Start a business today! What are you afraid of?

Start a business today! What are you afraid of?

Aug 25, 2009
entrepreneur

Whats keeping you from starting a business today? Some statistics say 80% of those employed are unhappy with their current job.  So whats keeping you from starting your own business today? My guess is your afraid. Now you might not admit to that right away but if you are honest that’s what it boils down to. Afraid of failure.  Its the #1 reason people keep from following their dreams when it comes to starting a business.  So many of the fears are perpetrated by the false information we hear.  Jason Cohen has written a great article that debunks many of the myths of starting your own business.

Tell someone you’re starting a business, then brace yourself for their overwhelming show of support:

Wow, 95% of all businesses fail, right? That’s scary.

Most businesses are never profitable and fail within 5 years.  That’s mind-blowingly depressing.  Aren’t you worried about all the time and money you’ll lose?

So many businesses end in bankruptcy.  Aren’t you worried about that wrecking your life?

I don’t think that’s a good move in this economy. (Right Dale?)

Well actually, these “well-known facts” are crap.


So the question is are you ready to start your own business?   I know there are obstacles to overcome, yourself being the biggest.  But, make no mistake about it, if you are passionate about something you can make money at it.  Don’t listen to the naysayers, critics and skeptics, get out there and start your business today.  If you want something to be afraid of, be afraid of  missed opportunites.  Now that’s a scary!

  • http://www.davidmeyer.org David Meyer

    Wow Rich,

    I think you hit it all right on the head. I am not afraid of starting a business, because I have done it before, and failed. But what I learned was amazing. I think given what I know now, I would not have failed…but hindsight is 20/20 as they say. For me, I did a few things wrong.

    1. I didn’t focus on what I was really good at, and got distracted by the stuff that, while it put money in my pocket, distracted me from building my business.

    2. I spent money in all the wrong places. I joined the Brandon Chamber of Commerce and tried to work in this area, when most of my customers where in Tampa. I eventually joined the Tampa Chamber, but it was too late by that point.

    3. I didn’t have a brand. Lazzara Yachts is a brand. The name says it all. Me…I didn’t come up with my brand in time, and the name of the company I had said NOTHING about what I did. Had I come up with a brand earlier, I think things would have been different.

    Thanks for a great motivating post. I’m looking for that next business idea all the time.

  • rlazzara

    David, thanks for sharing your personal experience with us. You have hit on 3 key areas for certain that are essential to know and do correctly.

    #1 happens to everyone. Continue to hone your specialty, know who you are
    #2 know your market.
    #3 Branding, branding, branding. When Lazzara Yachts started there was no brand. While we had been building yachts for years I cant tell you how many people said Lazzara who? where in Italy is it built? Have you ever even built a boat? Do you guys know anything about building boats? etc etc. Branding is the key.

    I did a post today on branding yourself. I believe that is the next biggest trend that EVERYONE in the workforce should pay learn. Many are seeing the affects of layoffs, down sizing, etc. Years and years of pouring yourself into one company only to be let go. Everyone who is in business should be branding themselves as well. Ill get into more of it in another post. Thx.

  • http://blog.asmartbear.com Jason Cohen

    Thanks for quoting me Rich. I completely agree that missing a chance is worse than trying and failing.

    There’s no shame in failing — you’ll have great stories and you’ll learn a lot and perhaps next time you’ll succeed.

    Here’s a boring story: I never tried.

  • rlazzara

    Jason, your welcome. Your right , that is a boring story.

  • http://www.richlazzara.com/remember-when-you-were-an-entrepreneur/ Remember When You Were An Entrepreneur | Rich Lazzara

    [...] Fear, doubt, apprehention, each of them the enemies of success but certainly not insurmountable. The fact is you’ve already done it once, it’s time to start again. Starting a business has never been easier.  By easy I don’t mean that its not hard work, instead I’m talking about the tools that are available today for next to nothing.  Just remember when you were an entrepreneur and get back to what you know. [...]

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