Have you ever had repeated thoughts of doing something different in life, something more satisfying which you are passionate about like a business of your own? If yes, then when are you going to start working on it? If your answer is “hopefully soon” then you’re a certified wantrepreneur ; the term ‘ wantrepreneurs ‘ refers to those who WISHE to become an entrepreneur in the future.
If that sounds like you, then don’t worry because you are not alone.
Over the years, I’ve had the honor to meet aspiring entrepreneurs. But for some reasons, there were some that while eager to pursue entrepreneurship, were hold back by factors which prevented them from taking active steps to achieve their goals.
Here are wantrepreneurs ’ Top 10 Excuses and How to Defeat Them
I am afraid to step outside my comfort zone
When we step outside of our comfort zone, we normally take a risk, and open ourselves up to the possibility of anxiety and discomfort; we’re not fully certain what will happen, but only at that time we can experience actual growth.
Numerous people I know tend to hold to that which is familiar to them and which makes them feel comfortable and secured, and there is nothing wrong with that. But what defines an entrepreneur is the courage to step outside your comfort zone – and keep pushing forward regardless of the odds.
Stepping outside your comfort zone doesn’t necessarily mean taking a huge risk; before I quit my day job and fully immersed myself in my business, I tried doing my venture as a side hustle. The time I got some leverage, I decided to invest my full time and energy in my project and after a short time I started harvesting the fruits of my efforts.
I don’t have what it takes
When you hear the word ‘successful’ what comes to your mind? Someone who seems to feel no fear and says the perfect thing and does things confidently, right? Yes, Confidence is undoubtedly tied to success.
It is the first step to achieving anything.
A lot of people find that they lack confidence and don’t know how to find it. It is important to remember that every person will likely have their confidence shaken from time to time. This is normal, especially after experiencing failure. But there are things you can do to help boost your confidence. Luckily, it is a skill that can be learned and developed.
I have no money to spend on my idea
We all know that businesses entail money but don’t let that bring you down. There are ways you can start without investing a lot of money upfront.
For instance bootstrapping; which refers to the situation where you initiate your startup with little capital and keep on growing with the money it generates.
This method has a many advantages such as: It will allow you to test the market with your product to see what works and what doesn’t. These findings will set the system and offer you valuable knowledge so you can then make well-informed decisions on how much capital you will need proceeding forward.
Sharing expenses is also a good option. Find someone like-minded that can assist you to achieve your goals and also share the burden of any expenses. Sure you’d have to split profit with them, but keep in mind that 50% nothing at all.
I am afraid to fail
Everyone is scared of failing. But failure shouldn’t be looked at as a sign to give up, but a way of learning! Remember when we were little kids and started to walk? Do you know how many times we failed to walk before we finally did? Well, a lot. Learning as an entrepreneur is the same; most of the time, you don’t know what you don’t know until you try and fail.
Keep in mind that it is not the act of failing that you should focus on, but rather the lessons you can learn from it to help equip you with the knowledge you need to become a better entrepreneur.
Over the years, I’ve failed more times than I could remember – both personally and professionally. But the most important thing is to never let that failure define you and to keep pushing forward.
I am worried about other peoples’ opinions
This often goes hand-in-hand with the previous point. We are often worried that our failures are conspicuous to others – we have become a society that only posts our successes on social media, but never bring up our struggles and failures.
Unfortunately, not everyone understands entrepreneurship. To be a thriving entrepreneur means to go against the norms, which is why the road is generally road less travelled.
Your friends and family may encourage and support you in the beginning, but as time goes on, their attitudes and faith may change. These people who believed in you once may start to talk behind your back about how bad your services or products are and how you will never make it in business.
Remember, people do not understand what they have never experienced. It is easy for someone to say that starting a business is simple and criticize your product or service – when they have never done anything like that themselves.
I can never measure up to others’ success
We continually compare ourselves to other people – to see how far we have made it in the “success” ladder. However, how do you define success? Is it more money? Perfect body? Beautiful wife?
The critical point everyone misses here is that your journey in life is different and unique. But we tend to want to take the best parts of other peoples’ lives and somehow combine them into one. It is like taking an athlete’s body and a successful entrepreneur and a role model and you combine them into one personality. Unfortunately, life does not work this way!
Comparing yourself to other people will not produce any positive benefits. It would only make you feel sad about your life. It is far better to have a clear vision of where you are going with your life and continue to focus on it. You should always approach life with gratitude and continuous effort to be better.
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12 Shocking Habits of Successful People
I don’t have a good business idea.
Have you ever tried looking for one? I’m talking about doing research for good business opportunities and expose yourself to new domains and new people. you might look for a problem that drives you nuts. Talk with people that are also upset because of that problem. Listen to them. And Voila! You got a business idea.
Sometimes finding a good business idea isn’t the problem, it’s determining whether you actually your idea is good or not. It’s important to be critical of your idea and ask for other people’s feedback.
I am too young / too old to start.
There’s never an age where you’re too young or too old to be an entrepreneur. You don’t believe me! Look at some of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs. They all started working around when they were 10 or 12 years old.
There are people who have created companies at the age of 12, generating revenues ranging from a couple thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars while still studying in high school.
On the other hand, we sometimes think of successful entrepreneurs as being young. Take for example Mark Zuckerberg who started his entrepreneurial journey in his 20s when he founded Facebook. Well, as someone who coaches entrepreneurs of different, I have always told my students that if they believe youth itself is the potion of successful entrepreneurship, you are wrong. Many people started their businesses when they were in their 50s and made their way up to the top smoothly.
My business will take so long to become profitable.
Making your business profitable doesn’t come over night. You need to invest so much effort and, maybe, money on your venture to succeed. Many people give up on their projects after a month or so because they didn’t start to enjoy any profits just yet. It is important to keep in mind that when you focus solely on money, your patience exhausts after a short period, but when your main goal is to come with something great that you are really proud of then you immerse yourself in work and be surprised when money wealth starts coming your way.
It’s not realistic to get everything we want immediately. Instant gratification is a source of frustration and misery – it creates false expectations which lead to quitting. By learning to adopt delayed gratification, you allow yourself to have much more time to work thoughtfully, learn from your failures, and keep growing your business.
It will be too difficult to learn everything I need to know.
It’s all about deciding what knowledge you need to have and what skills you need to develop in order to start your business. And keep in mind that successful entrepreneurs learn along the way, they don’t wait to know everything and master every skill. That moment, when you are fully ready to start your venture, will never come, so don’t get stuck, start and learn.
Manage your time effectively; maybe your free evenings of playing videogames or watching movies will need to be re-evaluated. Invest your free time on learning what you need to learn and always take what you learn to practice, by doing so, you will be making small steps to achieving your dreams.
The fact that you have read this indicates that you still have a desire to make your dream of having a business of your own come true. Remember that any challenge requires personal sacrifice and thoughtful hard-work for it to come to fruition. Don’t let social media trick you into believing successes are quick and easy, or that success will come to knock on your door. The results of our pursuits are a direct result of the work we put in and our persistence to achieve what we are meant to achieve. So leave the wantrepreneurs group and join the realm of entrepreneurs.
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