You Don’t Have to Have It All Figured Out
It’s exciting when someone decides to start something new – whether it’s baking, making art, picking up a new language or musical instrument, exploring newer skills is a deeply rewarding adventure that expands your world in exciting ways and injects a fresh sense of wonder in your daily life. As you spend more time mastering these skills, not only do you get better at them, but taking a pause and looking back makes you realize what an amazing, exhilarating journey of discovery it has been. Not only did you survive uncharted territory, you are now thriving in it!
Starting a business is also somewhat similar, at least conceptually, where you are about to get on a journey that you have never been in before, but you do see value in it – through your skills and offerings you plan to enrich the lives of your customers, and in return, you unlock rewards – financial independence and unparalleled fulfillment, among many others.
So why do so many aspiring entrepreneurs end up never starting their endeavor? According to data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, almost 45% of Americans never give it a go because they fear failure.
I talk to so many people with a genuinely great idea who are stuck, not because the idea is wrong, but because they are waiting to feel “ready”. They want assurance that what they are planning will work, and success is definitely the ultimate outcome. So they keep analyzing the market, keep reading about what markets are like, study who the existing players are, only to be stalled in the end because of overthinking (analysis paralysis). They want their business plan and their website to be ready before they officially launch, but guess what? The overthinking keeps them from taking the first step because they didn’t feel “ready”.
The reality is that you will never feel 100% ready. Nobody starts ready. Readiness is a myth we buy into to stay still because taking the first step without a guaranteed win is scary. So if you happen to be someone who has been overthinking about starting your own business, can I tell you something that might take some pressure off?
You do not need to have it all figured out to begin.
Instead of “Am I ready?”, ask these smaller questions:
- What problems am I actually solving?
- Who is it for—specifically, not generally?
- What unique skills/abilities/approach/offerings I have that existing players may not have?
- What’s one small thing I must do in the next 90 days to test it?
That’s it.
These questions and their answers are not your business plan, but they will give you a starting line, and starting lines are not meant to be polished. They are supposed to get you moving. Coming back to what I mentioned about learning new skills – starting a business is somewhat similar. Just like learning to bake, navigating a new market is a fun, messy process of discovery. Just like picking up an instrument, the joy is in discovering how a new business works.
So if you’ve been waiting to feel ready, here’s your permission slip: you are ready enough to answer four questions. Start there, and the rest of it – strategy, system, growth etc. – will meet you at the right time and place whenever you are ready for them. And if you are already running something and this still hits you, it’s never too late to go back and answer those four questions. Getting clarity is a perpetual process, not a one time thing.
Additional Reading: 7 Simple Ways to Get Past Your Fear of Failure
