The new year will, for many, come with a big change. Some will be thinking extra hard about the food they put on their plate and how often they hit the gym over the coming weeks. On the other hand, the career focused will have their eyes set on some challenging-yet-achievable career goals. And then there will be many who pine for change but always talk themselves out of instigating it. They’ve grown accustomed to a set income and have fallen into a rhythm with their work which, while not rewarding has become seductively comfortable. But real living, as we all know, begins just outside of our comfort zone.
If you’ve spent years thinking about starting your own business but kept talking yourself out of it using those same old excuses, maybe 2019 is the year in which you’ll sweep them aside and strive for the career (and the income) that you deserve as your own boss. Whether you aim to become a freelancer or start up a small business of your very own what better place is there than here to start? What better time than now? Let’s tackle some of those oh-so-tempting excuses head-on shall we?
But what if I fail?
So what? Every small business runs the same risk. It’s possible that you could fail, but don’t think for one minute that your business fortunes are left to the whims of chance. There’s a plethora of free help and advice out there about how to thrive as an entrepreneur. There are also business mentors and angels who can help you with everything from funding to logistics. If you’re prepared to put the hard work in and dedicate some serious time to developing a top-notch business plan you stand every chance of success.
Even if your business does fail, entrepreneurial experience can make you much more employable if you choose to go back to salaried work.
What if I don’t get any customers?
This is a legitimate concern. It’s certainly not enough to assume “if you build it, they will come”. However, so long as you’ve done your market research and verified that there is quantifiable interest in your products or services it’s simply a case of marketing your business well. That’s where outsourced third parties come in handy. A specialist in small business marketing will help you to come up with a campaign to reach your target audience and draw the right kind of attention to your business. They may represent an overhead costs but it’s one of the safest ROI ratios in business!
But I don’t know anything about running a company
Nobody ever does until they try it for the first time. However, nobody goes into business selling products or services that they aren’t highly knowledgeable and passionate about. If you know your market and your product you already have the best start it’s possible to get. The rest you’ll have to learn as you go along and be sure to heed all the advice that’s out there from business mentors and blogs just like this one!
Let’s not make 2019 another year for excuses! It’s time to take control of your life, your career and your income!
