigger and taller until we start seeing some cracks, if you don’t have the little pieces in between the big parts of your business plan, things might fall between the cracks and that’s where people then get stuck.
That is where you need to make sure you gather the learnings so you can build stronger and with more insight. Oh yes, that includes your numbers. If you are not aware of the variables, how do you know how to mitigate risks or to plan ahead so you are responding and not reacting?
Reason #3: You Have a Network
Ok, but do you know how much it's worth?
This is an important part of the journey. Knowing how you can look at your network and how to create different strategies across the people you know and the people you want to know will have a huge role in your success.
You have friends, family, and colleagues but do you have supporters? Do you have sponsors? How can you navigate across all the people you know so that they can serve you best? Some may simply not be able to help and that’s ok!
Launching a business can be easy but only if you are ready to invest in time and in having the right people around you and this is usually best when done upfront.
We all have blinds spots and being aware of them usually enables you to step forward with more clarity, which leads me to the last reason you should be starting your own business.
Reason #4: You are not Looking for an Easy Way Out
Instead, you want more “Me time” and the ability to do something you love and to do it your way. If you don’t truly love what you do, you are doing everyone a disservice and most of all yourself! So let's start with making some notes. Be truthful to yourself and give yourself a timeline to either start or to invest in what you are doing now because, if you don't, if you keep thinking about what you want to do and where you want to be rather what you should be doing, you are also letting the team down – your colleagues if you keep thinking about what you want to do and where you want to be rather what you should be doing.
Most people know that they need to commit and invest to get their own business off the ground, and usually, they know it’s not about finding an easy way out, but that doesn't mean they know where to start.
This is the biggest thing that holds people back.
If you really want to give yourself a chance to succeed in running your own business then you will be prepared to do what’s needed. Running your own business is not easy but you can set up a business that you love and this will put a grin on your face every day.
Never ask “What if?”, ask me why and you will begin to understand why I do things differently and help people create their new dream. If you are ready to take that step and consider “What else?”. Reach out, connect and ask.