We’re well and truly over the new year rush of resolutions and good intentions. So, if you’ve still made zero to very little progress on launching your business then I’m here to give you a reality check.
You’re making excuses.
I know, you’re busy, you’ve got responsibilities, you can’t just quit your job.
Except… you can.
You’ve just got a bad case of excusitis….
Is one of your symptoms listed below?
Let’s find out if we can cure it once and for all…
“I’m too busy and I don’t have enough spare time”
You’ve got a full-time job, a commute that takes up far too much of your time, a family, friends and a home to keep clean and a mountain of washing that never seems to disappear. Not to mention making time for exercise and to watch the latest series of The Walking Dead.
How are you going to fit in getting a business off the ground too?
Excuse buster: You find the time.
If you want to do it enough, you can find at least an hour of your free time everyday to work on your business. Like Faye and Daniel who founded their boutique fitness wear brand, Tikiboo, in their spare time, alongside their day jobs and looking after their daughter:
“We were doing everything in-house: all photography, packing, physically taking sacks of parcels to the post office, creating marketing campaigns, writing product descriptions, social media posts, SEO, customer service, managing returns…literally everything between the two of us! There were weeks when three hours sleep a night became normality. We were like Tikiboo robots.”
Yes, you might have to make some sacrifices but you know that you’ll reap the rewards down the line.
Related articles:
Should I work for myself?
How to run a business alongside a full-time career
“I haven’t saved enough money yet”
Every time you get paid you sensibly squirrel away as much as you can to put towards your startup, but it isn’t quite enough yet and you know you need to have at least a year’s worth of savings just to live off, let alone as capital to get started. Plus, you’re not even sure you’d get funding for your idea because you haven’t started yet…
Excuse buster: You don’t always need a lot of money.
Scott McGregor, serial entrepreneur, says it better than I can:
“Watch a 5-year-old run a lemonade stand. They solve this problem.”
“They find a problem that people they meet have (hot day, I am thirsty, don’t want to go looking far for a cool, inexpensive drink).”
“They choose an inexpensive solution (water + lemons + sugar) because they have no money. They may have to borrow SMALL amounts from FRIENDS or FAMILY for lemons or sugar, or disposable cups, but they can repay the modest costs out of the sales, each day.”
“They ask for free advice. They get it because everyone likes to have their opinion asked and to be regarded as an expert. And people like to see friends and neighbours succeed.”
Yes, you might need a little bit of money to begin, and having money to live off is genuinely a sensible idea. But if you’ve been saving for a while and just keep hanging on for a couple more pay cheques then it’s simple. You’re stalling. Start in your spare time if you have to and don’t forget that there’s merit in starting small, keeping your business lean and growing it small step by small step.
Related articles:
How do I get funding for a new business?