I’ve worked for myself a number of times, which to me is the same as starting a number of businesses. I always liked a variety in my life, and I also moved around a lot. So I’d commonly start a business, then after some point I’d think, “OK, I can do that”, then move on to something else ( or somewhere else ).
I think a lot of people have misconceptions about starting a business. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard someone say they want to save a lot of money so they can start a business. In some cases it really does take a lot of money. But there are a very large number of businesses that take little to no money to start.
Service business are the cheapest and easiest to start. All but one of my businesses were service businesses. There are exceptions, but if you can work as an employee, there is a pretty good chance that you can do the same thing working for yourself. You just need to sell yourself.
If you have a trade skill, or know how to program, or know how to design, or are physically able to do manual work, then you can work for yourself. No matter what kind of skill, there is a decent chance you can work for yourself. If you have a trade, you probably already have the tools of that trade. That means there will likely be little to no up front costs when you start working for yourself.
Although I recommend that people keep working a regular job and start working for themselves as a sideline until it proves successful. Either that or have enough money saved to live on while they dive in full time at their new business. Most businesses will take a while before it brings in enough to make a living. More than once I’ve seen people abandon a business that was successful and profitable because they didn’t have enough money to live on while the business grew.
Working for yourself, or running a full time business is not for everyone. But I highly recommend that people try it. Most people dream of having a business. So try it. If it doesn’t work, it’s still a good learning experience. Most learning in life is not from school or university. Most learning is from doing and experiencing things. Being self employed is something I think everyone should experience, and it’s not as hard as many people think.
Contrary to what a lot of people think about business people being cut-throat, I very strongly recommend that the most important thing is to be fair and honest with customers. That’s even more important than being good at the actual work. It’s more important that making that initial profit. Customers WILL recognize it. They will call you back, They will recommend you to their friends. That’s when the business will start growing.
Just remember that if you can work as an employee, then most likely you can do the same thing working for yourself.
