Should you start a business?

That is the ultimate question that every person asks once in their lives (provided he or she has some sort of ambition). Don’t quit your job and dive right in unless you know what you are doing. And if you are asking this question, you don’t know what you are doing. Starting a business is not for the faint of heart, it won’t solve your problems, and even if you are doing everything right, it will only add to your headaches. 

Why are you starting your business? Why are you working at your job? Do you have a family to support? That can be your reason (your WHY) for staying in a job you hate. If you have kids and need the income, that is a perfectly valid reason to stay in your job. If you have responsibilities, that makes you more likely to value stability. There is no shame in having a job.

However, if you are single, young, have no responsibilities, have a low maintenance lifestyle and have a strong urge to build something (have that hunger), building a business may be just the right thing to do!

Starting a business is all about lining up your skills with someone’s needs, and independently build a system to manage those needs and please customers. Anyone can do it. And if you think you don’t have skills, contact me. I can help you find something to start your business.

If starting a business was a guaranteed way of getting money, everyone would be doing it. If you want to be highly compensated, it's better to align your situation to get a good job with stable benefits. A job in finance would have been the best option in the world in the 1980s, now it is getting a Software Development role at a tech company. In risk versus reward, you are better off getting a decent job with benefits by getting certified in whatever certification the company prefers, or getting a degree in a relevant field in university, than getting a job. That’s how I did it when I started. 

Is there something you would do for an extended period of time (at least a year) without getting paid? Can you provide your skillset for a decent amount of time? Do you have a strong network that you can provide value to? Those are the building blocks of a successful business. Without even just one of these things, you aren’t likely to succeed, because you do not get rich instantly, it takes time to get noticed.

When you have skill, a customer base, and motivation to use that skill, you have a business. It’s that simple. - Notice how I said, simple. Not easy. A customer base takes marketing skill to grow. You are responsible for everything as a business owner. In business, you eat what you kill. It is entirely on you to succeed. Are you motivated or fearful because of what I just said? If motivated, starting a business is for you. If fearful or ambivalent, you are better off with a stable job.

The chief advantage of having a career is stability. The chief advantage of starting your business is freedom. What do you value more? Stability or freedom?. Freedom is good, but it means that you have all the disadvantages of freedom as well. Nobody makes decisions for you like in a job. Only you can decide whether freedom or stability is right for you. Only when you decide what you want with your life is when you can make a decision to align your life goals with reality. So should you start a business? 

You should talk to a non-biased professional about your goals. If you want to schedule a time to discuss your life goals, and if starting a business is for you, click the Contact Us link, fill out your information, and we will schedule a consultation. Remember, the price of a consultation pales in comparison to the price of making a mistake.