I want to start a business but…

This month will be a year since I opened the virtual doors of Backbone America. One thing I’ve realized during these past 12 months is not everyone has what it takes to start a business. As a coach, I hate to put limitations on people. I’m of the mindset anything is possible. However, I’m finding the majority of the people I encounter have limited themselves. They say “I want to start a business but…” you fill in the blank. I guess that’s why over 90% of people in America want to be business owners, but only 10% own businesses.

Today, I’m going to share with you the umbrella excuse I hear from people who want to start a business but don’t.

It’s not the right time.

I call it the umbrella excuse because it can mean:

I don’t have the money to jump from point A to point Z in a single bound, so I’ll just struggle where I am and wish I had it better.
I don’t have the time to even take a baby step forward with my business idea, so I’ll watch TV instead.
I’m too old to finally own the business I dreamed of owning when I was younger.
I’m not smart enough nor have the knowledge to excel like Biddy Mason.
I’m young and have to waste my youth doing things I hate first.
People who are unhappily falling in line with society’s expectation will judge me for trying to achieve my dreams.

Did I miss anything? I’m sure I did. You can add your own excuse. I know I’m being facetious, but excuses are just excuses. And those excuses all comes down to timing. It’s the idea that you can put off your dreams… for now. Then something miraculously will change, and an opportunity will present itself.

All I can do is shake my head. Why? Because that line of thought is fussy logic… flawed thinking. That’s unless you know the future. Unless you know the future, there’s no reason to think your life will get better simply by sitting back and watching time pass you by. The only thing that’s guaranteed by taking this path is you’ll get older. When you get old enough, you can refer back to excuse #3.

We all have challenges

I get that. I have challenges. After all, I’m human too. However, what the 10% of America who started a business knows that the 90% doesn’t seem to realize is, your business isn’t going to happen unless you make it happen. Unless someone dies and wills a business to you, it’s not like a business is going to open its doors and fall into your lap.

You don’t have to be rich to start a business. It’s okay to start small and grow responsibly.
You don’t have to quit your day job to start a business. Carve out a few hours a week to plan your business and share your business. As the work starts coming in, you might find you’ll need to quit your job in order to accommodate your business. By then, the money will be there. The key is to keep moving forward.
Unless you’re dead, you still have opportunities to fulfill your business dream. It reminds me of my time during coaching school. One of the ladies was well into retirement… even her voice was a little old lady’s voice. She decided she wanted to be a coach and went for it. It’s your choice to waste your elderly years as you wasted your youth. Trust me. No one will stop you. In fact, they expect you to lay down quietly and fade away. Don’t do it. Do not go quietly into that goodnight.
For the record, Biddy Mason was a freed slave. Let’s just say as a slave, she didn’t have a lot of opportunities to earn an education. In fact, she was illiterate. That didn’t stop her from amassing a fortune from her real estate business and becoming the richest African American in Los Angelos when she was alive.
Think you’re too young? Please google Leanna Archer. That is all.
People will always judge you. If you’re human, you’re judging people also. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re judging me right now. That’s life. To be perfectly honest, people are probably wondering why you’re doing things you’d rather not be doing instead of working toward your dreams. You can’t win either way. People will judge.

There will always be a reason not to pursue your dreams.

What are you gaining by putting off your dreams until some unknown time in the future that may not happen?

If you took the first step toward your dreams, what could you possibly achieve?

I want to start a business but…