What's REALLY Holding You Back From Starting a Business? You Are.

I talk with individuals every week that say they want to start or own a business someday.  Most have a grand idea with no thought given to cost, revenue, or value delivered to the customer, let alone how they will get the money needed to make things happen.  Many will talk about their idea for years…while watching the clock tick by at their job and doing nothing to make things happen. 

There is no shortage of people wanting to get out of the “rat race” and work on something that has meaning.  Look at the statistics and you’ll see that up to 60% of the U.S. workforce wants to quit their job, and 32% are “actively looking” for another job.   With numbers this high, why is it that so many would-be entrepreneurs never actually “quit their job” and start a business or find work that they are passionate about? 

Why is it that so many jaded employees simply move on to another “job” and don’t act on their frustration?

In my experience, there are a few key reasons why the majority of workers will never leave a “job” to pursue a business idea:

Money

There is no question that it is harder to leave a job that you are unhappy with when a company is paying you what you consider a good income. Add the fact that you will normally give up good and steady income for an initially lower income, and you have the primary reason why most individuals will continue to work in jobs that they hate.   

What is your sellout number and why do you have one?

At what point is your passion and happiness worth more than a dollar amount?

 

Fear

Fear of failure.  Fear of the unknown.  Fear is a nasty motivator.  It motivates us to stay on the comfortable, everyday path and avoid the path least taken. We’ve all had times in our live’s when we feared that we weren’t good enough to accomplish something, only to discover that once we tried it, we were pretty good at it.  Will there be risk? Sure.  If you persevere, can you overcome any risk?  Absolutely.

Face your fear. Put yourself out there and go for it.

The biggest risk is doing nothing.

There is no failure, only learning.

“I Can’t” Mindset

It’s clear to me that most would-be entrepreneurs kill their ideas before they had a chance. They say to themselves, “I can’t,” without even trying. This mindset is also true for those individuals seeking happiness in their line of work.  It’s incorrect to accept the belief that you should be unhappy and unfulfilled at your job and in your life. 

If you are unhappy and unfulfilled at your job, quit!

If you are unhappy or unfulfilled in your life, change it!

Join the 32% of individuals looking for something better.  But don’t just talk about it, ACT on it.

Work on developing a positive mindset and strong resolution to succeed.  Begin making changes today that will influence how you’re living tomorrow. 

Change your mindset and change your life.

Lifestyle

It is common for individuals to get comfortable with a certain lifestyle.  We want two cars in the drive, a nice house, designer clothes, and $6 cups of coffee.  It’s hard to imagine not having these things because we deserve them, right?  Many people will remain in their jobs simply because they have mountains of debt that they couldn’t manage if they walked away in pursuit of starting a business or pursuing their passion.

In pursuit of the American Dream, most of us will bury ourselves in credit card, student loan, mortgage, and auto loan debt. Once you hit a certain point, you are a slave to your debt and feel that you can’t walk away from a job.  You can.  Change your lifestyle to allow yourself the opportunity to pursue your passion.  This may mean giving up a few of the things that you want, but don’t really need.

Live within your means.

You can’t be happy if you are a slave to your debt.

Not Willing to Work for It

Many of us will say that we want it. Very few of us will work for it to make it happen. Need I say more.

Work always comes before success.

 

All of these are poor excuses. 

If you want to make it happen, then now is the time to step up. Change your mindset. Change your life.  Face your fear.  Go for it.