If these last three years have taught me anything, it is that starting your own business is more work than you think. Double the amount of time, money and dedication you think it will take. Then double it again. That might come close.
There are a biggilion and one reasons why I love this lifestyle, but I’d like to take a day out of the month o’learning to remind y’all of some lessons I put out there already on the topic.
Before you dive in, please keep in mind that I’ve always planned on my businesses to be “lifestyle” small businesses. This means the goal was that I would bring in enough money to keep myself and maybe a part-time person or two happy, but never have big plans to sell to Google for millions of dollars. As I mention in one of the articles, I think a lot of press is given to the big guys, but more often than not, its just one or two people in a room with a good idea and the hope to be able to work around their kids’ soccer schedules.
If you want to be a biggilionaire, I highly recommend Fast Company magazine and Suitcase Entrepreneur for articles, podcasts and case studies. You should also read the periodicals and blogs in your area of business, but you probably know enough about that topic. Accounting, graphic design, and CRM software… Well, that’s another story.
Things to Consider First
This post gives you six things to consider before leaving your steady, corporate job. There are a great many things that are specific to your industry (licensing, finding loans, etc.). Here, I focus on the true basics on the assumption you’ll find analytical data elsewhere. I’m assuming you have a good idea, a rough business plan, enough sales to prove that you’re on to something, and a savings account that includes money to pay the bills for at least 6 months.
Why Working for Yourself Is Fun
The first article gives you a number of very serious and scary issues that need to be considered before you create your business plan. This one tells you four reasons owning your own business can also be really, really cool and why it’s the perfect place for some folks.
Stay Focused
Staying focused on any given thing is probably the most difficult thing for me to do as an entrepreneur. That’s why blog writing is a good profession (if only other people believe that I could turn it into a profession!); I can flit from interesting topic to interesting topic within the confines of “the real good life” and be OK.
This post links to some great articles and ideas that usually keep my nose to the grindstone when I’m feeling particularly sidetracked.
How to Be an Entrepreneur in Five Lessons
After two years in, I found myself having lunch with a girlfriend getting ready to jump into her first (or at least biggest) entrepreneurial endeavor. The next day, I presented to high school kids on the same subject. How did I become a knowledgeable resource on the topic?!
Just goes to show you, if you have confidence, you can do just about anything. In the meantime, this post tells you all the other life lessons you need to know.
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