Notice how in the title I didn’t say that you can’t start your own business. I just said that you think you can’t. Most people think so and that fact itself is what stops them from making a change in their life.

That applies to every other area of your life. You think your goals are impossible, everything you want is hard to get, you’re not good enough, people won’t like you, etc.

The truth is that it’s all up to you.

You have all it takes to be the best candidate for every career you enjoy, to achieve all your dreams and desires, to build the life you want and to be respected by others.

But the self-limiting beliefs in your mind will keep stopping you from doing anything about it until you say no to them and eliminate all negative thinking.

Why You Probably Won’t Start Your Own Business Any Time Soon:

• you think it’s not a choice;
• you think you need a lot of initial capital;
• you expect permission to do it;
• you feel awkward to think that big;
• you say it’s not the right time;
• you can’t imagine living like those people who do what they love while helping others and making a lot of money;
• you don’t have a degree in Business (and consider that a barrier);
• you have no support from family and friends;
• you’re okay with your current situation;
• you think that entrepreneurs with successful businesses are just lucky or that it happened under particular circumstances (like inheritance, etc.);
• you can’t afford taking risks right now and trying new things or working on personal projects;
• you don’t have enough time;
• you know it may take years to get there and that kills your desire to even give it a try;
• to some extent the idea of becoming self-employed scares you;
• you fear failure;
• you consider yourself too old or too young for that;
• you need to finish some other stuff first;
• you’re afraid to put yourself out there;
• you think too much about how people will react – at the beginning they may discourage you, some may make fun of you, then they’ll get jealous or else;
• you don’t have the right skills;
• you’re new to all this and don’t have a clue where to start;
• your day job is what stops you.

Now that I listed all of these, they seem too much and too negative. But so many people have thoughts like that all the time.

In my opinion, if we could eliminate all of them, 90% of the people in the world would be successful and the generation, in general, would have made a bigger progress.

The truth is that none of these is an excuse not to give your dream a try, not to say yes to the big ideas in your head and not to dedicate all your time and energy to it.

What You Need to Know Before You Think About Becoming Self-Employed

Almost every successful person you know also felt like he didn’t have a clue where to begin, didn’t have support from those around him, was a bit afraid of failing and of how others may react.

He knew it may take a lot of time to see even little progress and was a bit afraid of taking risks and trying something uncertain.

But he did it.

And that’s why today we can use the light bulb after Thomas Edison’s thousands of attempts that failed, can read Harry Potter in any language and city in the world even though the author was rejected by many publishers and may have given up on her dream.

That’s why we enjoy the art of today – the great masterpieces of those who were once brave enough to follow their passion and share it with the world despite their fears and doubts.

We are born to thrive. And your age, degree, origin, skills and lack of support don’t really matter. They are just factors in a much bigger picture. And have nothing to do with starting your own business, doing what you love and making money from it.

You need to realize that you have what it takes, and most importantly – you can learn throughout the process. That’s how we grow.

Your day job is also not a problem. Leo Babauta had a full-time job and a family to support and still made time to write every day. That’s how we can read so many amazing articles on Zen Habits and that’s how he created all his books, became self-employed, changed his life and made such an income.

So there’s always a way.

You don’t find time, you make it.

And as for your other projects and the feeling that it’s not the right time, that’s just procrastination in disguise.

Never forget that a basic idea can turn into a vision, a plan and goals combined with a strong desire and willingness, and after some time can become a reality.

Just start. Everything else will fall into place.

Being your own boss is one of the main aspects of freedom. Working on something you’re passionate about and believe in will make you truly happy and you’ll want to inspire others to do the same.

By finding the courage to start your own business, you’ll simply make the world a better place.

Can You Really Start a Business While Working Full-Time?

Can you start a business while working full-time? Yes. In fact, that’s the best way to start it for a few reasons.

First, you won’t be making money for a long time and need to provide for yourself. Second, the regular job will keep reminding you this is not the lifestyle you’re meant to have and that you can turn things around and actually start doing what you love and getting paid for it.

You build discipline while investing all your free time in your side hustle. That means waking up earlier and having late nights in front of the laptop. No more drinks in the weekend or spending on things that aren’t resonating with your goals. It’s all about taking the business off the ground now, and that becomes priority number one until the day you quit your day job and invest yourself in it full-time.

I’m not gonna lie to you, it’s not easy. Depending on how many other responsibilities you already have, it can cause you burnout, hopelessness, confusion, information overload, lack of social life, and more. But it’s worth living like this for a year or so, in order to live the rest of your life on your own terms.

You’re using your day job to support your bills, while building your digital empire.

But how do we start a business?

That begins by defining your ideal lifestyle and what you should be doing with your time that will potentially be monetized.

Set aside some time today to describe how you want to live some time from now. Write down anything you aren’t happy with right now. Share ideas on how it can be improved.

In a nutshell, create your vision statement.

Then, find your true calling by answering these questions.

It’s important to care about your market, to know what people in it struggle with, to have love for the craft and a bit of talent too.

The world might then try to take that away from you. Friends and family won’t necessarily support you, and your journey won’t be smooth. That’s why you need to also protect your newly found passion, to make time for it daily, to stay focused and on the right track. To wake up with it in mind daily and think of ways to use it to contribute to the world in ways that haven’t been done before.

You should be solving problems with your work. Validate your business idea and build your first product. But it doesn’t need to be an overnight success. Take it one step at a time, to make sure you go in the right direction.

You are the one who’ll keep yourself motivated during the workday.

It’s easy to get distracted again and forget about your vision. But you still won’t be satisfied in the end of the day and will get back to chasing your passion. The more often you do that, the sooner it will become a mindset and way of living. You can start thinking like an entrepreneur, while still being an employee.

Overlap starts with the day job.

Don’t look at it as an obstacle, but as a means to a better life. You need your day job now, and it’s what allows you to work on your passion and turn it into a business. Once you quit, it will all make sense – the hours invested, the failed projects, the moments of discouragement, the sacrifices.

Tips for Starting an Online Business

Know the Rules

As you venture into an online business model, you will need to learn the best practices for working in this realm. 

• How will you accept and make payments?
• How do you vet suppliers?
• If you intend to conduct business internationally, how do you handle imports and exports?

For the last question, the best answer is to find experts in their respective fields. It is unlikely you already know the ins and outs of everything that multinational trading entails. There are, however, companies that make it their business to know the rules and regulations involved in global trading.  

Companies such as ClearBorder have the experience and knowledge to guide you on the best practices, rules, and regulations involved in the processes. They provide consultancy services as well as training courses.

With the former, you have a wealth of expertise at your fingertips. They are versed in varying import and export laws between multiple countries and know what it takes to get your products moving without delays due to misunderstood regulations. 

In reference to the latter, you have the opportunity to educate yourself and better manage the movement of your products throughout the world.

Outsource Tasks

As a new company head, you will not have time to tackle every aspect of your business needs with success. At first, you may be the only employee. As your company grows, you will surely need help. 

Outsourcing will get you the help you require to remain successful. Some commonly outsourced roles include:

• Executive Assistants
• Accounting
• Legal
• Marketing and Advertising

Find a Mentor

Finding someone who can guide you will be essential to your growth as an entrepreneur. This is especially true when starting an online company. This need is compounded when you are a solopreneur. If you have never ventured out on your own to run a company, you may benefit from the tutelage and experience that a mentor can offer you.

A mentor can give you anecdotal stories they gleaned on their paths to the top of their vertical. They will be able to share their success stories and their failures. This person will already have contacts you can reach out to for more information or form trade partnerships with in the future.

The mentor-mentee relationship should be a mutually beneficial one where you have something to offer them regarding their business. Perhaps you have a pulse on a younger demographic and can lend insight on how to reach them which will be advantageous for your mentor.

The 3 Ways to Make Money in Any Niche

Your niche is out there, you have all it takes to become an expert in it. Once you do, there will be 3 possible ways to make money with it.

These are:

• Client work
• Products
• Teaching

One of these will bring you more return on investment than the rest, but you need to experiment first.

The main obstacles you’ll face are things such as:

Being exhausted when you’re back from work and not feeling like working on your side business. But you’ll need to find the will regardless of that, and keep going knowing you’ll soon quit the 9 to 5 and never look back.

There’s also the confusion as to what your true passion is. Some people never find it, others get distracted by all the goals they’ve set and aren’t sure which is worth pursuing.

But your passion will show its true power because you’ll lose track of time when doing activities related to it. It will make you feel productive, instead of just busy. It will help you get in the zone when working. You’ll see yourself successful before you really are, if you keep working on the right thing.

You’ll sustain your enthusiasm for long periods of time and will persist through problems easily if you’re passionate about what you do.

How do you feel about self-employment? Are you working for yourself? If not, are you doing something to get there?