One of the biggest hurdles to starting a business anywhere on this planet basically comes down to as Tony Robbins likes to say “the reasons you keep telling yourself why you can’t do it.” These reasons are what he refers to as “boats” preventing you from taking the island (in this case start your own business).
In honor of excuses and their ability to hold us back, I thought I’d present you with 5 solid reasons why you all CAN and SHOULD start your own business instead of continuing to work and toil for the man day-in and day-out:
1. You can start your own business because other people are already doing it.
Hey, this is as good a reason as any to start your own business. A lot of the people out there doing successful business aren’t as smart as you either. They didn’t have a huge bankroll; nor did they have customers lining up at their door the very first day. They’re just like you and me and they’re doing it. Some are flat out killing it. Ninety-nine percent of US businesses are small businesses. They also employ over fifty-percent of the entire population. All that’s required to start a business is desire and a willingness to leap into the abyss of the unknown that lies out there before you. Go get it. You deserve it!
2. You can do it because there is an idea in your head somewhere that can join with your skills and passions to make the perfect business.
This is actually tougher than it seems — for some people. Just think of the number of times you’ve been sitting in traffic and come up with what you thought was a perfect idea for a product or service — then forgot it just as swiftly because you didn’t bother to write it down? It’s said that everyone has at least one million dollar idea pop into their head during their lifetime. That’s why it’s so important to carry around a pen and paper, or have something like Simple Notepad installed and ready to use on your smartphone. And here’s the big thing to remember: When you have an idea, take immediate action on it. Start the wheels rolling toward launch! Worst thing that can happen is another useful failure to add to your toolkit for the next venture.
3. You don’t need separate facilities to start a business.
Starting a home-based business is easy. Nearly seventy-percent of all small businesses in the US are based from home. That may be hard to believe, with all the small businesses you see scattered throughout your city or town, but they are in fact a small minority and not the majority. Many of these businesses are no more than a single person running their entire business on their own. So you don’t need employees either — another excuse bites the dust!
4. You get tax benefits.
There are a number of expenses that can be written off at tax time: travel, telephone bills, food, portions of repayments on things like cars, etc. Depending on the business you start, there may also be various government incentives such as small business grants based on industry and/or age of the entrepreneur running the business. If you’re unsure about what to do and how to register, I’d advise speaking with your accountant or an experienced entrepreneur about the tax benefits you could be eligible for.
5. The most awesome part: You get to do what you want, when you want, the way you want to do it.
What more can a person say about this one? Obviously, there are going to be constraints — that’s true in all we do in life. However, if you desperately need to take the day off, you can. If you don’t want to take on a project for moral or downright personal reasons, you don’t have to. The ball’s always in your court as to how you ultimately schedule your time.
Running your own business can indeed suck at times. What sucks more is having to drag your butt into an office, shop or factory every day just to make a buck or two. Listening to everyone (including yourself) complaining about how much they hate their J.O.B.
Another day, another dollar? No thanks!
Main Image Credit: Ellen Forsyth/Flickr