Last week I met with a new friend who told me of how she always dreamed of starting her own business. A well-known expert in her field, things are still holding her back and it’s for reasons I’ve heard time and again. For me, starting BeecherMadden was never a risk, because I had total conviction that it would be successful.
So why do so many others with great business potential hesitate, and what can you help?
One of the main reasons for hesitating was her desire to start a family in the near future. As a mother of two, I know pregnancy, especially in the early months can make running a business difficult – but it can be done!
With a good support network, motherhood should be a motivator, not a reason to hold back! You could get pregnant tomorrow and still have 9 months to build your business – talk about motivation!
The next road blocks were common fearful questions people ask themselves like, “What if I fail?” or “What will people say about me?”
Rest assured, I have looked in the face of failure many times, but your true friends and family will support you through it. Anyone with something negative to say is not worth your time! Chances are, underneath it all, they are simply jealous you had the guts to go after your dream in the first place.
The most frustrating aspect for me, was when colleague of mine left the company to start his own business and was doing well. I had to ask myself, “What had given him the conviction to go ahead?”
Gender inequality is commonplace is business and it has been reported that men will apply for jobs when they meet as little as 60% of the requirements, whereas women typically only apply if they meet 85% or more. Due to this, women need to feel more certain even when they are probably just as capable as their male counterpart to branch out on their own!
Of course starting a business is a decision you should not take lightly. Be to get your finances in order, have a watertight business plan, and know your target clients and be ready to work extremely hard.
However, if it is just the “what if…?” questions holding you back, you need to shake them off and do it anyway!