Entrepreneurs Two Series : Mindset & taking the leap of faith

Ayesha, what you like to advice or tell for wannabe entrepreneurs with this mindset “sitting on the fence for a very long time and waiting for “the” time to start their own business?

In most cases, there is never going to be a perfect time to start a business.  The economy fluctuates, fads waver, tastes change and market bubbles burst.  Waiting on everything to be just right is a futile effort.

I believe that sometimes people use the excuse of timing to stall, because they fear the unknown.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a legitimate fear to have.  But you can’t let it paralyze you to the point where you do nothing.

I also believe that there are those who may not be fearful, but allow everything else to take priority.  We all lead busy lives with spouses, children, hobbies, jobs and anything else that pops up.  It takes a lot of discipline and focus to start a business.

After one of my speaking engagements last April, an attendee expressed interest in my coaching services.   She wanted to launch a business and was seeking guidance on how to get started.  I followed up with her several times after the event, so that we could meet to discuss her entrepreneurial needs.  She continually responded that she was really busy at work and wasn’t ready yet.  After quite a few failed attempts to get together, I decided to give her space.  Nine months later, she contacted me to let me know that she’d lost her job and she was ready to focus on her business.

And though I believe my prices to be quite reasonable, after some discussion, she determined that although she needed my help, she couldn’t afford to work with me. Of course we can’t predict the future, but I think we could have had her business up and running in the time between the April 2014 event where we met and when she lost her job.  It’s not to say that she won’t still be able to launch her business, but things may be tougher now that she doesn’t have a steady paycheck to cover expenses.

Even if the timing doesn’t seem right to jump in with both feet, at least dip your toes in and test the waters.  Crawling or taking baby steps is better than not moving at all.

Going by the gut feeling & taking the leap of faith is the STEP ONE for starting your own business.

I worked for the Best Buy Geek Squad for 19 years before leaving to start my own business.  I absolutely loved my job, the people I worked with and had every intention of retiring from Best Buy, but little did I know that something else was in store for me. So, after almost two years of not seeing eye to eye with my boss, I decided to abandon my plan A and leave Best Buy.

I had stuck it out for as long as I could, but I felt like my spirit was being crushed and I decided life was too short to live like that.  After some deep soul-searching and talking it over with my trusted advisory board (my family), I decided to take a huge leap of faith.

Making the decision to leave a six-figure income and a company where I’d worked for half my life was not easy.  But I refused to settle for the alternative, which was working in misery.  The stress I was experiencing on the job was manifesting itself physically and it wasn’t worth risking my health.  Starting my own business had always been my plan B, but to be honest, I didn’t think it would ever come to that.

There were still so many unknowns and it ended up taking much longer to get established than I expected, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.  I admire people who continue to work a job, while launching a business.  I couldn’t do it.  I needed to make a clean break and a brand new start.  Three years after starting my own business, I’m not yet where I want to be.  However, I keep making significant progress and I don’t regret my decision one bit.  It’s like all the time I spent at Best Buy, soaking up knowledge and sharpening my skills was preparing me to be an entrepreneur.  And it still feels right.