A Lifetime of microBusiness

six things you'll need to start your business

Yes, there are more than six things. I could have included a business plan, a good accounting system, a nice blue suit, professionally designed stationary, a firm handshake, etc., etc. But that type of information is available on a hundred different sites, and in hundreds of books. This site focuses more on the head, the heart, the emotions, the entrepreneurial spirit, the survival instinct, and the desire to be autonomous. Following are basics you'll need to get started, but this conversation will continue.

1. A good idea. You’ll need a viable idea that can satisfy the want or need of at least a niche market.

2. Vision. You should be able to picture what your business will look like and feel like next year, in three years, and in five years. Your direction will most certainly need adjusting between now and then, but you should at least set sail with a clear vision of where you’d like to go.

3. Self-confidence. You’ll need this, because there will inevitably be friends, family, and other people who will tell you to “keep your day job”. Your abilities may be called into question by well-meaning, envious, or just plain mean-spirited people; and at some point you’re likely to face difficult challenges that will require you to have an abundance of inner strength and belief in yourself.

4. The long view. Taking the long view may at first seem like Vision, but it’s really closer to Patience. You are building a living, breathing enterprise that is designed to take care of your financial, creative, and emotional needs. This won’t happen in a few weeks or months. It will require hard work, dedication, tenacity, and intelligent planning to make it a lasting reality. Understanding this and having the patience to watch it grow each day, is taking The Long View.

5. Impatience. Impatience in the right amount will keep your senses sharp, and make you push just hard enough to get things accomplished on time, or even better, ahead of time.

6. Self-motivation. When you’re the CEO of “ME Inc.” you’ll have no manager looking over your shoulder to goad you on. You’ll have no one asking you to work overtime to get the job done. There will be no external force governing your professionalism, your work ethic, or your sales volume. There will be no one there to grant a merit raise or surprise you with a bonus. Your strong desire to accomplish something, to build something, is the lifeblood of your business; it is the fuel that will drive your company forward.

can-do people make our world go 'round

There are three kinds of people in this world. The can-dos, the can’t-dos, and the dream killers. Actually, the dream killers are a particularly insidious species of the subgenus can’t-do class. Among them are bankers, prejudiced aunts, and prairie doggers held captive in the cube farms of large insurance companies. They are a troubled group, and should be pitied. But they aren’t the focus of this post. The can-do people are the ones who have built America with ideas, genius, and sweat. They have sacrificed much. They have bloody knuckles and sore backs, but they never, never give up. What magic ingredient does the can-do person have that the can’t-do person is missing?

Is one ambitious and the other lazy?

Is one fearless, while the other frightened?

Is one brimming with self-confidence, and one burdened with self-doubt?

Does one enjoy support from loved ones, while the other is surrounded by dream killers?

I don’t think there is any clear answer to that question, but I do think – no, I know – that those of the can’t-do clan can be converted. They need the support of those of us who believe that anything is possible if you’re willing to think, share, and work hard. They need to be shown that money, credentials, and privilege are not prerequisites to achievement. And they need to have a human buffer between themselves and the dream killers. Reach out and encourage someone today.