5 Signs You are Ready to Start a Business
Many, including myself, always ask this question. But more often, the answer varies from one individual to another. Some would say yes, while others would disagree.
Do you know content writing is business? Yes, it is.
Before I began writing, I had no idea where to begin. Though in the beginning, I felt that I wasn’t ready, I just started.
The process didn’t come easy as I consulted from one blogger (still asking) to another to get the momentum.
Each person knows their abilities and limits. Your instinct will always speak louder than your thinking. If you’re not ready, you’re not, and it won’t happen.
But the moment your innermost feeling tells you, you are ready, and then nothing will stop you.
Starting a business begins with an idea. An idea brought about by the desire to solve a need. It could be that you had been struggling to find a solution to a problem, or a colleague got stuck about something.
At some point in my life, I got into animal feeds business. I saw a need, and the demand was quality animal feeds. Farmers in remote areas found it hard to access quality animal feeds due to poor road networks.
It is when we decided to produce the products and deliver them to their farms.
“In this time and age, anyone can start a business. But not everyone succeeds.
So, how do you know when you are ready to start a business?
If you were only starting a business because a friend or family member is starting one, then you’re bound to fail. You think that you’re bright enough to pull off any idea and work it through, and then it won’t work.
Just like you don’t have any clue whether you know or don’t know, the same case applies to me.
Yes, starting a business is not simple. And yes, it’s hard. And yes, most of you will shelve that idea the sooner you realize it’s complicated. But several of you will persevere, while a more significant number will throw in the towel.
- You’re passionate about the idea.
Passion is a trait that is not taught from any business school but comes from within. The sooner you realize that whatever business idea you have echo well with feelings, the better. Something that you passionately cherish works out without much effort.
Even though people do say that hard work and persistence pays, the odds favor those who go for things they most love.
Just because that opportunity has a high return on investment (ROI) and that it worked for somebody else doesn’t mean it will work for you.
Yes, you love the idea. I get it. But do you enjoy doing it?
Remember, not everyone was meant to be an entrepreneur. What makes you think that you can pull it off?
The wealthiest people in the world are in business. They had this brilliant idea that came at the appropriate moment and made it work. But the key to their success besides perseverance and consistency is their passion.
“If you just work on stuff that you like and you’re passionate about, you don’t have to have a master plan with how things will play out.”—Mark Zuckerberg.
- Winners mentality- mindset-attitude
If you ask me what mentality means, I will describe it as that mental strength or the “never say die attitude.” Mental toughness is a trait that’s within an individual’s DNA.
Do you think one can build it up and make it work? Yes and No to some extent.
When you possess a winning mentality within yourself, then I think you are ready to start a business.
What do I mean by this?
You’re not afraid of losing. The moment you set your mind on doing something, there’s no turning back. You work with whatever you have at your disposal as you wait for the outcome.
However, scary or stressful it looks; crossing the success line is the final goal.
Though it might take time and money, patience would eventually pay off.
- Ready to accommodate failure and criticism
Do you know how many times Jack Ma failed? Your guess is as good as mine.
Why is it that he failed? Is it that he chose to fail? No, it’s because he accepted that failure is part of life.
Without failure, you won’t learn from your mistakes. Oh! Okay, you think that mistakes rub a lousy picture on your face or image?
Let me point it out to you.
Many of those failed in school and had the determination to succeed in other areas, made it in life. I’m not advocating for not working hard in school. They possessed this extraordinary determination that pushed them to succeed.
The same case applies when starting a business. You’ll start with this or that idea but dies before even beginning.
You must accept that you’ll; rise, and fall, and rise and fall again. Nobody is immune, even the most successful people in the world. Take it upon yourself that you’ll get criticism from left, right, and center. The most important thing is how you positively respond to those criticisms.
Do you quit or learn from it? The road to success is thin and full of many obstacles.
“It’s not how far you fall, but how high you bounce that counts.” –Zig Ziglar.
- Ready to learn from the best
There’s no new business idea in this world yet. Don’t imagine that you’re the first one to have bumped into that idea.
No.
That’s why you have no choice but to learn from the best in the industry. Do some research on what others before you have done. Learn from their mistakes and success stories.
Success does not come overnight. It’s a learning curve where each day you study a new thing.
Even if it calls for seeking interviews from some of your mentors, do it. It doesn’t cost you anything.
Have that craving for success. Take it that if it is not now, then it’s right now.
What I mean is that you need to stick your feet on the ground and your ears on the airwaves.
Remember, you made that decision alone so, don’t get sidetracked when results are not coming immediately. In the event the going gets tough, go back to point number two.
If you can’t beat them, then you should join them.
- A risk-taker
How many times have you heard this word? Several times, isn’t it?
As green as you seem or as clueless as you look, what part of risk-taking makes you shiver?
How do you become a risk-taker, and risk-taking involves loss of money and, at times, the entire investment?
I don’t know, but it’s a business term that’s inevitable whether you like it or not. Risk takers have the heart of a lion and a thick skin as an elephant.
What should we learn from them that is worthy of sharing?
The fantastic story is that life is all about change, and for you to grow, you must take the risk.
If you’re planning to go the business way, you should get off your comfort zone. Away from your caved mentality and explore the other side of fear.
Ask yourself…if some of the greatest inventors never took risks, where would the world be now?
You are never alone in this bandwagon, many have passed through the same and come out victorious.
By conquering your fears and making that bold stage, prepares you for any challenge thrown at you.
I’d like to know how you knew you were ready to start a business? Would you share any other that I might miss out on?
Is there any topic you’d like me to write about, do share that with me in the comments section below?