If you have considered going it alone out in the wide world of entrepreneurship, you have likely struggled with a few thoughts that keep you nailed safely to the ground of employment. We all have our own motivations for considering this leap into the unknown: more time with family, more satisfying career, control of your own life.
Here are a few of the negative thoughts that are holding you back, and the reasons you should kick those thoughts to the curb!
My idea isn't good enough, and it might fail.
First of all, every business idea began as one thing and evolved. Ideas are seeds. Once you plant them, and plan out the watering and nourishing schedule, they will change and grow and become something entirely different. The idea is just your starting point. The journey that follows the idea is what makes or breaks a new business.
And as for failure, well that is what happens when you give up and stop trying. As long as you allow room for your idea to evolve and provide the framework for execution, you have nothing to fear.
Is my job security worth the risk?
It's easy to want to step out and try something new when things are going badly. But you need to ask yourself "Would I leave my job if everything was fine?" Being an entrepreneur is not for everyone. It is risky. It often means little or no money comes home in the early lean times.
You have to keep a positive frame of mind when times get tough, and we are not all naturally possessed of that ability. But if your drive to succeed on your own is stronger than all the benefits of your job at the best of times, then job security and risk become less of an issue.
I'm scared of taking the final "leap."
Fear is natural when you are changing things up in any area of life. But if you are here, reading this, then you have begun the search for the weapons to arm yourself against that fear. Research and planning can go a long way to quell fears by making the unknown a little more known.
And talk to other people who have done what you are considering doing. You will find they are not magical mythical beings of supernatural strength and stamina. They are people, just like you, who took the leap to follow their dream, because not doing so was worse than their worst fears.
Fear is a powerful force against us, and learning to conquer it can be as simple as doing little things that scare you every day. Talk to a new person, sing karaoke, sign up for a rock climbing course at your gym. You may wake up one day and realize that if you can do all that, then you can certainly follow your passion fearlessly.
I can't afford it.
If you are serious and passionate, then money should never be an obstacle to entrepreneurship. You will get creative and find the money somewhere, somehow. Part time jobs, family member-investors, loans, or even just being a "weekend entrepreneurial warrior" for a time can be the solution.
As long as you keep in mind that you may have to tighten your belt for a while and sacrifice, pursuing your vision will be its own reward, and eventually it may get you back to the lifestyle you were used to before the leap. Your biggest hurdle is the fear.
Everything else you can concretely attend to. The fear is within you and only you can get it under control. But once you have managed this big step, making your dream a reality will be much easier than you think. Go ahead. Jump!
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