What stands in your way?

I think that when most people hear “start a business” or “become self-employed” they get the same twinge in their belly that they do when they get a Certified letter from the IRS.

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.