Have you ever had a business idea brewing in your mind, but it was quickly followed by a flood of thoughts on all the reasons why you are not qualified, ready, or prepared to pursue it?
Have feelings of doubt, fear, and confusion kept you from every taking that first step?
You are not alone.
I am incredibly familiar with all of those thoughts and feelings. When I started this venture in 2016, I had been out of the workforce and a stay at home mom for more than a decade. By every stretch of the imagination, I had no clue was I was doing.
But I what I did have was a prayed-over idea, the beginning of a plan, and loads of determination and tenacity to accompany it.
It is highly probably that every single successful business owner felt those same feelings and thought those same thoughts at some point during the beginning stages of their adventure. (For me, this even happens in cycles with every new stage of growth in the business, so I've started to get used to it!)
Even the most "qualified" business professionals have to muster up all their courage when it comes to doing a new thing in the business world.
There are many people who will tell you it takes more than bravery, and you must have a highly detailed formal business plan in place before you even consider starting. They are right, to an extent.
While I appreciate preparation work, to go too far in that direction is most certainly a recipe for getting your wheels stuck in the mud as opposed to putting them in motion.
So I'm here to tell you, NO, you really do not need a fancy formal business plan.
By all means please do plan, strategize, and brainstorm. Get the vision on paper, set realistic goals, and learn from people who know more than you. I've done this over and over throughout the last five years of being a CEO and it has served me very well. By the grace of God, this little baby of a company that literally started in my kitchen has grown exponentially and we are projected to hit a half million in sales by January of 2022.
So, here's the catch. At some point, you just have to get up from your notebook and computer and start the darn thing!
If you know your idea is solid, there is a profit to be made, and you have a rough list of the steps it will take to accomplish the thing, just BEGIN. Put it in motion. Conquer the first step. And then the next, and the next.
Keep planning, of course, along the way! And on that note...
My dear friend and personal mentor, Amber Davis at planningwithamberdavis.com is an expert on helping people take their dreams to flight, and breaking those giant dreams down into action steps that will actually get you there. She can help you make plans which will actually produce progess!
I highly recommend ANYTHING and everything she puts out- but especially her book "Flight" which you can snag here!
I hope this series encourages you and helps give you some wind in your sails as you put those steps in motion towards starting your own business!
If you missed it, go back and check out part 1 and part 2 and stay tuned for part 4 next week!
Please reach out if this has been enlightening or helpful to you, I'd love to hear from you!
