FIVE TIPS FOR STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS
1. Ask yourself this question. Is your idea better than or different from what is already out there?
Is your idea different than what’s already out there? If the answer is yes, you’re off to the races. If the answer is no, which for most it will be, consider this. The fastest way to success is either in doing something differently or doing something BETTER than what is already out there.
2. Be willing to take the leap.
Not everyone is ready the minute their great idea takes form. Some say you need to have 6 months worth of savings in the bank to go safely out on your own. I don’t really know what the answer is financially. But I do know this. Dreaming doesn’t ever equal doing. I know so many people who have these incredible ideas for business, that simply never find the courage or time or something, to see them to fruition. Sometimes, it’s the desperation that comes from actually taking that scary leap, that fuels the most passionate of successes.
3. Leave your perfectionist self at home.
Your logo may not be absolutely perfect, you might not have (or need) all of your business stationery, you may be a little foggy as to what your business plan looks like in the long term. Who cares. Just start doing. My father said "He who has self worth is more valuable than he can imagine or dream". No one ever made any money sitting on the couch planning. They got off their tail and started making things happen.
4. Get scrappy.
I can’t tell you how many people I have met that say they have no idea how to even start a blog – or a business. Neither did I, friends. I’d never laid an eye on the makings of a website or a blog and I certainly had no clue how to modify or edit code to make said site look like my own. Full disclosure, Overtime with a job I got during the winter of 2013 I learned how to do some coding and web designing and with a little help with a place called the Library I was able to read some books about web designing and word texture. I learned the VERY basics of HTML so that I could tweak layouts in my blog templates, I relied on the offerings of Type-pad to make simple changes – updates to my logo, color palette etc. I researched permalinks and link sharing and social media. I didn’t know much, but I was willing to find answers and get done what I needed to get done. The way that I wanted it to be done.
5. Ask for help. And be willing to help others.
The number one question that I get from those dreaming of starting their own blog is this: how did you get your initial surge of traffic? The truth is, there wasn’t ever a surge. It took time. I remember seeing our traffic stats when I first started out and thinking that I would never be able to climb the mountain to reach the success that she has found. But instead of sinking into my own insecurities, I put my nose down and worked. Really hard. Every day.
