Moving Past Fear To Small Business Success
Do you have a business idea that you never end up pursuing because of fear? Well, you're not alone. We all want to start our own business and make money and many of us have the thought in the back of our heads "but what if I fail?"
But what if we don't fail? What if we succeed beyond our wildest dreams!? The key is to learn how to move past fear and into action. In this post I will share with you five ways on how to do just that! Lets get started...
#5) Take a break- Sometimes when we are feeling really overwhelmed or stressed out, it can be really helpful just stepping away from it all for a bit. I do this myself all the time and actually I'm never worried (usually) about starting my own business.
You may be thinking, "Yeah, that would definitely be a great idea for me!" But you're wrong. A lot of us feel really overwhelmed and stressed out from the prospect on having to start a business. And if this is you then boy howdy, it's important we re-prioritize in life because even with all of the wonderful tools at our disposal (and believe me there are plenty!) starting a business is still stressful.
The key to success is learning how to take a break from it all! There will be plenty of time for work. But for now... make sure you get away from your workstation at least twice a day and go for a walk (or outside if the weather permits) and give yourself some down-time. Your mind needs it.
#4) Take action!- Ok, so now that we've talked about taking a break from it all... how do we actually start taking action? How can we actually get off the couch and do something?
My "aha" moment on this subject all came from the James Altucher blog. James is a guy who has done it right and he has made it big. So what did he do? He started putting his ideas on paper so he could one day look back and see what he was talking about. And guess what- his actions have paid off big time! I highly recommend reading this post as it will really make you think while also helping you design a plan in your head of "what am I going to do first." Here is the link: http://jamesaltucher.com/article6
#3) Compile Your Ideas- There is no better way to put ideas on paper than to create a document like I have in this post (below). So get your blank piece of paper and start collecting all of your business ideas. As you read and research different things relating to starting a small business, or marketing yourself, or even an Internet business in general... also get notes down by hand.
The key is to compile as much information from a wide variety of sources as possible. This will help you piece together all the pieces together into one big picture that makes sense to you. Once you have written down everything that you can think of, then it's time for...
#2) Identify your weaknesses- Have you ever gone to a party and said to yourself, "Man, I wish I could meet more people."? Then you grab a coffee (or a drink) and start talking to someone new. In doing so you feel awkward at first, but soon you get past the initial "interview stage" and start having an awesome conversation. Or maybe it's the other way around where it's more like an interview where they are asking all kinds of questions while trying to get to know you.
Either way, the point is when we talk about identifying your weaknesses in starting a business don't think of them as weaknesses... instead think of them as opportunities. It's like putting together a puzzle. You may have heard of this concept before "analysis paralysis"... a lot of people are stuck in analysis paralysis! They are afraid to move forward and try something new because they keep asking, "What if?" "What if it fails?" "What if I make a fool out of myself?"
Well, let me tell you it's better to be wrong than never trying anything at all. If you don't take action and learn from your mistakes then you will never grow. But on the other hand, there is a way to avoid making mistakes while still starting your business and that is by identifying what your weaknesses are. Don't get stuck on one answer or one outcome... instead break it down into what you know and what you don't know. Here's an awesome article on this subject: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/understanding-your-weaknesses.html
#1) Make a plan- Now that we've discussed taking action, compiling your ideas, identifying your weaknesses and now making a plan... lets talk about execution! :) Put all of these things together into one document and voila now you have a "plan" for starting your own business!
Now the hard part starts which is... making this reality. This can be done by breaking your plan down into daily tasks, weekly tasks, monthly tasks and so on.
Here are my favorite tools for you to make a plan:
Trello- http://trello.com/ (Creating a "New Board" and then "Adding Lists" is the best way for me to break down my task into days, weeks and months.)
Evernote- http://evernote.com (Just remember to add a file name to your notes so you can find them again.)
#6) Know what you want- OK, so now that we've listened to self-help guru Tony Robbins and read all this great information on how to start a business, now we need to put it all into action.
We need to start making our dreams come true. We need to start living the life we want. This is what all of this information is about. We need to know what we want.
If you really want something then don't fight it! You have to go with the flow and start doing things that will help you get closer to your vision (or dream). You have to find a way to use your life and make it happier so that you can eventually live the life you've imagined. If you still feel stuck or do not know where to start, ask yourself "What's one thing I can do in the next 24 hours?" or "What could I write down in an email today that could help me take a step closer?" (For more self-help tips, check out my post on how to quit your job.
Conclusion: That's it! Thanks for taking the time to read this, but I know you are probably more inspired than anything. Here are a few parting words of encouragement: "Start your own business so that you can be happy." Start now and make all of your dreams come true. Who knows, maybe we could even start a company together one day! :)
Brian Clay
Licensed Business Consultant
www.80Eighty-Up.com
P.S.- If you want to get started on a plan for starting your own business, check out my new training course "Starting Your Own Business" at www.startyourbusinessnow.co .