Can anyone start a business?? The No.1 thing you need to know first.

A while ago I met up with a lovely girl who was just about to launch an amazing foodie business.  I was so excited for her and was hanging out to be a loyal customer.  And then something happened. Something terrible.

She read a book.

I don’t know the exact title of this book.  But it made me mad. Super mad.

Essentially it was a book about deciding if you've got what it takes to start your own business.

By the end of this book this girl had packed up her dream and stuffed it on down because she didn’t tick whatever boxes it prescribed.

Total tragedy. 

And not just because I can’t eat her delicious food (although that clearly sucks). The real tragedy is that now she isn’t doing what she loves.  Because the rubbish idea that she wasn’t cut out for it was planted in her head.

There is only one non negotiable for starting a business.

You have to really, really, really want to do it.  With every fibre of your being.

Yes there are different skills and qualities that will serve you.  Everyone will have a different mix of these and that’s ok.  Personally, I’m pretty bad at figures but great at marketing. I love design but not sales.  Other people are the complete opposite.  You play to your strengths and then you fill in the gaps. You can learn the skills you need. Develop the qualities. And as you grow you can hire in people who have things you don’t.

All of this can be done IF you want too.  If starting your own business is what your heart wants to do you can find a way.  No-one is born an entrepreneur.   And everyone is unique.  Your business will be a representation of you. You don’t have to turn yourself into a pretzel trying to be something you’re not.

I know I’m repeating myself. Guilty! But it does come down to how much you want it.  Which comes down to your ‘Why?’  Why do you want to start your business? To express yourself, to help others, to create a great lifestyle?  The trick is to connect with your why and this will keep you going while you ride the inevitable ups and downs and learn what you need to along the way.

How do you know if you really, really, really want to do it?

Think about your idea. How does it make you feel? My bet is if it’s what you really wanna do your whole face will light up, from within. You eyes will smile.  People around you will notice this when you talk about your idea.  If you find yourself day dreaming often about your idea that’s another pretty big clue.   If its been hanging around for quite some time and doesn’t seem to disappear, it might be time to start really paying attention.

Sometimes it’s trickier to pinpoint IF you really want to do something. It can be scary to admit to ourselves what we truly want to do. Within seconds of imagining it we disconnect from our deepest desire telling ourselves our  idea is too far fetched, not practical or possible. I know I used to do this myself. How practical do you think earning a living making cups of tea for my friends used to seem. But I found a way!

Don’t confuse feelings of fear with doubt.  And don’t get bogged down in the details. You aren’t trying to figure out how it’s going to happen yet. Just if the idea makes your heart sing.

You can also try thinking about the reverse. Imagine how you’d feel if you don’t do your idea. If you spend the rest of your life exactly as you are now, would you be satisfied? What if you saw someone else doing your ‘thing’?

Once you’ve decided you WANT to do your idea, there are a tonne of things you can do to help garanteee your success but the first and most important step is deciding. Own your dream.  You are entitled to it and you can find a way to make it happen!

Do you worry about not having the right skills? Do you think you need to have a certain something (insert x,y,z) before you can get started? Let me know below in the comments and I'll tell you if i had that 'thing' before I started 'RealChai' I betchya I didn't!

Big Love

Anthea (aka the just do it girl)