Unarguably one of the hardest things about entrepreneurship is starting. That metaphorical jump-off point is often obscured by everyday excuses, such as lack of funding, lack of time, or lack of a brilliant idea. Here are four tips on how to finally start your first venture:
Put Yourself in Challenging Situations
Like Richard Branson, many successful entrepreneurs believe in the power of challenging oneself to achieve better results. Treat life as it were a long, continuous education that brings opportunities to learn every day. This growth mindset can help you attain more wisdom and experience in a shorter time span.
Do Things That You Are Passionate About
It sounds cheesy, but it’s a fact that you only have one life to live. Spend it doing work that you care about. In the words of Steve Jobs’, the only way to be satisfied in life is to do work that you genuinely believe in. That being said, job security is as important as following your passion. Gradually replace your primary income source by working on your passion projects on the side.
Work on Being a Salesperson
Successful entrepreneurs are great salespeople. They can take any product or service and sell it to anyone. Fundraising is indeed essential, especially if you’re starting out, but you’ll want to supplement it with a good sales pitch and a strong sales personality. Only then can you convince anyone to invest in your business idea. Find a mentor, attend a training program, or ask a friend to roleplay with you so you can have someone to test and review your sales pitch with.
Change Your Crowd
The people you hang out with daily influence how you think and what you do. If you are with a crowd that has little to no interest in building businesses and creating solutions, you won’t have anyone to bounce ideas off of or challenge you to think more creatively. Make sure the people you are exposed to can nurture your entrepreneurial spirit and drive.
These tips can help you go from aspiring to real entrepreneur. Of course, these tips will only help you so much; the final decision of actually jumping in and doing the work will depend solely on you.