Why can't you start your own business?

By: Tash Hughes of Word Constructions

Even if you love a job or being a full time parent, you've probably heard and thought about the saying "you can't get rich working for someone else."

Maybe you‘ve even thought about your own business and have ideas about what sort of business you could run. Have you thought as far as a name, tag line, and so on?

So what's stopping you registering that business name and starting up?

Many people sitting at home or at work day dreaming about business will be thinking along the lines of "its ok for those rich people, they already have a great business. What could I do? How could I get a business going like them?"

A majority of the big names you hear in business were once where you are now – many didn't have a wealthy background, business savvy parents, an exclusive education or numerous contacts to work from.

So, what's the difference between you and those business success stories? Why be so sure you can't succeed like they did?

In reality, the only thing stopping you starting your business and taking it as far as you want to is YOU.

Start with the important business ingredient

Yes, to start a successful business career, you have to believe in yourself.

As Henry Ford said, "If you think you can, you can; if think you can't, you can't."

Ignoring the practicalities of the business type for now, the only thing stopping you being a business person of highest calibre is your lack of confidence in yourself, in your idea or in your right to succeed.

Ray Kroc didn't have a product of his own; he bought the rights of a business and promoted it and became a very successful business man because he believed it was possible. Never heard of him? Well, he kept the business name of the brothers he bought from; their name was McDonald …

Walt Disney took his idea to 303 banks before he got the funds to start Mickey Mouse and friends on their path to fame.

Barbara de Corti, founder of Enjo Australia, took over two years to sell her first stock of cleaning products; bit of a change for an aerobics instructor!

From the humble beginnings of chronic fatigue syndrome and a run down, termite ridden student flat in Sydney, Sonia Amoroso has built a business empire worth more than $30 million.

There are no rules about who can start a business, and certainly no rules specific to you not running a business.

Look inside yourself and identify if you are putting the breaks on your own successful business before you even take the first step. Ask yourself why you can't run a business …

Are there valid reasons, or are you putting excuses in your own way? If its money, go and find some or work a part time job to raise the funds; if its qualifications, go and study and or find a related alternative that doesn't need study; if it's family commitments, consider how working for yourself will reduce commuting time and child care requirements. Question each "reason" for not starting your own business and find a way around them.

To paraphrase Don Kennedy, give yourself permission to start your business rather than wait for it to come from somewhere else. Essentially, if you wait for others to tell you to start a business and for the perfect time for your business, you will never own a business.

Food For thought

To help you on your way to accepting you can be a business person and establishing a business, here are some questions for you to think about.

You may find it helpful to record your answers in a notebook; you will be able to refer back to these notes later, as well as adding to them and refining your ideas as you learn more.

• What do you want to achieve in your life?
• Do you enjoy working away from home?
• How much control over your income and lifestyle do you want?
• What would the perfect working week be for you? How many hours for what income level?
• What do you have to offer other people?
• Are your dreams important enough to work for?
• What sort of lifestyle do you want for yourself? And for your family?
• Have you found a business idea you can be passionate about?
• How long do you want to dream about running a business and doing nothing about it?
• Do you prefer the risk of failure or the risk of regret?

"Half the failures in life arise from pulling in one's horse as he is leaping" said Augustus Hare. Why not let your horse have his head?