What Does It Take To Start Your Own Business?

Business is a self-development journey, there is no doubt about it.

The story of your business is so closely related to your personal development. To your life. Where you are in your life, what you want from your life.

Not just your career.

I’ve started to notice that many people who are considering starting their own business aren’t really aware of what that takes in terms of pushing your personal, emotional and psychological boundaries.

I get it, it’s hard to know what to expect from the start.

So let’s explore this. What does it actually take to start your own business?

First of all I want to make one thing clear:

I don’t believe that ACTUAL work to start an online business is hard.

And a lot of people are doing a whole bunch of work they don’t even need to be doing.

With most people I speak to once they have some strategic direction the work is actually easier.

But what is hard is the personal development that comes with being a business owner

And honestly there’s no way to prepare people for this. But here’s an easy rule of thumb:

If you are choosing to go into business because you think it will be easier than going to work – Don’t do it.
If you are choosing to go into business because you have a message to share or you feel you can do something more with your life or you know you do great work and are ready to take control and be compensated for the full value of your work – Then do it.

Then you are coming from a place of stepping up rather than a place of avoidance.

Of course there are incredible freeing benefits of being your own boss.

But is it easy street?

Definitely not.

What do I need to bring to the table?

When you start a business there will be challenges and sometimes even the smallest thing, like clicking publish on a social media post or even bigger on your website, can seem paralyzing.

It can be really really hard to press the button.

To tell people about your new business.

To ask for the sale.

To face potential rejection (even if it isn’t personal).

To own your voice and stand by what you believe in.

These are things you may never have had to do in a work context before.

Often when we work in corporate even though we have responsibilities and deadlines it’s all within a really small and somewhat comfortable frame.

If we are in accounts no one expects us to ask for the sale. If we are in IT no one expects us to do the PR.

So what gets you past these hurdles?

Ultimately what gets you past these hurdles and has you stretching your comfort zone is your drive for something bigger for yourself.

Your drive to do, be and have more.

Not necessarily in the material sense but in what you get out of life.

Deciding to be a business owner is not for the weak of heart.

This is a path for marathon runners, for people ready to push through everything and go the distance. Is that you?

In a recent post we discussed the concept of self actualisation.

This is a huge part of your business. For some it might be the goal, or for some it might be a part of what comes up on the journey.

Choosing this path means choosing to face your fears, face your weaknesses, lean into your strengths, push your boundaries, and to really sit down in amongst all the emotional baggage you maybe didn’t even know you had and work out what you are going to do about it.

I’m not going to lie. At times it’s scary, I’ve been there, and you need to know it’s something likely to happen if this is truly what you want.

On the other side of that though is the opportunity to be who you really are, to live into your individual brilliance, and if it is truly what you want, to turn that into your business.

This is why it is so important to know who you are, and what you want.

Not who anyone told you to be, or what anyone told you that you should want.

You need to really think about how far you are willing to go to fulfill your vision of your life.