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Most of us believe that starting a business takes a certain kind of person.
That someone probably has to have an entrepreneurial mindset or be able to weather risk easily, or else starting a small business isn’t in the cards for them. We might even think that being a small business owner means someone has to have connections, be outgoing, and be easily able to network.
But the truth is, all sorts of people start small businesses – from engineers to accountants to crystal healers – and extroversion is not required!
Here are three other common myths that can hinder you from going after your dream of starting a small business:
1. Your Fears Are Real
For instance, instead of believing you do not have enough money to start a business, you could say, “I’m willing to learn ways to find start-up funds for this new venture.”
Instead of believing you lack the charisma or extroversion to make people work with you or attract clientele, try saying to yourself, “I’m open to learning new ways of engaging with people.”
None of those fears are confirmed.
To put it another way, changing your mindset from a fear-based to a learner’s perspective has increased success.
Aspiring entrepreneurs’ fears that pop up in our minds are insecurities usually disguised as reality. They typically look like: “I don’t have enough money to start a business,” “I don’t know enough about business,” “I don’t have enough contacts,” or “I’m not charismatic enough.”
2. You Need Another Degree or Certification or Training
This is a significant and challenging myth to dispel in our status-driven world but to start a business, you don’t need an MBA or additional certification in marketing.
Your best form of learning for your new business will be experiential – learning on the go – just as it has been for the rest of your life. Besides, you’re probably thinking about starting a business in a field you’re already familiar with.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s your current day job. This could also be a field in which you have a genuine interest and have read about extensively, gone to conferences for, attended meetings, etc.
Thus, you probably have more experience and knowledge about the business you’re trying to start than you initially might have guessed.
3. Everything Has to be Perfect Before You Can Start
One of the other biggest myths about starting a small business is that you must have all your ducks in a row. That looks like a thorough business plan, thriving social media accounts, a professional in-depth market analysis, goals, strategies, teams of resources, etc. People believe that all those things, plus more, must be 100% lined up before starting their business.
But behind that need to have everything lined up is a fear of failure. And that fear keeps many people from even starting down the path of small business ownership.
Here’s a question: Have other people started businesses without the requirements you’ve set for yourself?
You already know what steps you need to take
Here’s the secret to performance and success: We already know what we should be doing to be successful.
It’s not a lack of knowledge that holds us back, and the continual loop of negative thinking in our minds does.
Coach/author Alan Fine has studied this phenomenon with thousands of sports and business clients and calls it “interference.”
His research shows that to be successful, we need to get out of our heads and find that place of effortless joy, also called “flow,” in the work we want to do. “Flow” is defined as that sense where time flies by, and you feel revitalized and energized by the work that you’re doing.
When starting a small business, it’s important to continually seek out that place of flow in the new company that you’re building. Define what you really, genuinely love to do and focus on that. This helps to break down the negative feedback loop running in our minds.
Letting go of negative thinking doesn’t mean that a new business doesn’t need business plans, marketing, or clearly defined goals. Still, the more you can focus on the parts of the new company that brings you joy and provides the flow, the more you will communicate that excitement when you speak with others.
And when we get out of our heads, then we can hone in on the answers to these forward-momentum questions:
- How will you help others in this business?
- Who will your ideal clients be?
- What type of experience will your clients walk away with?
Most importantly, what’s the one step you can take today to align with your dream of starting that new business?
