I never thought I’d be running my own business. Never.
Can I tell you another secret?
When people say ‘It can’t be done’, what they’re really saying is that they can’t see how it can be done. They don’t have the knowledge, not yet.
Perhaps you can’t imagine running your own business because nobody has ever put their arm around you and shown you how to do it. A lot of the theory of starting a business is quite simple, but if you’ve never felt inclined, why would you have taken the time to learn it?
So, consider us your friends and let us put our arm around you and guide you in the right direction.
Before we go further, let’s turn the dial to maximum on ‘open-mindedness’ and ‘courage’. Having the right mindset for starting a business is vital. For me, circumstances presented the right time and opportunity for starting a sustainability business, so I had to squash my fear and insecurities and learn to convince myself that my idea and I were good enough to both succeed and have a positive Earthly impact.
I started by reading these three books:
One problem that many people face is that the idea of starting a business is much bigger and scarier than the reality. There are mental images of needing offices, fleets, loads of staff, huge investment and lots of equipment, but it’s not necessarily true. I work from my laptop remotely and my freelance team all do the same. I work from anywhere: cafe, home, coworking space, library, even on the bus! My point is, if you want a lean business, you can do it, a lot of the things like premises and vehicles come much further down the line.
What might seem like a monumental task now, will seem much smaller once you’re doing it in a logical way.
Another impediment that people see in the process of starting a business is having that lightbulb moment when the idea strikes you. People seem to think that coming up with a business idea will take a lifetime or two, but that’s because they think that every business has to be something never done before. In fact, the best ideas are the ones that exist already, so all you have to do is remix them, add your intentions and ideas, figure out how you can use the ideas to help the planet, and there you are!
Once you’ve got a handful of good ideas, you need to bounce them off of others. There’s an art to doing this, so we put down all of the best techniques into a really interesting guide. Once you start bouncing your ideas off of others, things are suddenly going to get much easier and relatable, and you might start to think ‘Ok, so starting a business isn’t so hard if people love the idea’.
Having supporters makes the whole journey easier and more enjoyable.
As we said at the start, a lot of people don’t think they could run a business because they can’t imagine themselves running a business. So, what if there was a way to develop that visionary skill? Well, there is!
Developing a vision is a really important part of the process of starting a business, so we created this piece to help you do it.
If you wanted to travel to Hawaii tomorrow, you wouldn’t simply close your eyes and wake up there, you’d have to formulate a plan. You’d have to get convenient flights, arrange a lift to the airport, you’d need to book accommodation, you’d have to book time off work (or not show up in this example!) and you’d have to pack. That’s just the half of it!
Starting a business is much the same, you need a plan, but fortunately, you don’t need to do it overnight, instead, you follow processes and take as much time as you need in order to make it happen. You change your mindset, find your idea, validate it, and then start thinking about how it makes money, how it drives sustainable change, how you would market it and sell it, who would help you with it, and who would build your website etc.
Starting a business is not one giant leap, it is hundreds and thousands of small steps. Here’s everything you need to know about making your plan.
One minute you’re googling ‘how to build a website’, and the next thing you know, you’re 50 posts down your Instagram feed laughing at a puppy and a kitten playing together. Don’t worry, you’re not alone, it happens. It’s human nature to get distracted, but with a little training, changing some processes, and a smidge of will power, you can become a productive genius.
What a lot of people don’t realise is that when you start your own business you are suddenly working for yourself, this creates a huge increase in motivation and desire, as the potential is all in your hands. For most new entrepreneurs, the first steps are the hardest and the most rewarding.
Do you feel a little more confident about the task at hand? We are going to help you get there, so even if you’re still overwhelmed and still think the task is arduous and monstrous, don’t worry, we’ve got your back.
Have you joined up to our "6 Week Welcome Email Series" yet? This takes you incrementally through setting a vision and generating ideas. Click the button below.