Starting a business was something that started for me slowly. I didn’t have the Silicon Valley-esque 2000 mph journey of dropping out of college and toiling in a garage until raising a million dollars in VC funding.
I thought about it, and thought about it, and thought about it before making any moves. All while working a full time job, getting married, having kids, and getting older. Starting a business sounded good, but I’ve got bills, and I don’t know about yours, but mine don’t pay themselves.
Some of you may be in the same boat. You have ideas but you’re not quite ready to jump headfirst into entrepreneurship. Welcome to the club! There’s no one right way to become an entrepreneur. The average age of an entrepreneur is 45–the whole young dude in a hoodie thing is a myth!
As you’re thinking about starting a business, there’s a lot you can do while you’re on the 9-to-5 grind. This quick post provides a list of actions you can start taking right now.
As I have heard Marie Forleo say many times, clarity comes from engagement, not thought. Sitting around thinking about starting a business will not give you any clear signs about whether you should do it.
You have to engage with your ideas.
The good news is that there are lots of ways you can do this. Until the magical day that you become a business owner, you can get yourself ready by:
- Following people in your industry on social media;
- Identifying your competitors;
- Watching the moves/launches/online activities of those competitors;
- Planning the details of your business launch;
- Planning your social media strategy;
- Creating social media accounts that share relevant information for your industry;
- Buying the domain names you could use for your business once you do launch;
- Building an email list of potential partners, clients, and customers;
- Interviewing people in your industry about what problems need to be solved;
- Pitching your idea to industry experts and mentors and incorporating their feedback (but protect your intellectual property first!);
- Watching YouTube videos about your industry;
- Listening to podcasts about your industry;
- Reading books about your industry;
- Consuming as much content as possible about starting a business;
- Attending conferences related to your industry.
I’m sure there are things I’ve missed here. The point is, you can become an active participant with your ideas. In many instances, this stuff is completely free, other than the expense of your time.
Now, none of these things will replace the experience of actually receiving payment for your products or services and all that comes along with being a business owner. At some point, you’ll have to rip that Band-Aid off.
Until then, try some of these activities to get the gears of your mind moving.
Once you try a few of these activities, I’d love to hear from you in the comment section:
- Did doing this activity give you any clarity about your business ideas?
- Did you find any gaps in your industry that you can fill?
- Do taking these steps make you feel better about your ideas?
Please provide as much information as you can! I’d love to help you strategize on the best conferences for your own goals. And, I know the other folks reading this can learn from your experiences. We are in this thing together.
I always say that I’m on a mission to build a nation of good people with dynamic personal brands and successful businesses. We can learn from each other on this journey, particularly when we have accountability partners. This is why I am building a whole nation of them.
You can connect to the the private community I’ve created to provide support and encouragement along the journey–online and via app. Check us out at programs.shontavia.com or via the Mighty Networks App.
Download the Mighty Network app by clicking here. Once it downloads, click “Find a Mighty Network” and search for Shontavia Johnson. You’ll find content there that I may not share elsewhere.
Thank you so much for joining me on this roller coaster of an experience. I am eternally grateful that I get to do this work with wonderful people each day.
Let’s make it happen,
