I have some thoughts about why this is.

For starters, I believe that some people just don’t like to venture beyond their comfort zone. They’re happy going to work, punching the time clock, putting up with the office politics, and doing what’s expected. And at the end of the day, they’re happy to go home and leave work behind. They like this routine and feel comfortable and safe.

Another reason why people tremble when they hear “start a new business” or “become self-employed” is because they lack confidence. For whatever reason, they feel they’re just not capable of handling the responsibilities of being self-employed. They fear failure… and that failure prevents them from seeing all the opportunity that’s right under their noses.

A third reason is that they feel they lack the financial resources to start a business. Or, they feel they don’t have all the skills and training (and formal education) that they believe is essential.

Well, let’s take a look at these three objections to starting a new business.

First, while people are comfortable in their job, jobs these days don’t seem to impart confidence to those who hold jobs. With 10.2 percent of the workforce unemployed, there’s not much to be truly comfortable or feel safe about.

I’ve had some tough times in my 30 years of experience as a business owner. But I never woke up in the morning worried that I’d be left out in the cold. Even when a major client dumped me, I could regroup and find others to replace them. When I look back at my early days in Corporate America, I think I was often more worried then than I’ve been.

Second, I know people who have been scared to death the first day they started a new job. And they continued to worry once they started the new job. Invariably, they reach a point – everyone does – where they have the confidence they need to do whatever needs to be done. As humans, we can learn just about anything. And confidence is something that you gain by growing a little every day.

Third, starting a new business – becoming self-employed – doesn’t necessarily mean that you need a lot of money. There has never been a time in the history of civilization when someone could start a business with little or no money. In some cases, it takes only than 20 bucks for business cards.

I’ve pointed out, for example, how easy it is for someone to start a retail business using eBay. It requires very little startup capital. Realistically, while you may not need money for the business itself, you will need money for you. When you start a new job tomorrow, you get a paycheck in two weeks. That doesn’t happen with being self-employed (but it could). If you’re not working, where’s the risk? If you’re underemployed, you already have a base.

What’s the difference between a college degree and on-the-job training? A high school diploma, college degree, or technical training is no assurance that you’ll succeed as a business owner.

Many years ago I knew two brothers. One barely made it through high school. The other finished college and went on to obtain a law degree. After 20 years, the brother with the law degree still works for the brother with the high school diploma.

“What do you do?” was the question that came at me at just such an event yesterday from a middle-aged gentleman in a gray pinstripe suit.

I handed him my business card and gave him my elevator speech about ThinkSelfEmployed.com. I talked about my desire to help people who are unemployed start their own businesses.

He gave me his elevator speech and then came at me with both barrels.

“You know, Gil, 90% of all businesses fail in their first 5 years.”

Throughout the years, I’ve heard all kinds of statistics about business failures. Quite honestly, I don’t know how anyone could gather such statistics.

Someone starts a small business in his or her basement. They work at it quietly for a while and then pull the plug. How does anyone know they failed if no one knows they started?

How could that private in-the-basement attempt at entrepreneurship be seen, measured, or counted by any government or independent reporting agency?

Sure, businesses fail. We’ve just witnessed and watched as some giants with years under their belts failed… giants that you and I thought were rocks corporate of stability.

Whatever that percentage of failures… 90, 80, 70, 60, 50 percent, if 70% of them fail that means 30% succeed. Imagine, 30% of the people who try to start a new business actually succeed!

Then my thought went into a different direction.

I wonder how many people who start a new job today will be at that same job and working for the same company in 5 years.

Some will make it, be promoted, and watch their salary and success grow.

Others will be fired or laid off or downsized. I’m sure that a sizable percentage will determine that “it’s just not working out.” These people will move on… of their own volition… to try something else at a different place of employment.

What’s the difference? Do these people consider themselves as failed? Because they’re not likely to be at the same job in 5 years, does that keep them from accepting the position in the first place and trying their best? And if they happen to be laid off, do they experience the same stigma as someone who failed while starting a new business?

I think not. Most pick themselves up and start all over again.

I suppose a lot of people go looking for a “magic bullet” that brings with it a guarantee. “Use this magic bullet and your success will be guaranteed.”

I don’t think it works that way.

It was dark by the time I returned to my desk. But I felt compelled to take the time then to send an email to my new friend in the gray pinstripe suit. My email expressed my appreciation and gratitude for a great conversation, and my hope that we’d meet again at future chamber events.

Then I concluded, “If I can help even a fraction of the members in my From Unemployed To Self-Employed program find success in a business of their own, that would be monumental. And who could ever argue with that?

You can’t start a trucking business without a fleet of trucks. And you can’t build a freestanding restaurant without a lot of time and money.

I have two primary goals at ThinkSelfEmployed.com. The first is to help people start a business with as little money as possible. I define little “as little as” as a couple hundred dollars.

So, by definition, these are not going to be businesses that require substantial infrastructure such as purchasing a McDonalds franchise, becoming a manufacturer of military armaments, or opening a retail store in a major shopping mall.

My second goal is to help them start a business that produces revenue sooner than later – because people who are unemployed need money now. That means no pie-in-the-sky business ideas that could take months or years to develop… and no going back to school to get a degree in a new field… no jumping into something you know nothing about.

By default, service businesses are traditionally the easiest to start because they require a small upfront investment.

If for example, you worked as an accountant within a large corporation, it doesn’t take long for you to realize that you could provide accounting or bookkeeping services as a consultant… or serve as an outsourced CFO to smaller businesses. Business cards, a phone, a computer, and a willingness to talk to lots of people are all that is often required.

Anyone who has worked in an industry for any length of time develops skills and knowledge. In many cases, that qualifies them instantly to be a consultant or coach.

Retail businesses used to mean brick and mortar. That gets to be expensive. But in today’s technological world it’s easy to sell online… through eBay. In fact, you could set up an eBay store within a few days. You need a source for product and a place to store things. That’s about it. And the way the world works today, you might not even need to hold the inventory.

And don’t forget flea markets. I knew a business owner in New York many years ago that imported leather tote bags from Korea. He sold these to retail stores throughout the country. But on the weekends, he and his partner went to area flea markets within 100 miles of New York City. He once confided in me that they made more money on the weekends at the flea markets than they did as a distributor for their leather tote bags.

Now, you may not find these two stories particularly inspiring at this moment. But remember my second goal: To help you generate revenue as quickly as possible.

One more note. In their lifetimes, most entrepreneurs start more than one business. The one you start with now isn’t necessarily the one you’ll operate and live with for the rest of your life. Starting “simple” – as per the examples above – helps you accomplish the second goal (generating revenue) while it helps you learn how to operate a business successfully. When the time comes for you to start your second business, you are better prepared for success.

The one thing that these all have in common is that they boast tremendous financial rewards.

I clicked through to an offering this morning for a work-at-home Internet business. Testimonials showed some people earning as much as $7,000 a month. Others were earning between $4,000 and $5,000. As you might expect, the people in the photos that accompanied the testimonials were smiling ear to ear.

The copy was compelling. It created a sense of urgency to get in on the ground floor now… before it’s too late.

Being extremely curious – and because it was so well written – I read the entire offering… down to and including the disclaimer. The 700-word disclaimer included these points:

• Any earnings or income statements, or earnings or income examples, are only estimates of what we think you could earn. There is no assurance you’ll do as well. If you rely upon our figures, you must accept the risk of not doing as well.
• There is no assurance you’ll do as well. If you rely upon our figures; you must accept the risk of not doing as well.
• Testimonials do not represent typical results.
• Photographs or images are depiction of individuals and payment methods.
• These income examples are representative of some of the most successful participants in the program.
• Some individuals purchasing the program may make little or NO MONEY AT ALL.

I could go on and on. But you get the picture. If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Nothing takes the place of hard work.

This reaffirmed to me personally that From Unemployed To Self-Employed is on the right track… being able to help someone leverage their personal skills and abilities into a business of their own.

While From Unemployed To Self-Employed boldly proclaims that a member can be up and running in their own business in about 8 weeks, it also clearly states that in 8 weeks they’ll know if they have a viable business. They will have been able to find the business that’s best for them, create a business model, and test it.

It doesn’t promise that they’ll be rich, that all their troubles will be over, or that they’ll be out shopping for their new cruising yacht by the end of the month.

This is one of those things that I discourage people from… especially that early in the process. The reason is that banks don’t invest in ideas. They want to see a track record in the form of assets or proven cash flow. That’s really what they’re investing in: your ability to repay what you borrow.

But time and time again I see new business owners waste valuable time courting a bank only to hear, “Sorry, no. We can’t help you.”

The biggest problem with this often futile run-to-the-bank exercise is that it distracts new business owners from doing what they most need to do. That is to concentrate on the basics of the business… such as creating an action plan that will jumpstart their business.